Page 65 of Deserving Maddie

"Are you okay with Ray being here? With seeing us together?" she asked.

She waited with bated breath.

"Can I confess something without you getting mad?"

Oh, God. Her stomach dropped. What could she have possibly done now or what had her son done that he felt he needed to confess?

"I will try my best," she answered honestly. "That's the only promise I can ever make because I know I'm not perfect either. And sometimes I get mad before I fully think things through."

She was going to work on that.

"I overheard you talking to Charley the morning you snuck back in the house."

Maddie dropped her head into her hands and groaned. She was awful at this sneaking-around nonsense.

"So you've known the whole time?"

"I mean, I've known since then," Gabe said. "Not sure how long it was going on before that."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

She remembered him changing around that time, but she assumed it was related to the conversation he had with Kat.

"Because I was confused. I wanted you to be happy, but at the same time I was worried if things didn't work out, then you would go back to being sad like when Dad was alive."

How did she miss how mature her son was? It was such a proud mom moment for her.

"I'm not the same person I was back then. This experience has helped me, and I will never allow someone to bring me down like that again. But on a side note? I think Ray is different."

She hoped so, at least.

"I do too, Mom. I think he's great for you. I really like him."

That was all she needed to hear. The rest would work itself out.

Chapter 29

Raylockedthehouseup for the second night in a row. He found he could easily get used to this, knowing that there was a woman upstairs waiting for him. For the life of him, he couldn't remember why he avoided a relationship. Actually, yes, he could. Because none of the women before were Maddie. This only felt right because it was her.

When she called midday to let him know she had to stay late at work again, he could practically hear the panic in her voice. He knew right then that he would do everything in his power to make sure Maddie never felt like asking him for something was a burden.

Ray found he enjoyed helping Gabe with his homework and having dinner ready when Maddie came home. It was nice to spend his evening doing something other than just working. It was even better knowing that he would get to spend the rest of the night with the woman he was fast falling in love with.

"A gal could get used to this kind of treatment." Maddie smiled at him when he walked into the bedroom.

"That's the plan. I need to give you a reason to keep me around."

Maddie sat up on her knees in that sexy little nightie. "You don't need to give me reasons. Just keep being yourself and that will be enough."

How was it that this woman still didn't realize she deserved the world?

"I prefer to keep showing you how special you are, and that includes all the little things I like doing for you."

Ray threw off his shirt on his way over to the bed. He watched as her chest rose and fell with each breath she took. The slight blush that grazed the tops of her breasts as she watched him undress. Her hooded eyes took him in the same way he ate her up.

By the time he reached the bed, he was in his boxers and his cock was standing at full attention.

With both fists planted on either side of her body, he leaned in and grazed his lips across the shell of her ear. "I want to take you bare tonight. I want to feel every part of your warm pussy as it hugs my cock. I wantto show you that you're mine tonight and I'm never letting you go."