“Just don’t tell them that you fired me if they call for references.” Bantering back and forth with him feels so natural as we lay here.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll give you a glowing reference. Fantastic oral skills, very vocal, willing to try any position...”
“You forgot that I take direction well.”
Roman grins, brushing my hair out of my eyes. “Very well. And that stamina. Wow.”
“I’ll be sure to keep you in mind if I ever decide to apply for a job as a stripper,” I quip, pressing my lips together.
“Now there’s a job where you can sleep with your boss. As long as it’s me, that is.”
“Goodnight, Roman.”
He leans in, slanting his mouth to mine in a kiss before I roll over. “Goodnight, Maddie.”
His body engulfs me again, pulling me in tight against his chest. I feel his heart beating against my back, and our breath syncs until we find the same rhythm and drift off to sleep.
Chapter Eighteen
We’vebarelybeenasleepfour hours when Maddie drags herself out of my arms and back to her bedroom to get ready for work. I’m absolutely spent, but without her here, my bed feels cold and lonely, and I can’t fall back asleep. Instead, I head downstairs and make her a cup of coffee before she heads out.
The sweet goodbye kiss we share is enough to light up my entire fucking nervous system again, so any chance I had of getting sleep is obliterated. I’ve still got a few hours before Ty wakes up, so I opt for a workout to release all of this pent up energy.
I’m still reeling from the way last night unfolded. After weeks of trying to deny myself and force Maddie away, I almost was successful. Even I was surprised at how much of an asshole I was. I mean, kissing her that way and then leaving her hanging? Yeah, not one of my finer moments.
Although, considering the absolute agony my dick has been in for the last few days, I definitely served my punishment. Thatone might have backfired on me more than I intended, because teasing Maddie is a double-edged sword. Getting her riled up turns me on just as much, and trying to fight that is hopeless. It was stupid of me to push her away to begin with. Maddie knows who I am. She knows what she’s in for. And she’s right—that’s a decision she can make for herself.
And thank God, she decided to give it a shot.
Last night was the best sex I’ve ever had. Physically, it rocked me to my absolute core, the rush and sensation better and more intense than anything I’ve ever even dreamed of. Maddie is a fucking goddess, and having that salacious body in my arms took me higher than any drug or substance ever could. What surprised me most, though, was the connection between us. I expected the spark and the chemistry, but the emotional part was new to me. The way I wanted to please her. To take care of her. To make her feel better than she’s ever felt before. Her release was just as important to me as my own, and watching her eyes roll back in ecstasy was incredible.
I loved Talia deeply, but never romantically, and we never had any kind of physical attraction. If this is what sex feels like with someone you have a genuine connection with, I’m in serious trouble—or Maddie is depending on how you look at it—because I want to do that all day, every day.
After a few rounds with the punching bag, I call it quits and head back upstairs. I take a shower, but it doesn’t help get my mind off of Maddie because all I do is picture her in there.
Maybe it’s my hero complex, but I could almost kiss that spider for the opening it gave me last night. I’ve been craving Maddie for weeks, but seeing her nearly naked body crouched in the corner in fear of that spider, and needing me to save her, flipped a switch inside of me. I loved being needed, especially by her. She has such a strong personality that she’s rarelyvulnerable enough to take any kind of help from someone else, but last night was different.
And I’m so glad it was.
By the time Ty wakes up, I feel like I’ve lived an entire day. I’ve worked out, showered, and gotten a good chunk of work done. It’s like Maddie rejuvenated me, and I’m on top of the world.
He scowls, slinking into a chair at the kitchen table with a serious case of bed head. “Where’s Maddie?”
“Hey, bud.” I ruffle his hair as I sit next to him. “She’s at work. How did you sleep?”
Ty groans, tossing his head back dramatically in ignoring my question. “I thought she was gonna be here. She promised she was going to teach me how to do a backflip into the pool.”
I raise an eyebrow carefully. “Well, let’s do something to take your mind off of it until she gets home? Maybe go to the park?”
His whole body tenses, frozen in place as his cheeks turn ashen. “How about something else?”
And that’s when I realize what I just suggested.The park.He was nearly killed there just a few weeks ago. Fuck.
The park used to be one of his favorite places in the world. It was a sort of solace for him after Talia died, but now it’s tainted with its own painful memories. Ty’s been doing so well lately that it didn’t even occur to me he might still be harboring some trauma, and now I feel like a fucking idiot. Of course he is. Why didn’t I see it sooner? And more importantly, how can I help him?
“Sure. We can do something else,” I say, changing the subject. “What about the mall? I was thinking we could get you some new clothes before you start back to school.”
Ty hasn’t been back since the shooting, and we’re both a little leery of it. It’s nerve-wracking to send him off when I still don’t have a handle on what’s going on or who’s after us, but I know it’s the best thing for him. He needs that stability, andhis teacher has been absolutely wonderful in the wake of what happened with Talia. I know he misses his friends, but I’m expecting it to be a hard adjustment, so I’ve been trying to think of ways to make it easier.
