Chapter Eighteen
Mitch watched Maddie walk out of Earl’s with a tall, good-looking blond man.
The fiancé. Mitch didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t the guy standing on the sidewalk not twenty feet away from him.
Her red hair blew in the breeze as she looked up at the man and nodded. The man frowned and raised a hand as if to touch her.
Mitch gripped the steering wheel so tightly that he was surprised it didn’t shatter under the pressure. Raw, turbulent emotions rammed through him like the fiercest of storms, threatening to engulf him until he was all reaction and no logic.
The fiancé’s hand dropped away.
Charlie’s words came rushing back at him:
You never fucking learn
.
Mitch fought the urge to jump out of the car and break every bone in the guy’s body. Possessive, almost feral, jealousy unlike anything he’d ever experienced before in his life locked around his throat and wouldn’t let go.
Jesus. He was going to lose her.
The reality of the situation was like a punch in the gut.
She was only his until she wanted to leave. He had no claim on her—nothing real.
The fiancé turned away. Maddie watched him with an indescribable expression on her face as he walked around the corner and disappeared.
Despite the cold air blasting at him from the vents, Mitch’s brow beaded with sweat. As soon as he’d gotten the call from Charlie, he’d rushed to the diner like a bat out of hell with the notion of rescuing her. Now he wasn’t sure she’d welcome the intrusion.
He wasn’t sure if she’d want him.
The insecurity made him so furious that he jumped out of the car, ran across the street, and grabbed her before he had time to even process his actions.
She swung around, blinked, and burst into tears.
Mitch gathered her up, cuddled her into his chest, and shuffled her into the car. A minute later they were on the road, but he experienced no sense of relief, no victory. How could he, with Maddie bawling her eyes out?
He wanted to comfort her, take her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay, but he had to get control of his emotions first.
So far, he was losing the fucking battle.
Panic, jealousy, and fear rammed through him like the most violent of storms. He managed a strained, “Princess, are you okay?”
“I did it,” she said in a shaky voice. “It was hard, sad, and scary, but I did it.”
Mitch took her hand, squeezing her fingers. He was afraid to hope, afraid to even breathe. “What did you do?”
“I said good-bye.”
The completely irrational possessiveness burned in his lungs. Adrenaline still pumped in his veins, not caring whether the immediate threat was over. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said, still staring out the window. “I’m . . . just . . . I don’t know. It was almost half my life. And now it’s over.”
“I’m sorry.” He pulled to a stop at Revival’s only traffic light. “I hate that you’re upset.”
Maddie looked at him, her tear-streaked cheeks and watery gaze making her look beautiful and tragic. “I’m relieved.”
The light turned green and he floored the gas pedal. Possessive, primal urges pulsed inside him, beating at his chest. At the first corner he saw, he jerked the car right and pulled onto the side street, swinging the car into the first available spot.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice trembled.
He needed her. Right now.
Her eyes widened, her pink tongue darting out to wet her lips. She gave him a slight nod.
He lunged.
She met him halfway, their mouths coming together in a hard, brutal rush of lust that stunned him.
Pushed to the very edge of control, Mitch kissed her as though he were a starving man. He gripped the back of her neck. Slanting his lips to deepen the angle, thrusting his tongue into her mouth far too aggressively.
She groaned and curled her fingers into his shoulders, her nails biting into his skin despite the cotton separating them.
With a low, guttural sound, he yanked her T-shirt up and rubbed his thumb over her nipple through her bra. With no patience and zero finesse, he ripped the cup down and pinched and rolled the hard bud with a force that had her gasping.
He ripped away and sank his teeth into her neck, biting her, marking her.
She jerked against him.
He growled, covering her lips again with almost savage need. He took, demanded, fucked her mouth with his tongue and teeth. Impatient and fumbling, he pulled at the button on her shorts, sliding the zipper down. Their arms and elbows flailed and bumped. The horn went off as he smacked it with his elbow while stripping her shorts down her legs.
Frantic hands undid his jeans. His cock sprang free, and her hot fingers encircled his length. She stroked, and his balls pulled tight. He pushed her away, tearing his mouth from hers and sitting back against the seat. He gripped her waist, pulling her on top of him and positioning her legs over his thighs.
It was too fast, too rough, but he couldn’t wait.
He grabbed her hips, lifted her up, and drove into her.
She cried out, forehead hitting his as she shifted to accommodate his size. A distant part of his brain warned him to slow down, but he couldn’t. He thrust high, fingers digging into her hips and ass as he impaled her.
Harsh, ragged breathing filled the car. Her hands tore at his shirt. Their mouths fused together, almost fighting. Primal and primitive.
