Page 79 of Wretched Heart
“I’m going to take you fast and deep, Maddie, so hold on tight.”
My fingers dig into the back of the upholstered chair, and I’m about to nod when Hunter drives forward, pulling me back to him at the same time. The power behind his thrust steals my breath, and my grip on the chair slips. Hunter’s hold is possessive and he doesn’t let me fall.
As I right myself, my back arches, and I savor the sensation of him stretching me. He fills me so completely that I don’t know where I begin and he ends. Until he pulls out, leaving me empty and so damn needy.
“I want more, Hunter,” I beg. “I want everything.”
Hunter slams into me again, his thigh slapping my ass hard enough to sting. “You have my everything,” he says, before slamming into me again. “I’m holding nothing back, Maddie.” He punches forward, making me gasp. “Haven’t you worked it out yet?” Skin slaps against skin, and we’re both panting for breath. “You have my all.” Another thrust. “Every inch.” And again. “Every thought.” And again. “Every damn fantasy come true.”
My hips roll and grind against him each time our bodies clash, and with each shockwave he creates, the pleasure that coils in my belly intensifies. My clit throbs while the rest of my body thrums. The need for release builds and builds.
“Harder, Hunter,” I cry out. “Take every last piece of me. Own me. Possess me. I’m yours.”
Hunter gives me exactly what I want, and my skin is on fire where his thighs pound my ass. His cock swells as it slides in and out of me at a piston pace. Over and over again, he hits the spot deep inside me, fueling the fire that’s turning me into a molten mess.
Blistering heat rises up, growing in power until something inside me explodes. A feeling of pure elation takes me higher and higher, and the dark feelings that were weighing me down drop away while the best ones help me soar. My release has been years in the making, and I scream myself hoarse with my husband’s name on my lips.
While I shatter around his cock, Hunter slams into me faster. A low rumble builds in his chest until he releases it with a bellow. His hips jerk, and as he comes, I squeeze around him so hard that my legs tremble. I hold onto him with everything I’ve got because I don’t want to let this man go even though I know I must.
The takeover of the mill is complete. The threat to my future freedom has been removed. And the only negotiations left to complete involve our divorce and my soon-to-be-ex-husband’s departure. Every story has an ending, and I’m about to face mine.
Chapter 26
Maddie
The house is filled with people in mourning, or to be more precise, people wearing black as the occasion dictates. Hugo’s cruelty was an open secret, but in Brimstage, social obligation takes precedence over integrity, and his funeral reflects the loss of a respected member of the community. I’ve lost count of the number of people telling me how worried they are for his little girl’s future now that her daddy’s gone. Becks is going to be a superstar. Just like Jen.
Hunter and I had been five minutes away when my sister-in-law had called to say that Hugo had died. Jen never questioned why we’d already been on our way over, but when she’d met me at the door, we’d hugged for the longest time. It felt as if she were thanking me, making me wonder if she’d worked out that Hugo’s death hadn’t been accidental at all.
My suspicion solidifies as I watch Jen grasp Hunter’s hand now. “I don’t know where we’d be without you and your brothers,” she whispers.
“We’re family. We look after each other,” he assures her. “And if you have any problems with the move, you have my number.”
“Thank you, but I think we’re all set,” she says. “It was quite lucky that we were already set to leave, but I’ve cancelled the lease on the house Hugo had secured. We’re going to stay with my parents in Deer Creek until I find the right place to call home. It’s enough to be away from here.” She looks around at the large crates littering the orangery. “I didn’t even have to arrange the packing thanks to Hugo. It’s almost as if he was putting his house in order before he died.”
Amongst the rumors currently circulating, there’s speculation that Hugo had turned to drugs to drown his sorrows after being forced to sell his home to clear his debts. Thankfully, no one is reckless enough to suggest the Griffins are to blame. If anything, Hunter is being painted as a modern-day hero for trying to bail out his brother-in-law. And he is a hero in my eyes.
“We still want to help, Jen,” Hunter insists. “And I’ll take it as a personal insult if you struggle with anything and don’t reach out.”
I can’t help wondering if Hunter will use the same line with me when our business is concluded. And it will be concluded. Ash is already talking of the Griffins’ return to Chicago.
I’ve been assured that my position as chair of the board is secure, and the Griffins’ future involvement in the company will be very much at arm’s length. Lines of communication will remain open of course, which means I’ll know when Hunter moves on and finds someone else. And even if he goes to bed alone every night, I’ll be torturing myself by wishing I was lying in the empty space next to him. Or beneath.
I’m not sure how I’ll bear it, and there’s a part of me that’s tempted to resign from the board, and leave them to install new management. I’d be able to move on in the same way Jen is doing. A clean slate. A new life. Without Hunter.
“Do you need some fresh air?” my husband asks when he sees my face pale.
“No, I’m–”
An ear-splitting scream cuts through the orangery, and I flinch reflexively. It’s the high-pitched screech of a small child, and it’s quickly followed by a deep, throaty roar. Everyone in the room turns to where Becks has just made her entrance. She looks a little worried until Ash bends down to whisper something in her ear. Her mouth falls open in shock as she tips back her head to look at him. He nods encouragement.
Somehow, I know what’s coming and I put my fingers in my ears as Becks takes a deep breath and releases another scream that must be even higher in pitch given the reaction around us. Brows furrow and shoulders hunch in pain.
When I hear the first mutterings of disapproval, I make a loud whooping noise and give my niece a round of applause. Hunter follows suit and then there are more people clapping. In a dark corner, someone whistles. There’s only one person I know who could hide away in a room full of light, and after a little searching, I catch Mace’s eye.
Ash scoops Becks into his arms and there’s a beaming smile on her face as they approach. She’s looking straight at me. “That’s some lung capacity you have there,” I tell her. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Ash made me do it.”
