Page 15 of Caged

“It’s sore, but I’ve had worse. I took it easy, and we just worked arms. The damn stairs were worse than the workout.” He reaches toward me, like he’s going to touch my face, but I pull away. Hudson drops his hand, and the look in his eyes turns glacial. “Don’t worry about me, Maddie. But we’re going to talk aboutthatone of these days.”

I blink, shocked by the tone in his voice just as Cooper announces, “Dinner’s here.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Hudson,” I murmur as I get up, ready to hurry from the room before he can push harder.

And thank goodness, he doesn’t push.

Just waits for me to walk in front of him, then follows me into the kitchen.

“Hey, Carys...” She spins around to face me. “Want to pour me a glass of wine too?”

“Oh damn.” Carys looks between Hudson and me, silently questioning the uncomfortable look on my face. Then she settles on him. “What did you do?”

Hudson drops down onto a chair at the kitchen table and props his leg up on a second one across from him. His knee is still swollen and bruised, so I grab the peas again and lay them over his knee, refusing to make eye contact.

“I didn’t do anything,” he answers her while he watches me.

Cooper hands Hudson his to-go container of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables and laughs. “Sure, you didn’t. When they say they’re not mad... that’s when you know you’re really in trouble.”

I level Cooper with a glare as he passes my salad to me.

“I’m not mad, Coop.” My voice comes out sharper than I intend, and he laughs at me.

Ugh. They all suck.

* * *

Hudson

My little sunshine spent the rest of the night pissed.

Not loud and yelling like any of my sisters would have done. No. This woman got quiet, and that was somehow worse. I watched it happen. She didn’t shut down, not in an obvious way. And she covered it well.

Maddie still smiled and laughed when she needed to over dinner, but that smile was forced, and her words were quiet. She was making herself smaller, and I fucking hated it. Almost as much as knowing something, at some point in her life, caused her to pull away from being touched.

Not by everyone though.

Carys hugged her goodbye, and Maddie embraced her with no problem.

But that look in her eyes earlier... Even if it was just for a split second, I saw it.

And I wanted to fucking eviscerate whoever put it there.

Then I realizedIput it there.

“Maddie.”

She finishes drying the wine glasses, then turns around, but doesn’t make eye contact. “Listen, Hud. I’m exhausted, and I need to sleep in a bed tonight. Do you have any preference which room I take?” She dries her hands and carefully hangs the towel back up, busying herself.

“Madison. Stop.” The words come out sharper than I intend, and I cringe at her reaction.

She wraps her arms around herself and continues to look anywhere but at me. “Let’s not do this, Hud.”

“Maddie...”

Finally, she lifts her pretty eyes to mine. Her golden hair frames her face like a halo. “Please... Can we justnot?”

I stand very fucking carefully from the table and grab my crutches, knowing I overdid it today and I’m paying the price tonight.Fuck. Slowly, I move across the kitchen and lean back against the counter next to her, taking care not to touch her but positioning myself barely an inch away. “Why don’t you like when I touch you, Madison? Is it me? Are you scared of me? Do you think I’m going to hurt you?”

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