Page 30 of Deception & Daylight
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snap, my voice low and dangerous. “Maggie is innocent. If you have some issue with me, let’s deal with it, brother to brother. But leave her out of this.”
Matty smirks, unfazed. “Still haven’t answered my question, big brother.” The anger churns in my gut, but I force myself to focus. “One fucking word to Maggie, and those photos will make their way onto every fucking porn site you can imagine.”
Every cell in my body is vibrating with rage, urging me to let my fists fly. But I refuse to become that man. No matter how much anger I have coursing through me, and despite every urge to put my brother in his place, I have to protect Maggie — I can’t give him any ammunition to make good on his threats. I take a step back, stealing myself. “Just go, Matt. Leave her the fuck alone. You’ve done enough damage.”
Matty retreats with a slimy grin cast towards the hallway where Mags is standing, arms crossed defiantly over her chest. Once he’s out of sight, she returns to the bar, putting a little more distance between us this time.
“What was that?”
“Little minx? Really, Miles? That doesn’t ring a bell?” Her eyes narrow on me as she reaches for her drink. I search my memory for any recollection of the moniker, but I come up empty.
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She scoffs at my denial. “Figures you’d forget the little nickname, but not before you spilled the beans to your brother, right?”
My body stiffens as I put the pieces together. I never looked through their messages before Matty deleted the app, but it’s safe to assume ‘little minx’ is in there somewhere, and she thinks those words belong to me.
I retake my seat at the bar, signaling Cade for another round. Maggie reluctantly sits beside me, elbow planted on the bar, resting her cheek in her hand. “Look, Mags. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” I say, running my fingers through my hair.
“So you’ve said.” She smiles as Cade places our drinks on the coasters, and a surge of jealousy hits me square in the chest. I want those smiles directed at me. I’m a selfish bastard that way. Sensing the newfound tension in the room, he momentarily glances between us before heading towards his next customer.
“I mean it, Mags. I want us to get past this. Whatever’s in the past can stay there. If you want an explanation, I’ll give it to you. But you have to be ready to hear me out.”
“It’s fine. Let’s just forget it.” She downs the drink in one gulp, throwing up a hand to signal for another round. Cade throws me a concerned look before turning back to the bar.
“Easy, Wildcat. I prefer my dates to be coherent when I take them home.” I give her my best smirk, hoping to ease the tension, but she returns the look with a derisive snort.
“Not fucking likely.” Cade puts down another ill-advised round of drinks. He discreetly runs his hand along his neck, silently asking if Mags needs to be cut off, but I wave him off.
A long silence follows, broken only when an older woman with long hair and a sultry gaze approaches. She’s easily in her mid forties by the look of her — a cougar on the prowl. I’m not interested, but I’m not an asshole, so I spare her a polite smile.
“Hey there,” she says, leaning against the bar as she tosses her hair, and suggestively pushes out her chest. She reaches out to trail her manicured fingers over my forearm, but she’s stopped when a much smaller hand tugs my arm away.
“In thefuture, you might want to check that you’re not hitting on someone else’s boyfriend right in front of her fucking face,” Maggie sheers, her narrowed eyes searing into the stranger as if she’s ready to pounce at any given moment.
The woman doesn’t flinch as she eyes Maggie with a menacing stare. “Her?” she snorts. “Let me show you what you’re missing, baby.”
“I’ll pass.” Giving her my back, I twist to face my date.
With a bemused smile, Maggie leans over my shoulder, throwing one last barb at the audacious woman. “In case it wasn’t clear, he’s not interested. Go back to the set of whatever real housewives show you came from.”
The sound of my laughter mixes with the clicking of her retreating heels on the concrete floor. “That was amazing,” I say, pinning Mags with a look of pride.
“What a bitch. Who the fuck does that?”
“Jealous, Wildcat?”
She rolls her eyes, throwing back one final shot. “Fuck it. Let’s make the most of this shit show.” Before I can register her meaning, Maggie is dragging me onto the dance floor. She pulls my body against hers, and my response is instant. Her hips sway to the beat as her ass grazes against my cock. I slide my hands around her waist, pulling her close as the song changes to a sensual ballad.
My fingertips dance along the bare skin of her stomach, eliciting a sigh. She snakes her arm behind my head, pulling my face to the spot where her neck meets her shoulder. If this is fake, she’s putting on one hell of a show. The urge to kiss her consumes me, and I’m helpless to resist. Her flowery scent invades my senses as my lips gently glide over the bare skin of her neck. She angles her head, giving me better access. I groan in response. “What do you want, Wildcat?” I whisper, giving her earlobe a nip with my teeth. She moans, and the sound goes straight to my dick.
Taking herhand, I tug her out the back door. My cock is straining against my jeans, begging for release. I’ve never been harder in my fucking life, and I haven’t even properly kissed her yet. Once we’re safely outside, I cage her against the side of my truck as my lips find her collarbone. “Come on, baby. Tell me what you want.” I weave the words in between kisses along every inch of exposed skin I can reach as she writhes beneath me.Tell me to kiss you, Maggie.
“Miles —” she breathes, but she doesn’t get to finish her sentence as a sinister laugh sounds behind me. She stiffens in my arms, setting my protective instincts into overdrive.
I place a lingering kiss on her forehead, turning to find Matty stumbling in our direction. He’s clearly drunk off his ass — an impressive feat considering the short time since our last interaction. “What have we here?” he sneers, his eyes darting between me and my girl. “The punching bag and the whore.”
Faster than I have time to register the action, Maggie’s shoving past me, her hand connecting with the side of Matty’s face with a loud crack. The sound reverberates through the parking lot, and my brother stumbles back on contact, a look of bewilderment on his face.