He tore away from her. “Mine.”
“Yes,” she whispered against his mouth.
“All mine.” They came together in a fast, furious pounding of flesh. He looked down and watched his cock slide in and out of her, claiming his ownership.
Mine, mine, mine.
The visceral violence of his emotions scared the shit of out of him, but he couldn’t stop.
He slammed into her, almost brutal in his desire.
She met him stroke for stroke, increasing her pace to keep up with him, her lips parting in a gasp. “Oh, God.”
“Say my name.” His balls tightened, but he couldn’t slow down. He needed to be closer.
Faster. Harder. Higher.
“Mitch,” she whimpered, nipping his bottom lip and scratching his forearms with her nails.
He couldn’t take her hard enough. Couldn’t get close enough. All of his thoughts dissolved into two words. More. Mine.
Her inner muscles clenched around his cock like a vice.
“Tell me.” The words were practically a growl.
“What?”
“Tell me how much you want it.” That primitive part of his brain demanded surrender, and he pushed harder than he would under normal circumstances.
“I want it. You. Please.” The words were half moan and filled with need, sending feral satisfaction through his blood. She threw her head back, riding his cock like her life depended on it, and he loved every single second of it. “Mitch, please, I—”
“Are you mine?” The dominance was clear in the guttural tone of his voice.
“Yes,” she said in a panting gasp, her muscles rippling along his erection in confirmation.
He reached up and grabbed her jaw, forcing their gazes to lock together. “You’re damn right you are.”
She came in a mad rush, and he thrust into her one last time, his orgasm pounding through him like a stampede. He emptied into her, coming so hard that his vision blurred and dimmed.
She collapsed against him.
His arms settled around her and he squeezed her tightly, trying to work air into his burning lungs. She nuzzled closely, panting for breath as their heated bodies pressed together.
He trailed his fingers over her bare lower back, loving how she shivered and trembled at his touch.
The car windows were fogged and he realized they were sitting somewhere less than private in broad daylight. He punched down the air conditioner.
She heaved a sigh. “Wow.”
“Wow is an understatement.”
She sat up, and when he met her eyes, she blushed. A smile curved over his lips and he pushed a damp lock of hair behind her ear.
A subtle awkwardness permeated the thick air as the silence grew. What was there to say after sex like that? Sex that transcended time and place. Sex that hid nothing and revealed everything.
He trailed a thumb over her swollen lip. “Want to agree we’ll talk about it later?”
Shoulders relaxing, she laughed. “Maybe that would be best.”
He curled his hand around her throat, stroking the spot where he’d bitten her. It was red. It marked her, made her his.
She trailed a finger over his forearm, inspecting the damage she’d inflicted. “I, um, scratched you.”
He kissed her. “Don’t worry about it. I bit you, so I think we’re even.”
She flushed again and started to tug at her clothes.
He pulled out of the warm, wet haven of her body and froze. “Fuck.”
“What?” she asked, tension clouding her features.
“I didn’t wear a condom.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Goddamn it, it didn’t even cross my mind. I never forget. Ever. I’m sorry, Maddie.”
“Oh,” she said, climbing off him and reaching to the floor to retrieve her abandoned shorts. “I’m on those birth control shots.”
He wasn’t relieved. He frowned. Why wasn’t he relieved?
He cleared his throat and focused on zipping his jeans. “There’s more than pregnancy to worry about these days.”
She adjusted her bra, staring at the floor instead of looking at him. She shrugged. “I’m not worried.”
He should give her some sort of lecture about safe sex, but damned if he had the energy. He was too fucking confused at the torrent of unnamed emotions storming through him. “Good, I’m not worried either. But I promise I’m safe.”
“Me too,” she mumbled.
Something he didn’t want to think about gnawed at him. “We could get blood tests to put your mind at ease.”
She fixed her shorts, fumbling with the button while she stared at the dashboard. “If you want.”
Quiet ensued as they worked on putting themselves together. The air was still charged with tension as he put the car into gear and turned out onto the road. Needing to break the awkwardness, he grasped her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. “Let’s not worry about it right now, all right?”
She stared out the window for several long moments before blowing out a breath and looking at him. “Are you worried about it?”
They weren’t talking about sex without protection, and both of them knew it. Something had changed between them, something far too intense for two people who’d only known each other a short time. “Yeah, I am. You?”
“Yes,” she said, but squeezed his hand all the same.
“We’ll figure it out.” Somehow. Although he didn’t know how.
“Have—” Voice croaking, she cleared her throat. “Have you ever, um, done anything like that?”
“No.” He glanced at her. They weren’t talking about the act itself. “Never. That was the most intense fuck of my life.”
