Page 62 of Belle

I grab a change of clothes and head for the shower. I can’t wait to scrub the feeling of Chet off my body. I need to figure out how to get rid of him, and fast. He’s starting to get unstable.

About a half hour later, I climb into bed next to Maddox, trying hard not to feel so safe in his arms.

* * *

The sun comingin through the curtains wakes me up the next morning. Maddox is still passed out next to me. He always looks so peaceful when he’s sleeping.

“I know you’re looking at me.” He smirks.

I shove at his shoulder, laughing. “I had no idea you were awake. You looked so peaceful.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t wait up last night.” He leans over to kiss me, and I brush him off. The gesture feels too intimate.

“It’s not a big deal. I wasn’t expecting you to be awake anyway.”

“Do you wanna come to the office today?” My body stiffens at his question. Blood pumps through my body, and I swear I can feel drumming in my ears.

“What? Why?”

He shrugs, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. “You haven’t been to the office yet, I thought you might want to look around.”

“Won’t I be in the way?” I don’t want to just straight up ask him if Chet will be there. It feels too obvious.

“Nah. Chet doesn’t come in on Sunday’s and I just need to file some paperwork. I just wanted to spend some time with you.”

My body instantly relaxes. “Sure. I’d like that.”

“I’m sure you showered last night, but care to join me?” He smirks in my direction, and I hop out of bed to join him.

An hour later, we’re finally on the road. I’m quiet on the ride over, because sometimes, I still can’t believe that I’m actually living in California. It feels so surreal.

We pull up to a gate and I watch him punch in a code. The road to his office is long. When we finally reach the building, it’s beautiful. Large brick and sitting on top of a hill. If it weren’t an office building it would give off the appearance of a castle.

“Wow.”

He looks over at me with a huge smile. “I’m pretty proud of this. I’ve been dying to show you. This is the one thing in my life I did right.”

His happiness is contagious. “It’s pretty amazing,” I agree. “Do you have a lot of employees?”

“We have a pretty big crew. I’m trying to grow the business every day. I’d like to expand to other states, eventually. I’d love to travel the world.”

“That sounds amazing.” And that’s not a lie. For a split second, I imagine myself traveling the world with Maddox.

Am I gonna have to sleep with another dude to get these thoughts out of my head? I’m starting to go soft.

“I’ll only be about a half hour if you want to look around. I’ll give you a real tour when I’m finished.” He looks over at me with a smile, a real genuine smile.

“Sure.” I run out of the room, afraid if I stay any longer, I’ll turn into a puddle of mush on the floor. Maddox is turning me into a different person without even realizing it. That’s a dangerous thing.

I stroll down the hallway, stopping to glance at photos of different projects they’ve completed. A few are of Maddox and Chet standing in front of different homes. For being a company run by men, they have put it together pretty nicely.

I make a left down the hall and find myself in front of an office door with Chet’s name on it. Glancing in both directions, and seeing no one, I decide to try and open the door. My heart is pounding. I swear if someone were with me, they’d be able to hear it.

I frown when the door opens up. I expected it to be locked and it makes me a little nervous that it’s not. Is this a trap? Did he know we were coming? Even worse, is he here?

Stepping inside, it looks like your typical office. It’s hard to believe that a monster like him works in such a normal environment. I half expected chains and dungeons.

I walk around his desk, running my fingers over everything. There isn’t a thing out of place in here. He’s––surprisingly––very clean.

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