Page 57 of Wretched Heart
“Don’t worry, I don’t want to be part of this circus for any longer than necessary,” Hugo says.
My eyes snap to my brother. “You can leave too.”
“Go to hell, Maddison,” Hugo mutters as he jumps to his feet. “Don’t expect the honeymoon to last. And don’t expect me to pick you up out of the gutter when the Griffins have had their fun with you.”
I rest my hand against Hunter’s arm, feeling the tension that’s already cording his neck. “Hunter is teaching me how to look after myself.”
The double entendre I’d used yesterday is just enough of a distraction to stop my husband from adding more bruises to Hugo’s face, and he lets the comment pass.
I wait until my brother is heading out through the door Morgan holds open for him. “Oh, could one of you be a sweetie and ask our new CFO to join the meeting? She’s waiting in reception, and we have a lot of work to do.”
The rest of the meeting flies by. The CFO that Hunter has appointed is a long-standing member of the Griffins’ team of financial experts. She had a hand in formulating the strategy I go on to present to the board, but she asks questions that allow me to show the rest of the board that this is my plan, and I can be trusted to deliver it. Conrad and Amos are certainly convinced, and they’re full of enthusiasm when it’s time to leave.
Before Amos pulls Hunter away for his promised tour, my old friend takes me to one side. “I haven’t had this much fun in years,” he admits. “And I’ve never been so optimistic about the future of this plant.”
“As soon as the takeover happens, you’re going to be busy installing all the new plant and machinery.”
Amos scrutinizes my face. “You must trust Hunter if you’re willing to hand over the mill to him.”
I lean in closer. “I do.”
He nods, and his smile returns. “You’re full of surprises today, Maddie. I’m so happy for you. I never would have believed someone could fall in love so quickly if I hadn’t seen it for myself.” He registers the look of shock on my face and chuckles to himself. “These eyes don’t miss much.”
Chapter 18
Hunter
Ican guarantee that the Corbyn paper mill will be my one and only foray into the industry. I hate the steam. The smell. The noise. And as for the end product? Paper just doesn’t do it for me. I don’t have Maddie’s passion for physical books, or reading. But as I’d watched her present her strategy to the board, I knew why I was doing this. She cares deeply about the success of the mill. And I’m finding it difficult not to care about what she cares about.
“I need a shower,” I say as soon as we return home.
Maddie had been heading for our debrief with my brothers, but she hesitates. I watch as she tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. “I might have one too,” she says.
My shoulders tense as I tell myself to ignore the image she’s planted in my head. Meanwhile, my cock twitches. “Fine, I’ll meet you back in the office,” I say, turning away before she has the chance to turn her comment into a conversation I don’t dare to have.
I’m almost at my bedroom door when she calls out. “Would you like me to hold your pencil for you?”
The laugh escapes before I can stop it. That woman and her damn smart mouth. “I can manage a pencil, Maddie,” I say as I step through the door. It’s the woman I struggle with.
My brothers would laugh at me if they saw me locking the bathroom door. I’m just taking all necessary precautions I tell myself as I step into the cold shower. I try not to think about Maddie getting naked on the other side of the wall. And if I’m quick, I’ll be done before she’s even wet. No, wet is the wrong fucking word. I finish washing in record time, but as I switch off the water jets, another shower comes to life next door.
It's a losing battle and I’m getting hard as I dry myself off. And then I hear her. It starts with a soft moan, but quickly escalates into a desperate cry. Maybe a little too fast. The brat is damn well faking it because she knows I’m listening. She’s trying to get a reaction from me, and fuck, is it working. I take myself in my hand and fist my cock a couple of times, but I refuse to let her reduce me to jerking off in secret. I can hear her breath hitching. If she wants to play with fire…
I storm into Maddie’s room with a towel around my waist. I grab the bathroom door handle and go to walk into the bathroom, but my shoulder whacks into solid wood. She’s fucking locked me out, and now that she knows I’m trying to get in, her moans grow louder.
I rest my forehead on the door in frustration. I can walk away. I should walk away. Wood splinters as I hit the door again with my shoulder, but it takes a final kick before the door flies open. The shower stall is steamed up, but there’s a clear spot where the condensation has been wiped away. It’s big enough for me to see the wicked smile on Maddie’s lips as I catch movement further down her body.
I drop the towel from my waist as I open the stall door, then stand and watch her for a while. The Maddie who ran out the chapel in tears is not the same woman who’s looking so damn smug as she pleasures herself. Her gaze drops to my engorged cock and her hand moves fast. She lets out a soft moan.
With a growl, I step inside the stall and lean past her to switch off the jets pummeling her beautiful curves. I grab Maddie’s hand, putting an end to her enjoyment. For now.
“I’m tired of sucking damn pencils, Maddie. It’s time I tasted you,” I say as I drag her out of the bathroom.
Before Maddie has the chance to use that smart mouth, I spin her around, and walk her backwards to the bed. When her calves hit the mattress, I shove the middle of her chest so she falls back. Water droplets trickle off her hardened nipples and the soft mounds of her breasts. Her blond hair is plastered to her neck and face. Her mouth is open and she pants as she tries to crawl backwards across the bed, but the bedcovers stick to her wet skin.
“Are you trying to get away from me?”
“I was just making room,” she replies. Her eyes narrow on me. “I’m not scared of you, Hunter.”
