Page 15 of Deserving Maddie

Apollo looked ready to punch him in the face and Ray couldn't figure out why.

"No, but I'm not going to chase after a woman who obviously doesn't want to be chased. She doesn't want me near her kids and I don't blame her."

Ray watched as Apollo pushed out of the chair with a shake of his head.

"If you can't accept that this woman is a package deal, then maybe you're right. Maybe you don't deserve her. I guess it's better to admit that now, before things get too far, but know this. If you like her as much as I think you do, don't let her get away. Take it from someone who thought relationships were a waste of time. You will live with regrets."

Apollo left him to his own thoughts after that insightful speech. But his friend was wrong. Even if he wanted something more, he had no way of finding Maddie. Not without becoming the stalker Apollo first accused him of being.

The ball was in her court. He would wait to see how she handled it.

Chapter 8

Howwasthisherlife? Maddie kicked the flat tire and winced when pain shot through her foot. Of course, the flats she was wearing didn't provide her any protection from the hard rubber. And to make matters even worse, she went to call for a tow, only to realize she left her phone on her desk at work.

Actually, no. The worst part was the location in which she obtained the damn flat tire. She should've known when she turned down the dirt road that she had lost her way. Six months, and she still got lost easily.

Now she was stuck on some back road. The only thing around was what she could only imagine was a compound. A large barn-like building was far off in the distance and she thought she saw a plane at some point. With her luck, she was on some anti-government person's property and they would start shooting at her.

She figured that was exactly her luck when five minutes later, a truck headed in her direction, kicking up dust and rocks in its wake.

Maddie nearly lost her lunch when a very aggressive-looking, but sexy, man stepped out onto the dirt, a gun strapped to his hip. The bulky muscles under his shirt and the scowl on his face fit the image she had for the owner.

"There a reason you're stopped on my property?"

So much for helping a damsel in distress; not like she considered herself one, but the man didn't even have the common courtesy to ask if she was alright. She was about to tell him where he could shove his question, but another familiar voice stopped her.

"Maddie?"

Talk about a déjàvu moment.

"Uh, Ray?"

She hadn't even noticed someone was in the passenger seat until Ray stepped up next to the man who was still giving her the stink eye.

"You two know each other?" the silver-haired guy grumbled.

"Yeah, we do," Ray answered for the both of them.

"Doesn't explain why you're stopped here."

"Got a flat." She walked over and kicked the tire, completely forgetting that her flats provided her zero protection once again. She gritted her teeth and asked, "What kind of property is this, anyway?"

"It's where I work."

Ray's answer threw her for a loop. This was not where she expected his job to be at all. Actually, she didn't know what was really here, so it was hard to judge, but still. She expected something else. Maybe a fancy office, or something less hickish.

"What, do you work for some doomsday prepper?"

Ray didn't crack a smile as she expected. This Ray was nothing like the man who gave her multiple orgasms every time they were together.

"Do I look like a doomsday prepper?"

Her head snapped back to the other man. She had almost forgotten he was there. Ray had a tendency to overwhelm her enough that she couldn't focus on anything but him. That probably wasn't good, considering her current predicament.

"Are you his boss?" she asked.

"Yes."

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