Page 65 of The Last One You Loved
“Those secrets go to the grave with me.”
The smile on my face grew, not only from the images of him the words had created but from the lightness in his voice and the fact we were talking without arguing. There wasn’t the tension that had been there since I’d first arrived and he’d told me to get the fuck out.
That wiped my smile away. I was still leaving. If I could get my career back in California, I had to go finish it. What other choice did I have? But if my career was over… I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about it tonight. I wanted to enjoy this moment with the sister I’d just discovered.
“Don’t wait up,” he said. “It’ll likely be well past midnight before I get home.”
Those words and images assaulted me with things I’d thought I’d given up wishing for after Kerry. I hadn’t thought I’d ever want a home, or a partner, or someone coming back to me.
“See you in the morning, then,” I said quietly.
“Wait,” he said just as I was about to hang up. “Maybe I should have your number so I don’t have to use Mila’s once she’s asleep.”
“Oh. Sure. Of course.”
I gave him my number, and my phone buzzed with an incoming text.
“Now, you should have mine, too.”
I stared at the Winter County area code that hadn’t appeared on my phone in a long time, heart slamming in my chest.
“Goodnight, McK,” Maddox’s voice was deep, as if he, too, was overwhelmed by the idea of having my number again.
“Goodnight, Mads.”
? ? ?
Contrary to what Maddox had said, I did wait up for him—just not in the living room. And maybe ‘waiting up’ was a bit of a stretch. It was more like I’d been unable to sleep as I tossed and turned, thinking of him out dealing with criminals like the West Gears. When the front door finally opened at twelve-thirty, I sat up in the guest bed, fighting the urge to go see if he was okay.
I heard his booted feet come down the hall, treading softly on the wooden planks but still making noise. He stopped in front of Mila’s room, and I could imagine him peeking in at her to make sure she was okay, and then he continued down the hall, stopping outside the guest room. I fought another wave of desire to jump from the bed and into his arms. I clutched the comforter, twisting it in my hands and forcing myself to stay put.
I’d never felt this way when Kerry had gotten home late. I’d been annoyed if he’d woken me up, but now all I could think about was asking Maddox about his day, shoving my hands into his hair that was as silky and thick as I’d remembered it, and making him forget everything except us, our lips, and our touches.
I was delusional. I had to be half asleep.
When his feet continued down the hall, disappointment hit me low in the belly. But it was stupid to think he would have opened the door, even if I knew he desired me as much as I did him. It was stupid to wish for something I wasn’t sure I could keep, because the last thing I wanted to do was start something that ended up with one of us hurt all over again. Do no harm… I had to remember my promise, even when Maddox’s kisses tempted me to go all in, damn the consequences.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
MADDOX
WANT IT AGAIN
“And, oh, I knew someday you'd find your way back into my arms.
So girl, I kept this heart of mine,
Somewhere good and safe,
I knew you’d want it again someday.”
Performed by Thomas Rhett
Written by Thompson / Henderson / Hutton / Rhett / Dragstrem / Miller
My body was exhausted,but my brain was still on alert by the time I got home. McKenna had left the porch and hall lights on for me, but the rest of the house was in darkness. I cursed myself silently for feeling disappointed. Had I actually expected her to be waiting for me as if we were more to each other than old acquaintances who’d shared a couple of heated kisses?
I looked in on Mila first. She was passed out, as always, Chester and Charlotte on either side of her. Her face was soft and peaceful, and my chest ached with how much I loved her. The steps I’d taken today…chasing down Sybil and Trap…it could threaten everything I’d built with her. But if I was honest, it could also set us free from threats that had hung over us the entire time we’d been together.
