Page 180 of Maddox
Delaney
It’s late when I roll over and stare at the ceiling. Maddox is awake. He gave me space but never left the bed beyond speaking to his father out in the hall.
If she goes, I go.I can’t believe he said that to his father.
Did he mean it? Of course he did. Maddox is many things, but he’s never been a liar.
Where does that leave me?
The sharp ache in my chest has faded to a dull thrum and with a groan, I whisper into the silence, “Why? Why would he do that to his own blood?”
“I don’t know,” Maddox says, his deep tone washing over me. “He’s an animal.”
Those pale, icy blue eyes roll through my brain, and I suck in a breath that does not hide my sob when I say, “It’s my fault.”
I should have gone to Ice sooner. I should have listened when Kidd tried to warn me. I did this because I was a selfish bitch.
“No, it’s not,” Maddox rasps, looming above me. “That fucker does what he wants, and you hadnothingto do with it.”
He’s so confident that sometimes I wish I could borrow some of it for a little while, but I know in the end, it’s up to me to figure this shit out.
When his lips quirk in a sexy smile though, I can’t resist and run my finger through the divot in his cheek before he grabs my wrist and places a kiss in the palm of my hand.
Closing my eyes, I embrace the pulse of warmth filling my chest. How can he be so fierce and yet so gentle at the same time? How can I love him after everything that’s gone down?
Am I in love? I can’t fathom facing off against a murderer to spare anyone else the pain he would’ve endured.
Although maybe that makesmeinsane. Ha!
When did I fall? I don’t know because I think, in a way, we’ve been connected since the beginning.
I needed Maddox to help me face my fears and maybe he needed the same from me.
“How do you know?” I finally ask. “Maybe I could have done something differently.”
His easy smile fades before he falls back to the mattress and says, “Because he took my mother for fun and raped and murdered her.”
We drop to silence after that, and turning to my side, I eye the tic in his jaw before tracing my finger over the stubble.
My skin tingles at the rasp and I exhale softly when a zing of pleasure shoots through me. I half wondered if what I did behind that building would change how I view intimacy. I guess I can let that worry go.
Although to be fair, Maddox is hard to resist.
When he grabs my hand and places it over his heart, I feel the beat beneath my fingers and thank the powers that be that he’s here and unharmed.
Still, I can’t see his expression and maybe it’s for the best when I say, “I can’t change who I am.”
“I don’t want you to,” he rasps before pulling me up his chest and tilting my chin.
“What if Ice is my father?” I ask. It’s still a possibility because despite Ice’s assertion, my mother’s admission means that I don’t really know who the man really is.
How’s that for a kick in the face?
Although his brows flicker, when our eyes lock, he brushes lips against mine and says, “I wantyou, Delaney. I want to see those gorgeous eyes every time I wake up and I want to kiss those amazing lips every night when we go to bed.”
Peppering kisses across my face, he continues, “I want to fight with you over the covers, feed you bacon and eggs when you’re hungry.”
When his mouth come back to mine, he licks my lower lip and breathes, “I want to explore the world with you on the back of my bike. Just me, you and the road, princess.”
