Page 39 of Deserving Maddie

"You mean to tell me it doesn't bother you that I'm so much older?"

"The only person thinking about our age gap right now isyou. I don't give a shit how old you are or that you were married and have two children. None of that changes the way I feel about you."

The feeling he still wasn't ready to identify, but was willing to explore with her.

"I told Kat it was one of my hang-ups at first."

He rubbed her smooth thighs. Everything about her was perfect. Her wide hips led straight into a tight waist. The amazing hourglass figure that most women would kill for. He wanted to lick and trace every curve of her body. But right now, he needed to focus on the conversation. He could show her later how much he desired her.

"And what did your best friend have to say?"

"She pretty much laughed at me just like you did."

The more he learned about Kat, the more he liked her. She seemed to be on his side and he could use any help he could get. He nuzzled her neck and whispered into her ear, "I don't remember laughing at you when you told me your concern."

"You were definitely thinking about it."

Her head tilted a little more, giving him better access to run his nose and lips along the column of her throat. He loved the way she smelled and tasted. Sugar and oranges. That's what she reminded him of. He was quickly realizing it was his favorite smell.

"Maybe a little, but I restrained myself."

"Wasn't that sweet of you?"

He grazed his teeth along her pulse and elicited the sexiest moan.

"It was very sweet of me. So what should be my reward for being so good?"

The plan wasn't to have sex with her tonight. Not when she would have to leave immediately after, but it was getting harder to convince himself not to take a little nibble of her. She was everything he wanted. She only had to be in his presence for a few minutes, and he was half aroused. Her straddling him in a pair of cutoff shorts and a t-shirt was a dream come true.

"Hmmm." She tossed her head back and pushed her chest out with a hum. "Let me . . ."

A loud shriek cut off whatever seductive suggestion she was about to make. Ray picked her up and placed her on the couch as he reached for the handgun in the side table drawer.

"What's that noise?"

"Perimeter alarm. Someone's stepped foot in the driveway for longer than sixty seconds."

He pulled up the app on his phone that he designed for his security system. When he couldn't find something on the market that matched his needs, he created one. The feature he liked the most was the loud alarm that went off both on his phone and outside when someone stood too long on his property.

"Stay here."

The security feed on his phone showed whoever was there was now long gone, but he still proceeded with caution. Ray was stepping out onto the front porch when Falcon approached from across the street.

"That damn alarm could wake up the dead," Falcon grumbled.

"That's the point. Did you see anyone leaving?"

Ray looked around the driveway and yard. At first, he didn't see anything and assumed whoever was on his property was scared away before they could do anything, but then he saw it.

"Son of a bitch."

He raced down to Maddie's car, hoping it was a trick of the shadows in the night. Alas, it was not.

"All four tires are slashed," Falcon told him what he already knew.

"They didn't even try to hide it." Ray kneeled down and looked at the driver's side tire that was just replaced days earlier. A six-inch slice was made in the side wall. He walked around and confirmed that each tire was the same.

"Is this Maddie's vehicle?"

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