Page 60 of Mad Love

“Yes.”

The warning bell sounds. He pushes back his chair and rises. I stand too.

“I’ll speak with the businesses, but first you must give them the promise that Cillian McCabe won’t rain hell on them. This is his territory whether you like it or not, Maddox.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll do my best.”

I leave Joe’s office with my hands jammed in the pockets of my trousers and my shoulders hunched. Getting Cillian’s cooperation is comparable to convincing a dentist to gorge on a bowl of Halloween candy.

The final bell rings. Kids rush out of the classrooms. A familiar voice rises above the chatter and the slamming of doors on walls. I make my way to the classroom where the voice came from. Sure enough, a ghost from my past is picking up chairs off the floor and setting them on the desks, seat down.

“Let me help you with that.”

Kristine looks up. Surprise on her beautiful face.

“Maddox?”

“Hi, Kris.”

My palm cups the back of my head. My sight strays to her left hand. No ring.

“How are you?”

“How am I? How are you?”

Pieces of hair fall over her eye. I reach out and brush away the fiery red locks. Her jade-green eyes widen.

“I’m good.”

We stare at one another. Time stops. It’s been six years since Kris broke my heart and moved away to Massachusetts for college. I wasn’t invited to follow her.

“Congrats on your marriage, Maddox. She’s beautiful.”

Her voice is soft and filled with regret. Regret for what? That she broke up with me and now I’m married to someone other than her?

“She is,” I answer, not regretting my decision to marry Blaise.

Will she ever leave the safety of my penthouse? What can I do to break through her armor? Is three months enough time or do I need a lifetime? What exactly does that look like? Nights filled with kink using satin and silk, but never going all the way?

Shit, what if she never lets me touch her with my bare hands? Something’s gotta give, and I have a feeling that something is me conceding to Blaise’s whim. Otherwise, permanent isn’t in the cards. Am I ready to concede?

I refocus on the woman in front of me. I conceded to Kris and got nothing in return except heartache. Conceding to Blaise won’t get me far. Conceding leads to compromising, and compromises are land mines filled with heartache.

“What are you doing teaching here? I figured you’d be at some Ivy League college.”

Kris’s dream was to get her graduate degree in mathematics and teach at the university level. She’s beautiful as well as smart, a willowy figure who looks vulnerable but is one of the strongest people I know. She helped her mother through her cancer diagnosis, and all while making arrangements to bury her father after he died in the line of duty as a cop.

“Principal Williams is an old friend of my dad’s. He asked if I would like to work for him. The school’s been having a difficult time getting teachers in here. The pay’s not the best, and the learning environment is horrible. Fights break out daily. Drugs are sold inside and outside the school. I’m here to do my part and honor my dad’s memory.”

That’s right. Her father was involved in a lot of the community outreach programs.

“He’d be proud of you, Kris.”

“I miss him.”

Tears pool in her eyes. I pull her into my arms.

“I’m sure you do, darling.”

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