Page 65 of Taming the Boss

“She’s not the average twenty-one-year-old, and you know it!”

I didn’t know what my mother meant by that. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Granted, I didn’t date much, but that hadn’t even been applicable here because I’d just stayed at Jude’s for a while, and then I’d joined him in his shower. No dating necessary.

See, I was a problem solver.

“What do you mean by that, Mom?” Christian asked.

Yeah, Mom, what do you mean by that?

“She’s innocent.”

“What kind of innocent?”

If my mom thought I was still a virgin, we were going to have a talk. Without many details, because, hello, gross, but still.

I was half tempted to just turn around and go back to Jude’s and wing it on the whole clothing thing, but a plaintive meow sounded at the screen door. I looked down to see my Fergus sitting on the other side of the door, his head cocked, as he asked in his own manner what his mama was doing outside instead of oh, coming in to feed him. Or cleaning his box. Or maybe both.

I really hoped he was doing okay on that score since I’d been gone an awfully long time.

Sorry, Fergus, Mama got really lucky and abdicated her parental cat duties. To pay for it, I will now be on trial to account for my orgasmic sins.

Yet somehow I had no shame. No one had gotten hurt. Sure, my parents had worried a little, which I felt bad about, but still, I was twenty-one. Not like my brothers had ever been held to the same standard, even when they’d still been living at home.

I didn’t remember them going on any extended sleepovers without prior discussion, true. But still.

My mother charged over to the door and scooped up Fergus. “Maddie? Are you okay? Why are you standing outside?”

“I was waiting for you two to stop discussing me.”

“Oh, you heard that?” My mom winced then she cocked her head. “How much, exactly, did you hear?”

Christian moved up behind her and rested his ginormous hands on her shoulders. “We are just worried about you, pumpkin spice. Have you really not been home all week?”

He hadn’t used that nickname for me in years. Its reappearance now was not cute.

“Not the entire week.” I cleared my throat. “But yeah, I wasn’t here. Sorry. And I won’t be for some more time. Not sure how long.” I opened the screen door, pleased to find it unlocked. No need to dig out my keys, although they left the screen door unlocked most of the time. Just not as often when Christian was over because he was Mr. Safety.

Which made my brain track to the condoms I had not used, and within seconds, my cheeks were burning up with my embarrassment. Yep, I was definitely a candidate for maturity.

“Like how much more, Maddie?” my mom asked.

I cleared my throat again. “Jude wants me to be a live-in sort of nanny.”

“Oh, I just bet he does,” Christian muttered, making me roll my eyes before I held out my arms to my mom so she would hand me Fergus.

She did, reluctantly, and I nuzzled his furry gray cheeks until he gave in and started purring.

“Where did you get all this?” I demanded, motioning between my brother and my mother. “I didn’t even have time yet to talk to you much about the job. It just happened.”

“You’re already the talk of the town. Dare mentioned he dropped your car off, its repairs paid for by Mr. Moneybags,” Christian added testily, “and that you came out half asleep during the afternoon. Which concerned him on a number of levels. And he didn’t even know you hadn’t come home all week.”

“I called.” I held up a hand. “Belatedly. Sorry. I’ll keep you more informed, Mom.” Then I tilted my head. “And as far as Dare is concerned, did he assume I’d been roofied before a sex marathon? Why is sleeping so questionable?”

“Madison,” my mother gasped.

“Taking a nap is not worthy of concern, Mom. I’ve taken many naps while in this house too.”

“All of it is just strange behavior from you, especially when combined together,” Christian interjected. “You aren’t an unknown quantity, but this Jude guy is. We don’t know him.”

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