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Maddox shoved forward into the bathroom, forcing me back to allow him entry. He closed the door, locked it, and leaned on it. Trapped. Unless I wanted to crawl out the window and trample my mother’s flowerbeds lining the house.
“Nobody’s looking for us,” Maddox said, quickly invading my personal bubble in the small room. “Unlike you, they seem to know we need this. Start talking, Maven. Why are you back if you hate River City so damn much? Did you run into trouble out there?”
His proximity put me on edge, flooding me with the scent of the spicy cologne he wore. The same scent he’d always worn. An aroma that lived in every memory of us together.
Pressing myself against the opposite wall, I had nowhere else to go. Teeth clenched, I hissed, “Nothing about me is any of your fucking business, Maddox. I haven’t been any concern of yours for a long time now.”
“Agree to disagree. You’ll always be mine, Mave. If you don’t tell me now, eventually I’ll find out. Make it easy on both of us.” Folding his arms over his chest, Maddox cocked his head to one side.
The few inches he left between us weren’t nearly enough for me to think clearly. I’d never expected to have this conversation so soon, if ever. Maybe a knife to the gut would make him back off.
No, I wasn’t going there. Yet.
“I am not yours. Not anymore. And why in the world would I want to do anything to make your life easier?” I snapped, fists clenched at my sides. “You cared more about being the big bossman of the syndicate and making a reckless power move than you did about those of us who would be caught in the crossfire. Is that what happened to Ruthless? Was that your fault too?”
Me and my big mouth. My temper didn’t help. Rumer had told me about Ruthless being grabbed and tortured, for far longer than I had been. She didn’t know him all that well one on one and had only been able to tell me that he’d been different since that horrific event. Shutdown and more aggressive than before. I imagined that was only scratching the surface.
Maddox surged toward me, slamming a hand against the wall on either side of my head. Caging me with his broad body, he brought his face dangerously close to mine. “Looks like you’ve been keeping up on the latest around here. Sounds like maybe you missed us.”
“That’s why Wolfe and Ace split from the two of you, isn’t it?” I continued, ready to barrel full speed ahead with this. “Because of what happened to me that night. How many innocent people have you hurt trying to fill your father’s shoes, Mads?”
Veins popped out in his neck. Rage spilled into his eyes, widening his pupils. My heart raced from the rush of it all. I’d always enjoyed Maddox’s anger a little too much.
“In the time you’ve been gone Ruthless and I have done a damn good job of stripping power away from Archer and his clan. It’s only a matter of time until I topple them completely. Then this city will belong to the Hale Syndicate. I’ve done more in seven years than my father achieved in his lifetime.” Maddox’s raised voice echoed in the acoustics of the small room. Sucking in a sharp breath, his tone dropped deadly low and quiet. “You should have been part of that, Maven. You never should have left.”
His gaze fell to my mouth before sliding down to the glimpse of cleavage my top revealed. Desire sparked in his blue eyes, casting a fiery glint I’d come to know long ago. Tingles raced into my groin, setting off flames of arousal that left my body scorched with heat. If he tried to kiss me, I’d have to pull my knife. Because I’d never be able to resist him if I let that happen.
Refusing to let my still burning attraction to Maddox weaken me, I held on tight to my anger. “You’re not sorry at all, are you? About what happened to me. You drove me away, Maddox. That’s why I wasn’t here. Not because I wanted to go. I had to. You left me no choice when you forced Archer to use me against you.”
My hands were still clenched at my sides. With the heat of his body radiating onto mine, I did everything in my power not to move. Not to do anything to close the final few inches between us. It was so damn hard not to run my hands down his chest. My will was strong, but my pussy was a needy bitch. And she needed Maddox. It had been too long.
“I’ve been sorry every fucking day since you left, Vixen. You never gave me a chance to prove it before taking off and turning your back on everything we had.” Staring hard into me, Maddox pressed his thigh between my legs. “Need I remind you what happens to those who run out on the syndicate?”
The threat that oozed from his every word made me suck in a breath. Did he really just say that? His thigh strayed treacherously close to my groin. Before he could make another move, I shoved him as hard as I could. Maddox’s arms momentarily flailed as he stumbled back, not expecting the shove.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You think that you can treat me like a traitor after what you did? Save me the big bossman act, Mads. I’m not buying that bullshit.” My fingers twitched as I readied to grab for my knife.
Maddox’s gaze flicked to my hand and back to my face. “Maybe I just want to punish you for leaving.”
Maddox had gone right for the heart, cutting straight to my emotions. Hearing him say that hurt like hell. Too many times I’d started to let myself fantasize about how our inevitable reunion would go. Trapped in my parents’ bathroom shouting at each other hadn’t been a scenario I’d envisioned.
Anger and hurt propelled me forward. In one smooth motion I bent to retrieve the blade hidden beneath my pantleg. Pulling it from the ankle sheath, I brought it up between us. “Then I’d say it’s fair for me to punish you for driving me to do it.”
Surprise flashed across Maddox’s face at the knife in my hand. He broke into a chuckle, enjoying my unexpected move. I didn’t go anywhere without a weapon of some kind. Not anymore. If I’d been going somewhere other than my parents’ house, I’d have brought more.
“Gonna stab me with that thing, Vixen? Let’s have it then.” Wiggling his fingers, Maddox invited me to make a move.
How could I resist? I darted forward, taking a swing at him. Maybe my heart wasn’t fully in it, or maybe Maddox was simply faster than me. He caught my arm before the blade could taste his flesh. Twisting my wrist, he forced me to drop the knife while simultaneously slamming me against the closed bathroom door.
“If you only knew how many times I had to stop myself from bringing you home,” he murmured, helping himself to a taste of my lips by brushing his lightly over mine. “Don’t try to run on me again, Maven. I’m not letting you go a second time.”
Unwilling to let myself fall into him and allow him to take me on the counter for old times’ sake, I struggled against his hold. Big mistake. Maddox had always loved a struggle. His face lit up.
“I’m not yours anymore, Maddox. Not since the night I left this city and you along with it. Now get the hell off me.” Gritting my teeth, I stilled, waiting for him to let go. If he’d been anyone else, I’d have headbutted him in the nose.
Suddenly he released me. Stepping back, Maddox held up his hands. “You don’t believe that any more than I do. But that’s fine. Go ahead and hate me even though you never gave me a chance to make it right. Watch your ass though, Maven. You know you can’t win a war of wills with me.”
I didn’t hang around a second longer. Scooping my knife from the floor, I shoved it into its sheath and wrenched the door open. Noise from the dining room picked up as they realized we’d emerged. Without a glance back, I hightailed it upstairs to my old bedroom. When Maddox didn’t follow, I breathed a sigh of relief.
