Page 179 of Between Regrets and Promises

“Mmhmm.” I doubt he’s been hating it either.

“It’s the truth,” he snaps when Sophie walks back in, and she’s smirking at the way Liam’s all flustered over Maddie. I grab a beer from the fridge, and Liam follows.

Liam crosses his arms with a glare. “I don’t know why everyone has something to say about me being nice to her. Better than being a dick and treating her the way you used to treat Sophie.”

I glare at him. “Yeah, well. I actuallylikedSophie. What’s your excuse?” Popping a brow, I dare him to admit he likes her, but he shakes his head and heads back into the living room.When I walk behind him, I notice Maddie purposely puts her legs up on his lap after he sits down next to her.

“This is everything,” she says with her mouth full. Yep, she’s officially disgusting.

Sophie sits in the recliner. “So. How’s the millionaire quest going?”

Maddie shrugs. “Still working on the listing. I ordered a new bikini for some new photos. Then I’ll work on my sales pitch, which they probably won’t read once they click through my photos.”

I snicker at her humility. “Want me to take the pictures for you? I do take them for my job and all.” Granted, they’re for crime scenes, but still.

“Don’t encourage her,” Sophie scolds, but she knows Maddie’s stunt is all an act.

I look at Liam, who tenses as Maddie talks about selling her virginity nonchalantly like it’s an antique piece of furniture she can sell for top dollar.

“Well, you have to go on dates if you want to find someone.”

Maddie snorts and straightens, putting her feet underneath her. “I have! I’ve gone on a handful of them, and they’ve all ended badly the moment I don’t let them hit a home run. It’s all fun and games until I tell them no. Plus, most of them wouldn’t know how to treat a woman right even if it was spelled out for them. I’m not trying to get taken advantage of by some idiot who can’t spell Mississippi. This way, I can be in charge of my own body, and it will strictly be a cash transaction. No feelings, no dates, no disappointments.”

Liam tenses and I wonder if it’s because Maddie’s never discussed dating anyone.

Maddie continues, “I nearly castrated one guy who didn’t understand that no meant no. I’m not kidding. I’ve never pulleda knife off a counter so quickly. I wasn’t afraid to use it either.” She holds her hand up like she’s about to shank someone.

Sophie looks horrified.

“Oh, the stories I could tell,” Maddie goes on between taking bites . “One douchebag thought he could get me drunk, but I didn’t take a sip of anything he offered because I had a feeling he was trying to drug me, which hewas.”

“You’re not dating the right kind of guys,” Liam interjects. I can tell he’s pissed, but hell, so am I.

Maddie turns toward him with an eyebrow popped and a fork in her mouth. “So what kind of guys should I be dating? Strong bounty hunter bad-boy types?” She puckers her lips, daring him to argue.

Maddie’s a firecracker and gives zero fucks about being blunt. She’ll cross boundaries anytime she feels like it, which is why shit’s always interesting when she’s around.

He shakes his head, then stands. “I’m done with this conversation. I’m going to bed. Night.”

With a pout, Maddie tells him good night. Once he’s out of sight, she looks at Sophie. “Think I pushed him too far?”

I chuckle. “I think you did.”

“Do you want a ride home?” Sophie asks, yawning.

“No, I was thinking I’d stay. You’re a bed hog, so I’ll sleep out here. You have an extra pillow and blanket?” She teases, but she’s not joking when she stretches her long legs out until her feet touch me. I look down at them and am terrified. They’re what nightmares are made from.

“What? You’ve never seen a ballerina’s feet before?” Maddie giggles, wiggling her toes and trying to touch me with them. “Man, these springs might kill my back. Think I could share Liam’s bed with him?”

Sophie stands, shaking her head. “Oh my God. Bad idea,” she tells her before going to her room to grab an extra pillow and blankets.

“You’re pushy as hell,” I scold Maddie.

She shrugs. “Gotta be, especially when he treats me like I’m his little sister.”

“You kinda are.”

“I amnot. You all treat me like I’m a child when I’m a grown ass woman. Just because you’re a few years older than I am doesn’t mean anything. Age is just a number, and neither of you guys knows what I’ve been through.”

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