Page 67 of Broken Player

He sagged a little against me. “I remember,” he muttered.

“Well, when he asked, I was so mad and so hurt about everything I agreed to go. You have to understand I never dated. Ever. You’ve really been it for me since I was ten years old, even before I really knew what a crush was. No one else ever caught my attention.” I gripped the handful of his jacket I was clutching in my fist a little tighter, wanting him even closer for this next part even if it was impossible. In this position, I was pretty sure we were already as close as we could get.

“I thought maybe he was interested in dating me, and he seemed like a nice guy and was decently good looking, so I took a chance. Except at that dinner, he made me a proposal I wasn’t expecting. Marry him so he could get access to his trust fund, and he’d buy the ranch and sign the deed over to me so we’d never owe anyone for it again. He made me decide that night, so I didn’t really have a chance to think it over, but I made him put into the contract that it’d only be for a year.” The air wooshed out of me now that I got the worst parts out. The weight still hadn’t lifted off me yet because I didn’t know how Maddox was going to react.

He stepped back, loosening his hold on me and leaving me feeling cold and terrified he was going to walk away again. Maybe all of this was too much for him. But his words surprised me. “I could’ve helped you,” he whispered, his eyes so full of compassion and love, tears started to stream down my face again at the massive relief washing over me.

Shaking my head, I pulled him closer again. “No. I couldn’t ask that of you. And even if I could have, you weren’t exactly happy to see me. How would that have gone over? ‘Hey, Maddox. Haven’t seen you in twelve years but do you mind lending me hundreds of thousands of dollars?’”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I see your point. But why didn’t you tell me these past few weeks what the deal was? Or even last night?”

Hanging my head, I stared at the lacy fabric pooling around my bare feet. “Yates made me sign a nondisclosure agreement. If I told anyone, not only would he not save the ranch, but he could sue me for more than a million dollars. I was too afraid he’d somehow find out.”

Lifting my eyes, I watched as Maddox’s jaw clenched, and his eyes blazed with barely-contained fury. I hoped it wasn’t because of me. He blinked and looked down at me, the rage still in hiseyes, but now it swirled with something else I couldn’t quite place. “Why did you finally decide to tell me now?”

Shrugging, I bit my lip before answering. “I guess now I trust you. I trust that you’re not going to leave again, that you mean it when you say you’re here for me.”

He ran his palm along the side of my neck and gripped me with his fingers, this thumb rubbing soothingly along my jaw. “Good,” he whispered just before he lowered his head and covered my lips with his.

A noise outside broke the spell, and I startled away from him, but he pushed me behind his body protectively as the door swung open, and Quinn rushed in, followed by an irritated-looking Connor. Quinn took in Maddox standing in front of me as I peeked around his broad shoulders, finally looking over my hot mess of a face. “You told him,” he stated.

“You knew?” Maddox asked Quinn accusingly. “And you didn’t bother telling me?”

Quinn crossed his arms defiantly. “Dude, I like you, but my loyalty will always be to Ryan first. I did everything I could to encourage you without actually breaking her trust.”

“Thanks, Quinny,” I murmured from where I still stood behind Maddox.

“Hate to break whatever this is up, but we need to get the fuck out of here. Now,” Connor insisted from where he stood looking out of the window towards the ceremony.

“I’ve got your bag and your phone,” Quinn announced, slinging the duffle bag I’d grabbed from my sister’s this morning over his shoulder.

Looking down at my bare feet, I spun around frantically searching for the wedges I planned to wear today. “Where are my shoes?”

“No time to find them. Go! Now!” Connor boomed, and we all reacted instantly, Maddox grabbing my hand and pulling mewith him. My bare feet slapped against the polished marble floor as we followed Connor toward the front of the estate. He flung the door open, and we all piled out onto the front steps. There was a valet attendant, but we didn’t have time to wait for them to find the car.

Connor strode confidently but quickly up to him, demanded the keys, and asked him to point us in the direction where Maddox’s truck was parked.

Connor and Quinn took off, but I wasn’t wearing shoes, and the idea of running through whatever kind of terrain was on the ground out here barefoot sucked. Maddox felt my hesitation and didn’t miss a beat, bending down and lifting me bridal-style into his arms, the irony of which wasn’t lost on me as the small train of my lacy, white wedding dress trailed behind us.

“Hold on, Freckles. We’re getting the hell out of here and never coming back,” he promised, tightening his grip on me as he hurried to catch up to Quinn and Connor. By the time we got to them, they’d found the truck and unlocked it. Maddox slid me into the backseat and climbed up after to me. Quinn hopped in the passenger side, and Connor started the engine, backing out of the spot before he’d even buckled up.

As he turned toward the heavy iron gates that stood open at the front of the grounds, I looked back through the small rear window just as Yates and his cronies spilled out the front door, his glare visible even from this far away. Maddox reached up and turned my face with gentle fingers until our eyes locked. “No looking back. Now that I know the truth, everything’s going to change. I won’t let him do shit to you,” he vowed. “He’ll have to go through me first, and I promise you he doesn’t stand a chance in hell.”

Connor chuckled darkly from the front seat but didn’t say anything as we cruised down the two-lane highway. We movedin the opposite direction of home, though. “Where are we going?” I asked, watching another field fly by.

“Private airstrip,” Connor grunted. I was starting to figure out he didn’t talk much, but that was fine with me.

Maddox gripped my hand in his. “I’m not taking you back to either of our places right now. Yates is going to be on the warpath after you just embarrassed him. We need to get out of town for a couple of days, but I’ll bring you back once things settle down, okay?”

Letting out a shuddering breath, I nodded once. I was glad he was thinking more clearly than me. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Where are we going? And don’t we have to buy tickets or something? What if there aren’t four seats together?” I started to ramble, the emotions of everything that happened today too much for me to process.

Maddox laughed softly before pressing a warm kiss to the inside of my wrist. “I thought we’d go to LA if that’s okay with you. And don’t worry about the seats or the tickets. I’ve got it covered.” The smug smirk on his face like he knew something I didn’t made me want to smack him, but I didn’t have the energy, so I let it go. I’d wait and see where we ended up. I trusted he knew what he was doing, and honestly, it was such a relief to let someone else handle things for a little while.

I rested my head against Maddox’s strong shoulder and closed my eyes, relishing the feel of his sturdy body underneath my head. I must’ve dozed off because I startled awake when the truck suddenly came to a stop. Blinking, I winced as I sat up and rotated my neck, the stiff muscles aching. Maddox smiled softly down at me and gripped the back of my neck in his large palm, squeezing gently, the rough calluses on his fingertips somehow soothing against my skin.

“I’ll give you a massage when we’re in the air,” he promised before letting me go and opening the door. He climbed out, andI squealed when he grabbed my ankle and pulled, yanking me toward him with a mischievous grin.

“You’re barefoot, remember?” he justified, lifting me into his arms like I weighed nothing and stalking toward a big building with huge doors that were wide open. I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the sun and squinted, trying to see where we were going.

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