Her expression eased, and she grinned. “You do have a way with words, don’t you?”
The air lightened considerably, putting them once again on sure footing. He grinned back at her. “Princess, I talk like that because you like it.”
She poked his thigh. “
You
like it. I go along.”
He pulled up to a stop sign, checking in the rearview mirror to make sure there were no cars. He leaned over and nuzzled her neck, sliding his fingers down her shorts, sinking into her pussy, which was flooded with his come.
“What are you doing?” She grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him away even as her body quickened.
The pulse beating fast against his tongue didn’t lie. He licked, scraping his teeth over her skin. Lifting his head, he whispered in her ear, “Tell me the truth, and I promise to put you over my knee and give you a proper spanking.”
Inner muscles clenched and rippled along his fingers, and he laughed wickedly. “Oh, someone definitely likes that idea.”
“You’re the worst.” She groaned and clutched the door handle as she rocked into his hand.
His cock hardened as he pumped into her hot, tight core. “Admit it—”
A horn blared and he reluctantly pulled away, but not before he planted a hard kiss on her lips. “You are in so much trouble when we get home.”
She shivered, her eyes flirting up at him. “Drive.”
He drove the next couple of blocks to the farmhouse, turning up the drive. The tires crunched over gravel, and he frowned to see an unwelcome car in the driveway.
He pulled behind the Mercedes and his stomach tightened. He glanced at the porch and flipped off the ignition. “Oh, hell.”
“Who’s that?” Maddie asked.
Jesus Christ, could anything else go wrong? “It’s my mother.”
Chapter Nineteen
“I don’t want to meet your mother,” Maddie said, completely horrified. She stared at the attractive older woman with champagne-blond hair, wearing a pale tan linen suit and standing on Mitch’s porch.
Mitch laughed. “Yeah, well, today isn’t exactly going as planned, is it?”
Maddie bit her lip. “I know. It’s a mess. We didn’t even get a chance to talk. . . .” She felt herself flush ten shades of scarlet as the images filled her mind of them, wild and abandoned in the front seat. “In the car.”
Mitch tightened his grip on her hand. “I didn’t give you much of a chance to do anything but get your brains fucked out.”
With brows slamming together, she angled her head at the woman watching them from the porch. “Your mother.”
“She can’t hear me,” he said almost absently as he contemplated the woman who’d given birth to him as though she were a stranger.
Neither mother nor son rushed to meet each other.
“Are you okay?” Maddie asked. It had been a stressful day, and she wasn’t sure how much more either of them could take.
“Let’s get this over with.” His voice was like the hard blade of a knife.
Their fingers unlaced, and they exited the car. They walked around and he took her hand, striding up the stairs so quickly that she had to rush to keep pace. When they reached the top of the steps, he nodded to the older woman. “Mom, this is a surprise.”
“Mitchell.” She inclined her head. “I’m sorry for arriving unannounced, but you know your father. He’s probably having my calls monitored.”
Mitch smirked. “He’s turned into a paranoid son of a bitch, hasn’t he?”
Amber eyes that matched her son’s flickered, then turned to rest on Maddie.
Mitch slid his arms around her. “Maddie Donovan, meet my mother, Charlotte Riley.”
Maddie held out a hot, sweaty palm and said primly, “Mrs. Riley, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Charlotte’s hand glanced over hers, polite but remote. “You too, dear.”
Mitch hugged Maddie more tightly. “What can I do for you?”
Maddie cringed at his words and gave him a little nudge with his elbow. “I’m sure your mom has had a long ride. Maybe you should invite her in.”
“Yes, thank you,” Charlotte said, her expression warming a smidgen when her lips curved in the barest hint of a smile.
Mitch sighed and went to the door, tugging Maddie along as though she might try to run away if he let go. When they walked into the foyer, Maddie’s gaze immediately fell on the mirror. She blanched.
She looked horrible. With flushed cheeks, rumpled clothes, and hair a rat’s nest, she looked like she’d been doing, well, exactly what she had been doing. Unable to help herself, she examined her neck, and found a red spot, glowing like a neon sign, where Mitch had bit her. Pulling free from Mitch’s grasp, Maddie fussed with her hair to hide the mark.
He threw his key on the accent table, the clang of metal against wood too loud in an already tense room. The three of them stood, warily watching each other while they waited for someone to break the ice.
It sure as hell wasn’t going to be her. Maddie pressed her lips together as she fought the urge to babble.
Finally, Mitch put her out of her misery by pointing to a suitcase near his mother’s expensive tan pumps. “Are you planning on staying?”
“May I?” Charlotte asked. Her tone was cool, but something flickered in the older woman’s gaze. Something sad and hurt.
