Page 37 of Done Waiting

“One question before I go.”

He raises his brows, waiting for me to speak.

“What’s your name?” My voice is soft, but I know he hears me. Even though being this far away from him feels like there’s a mountain between us.

It’s a jarring thought that only gets worse when I realize I’m prolonging this moment because I don’t want him to leave. I don’t want to be without him.

God, Maddie. What the hell is wrong with you?

He cocks his head. “Why?”

My lips curl in a coy smile. “So I can call out your name when my hand is between my legs tonight.”

What the actual fuck did I just say?

Momentary surprise is on his face before he recovers, his lips curving into the most seductive, panty-soaking smile I’ve ever seen. “Jagger.”

I let his name roll around in my head, a smile on my face. “Jagger. I like it.” Taking another step backward, I say, “Goodnight, Jagger.”

“I’m glad. You’ll be screaming it when my cock is inside you.” With a wink, he flashes me a wide smile. “Goodnight, Maddie.”

Biting my lip, I turn and head toward the apartment, not worrying about my backpack with my wallet inside… Oh, wait.

Spinning on my heel, I hurry to my car, feeling his gaze bore into me as he watches everything I do. Grabbing my backpack from the passenger seat, I sling it over my shoulder, then lock the doors.

Throwing him one final smile and wave, I hurry toward my apartment door, an added swing to my hips for his benefit. Unlocking the door, I pause, meeting his hungry eyes one last time, before stepping inside, putting a barrier between us.

16

MADISON

Sitting straight up in my bed, fear bangs like a drum inside my chest. My shaking hands raise to my chest as I stare wide-eyed at Ben, who is standing in my doorway like an apparition.

He steps into my room, pushing the door shut behind him. My eyes drop to see the death grip he has around his cell phone as he slowly stalks toward me.

“B-Ben? W-What a-a-are y-you d-doing?” My voice shakes from the terror welling inside me. Clutching the blanket to my chest, I watch him as he silently seethes.

“That fight we got into last night.” His voice is eerily calm, a direct contrast to the rage on his face.

I swallow hard.

Oh, God. Did he somehow find out about Jagger and… Whatever that was?

The logical part of my brain tries to reassure me. Nothing happened between Jagger and me. If Ben brings it up, that’s what I’ll say.

Ben’s sapphire eyes are locked on me, analyzing me intently, as though he’s trying to read my innermost thoughts. It’s unnerving as hell.

“I’ve been trying to keep you safe, Maddie. But you make it damn hard, resisting me at every turn. And after last night’s disobedience, I realize I need to show you why I’ve been acting the way I’ve been.”

There’s a fluttery feeling in my stomach, like butterflies flapping their wings, and my mouth is dry. An urge to hop out of bed and take off running to my car hits me. But Ben moves closer to me, blocking my escape.

Settling himself on the edge of the bed, he holds out a picture. It’s one of me and him at the movies, about a month after we started dating, and there’s an X over my face. He proceeds to swipe through his phone, showing me more photos of him and me, including the two of us when we posed inside the ice cream parlor, happy grins on our faces. In every one of them, there’s an X over my face.

Finally, he showed me the text messages. The first one says, “I’m watching.” The next one simply says, “Soon.”

My heart stops as soon as I see that message, my thoughts going to the roses that are still on the floor in the back of my car, with the note that I slid in my backpack that said, “Soon.”

The final picture is one of me at the bookstore. The caption beneath it reads, “No one is safe around her.”

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