Page 32 of Ever With Me

Cormac raised his brows. “And what’s that?”

“None of your business.” Brooks smirked.

What Cormac didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

But the burning question?

What am I going to do about Maddie and her ridiculous “favor”?

11

MADDIE

Maddie had been lessnervous about pulling up to the place where Brooks was staying the night before. But now, staring at the enormous lake house, her fingers tightened around the steering wheel, her gut in knots.

What the hell did I get myself into?

Brooks hadn’t ever been nice during their interactions. Maybe civil. At best.

But nice? She wasn’t sure if he was capable of that.

Last night, though, he’d shown a harder edge. Maybe she should have expected that, considering she was blackmailing him.

She checked her reflection in the mirror, trying to put on a mask of calm before she killed the engine to her car. She could handle Brooks Kent, no matter how nasty he got. She’d dealt with plenty worse before. Her family considered her to be the angry customer whisperer—somehow, she always defused sticky situations better than everyone else. Pops claimed she got it from him, and she probably did.

She opened the car door and slipped out onto the paved driveway. Jason Cavanaugh sure knew what he was doing when he’d bought this place and fixed it up. The house was one of the prettiest on the lake now. She’d checked the rental fees for it after Lindsay had told her Brooks had rented it. Not something she would even think of renting for a week.

No doubt Brooks didn’t have any problem spending per night what would be someone else’s monthly income to stay here.

Maddie hurried to the front porch, then rang the doorbell. She was early, but that was normal for her. She always got everywhere fifteen minutes early, at least. Today, it was almost twenty.

When no one answered, she pressed it again.

Could he be out back? He might not hear her if so.

She went around to the back of the house. “Brooks?”

Nothing.

“Hello?”

She made her way closer to the back deck, seeing the sliding glass door to the living room open.

He must be here.

Then she spotted him. He was in the hot tub, leaning back with his eyes closed. He’d shaved, which surprised her, and appeared to be relaxing. Clearly not in a rush to get ready for their meeting time.

She started up the stairs, lifting her long, flowy skirt as she walked. Just as she got to the top of the stairs, Brooks shifted, then stood out of the hot tub, dripping wet . . .

And naked.

She stopped short, staring at him.

Goddamn,he had a nice body. Well-toned muscle carved his skin, his arms both covered with tattoo sleeves. His stomach was perfectly chiseled, a trail of dark hair dipping to a deep-V that led?—

He turned toward her, then gave a start. “Holy fuck!” He grabbed the edge of the hot tub, tumbling out of it with a yelp.

As he fell to the deck, Maddie took an involuntary step toward him, then stopped again. She turned in an embarrassed circle as he stood, fig-leafing himself with his hand. He yanked an earbud out. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

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