Page 17 of Wretched Heart
Only minutes ago, I’d been contemplating spending the night between Maddie’s legs, but now I don’t trust myself to be in the same room as her. There’s only one bed.
I shouldn’t have sent Mace away. I could call him back, I suppose. But I’m not going to do that.
“Fine, I’ll stay,” I say as if I’m letting her win the argument. “But only if you don’t do or say anything. Not another fucking word. We’ll talk in the morning.”
Maddie’s chin wobbles, but she doesn’t speak as I turn my back and dry myself off. I yank down my wet boxer shorts and almost strangle my dick, which is failing to go down because the girl with beautiful blue eyes is watching me. I curse under my breath as I pull on my sweatpants and grab my t-shirt off the floor.
When I turn, Maddie has dropped her towel, and I get to see her body in all its glory.
“Damn, you’re beautiful,” I murmur.
She takes a step towards me, a wicked glint in her eye, but I shake my head. No. A thousand times no.
“Wear this,” I order, handing her my t-shirt. “And behave.”
That last comment is as much for me as it is for her. Covering Maddie up is only marginally less tempting when seeing her in my t-shirt. I turn on my heels and get out of the bathroom.
Chapter 6
Maddison
Before I dare open my eyes, I try to process everything that happened yesterday. My head throbs with the effort of gathering my thoughts into a mental list, starting with the wedding that never was. On and on the list goes, ending with the sex in the shower that also never happened.
I can’t quite decide which of yesterday’s disasters should claim the top spot as the worst moment of my life. Surprisingly, peeing in front of Hunter is nowhere near the top of the list. I don’t even care that he saw the bruise on my back.
Hearing what Barrett secretly thought of me was crushing, and it battles for position with Hunter’s rejection – because that’s exactly what it was. I wanted him. He didn’t want frigid me.
I can hear his soft snores next to me. I have my back to him, and from the way the sheet pulls taut against my shoulders, he’s stayed on top of the covers. When I’d drifted off to sleep last night, he was absorbed in whatever hewas doing on his cell phone. I was forgotten. He didn’t even say goodnight.
But none of this makes it to the top spot on my list because humiliation is something I can deal with. What I can’t face is the total and utter failure of mine and Hugo’s plans to save the paper mill. We’re going to go bust in a matter of months. It’s not so much losing my father’s legacy that hurts, but letting down our staff and the wider community. Brimstage is a small enough town that the closure of the mill will have a significant impact on the local economy. Possibly catastrophic.
All I had to do was find a husband rich enough to bail us out, and strong willed enough to keep my useless brother in check. I failed on every possible level, and for that reason alone, I don’t think I can go back and face everyone. But what choice do I have?
I move slowly, and my borrowed t-shirt twists around my middle as I turn to face Hunter. He’s propped up on pillows in the same sitting position as last night, his cell phone held loosely in his hand. His face is tilted towards me, his chin covered in dark stubble and his lips slightly parted. He’s wearing his sweatpants, and nothing else
I can’t believe I’ve seen him naked, even if he did turn around when he took off his boxers last night. I’d still had a good view of his ass. A coil of longing tightens around my core, and I hold back a groan as I squeeze my legs together. I’m a virgin by circumstance, not choice, and I’m done with that label. Hunter’s inked body fascinates me, and I don’t know when I’ll get this close to him again.
Slowly and silently, I rise up on an elbow for a better look. There’s a mixture of geometric designs and mythical creatures covering his arms and chest. I stare at the hardplanes of muscle that define and sculpt his torso until sight alone isn’t enough.
Biting my lower lip, I stretch my hand towards the tattoo on his chest. Ever so gently, I trace the eagle’s head, then trail down its spine to the even sharper claws on the lion’s paws. A mixture of fur and feathers, the griffin looks powerful and deadly, but I still can’t figure out if it’s meant to be a protector or a destroyer. Hunter might not be one of the bad guys, and I certainly hope he isn’t, but he does have a way of putting bad thoughts in my head.
My fingertip trembles as I continue my exploration. I check his face, but there’s no sign that he feels my touch, not until I notice what’s happening lower down his body. His sweatpants have moved, and as my fingers follow the V that disappears beneath his waistband, his cock twitches.
“You shouldn’t be doing that, little bird,” Hunter warns, his voice still gravelly with sleep.
I keep my gaze focused on the one part of him I can get a reaction from. “You seem to be enjoying it,” I whisper. If I’m going to get my way, I need to exude confidence, even if it’s far from how I’m feeling.
“A lady wouldn’t notice.”
“A gentleman would see to her needs.”
The effect my words have on him are evident from the growing tension between Hunter’s hardening cock and the straining material, but before my smile can broaden, Hunter grabs my wrist. He moves fast, twisting onto his side and using his body to pin me down. He grabs my other hand and raises both above my head. His face is inches from mine.
Anger makes his jaw clench. “I told you no touching, or were you too drunk to remember what I said?”
I dare to meet his gaze. “It was one fingertip,”I reply, waggling my fingers beneath his grip. “I’m not the one pressing their erection into my hip.”
Hunter’s green eyes sparkle and his features relax into a smile – no, a laugh. “You’re a constant surprise to me, Maddie. How the fuck are you still a virgin at twenty-four?”
