MaddoxMONDAY EVENING, I examined the latest figures, satisfied with what I saw. Our footing was solid—even more than I had envisioned. Our bank accounts were full, our investments strong, and everything pointed toward another massive success with Ridge Towers.I picked up my mug, frowning when I realized I had drunk the contents already. I wasn’t sure how many cups I had downed today. I’d come in early, knowing it was a crazy week ahead. Yesterday, I had left Dee’s place late, somehow unable to tear myself away. I’d had her repeatedly, needing her with an intensity that surprised even me. She was asleep when I left her, curled up in her frilly bed, sated and at peace. I hated to see her upset, but I hoped that since she and Cami had cleared the air, she would be able to move ahead.With me.I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I needed to put Dee aside and concentrate on work.Earlier, I had remembered my promise to Dee about the surplus office furniture, and I checked out the stora
I snorted, unable to stop myself from joining in the laughter. “Peace, brother.”For a moment, all we could do was laugh. It felt good and broke the tension of the day.Bentley stood, his shoulders still shaking with amusement. “I hope The Gavin Group pleases her, or they’ll get an earful.”“She might as well sit in on the meeting since she is going to eavesdrop anyway,” I stated loudly, knowing she would be in earshot.Sandy poked her head around the doorway. “I planned to,” she quipped. “You need me.”None of us argued as she spun on her heel, clearly smug.“This week is going to be interesting.” Bentley brushed off his suit. “I’m looking forward to it.”Given the new role I was playing in the process, I was as well.Wednesday morning, The Gavin Group arrived.Graham Gavin was a true professional—polite, courteous, with an old-fashioned charm that spoke of class. His handshake was warm and his gaze direct.Richard VanRyan was a force unto himself. He was confident, assured, and dyna
“Rebecca is bright. I think she’d be good to work with in the office.”“Reid was strangely quiet,” Bentley mused. “He usually jumps right into our meetings.”Aiden chuckled. “What was with his behavior today? He was like a cat on a hot tin roof, all jumpy and edgy.”“I think Becca had something to do with that.”Bentley frowned. “Is that going to be an issue? Them working together?”“No. Reid will be fine,” I assured him. “He was a bit off his game at first, but he settled in. He needs to stop pulling these all-nighters.”“And get some new clothes. He looked like he rolled out of a trash can today.”“Ease up, Bent. I’ll take him shopping. To their credit, I don’t think they gave it another thought. Once he started talking about what he was bringing to the project, and all the things he handles here, they didn’t care what he was wearing.” Aiden defended Reid.Bentley raked a hand through his hair. “Make sure he wears his suit at dinner.”“Yes.”“Okay then, fine. Can you at least get hi
Richard tugged on his hair. “I got to know Becca personally. My wife, Katy, met her at the office, and they grew close. She became part of my family. She’s shared holidays with us, babysat my kids. Katy has been her sounding board about guys.” He lifted one shoulder with a smirk. “I’ve scared a couple of them off myself. She’s more than a coworker. I hate to lose her, so does Katy, but we want her happy.”Graham spoke. “When your request came to us, her hand was up before I had even finished telling the group about what you were looking for. As much as we hate to lose her, we thought this was the best of both worlds. She’ll still be part of our team, but she’ll be in a place where she is happier.” He shrugged. “We knew we would lose her eventually. She had always been open about wanting to be in a bigger city, so this seemed like the right fit.”He met my gaze. “My company and staff are family to me. Normally, Richard would come by himself to do a presentation.” He grinned as he clapp
Our eyes locked and held, and I saw a glimmer of my own desire reflected at me.So I did it anyway. I bent down, ignoring the fact that our friends were watching, and I kissed her. I held her tight to my body and claimed her in front of everyone.When I drew back, her eyes were shocked and her lips swollen.“What was that for?”“Because you wanted me to.”She rolled her eyes, but she didn’t deny it.I crooked my arm. “Shall we?”She reached up, wiping my lips. “I don’t think you need the gloss.”I captured her hand, kissing her delicate fingertips. I tried not to smirk as we went past our shocked group.I failed.By the time Richard, Graham, and Becca arrived, we had been seated and ordered wine. The last one to join us was Reid. I tried not to laugh at the look of delight when he saw the one empty seat was beside Becca. He wore his suit, a white shirt, with a wildly patterned tie.He worked the table, shaking hands and kissing the girls. When he reached Becca, he bent over her hand,
“She looked . . .” I shook my head and laughed self-consciously.“What? She looked what?”“Like someone I knew at university. Impossible, probably.”“Someone you were close to?”I swallowed heavily. “No. Just a girl. No one special. I’m sure I was mistaken.”I clicked my seat belt into place and pulled the car out into traffic. “Let’s go home.”Luckily, she dropped the subject. “Mine or yours?”I made a fast decision. “Yours.”“Okay.”Dee’s hair shimmered in the moonlight that streamed in the windows. She arched, bending so far backward, her hair brushed my legs. She moaned low in her throat, her muscles constricting around me.“Oh God, Maddox. You feel so good.”I gripped her hips, thrusting up hard. I was desperate to feel, to lose myself in her. I tried to focus on her sounds, the way she looked riding me. Her breasts were full, nipples glistening and red from my mouth. Her neck and collarbones bore patches of pink from my scruff where I licked and nipped at her skin. Her pussy was
MaddoxI SPENT THE night prowling my condo, the oblivion of sleep eluding me. I was in the office early, desperate to lose myself in work. Anything to stop the barrage of thoughts and squelch the sense of dread in my stomach remembering her words.We should talk.I had nothing to discuss with her. I never wanted to see her again.I went through the motions all day. I showed Becca and Richard the apartment. She was pleased with the unit, especially when I promised fresh paint and refinished floors prior to her arrival. The kitchen and bath had been updated a couple of years prior, and it was in great shape. As she looked around, I leaned on the counter in the kitchen, unable to keep my fingers from drumming restlessly on the edge.“You okay, Maddox?” Richard asked, concerned. “You look tired today.”I waved my hand, keeping my face impassive. “No, I’m fine.”“If you say so.”Becca came into the kitchen, interrupting us. “I think this will do for me. It’s smaller than what I’m used to i
I hoped his gut was wrong this time, but with Aiden, it rarely was.I glanced at my phone and picked it up, overwhelmed with the need to call Dee. Her voice always helped steady me, and her calm demeanor would be welcome.Except, what could I say to her?A ghost from my past had shown up and I didn’t know what to expect? For all I knew, it meant nothing. Jill could simply be messing with my mind. She had done it previously—many times. I could be making something out of nothing.I tossed the phone onto my desk and rubbed at my face in frustration.I had my own gut feeling in regard to this. And it wasn’t a good one.By Tuesday, I began to relax. There were no other phone calls, no unexpected visitors, and nothing came in the mail. I convinced myself that Jill had seen me, and just to be a bitch, tried my old number, heard my voice and left me a message.This morning, I asked Sandy to have my home line disconnected. She frowned in displeasure when I asked her politely not to divulge my