Page 24 of Asphyxia
“You didn’t see the woman lying in that trauma room bed fighting for her life… I wouldn’t expect you to understand what he did or didn’t deserve.” Her voice faded as she swallowed the memory.
“Mads…” I ran my knuckle along her cheek, and she leaned into my touch, her eyes connecting with mine.How did I miss… all of this…The fact that I had never seen her until now was eating me alive.
“Sex is how I cope with… everything.” She whispered, her eyes softening as if in apology. Madison didn’t need to apologize for using me; I never expected her to. I was more than content to be used by her as often as she needed. “It’s the only thing that keeps me grounded these days with Chyler gone.”
I could feel the hurt in her words—of missing the sister that Atlas stole away six months ago.
“What do you mean byeverything?” I knew she used sex to cope with her rough days at work; that was a given, but I wondered what else was bothering her so much that she had finally snapped.
Madison never told me she was struggling or even remotely suggested it, but then again, why would she? If I had known the frequent sex was more than just what it was, I would have asked the question sooner—said something, anything.
Fuck, I felt so stupid…Here I was, seeing us as nothing more than fuck buddies, when the entire time, she had been using me as a lifeline to her sanity.
I didn’t deserve to fall for her the way I currently was.Did I even deserve her anymore?
“So obviously, you know about Chyler and heroff-switch…I have one too, except mine works a little differently—” She hesitated, contemplating her words. “Sex prevents me from losing control of my impulses, at least for the most part—as fucked up as that sounds—”
“Hang on, let me get this straight…” I interrupted her. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This insanely beautiful woman— “So what you’re telling us is that you use sex as a way to prevent yourself from going on some kind of murder spree?”Seriously?
“That’s making it sound slightly more extreme than it truly is, but I wasn’t always like this…” She admitted, her gaze dropping from mine as if ashamed of how she got here, and my heart twisted with the pain I saw in her eyes.
How in the fuck did she get to this point in her life where sex was the only thing stopping her from falling over the edge?Who the fuck did this to her?
My head was spinning with so many questions and rage for the person who manipulated Madison into being who she was. I hoped it was fucking Charlotte since the bitch was already dead, but part of me hoped it wasn’t—so that I could figure out who the fuck they were and kill them myself.
“And you—” Madison suddenly turned her attention to Dean. “What did she do to you?”
Dean frowned, looking from Madison to me as if I had told her everything about Amber. I just shook my head in response as I sucked on my teeth. Amber was his story to tell, not mine. I’d never betray his trust like that, even for Madison.
“There is no she, and this discussion isn’t about me; it’s about you,” Dean answered sharply, and Madison’s eyes narrowed on him.
“Not now, but there was—” Her voice was demanding, yet soft and gentle. “Dean, I can see the pain in your eyes when you look at me, and I know that pain all too well.” She reached over to caress his cheek. “Tell me.”
“Not now…” He sighed as he broke eye contact with her, and Madison groaned, rolling her eyes.
“Fine… I can be patient… when you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here, waiting and ready to listen, however long it takes.” She sighed before changing her tone into a sweet and innocent hum. “But…”
“But?” I mimicked her sound, curiously arching my brow.
“But—since I’ve been open and honest with the two of you this morning, why don’t you boys reward me by showing me just how well you can share?” She smirked, the mood in the room shifting with the growing hunger in her eyes as they bounced between us.
Madison seductively bit down on her bottom lip as I looked across her to Dean, who slyly grinned with a nod right before I started sliding my way down her body—a welcome distraction for us all.
Chapter 13
Madison
Deanwrappedhishandaround the side of my neck, using his thumb to tilt my chin away, giving his soft lips better access to caress the sensitive skin as he sucked on my neck, all while I felt Marcus’s teeth nip at my hip and inner thigh.
The sensations between the two left me breathless and desiring more.
I groaned at the loss of Dean’s lips as he pulled away to lift the T-shirt I was wearing up to my chest, exposing my bare breasts, my nipples hardening from the cool air, and my uncontrollable lust.
I bit down on my bottom lip to contain myself, and—as if they had perfectly timed it— Marcus latched on to my clit, sucking hard at the nerves, just as Dean pulled one of my nipples into his warm mouth, rolling it between his teeth.
My hands subconsciously found their way into their hair and tugged lightly as I closed my eyes, reveling in the moment.
Fuck, this was every ounce of amazing—a fucking dream. I’ll consider this a long-term therapy treatment. Marcus and Dean are mine—all mine.
