Page 52 of Deserving Maddie

Ray: Okay, cool. Meet me at Terry's Diner in 15 minutes so we can grab a coffee and meet Leah before we go.

Excitement replaced the void Kat's departure left. Her best friend's comment as they hugged outside the security checkpoint flashed through her mind.

Give Ray the chance to give you everything you ever deserved. Stop overthinking life and just live for once. You'll be surprised what great things can happen.

Maddie was going to start living. She would meet new people and finally let Texas be her home because dammit, shediddeserve it.

Chapter 23

Maddiehadmetalmostevery one of his co-workers within the first hour they arrived at the barn. Just as he expected, they all loved her and it didn't take long for the wives to sound the alarm and come rushing over.

Wes bitched, the guys rolled their eyes, but it was the smile on Maddie's face that won them all over and made the sudden invasion okay.

"You work with a lot of great people."

They were back in his office. Ray was contemplating how to ask his next question. He wanted to do it away from everyone else, so he didn't embarrass her.

"They really are. Any one of them would lay their life on the line for me and I would do the same, but they were tame today. Usually, there's a lot more busting going on."

"I figured they were on their best behavior. Although Kendra didn't seem to mind poking fun at you."

Damn Blue. That woman looked innocent, but she was the worst of them.

"Yeah, she holds her own." Ray cleared his throat. "I have a question for you. Feel free to tell me to go to hell, but I was curious about your reaction when we were on the range."

"Ask away, but I think I know what you want to know."

That piqued his curiosity even more.

"And what's that?"

"It's obvious I've never been around a gun before."

Fuck, he was right. Now he wondered if she knew she flinched every time a weapon went off. He expected it of people who didn't frequent the range or weren't around guns often, but her husband had been a police officer. Surely he'd taught her how to shoot.

"I thought maybe it was just my imagination." He rubbed the stubble along his jaw. "I was a bit surprised, to be honest."

"Yes, well, as I've explained before." She leaned back in the chair and rolled her eyes. "Anthony was controlling, and one of the things he believed was that women shouldn't be trusted with guns. They were for men. His duty weapon never entered the house, and he didn't have a personal piece that I was aware of."

He could feel the spasm in his jaw. It took great effort to stop himself from grinding his molars down to nubs as he thought about how best to respond.

"It's a good thing your husband is dead or I would probably find myself killing him," he ground out. "Slowly."

It amazed him how resilient Maddie was. The things she described should have broken her long ago. Yet, with every conversation they had, he was reminded just how strong she really was.

"He's gone now and I'm slowly allowing myself to do everything I missed out on."

"Well, I'll teach you to shoot if you want. There isn't a single guy in this place who has the same mentality as your dead husband. And if you don't feel comfortable learning from me or one of the guys, I can assure you Blue or any of the wives would happily volunteer."

If his teammates knew what her husband had said, they would be lining up to prove Anthony wrong. Every single one of them made sure their wives and girlfriends were comfortable around weapons. Anthony was an asshole who deserved a beat down.

"I wouldn't mind having you teach me."

Maybe this was a bad idea. A vision of him standing behind her as he helped her line up her shot popped into his head. Her ass brushing against his cock. Suddenly, there wasn't enough room in his pants anymore. He did his best to discreetly adjust himself.

"I will make the time."

"Speaking of time. I need to get going. The kids’ school day is over soon and the pickup line can be brutal if I wait too long."

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