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“Maddox,” I gasp on his next thrust, weaving my hands into his hair as he fucks me—legitimately, powerfully, and intensely. He fucks me so hard I can barely breathe.
Yes, please.
So I egg him on. “Yes. Fucking come. Please. Keep fucking me, and come inside me...”
Sweat drips from his brow as his pace becomes relentless, his eyes staring down into my own like it’s only the two of us in the world right now. And just when I hear his groan of release, he rears back and thrusts forward so hard I scream while he’s pinning me to the bed.
Then I watch him come undone.
Every muscle in his body strains as he lets go and finds his pleasure. And damn, it is a sightIwill never forget.
But then something else happens—he collapses on top of me when he’s through, and instead of fighting to break free from the cage of his body, I welcome his weight. I run my hands over his back and lie there for a minute, wondering why my brain is suddenly confronting the fact that for the past twelve years I’ve accepted nothing but loneliness, detached hookups that have done nothing but provide the physical release I needed to survive.
But this hookup was not like that.
And at this moment, I already know—something has shifted inside of me. Something has changed.
So later that night, after round two, I leave as soon as Maddox falls asleep, knowing that I wouldn’t survive a round three.
I wouldn’t survive another moment of being vulnerable with him.
The next day, I lock the cages back up in my brain and chest, burying the night I had with Maddox Taylor, the quarterback who reminded me too much of my past.
But you know what they say: The past will always come back to haunt us at some point.
And sometimes, it happens when you least expect it.
Chapter3
Penelope
Six Weeks Later
“Garret! I need coffee!” Shouting out of my open office door, I hope to God Garret is at his desk so he can hear me.
His head pops in two seconds later. “Starbucks or the coffee cart downstairs?”
“I don’t care. I just need caffeine. And then I need you to get the DoubleTree rep back on the phone so we can go through the details of their new campaign one more time before our meeting next week.”
Garret groans as his eyes roll into the back of his head. “God, those chocolate chip cookies are the best. I seriously don’t mindnotstaying in a five-star hotel when I know there are cookies involved.”
“Grab us a few cookies from the cart, then, when you get the coffee, and then get back here. My inbox is bursting with unread messages, and my phone is ringing off the hook.” I lean back in my chair, steepling my hands. “What the hell have you been doing all morning, Garret? My inbox never looks like this.”
He stands fully in the open doorframe now, biting his lip and fiddling his fingers with a hint of excitement in his eyes. “There’s a rumor going around the office.”
“Oh God. How many times do I have to tell you there’s always a rumor going around here?”
He shakes his head and takes a few steps closer. “No, this is huge. Representation for a big affiliate just came by and requested Edelman in repairing an image.” He claps his hands and bounces. “It’s like a home makeover, but for an entire team.”
“News flash, that happens a lot in this line of work.” And then his words register. “Wait, did you say ‘team’?”
“Yes, and Nancy was telling me it’s for—” Garret gets cut off by Charles, my boss, appearing right behind him, his brow pinched tight.
“Penelope? You busy?”
“I’m always busy, Charles,” I fire back with a shrug and a smile because he should know better than to ask that question.
“Silly me. Of course, but I need to speak with you. In my office. Now.”
