Page 120 of Her Greatest Mistake

Her car comes to a jerking stop a handful of feet in front of me, and I plant a hand on the hood before rushing to the driver’s-side door. She’s already pulling her keys out of the ignition and opening the door when I swing it the rest of the way and dip toward her. With a hand across her front, I undo her seat belt and haul her out of the car.

“Maddox!” she squeals, surprise flickering in her blue eyes.

I grumble something unintelligible and grab her beneath her thighs, using my grip to pick her up and push her back against the side of the car. She hooks her legs around my back, pulling me close.

“You don’t get to do that,” I huff against her mouth. “You don’t get to just disappear again.” My fingers tingle as I press them deeper into her thighs. “You don’t get to throw away your reputation for me.”

Her hands fold behind my neck, elbows brushing my shoulders. As if it’s possible, she pulls me closer with her legs around my middle.

“You don’t get to tell me what I do and don’t get to do, Dox. When I told you I loved you, I meant it. And me making sacrifices for you—whether you agree with them or not—is just one of the ways I’m willing to show that love. You would have done the exact same thing for me.”

My eyes drift over her face, soaking her in. And fuck me, every time I look at her, she becomes more and more beautiful. How am I supposed to last the rest of forever? I’m already popping a boner at a mere glimpse or thought of her.

“I’m trying to be mad at you,” I murmur, skimming my lips over hers, tasting what’s left of the fruity lip balm she always uses.

“Don’t be mad. It’s over.”

My heart skips in my chest. “It is? I’m so fucking antsy to know what happened, sweetheart. I don’t know how long I can wait to find out, but I also want to bring you to my old bedroom and ravish you on my bed before you tell me all about it.”

Braxton flushes, eyes drifting down to where my mouth is teasing hers. “I always wondered what it would be like to be ravished by you in your bedroom. I used to dream about it, you know?”

Decided, I nip at her lips and hike her up against my front. “Let’s make some dreams come true, then, yeah?”

“Ew! Have you ever heard of PDA, Dox? Because I think you need a lesson on how to calm it down,” Adalyn yells from somewhere behind me.

I swallow a curse and look over my shoulder, spotting her staring at us from the doorway with a finger pointed into her open mouth. Mom and Dad are trying to usher her inside, and by the small, knowing smile on my dad’s face, he was already expecting this reaction from me.

Maybe I should be more embarrassed that my family knows how wild I am for Braxton, but that ship sailed long ago. Shit, when I was sixteen, I got drunk and told my mom that I was planning on staying a virgin for Braxton, and when Cooper’s dad overheard our conversation, he played it off as something entirely different, not wanting everyone to tease me about it. It’s been me and Curly Fry since the moment we met in that kindergarten parking lot twenty-one years ago.

I’ve waited for this too long to fear the judgment of others when it comes to her.

“Has your sister ever dated anyone?” Braxton asks softly, clinging to me and pressing her cheek to my chest as I move up the driveway.

“No. And she never will.”

She shakes with a laugh. “You can’t keep her as a little girl forever.”

“I can and I will. God help the first guy she brings home because he might just disappear off the face of the earth one day,” I growl into her hair as we step under the threshold and walk inside.

“Mmhmm. Maybe you’ll actually like him.”

Moving my lips to her, I say, “Fat chance. Now, stop talking about my sister and her potential boyfriend before my cock shrivels up to nothing. I have plans for you that very much involve being hard as a rock.”

“After. We really need to talk about what happened today first, okay? Then you can bring me home and have your wicked, wicked way with me.”

“For you, baby? Anything.”

Let’s get this over with.

* * *

Dad laysit all out for me, and I sit between Braxton and Mom on the outdoor couch on the back deck, stunned. The air ripples with my anger, even as I try to reel it in. Disbelief is a nip in my side, but it’s the pain of betrayal that hits the hardest.

“So, she’s changing the article?” I ask slowly.

Dad nods. “And retracting the first one. As long as she keeps up her end of the bargain, nobody will see the photos or learn about the things she does in her free time.”

“And Alex willingly gave you that information? The PI photos and everything? Without something in return?”

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