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“Don’t go,” he said softly.
“I have to,” I said.
This was the worst part of the night for me. That moment where I had to get up to leave and Maddox held onto me just a little tighter. But he’d never actually asked me not to go before.
“Dallas and Nolan know where you are,” Maddox said as he levered up on his elbow after moving Snot to a position just above our heads but still on the sleeping bag.
“But Newt doesn’t,” I said.
“He’s not the real reason, is he?” Maddox asked.
I turned my eyes away because the man was just too perceptive. He was absolutely right. I was using Newt as an excuse. Not once had my brother asked where I was going each night, which meant he hadn’t woken up and looked for me.
“Stay, Isaac,” Maddox murmured as he ran his fingers along my temple. “We can sleep in and go to work together.”
“Unless you plan to carry me on your back the whole way there and back, that’s not going to happen,” I said with a laugh.
But Maddox didn’t smile. Instead he remained fiercely serious as he said, “You could drive me.”
This time my laugh was harsh. “You don’t play fair, do you?” I would have given anything to be the one to keep helping him deal with his fear of cars. And the fact that he was willing to get in a car if it meant he could spend a little more time with me just broke my damn heart.
“Just stay, baby,” he said as he kissed my shoulder. “We’ll figure it all out, I promise.”
I wanted to say yes, I really did. I could practically taste the word in my mouth. It would be so easy to utter that one little syllable and then curl into his chest. Maybe even make love again.
But I knew what I’d be saying yes to.
And I couldn’t.
I just couldn’t.
My gut was telling me that Maddox had gotten to the point that he could get past the fact that I’d broken the law in a big way–way bigger than even stealing that violin for Trey–which meant he’d do anything in his power to protect me.
And I couldn’t risk that.
Or him.
He was finally reconnecting with his brother and building a new life for himself. No chance in hell was I going to put that in jeopardy.
It took every ounce of willpower I had to turn away from him and get to my feet. I quickly got dressed. I could feel Maddox’s eyes on me the whole time, but he didn’t try to stop me. I pulled on my plain pink cotton briefs and turned to face him. It was funny how I’d gone to hating not being able to wear my pretty underwear every day, or even just the nights when I came to see him. But I only had the one pair because I both hadn’t wanted to risk anyone finding me with an array of women’s underwear, and because I hadn’t wanted to spend the money on the higher quality brands that made me feel the most confident in my own skin. As it was, I had to wash the one pair by hand in the sink and hide them so they wouldn’t inadvertently be discovered. Maddox might not have an issue with me wearing them, but that didn’t mean I wanted anyone else, including Newt, finding them.
But God, how I hated the feel of plain cotton on my skin now.
I began dragging my jeans on as Maddox watched me. He was clearly disappointed, but I was glad when he didn’t say anything. It wasn’t until I had my shirt back on that he got up and, completely naked, walked to me. My mouth went dry at the sight of his miles and miles of tanned skin and muscles. He wrapped an arm around me and kissed me passionately. I was just about to say fuck it and shuck all my clothes off again when he pulled back. His eyes held mine for a moment like he was trying to figure something out, then he softly kissed me and said, “Just so you know, Isaac, when it comes to you, I have absolutely no intention of playing fair.”
Chapter Nineteen
Maddox
I was just in the process of confirming the door to Gentry’s building was locked when my phone beeped. I recognized the tone I used for texts from Dallas, so I immediately pulled the phone from my pocket. Although Dallas’s appointment with his surgeon had gone well and he’d gotten the go-ahead to start using his voice again, it was difficult to understand him, and it would likely take dozens of visits and a lot of work with his speech therapist before he got to a point that the majority of people would be able to understand what he was saying. Things like yes and no were easy enough to understand, but anything with more than a couple of syllables was still tough. I knew his raspy, barely there voice also embarrassed my brother, but he was still making an effort. I, for one, thought his voice was one of the best things I’d ever heard.