Why wouldn’t she be? Her husband’s alleged affair with another woman had been splashed over every media outlet in the modern world. Maddie’s heart warmed in sympathy and she asked, “Do you want some lemonade? It’s homemade.”
Charlotte gave her a hesitant smile. “That would be lovely, dear.”
Maddie practically ran to the kitchen, pulling out glasses and filling them with ice. She busied herself while Mitch and Charlotte walked through the swinging door to sit down at the table in stony silence.
The glass rattled as she placed the fresh lemonade in front of them and stared at the empty seat. She glanced at Mitch, smoothing her shorts. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Mitch shook his head. “Sit.”
She backed away. “Really, I’m a mess and I don’t want to intrude.”
Mitch scowled at the chair.
Maddie slid a glance at Mitch’s mother.
“Please,” Charlotte said, gesturing gracefully at the chair.
With a sigh, Maddie grabbed her glass and sat.
Mitch’s shoulders relaxed and he turned his attention to his mother. “So, you’re staying?”
“Is that all right?” she asked politely, as though they were strangers instead of family.
“Are you asking?” Mitch’s long fingers encircled the glass.
An expression of longing flittered over Charlotte’s expression before it smoothed over into a bland mask. “Yes, I’m asking. I need some peace as I work things out and didn’t know where else to go.”
“It’s your house,” Mitch said, his eyes filled with a coldness that was hard to reconcile with the man who’d practically incinerated her with heat not thirty minutes ago.
“Not anymore. You bought it from me fair and square, even though I insisted on giving it to you.” She raised her glass and took a delicate sip.
Mitch rested his elbows on the table and gave his mom a hard-eyed stare.
Appalled, Maddie nudged his knee under the table, but he said nothing to put the older woman at ease. Maddie scowled at him, but when it was clear he wasn’t going to speak, she turned a bright smile on Charlotte. “I’m sure Mitch would be happy for you to stay.”
A deep sadness filled Charlotte’s eyes. “Mitchell, I’m sorry.”
Under the table, his leg slid next to Maddie’s, pressing close as though seeking her comfort and warmth. “It’s over. Forget it.”
“I was wrong.” The older woman’s long, tapered fingers clasped tightly in front of her.
“Doesn’t matter,” Mitch said, his tone indicating that it certainly did.
Whatever had happened was a private and painful matter, and as curious as Maddie was, she could no longer sit here and listen. Maddie shifted in her chair. “I, um, should go—”
Mitch’s hand shot out and gripped her wrist. To the casual observer, his tanned fingers entwined over her pale skin looked loose, light—a gentle hold between lovers. Except it was like a vice, making it impossible to get away without struggling out of his grasp.
She risked a glance at his mom. Charlotte stared at her son’s hand, then raised her gaze to meet Maddie’s. The questions were clear under the Junior League mask of banality.
Maddie took a deep breath. Okay, they didn’t want her to go. Maddie settled in the chair, prepared to wait out the uncomfortable conversation. Mitch loosened his hold but didn’t release her.
Mitch’s chin jutted out. “How long will you be staying?”
“I don’t know.” Charlotte’s eyes slid away. “I don’t want your father to know where I am.”
Mitch laughed, a harsh bitter sound. “God knows he’ll never look for you here.”
Charlotte pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips, and Maddie thought she detected the barest tremble.
“So, did he do it?” Mitch asked.
“I don’t know.” Charlotte looked over her son’s shoulder and out the window. “He says it was some crazy setup.”
“For what?” Mitch’s fingers stroked Maddie’s inner wrist.
“For money, what else?” The older woman pressed a hand to her chest. “He wants me to pay her.”
Mitch shook his head. “That’s crazy. The pictures are already out there, how much more damage can she do?”
“Those pictures are only the tip of the iceberg.”
“Start from the beginning, and don’t leave anything out.” The voice he used was one Maddie had never heard before, and in that moment, she had no trouble picturing him as a shark of a lawyer: ruthless and powerful.
Nothing like the man who’d made love to her like she was his salvation.
“She said the media must have been tipped because she wasn’t going to release anything until she’d made her demands. An unfortunate coincidence, if you will. If we pay her, she’ll go on record and say the picture was a misunderstanding. Yes, his reputation will be tarnished, but not unrecoverable. If we don’t pay, she has other pictures that are much, much worse.”
“Have you seen them?” Mitch let go of Maddie. He sat forward, resting his elbows on the table.
She nodded, the dipping corners of her mouth the only evidence of her distress. “They’re very damaging.”
“How’d he explain those?”
