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Arabella wanted to know that compassionate man, and even more foolishly, she wanted to be the woman who took away his pain and hatred and replaced it with tenderness and affection.
An impossible wish, considering her father was his mortal enemy and she was merely the pawn between them.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Arabella walked into the lobby of the building with Milo accompanying her, surprised to see Maddux talking to two uniformed police officers. She was even more shocked to find Gavin there, as well, standing stiffly beside one of the cops. As soon as she entered, her heels clicking on the smooth stone floor, everyone turned and looked at her . . . the officers with concern, Gavin with an arrogant, possessive stare, and as for Maddux, she couldn’t read his neutral expression at all, though the clench of his jaw gave her a hint of his irritation.
Dismissing Gavin altogether, she walked right past him and stopped next to Maddux instead—not thinking twice about where her loyalty automatically gravitated to. “Is everything okay?” The fact that Gavin was there with law enforcement made her distinctly uncomfortable.
Before Maddux could say anything, Gavin jumped in. “Jesus, Arabella! I’ve been worried sick about you. You haven’t returned my calls or answered my texts. I’m here to get you out of this messed-up situation!”
He stepped toward her, and it was a good thing that one of the police officers put his hand out to hold Gavin back, because Maddux’s entire body tensed, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. No doubt, he wasn’t going to let Gavin touch her, and that protective demeanor gave her a dizzying rush of pleasure.
With a calm that belied the undercurrent of rage churning through him for his adversary, Maddux met her gaze, his voice composed. “The police are here for a welfare check.”
“Welfare check?” she echoed, dumbfounded.
One of the cops nodded toward Gavin. “Mr. Scott here claims that you’re being held against your will by Maddux Wilder.”
“I’m fine,” she said, looking both of the officers in the eyes so they could see she wasn’t hiding anything.
“You don’t have to lie, Arabella,” Gavin said, his tone enraged. “Tell them the truth, that he’s holding you captive.”
She laughed at his insistence as she came to the realization that if she had to choose between leaving with Gavin or staying with Maddux, it was a surprisingly easy decision. And remaining with Maddux wasn’t about protecting her father anymore . . . it was about the possibility of exploring her forbidden desires with a man who’d unearthed them and discovering the woman she was meant to be. However, getting Maddux on board with that idea was much more difficult than she would have thought considering the hands-off approach he’d suddenly erected between them, but she wasn’t done trying to seduce him into changing his mind.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, addressing Gavin directly. “I just spent the day at work and stopped at a market down the street. I’m free to come and go as I please.” Okay, not one hundred percent the truth. She could leave as long as she had a security guard with her, but she honestly didn’t feel restricted at all.
“He’s already brainwashed you,” Gavin hissed, then glared at Milo, who was standing casually off to the side. “And what about this guy? Who is he?”
“That’s Milo. My driver.” She shrugged. “He took me to work and picked me up.”
Gavin’s complexion reddened, and it was all he could do to keep his temper in check.
“Well, that’s about all we can do here,” one of the officers said, and glanced at Arabella. “You don’t appear to be in distress and you’re in good health, and there isn’t anything suspicious or illegal going on that we can see, so we’ll be on our way.”
The other cop gave Maddux a polite nod. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Wilder. We apologize for bothering you.”
They turned to leave, forcing Gavin to follow them out, but not before he shot a dark, violent look at Maddux. The other man was unmistakably pissed off that his efforts had been thwarted.
“Everything okay here?” Milo asked Maddux, a thread of concern in his voice as he handed Arabella the grocery bag he’d been holding. “Or do you need me to stay with Arabella?”
Maddux shook his head. “She’ll be secure up in the penthouse. She’ll see you the same time tomorrow morning.”
Milo nodded. “I’ll be here. You two have a good evening.”
Maddux pressed his hand against her lower back and escorted her toward the elevator. Once they were enclosed inside, he pressed the two button, which was where the MadX-Tech offices were located, and then the M button. It appeared she was heading up to his apartment alone. She was disappointed but not surprised.
“Well, that was interesting,” she said, referring to the welfare check.
“Indeed.” Maddux pushed his hands into the pockets of his dress pants and studied Arabella curiously. “You had the perfect opportunity to tell those officers I was holding you hostage and against your will, but you didn’t.”
“You’re not holding me hostage, Maddux,” she said with a smile as the elevator doors opened on the MadX-Tech floor. “Maybe I’m starting to want to be here, despite your vendetta against my father.”
His gaze held hers as he stared at her for a long moment, conflicting emotions chasing across his gorgeous expression before he shuttered them all, but not before she saw his desire . . . and the want and need that reflected her own. That intense look stole her breath and her heart beat wildly in her chest at the possibility of him giving in to that deep, intimate longing that was getting stronger and stronger between them.
But just as the doors started to close, he slipped out, crushing any hope she might have had that her decision to stay of her own free will changed his mind about getting closer to her. She’d just have to keep trying. She was nothing if not persistent.
He was obsessed with Arabella. There was no other explanation for the way she invaded his thoughts all day long while he was working or the compelling urge he had to keep an eye on her in his penthouse even when he wasn’t there. He even liked how easily she’d already made herself at home, and especially enjoyed the gregarious way she talked to him via the secur
