Page 92 of Taming the CEO

His voice was almost a groan. I barely bit back a laugh.

"That's my favorite too,” I said. "Okay, you can wait outside."

"No, I want to watch. Put the clothes on."

I’d already paid for the jeans and the rest of the clothes, and the sales associate had removed the tags on them.

I licked my lips as Maddox sat on the small wooden shelf that was probably meant for bags. His eyes were fixed on me in the mirror.

Oh goodness. I was starting to simmer beneath his stare.

“Luckily there are no cameras,” he said on a growl.

I gasped. "Maddox, no sex in here."

“Fuck no,” he said, growling louder still. “No matter if there were cameras or not, I'd make you scream. Everyone would know exactly what's going on.”

"Holy shit, I can't take you out in public, can I?" I stammered.

He leaned forward, touching my outer thighs with his palms. "Something about you makes me forget myself."

"All right, new rule. No touching while I dress."

He cleared his throat and straightened. "That's a damn good rule." He truly was on edge if he'd agreed with me so fast.

I put on the clothes quickly, and then we headed out. A sales assistant was looking at us suspiciously. Maddox cocked a brow at her.

Oh yeah. He's a menace today to the public in general.

The tour was starting at the City Hall Plaza. We didn't have as much time as we'd previously thought, so we went straight there.

I was beyond excited about this. My new shoes were comfy, as were my jeans. This day was literally amazing. The weather was acceptable too. I wondered if anyone had dropped by Essex Adventures, though I doubted it. It was too cold and muddy for summer activities and too little snow for sledding even though we’d had a blizzard.

Regardless, I knew Dad and our staff could easily handle it.

As we got out of the car, Maddox took my hand, brushing his thumb over my palm. There was already a group at the meeting point, and a beautiful blonde woman was talking to them.

"All right, we're a small group today," I heard her say as we approached, "so we'll have no problem sticking together." She beamed at us when she noticed Maddox. "Now we have two more." She came over to us and said, "Morning, Maddox."

"This is—"

"Cami," she finished for him.

I blinked, glancing at Maddox from the corner of my eye. He'd told her who I was? His expression told me he was just as stunned as I was.

"Nice to meet you, Diane. I've heard you're one of Boston's greatest tour guides."

"Oh, my brother-in-law likes to sing my praises. But I do like to think that I'm doing a great job. Let's join the group," she said, then resumed her position. "As I was saying, this tour doesn't simply include the Freedom Trail. I'll be showing you a lot of little hidden gems that don't appear in tour guides."

Diane's enthusiasm was contagious, and her stories were riveting. She wasn't simply showing us buildings and giving us a brief overview, but instead she weaved everything into a detailed story. I liked the group we were with as well. No one interrupted her. Whenever someone asked a question, it was pertinent, and it led to a wealth of information when Diane answered. Maddox also seemed to enjoy himself.

"All right, everyone, we’re reaching the end of the tour," Diane said three hours later.

Oh thank God. My feet were protesting a bit. The sneakers might eventually be comfortable, but I hadn't broken them in yet. Walking for three hours in new shoes was a bit much.

As the tour ended, Maddox's phone vibrated. He took it out, frowning at the screen. My stomach lurched. I hoped nothing was wrong.

Then he chuckled and glanced at Diane, who grinned at him. She had her phone in hand too. Are they messaging each other?

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