Page 45 of Cook

“Ask him to ride out here,” I texted Doc, then added, “to my house outside Park Ridge.”

I slid my cell phone into my back pocket. My heartbeat pounded, and I cleared my throat before heading inside. I didn’t want to know the answer, but I braced myself for whatever came next.

Before I made it back to the house, my cell phone buzzed in my pocket.

Bou and Maddie were in the living room when I entered, and Bou was packing up bags with the clothes Maddie had turned down. Wilde took them from her outstretched hands.

Maddie wore some of Bou’s old clothes, and based on what I saw in the bedroom, there were more stashed away. I made a mental note to find out if she liked them after Wilde and Bou left. If not, I would take her back to Phoenix and through every store until Maddie found what she wanted. With very few bills to my name and the steady income from our border patrol operation, I had enough money to becomfortable, and I’d happily spend it on her.

“Thanks for the help,” said Maddie.

“Of course.” Bou pulled Maddie into a hug, and I waited, my whole body tense.

True, I’d held Maddie while she slept, but otherwise, I hadn’t tried to hug her, only picked her up and moved her as needed. This hug was quick and friendly. Maddie kinda held Bou back, stiff around Bou’s growing stomach.

Turning away, I let a secret smile spread across my lips. I felt the baby when Bou hugged me and her hard stomach pressed into my waist. Bou had never been a hugger, so I wondered if maternal tendencies were stirring.

“We’ll see you later,” said Bou, but Wilde was already standing in the doorway, like he wanted to escape. I didn’t blame him. The door closed behind them, but I didn’t release the breath I had been holding.

Maddie stepped toward the kitchen. “Should I make dinner? Are you hungry?”

She pivoted toward the kitchen, but I caught her around the waist and turned her back to face me. Her hands landed on my chest, and a current flooded my body from that simple contact.

I let my hands rest on her hips. “That’s kinda my thing.”

Two little lines formed between her brows. Worry? “You don’t want me to cook?”

“I’m saying that I’m the cook around here. Doesn’t the name say it all?” I wanted to do this for her.

A smile stretched her lips. “That’s not a reason for you to do all the work.”

She patted me on the chest and tried to pull away, but I held her firmly until she looked back up at me.

“I said, it’s my thing.”

“Oh.” Her mouth lingered in the little O shape.

I moved toward the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Anyway, we need extra tonight. I have people stopping by.”

Looking at her sideways, I waited to see if she would freak out.Maddie took a deep breath, leaning back on her heels, and she tucked her hair behind her ear. Slowly, I reached into the fridge for the meat, waiting. For her to drop to her knees. For her to yell at me or tell me no or burst into tears.

Maddie, however, didn’t move. She did nothing, like she was a stone statue in a museum.

After a long pause, she said, “If we’re having guests, then you need help in the kitchen,” said Maddie. Her chin dipped down, and she peeked out through her dark eyelashes. “If you’re okay with that?”

The way she worried her protruding bottom lip and her big doe eyes made my cock heavy. I turned sideways to adjust, hoping she wouldn’t see. The last thing I wanted was to make her think I wanted to use her body.

“Fine,” I said, closing the refrigerator.

She didn’t move, only waited for me to answer her. To give her permission to help.

Every part of her made me hard until it became almost painful. Geez, I was a sick fuck. “You can peel and boil the potatoes, but the grill is mine. Everyone in the club loves my meat.”

I smirked as I grabbed an apron out of the cabinet, and she snickered. I checked the saying to make sure it wasn’t too offensive for her, then tied it behind my back. Thankfully, the apron hid my growing erection, a reaction I apparently had no control over. I needed a long, cold shower. Maddie dragged her gaze up my body as if she sensed something was up. I grabbed the meat for the grill and the spatula in my free hand, and her eyes fell onto the words painted on my apron.

She giggled, covering her mouth, then said the words. “Lick me until ice cream?”

My cock kicked in my jeans. Pinching my mouth closed, I marched past her. The last words Ishouldsay danced on my tongue. Hell, the words that tried to pry themselves from my mouth, but I somehow stifled theFuck yeah!and theMy tongue’s all yours, baby.

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