“He can’t. He says she called because she had insider information on a senator opposing one of his bills. He invited her to his room to discuss the matter. They had a drink and it was the last thing he remembers until the next morning.”
Mitch’s eyes narrowed. “Convenient. What did the pictures look like?”
“You can’t see his eyes, he’s mostly in profile. It’s hard to tell if he’s awake or not.” She shook her head. “Not that the papers will care about those details.”
“Do you believe him?” Mitch asked.
Charlotte’s expression crumpled for a split second before she regained her composure. “I don’t know. She’s young and very beautiful. Maybe this time he gave in to temptation.”
Mitch got up from the table and walked to the sink, peering out into the backyard for a good two minutes before turning back. The calculation was clear in the set of his jaw and glint in his eyes. “How much does she want?”
“A million,” Charlotte said, stating the number as though she were rattling off an item on her grocery list.
Maddie tensed.
“That’s a lot for a senator caught fucking his intern,” Mitch said in a hard tone.
“Mitchell!” Charlotte blanched, her gaze fluttering down.
“What else?” Mitch asked. “There’s got to be more to this story.”
Charlotte reached for a napkin in the middle of the table and started to wipe an invisible spot like Lady Macbeth.
“Spit it out.” Mitch’s voice was so cold that it sent ice water splashing through Maddie’s veins.
His mother blinked, all the color draining from her face. “It seems she’s uncovered the whole sordid story.”
“What. Story.” Mitch fired the words like torpedoes.
“She knows what you did.”
Maddie’s stomach dropped, and her eyes flew to Mitch’s. He raked a hand through his hair. “Son of a bitch.”
“What?” Maddie spoke for the first time, unable to stop the word from flying from her mouth.
Charlotte eyed her son as though looking for direction. Mitch crossed his arms and shook his head.
“Mitch?” Blood rushed through Maddie’s ears. She knew something bad was going down.
He gripped the counter with both hands and leaned back. If he was trying to look casual, he failed miserably. He blew out a long breath. “I didn’t tell you the whole story the other night.”
“And what is the whole story?” Maddie asked, forgetting all about his mother sitting there, watching them.
“When I was trying to find evidence to clear my name I hired an MIT hacker friend of mine to break into Thomas’s files. We didn’t find anything, but we stumbled across something else, a deal Thomas and my father had done. A highly illegal deal that would ruin them.” Mitch met her stunned gaze. “I destroyed the evidence.”
Maddie turned back to Charlotte, still not making the connection.
“Somehow, she found out, and if I don’t pay her she’ll go public,” Charlotte said, suddenly looking twenty years older. “Not only with the affair, but with details about the deal. Somehow she knows what Mitchell did to save his father’s career. A sordid Riley family exposé, if you will.”
Mitch’s expression shuttered over into a cold, blank mask. “How could she possibly know?”
“We don’t know,” Charlotte said, pressing her lips together for a moment before continuing. “But she provided enough details to confirm she’s not lying.”
She pressed a perfectly manicured hand to her chest. “If it was only your father, I’d let him clean up his own mess, but I failed you once and I don’t want to fail you again. It’s not too late for you. In my heart, I know it. I haven’t always been a good mother, but I still have a chance to change that. I can’t let her bring you down with him. Not again. Not after what you sacrificed the last time.”
The headache started in the back of his skull and worked its way over Mitch’s forehead.
Jesus, could this day get any worse?
He dragged his fingers through his hair as he stared at the river meandering slowly downstream. He’d bailed after his mother’s dramatic announcement, needing time alone to think and ponder the state of his meager future.
He sucked in the humid summer air, picked up a stray pebble, and tossed it into the water. It plunked into the center, sending ripples through the smooth surface.
Obstruction of justice was tricky; the sentence ranged anywhere from fines to jail time. The case was old, half of the parties were dead, and the spotlight would be on his father, not him. While it was too hard to predict the penalty of his actions, one thing was certain: he’d be disbarred.
There’d be no getting around that.
The word twisted in his gut like a knife. It shouldn’t matter. He didn’t practice anymore.
But it did.
To realize he harbored hope was like a kick in the gut. All this time he’d convinced himself that he didn’t give a shit about his nonexistent career. But it was a lie. Complete bullshit. Deep down, hidden where he wouldn’t have to examine it, he’d wanted to start again. He hadn’t avoided Luke’s case out of some misguided sense of honor. He’d avoided it so he wouldn’t have to confront the truth. That he had hope.
It was Maddie’s fault. Until she’d come along, slipping past his guard, he’d been content with the numbness. Content to believe he didn’t care about anything or anyone. He’d been fine, happy even, drifting along in oblivion. But then she’d walked into that shithole bar he hated and made him remember what it was like to be alive.