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There was no story, at least not one I could tell anyone about. I’d all but ignored boys since leaving for college, the few dates I’d been on turning into disasters. I’d even been called an ice queen by more than one of the bastards. That wasn’t just because I’d refused to put out for them. As soon as they’d made the connection to who my father was, they’d run like scared rabbits.
I almost walked out when I couldn’t help myself, even though as soon as I asked the question, I regretted it. “Oh. Is Maddox here?” I tried to sound nonchalant, but I wasn’t certain it was working.
“He had something to do for your dad. I’m not certain he’s going to be able to make it.”
That meant he wasn’t coming and hadn’t planned on it. And the something was handling a difficult situation, which usually meant someone was going to end up on the punishment end of Maddox’s fist. Disappointment swept through me like some crazy tidal wave. “Oh.” I couldn’t even look at her. That I’d thought he might break through the gruff exterior, attending a party for me was nuts. He didn’t want me. I wasn’t good enough for him. It was time I got over my foolish crush.
Past time.
“Hmmm… Is there something you’re not telling me?” Raven asked, a coy look crossing her face.
“Why would there be?” I was a better actress than I’d given myself credit for. “He’s just the hired help. Right? I just wondered if he was going to be following me around like a lapdog.”
She lifted a single eyebrow, a sly smile crossing her face. “Ri-ight. Whatever you say. Why don’t you have a glass of wine. I’m thinking maybe you need it. You’re the one who seems tense. I’ll let you know if I run into Maddox.” As she handed me one from a tray about ready to be served, a slight grin crossed her face.
Giving her a wide-eyed look of total innocence, I accepted the gesture, growling on purpose. “Why ever would you say I’m tense?”
“I wasn’t born yesterday. You like him.”
“Who?” I did my best to act as if I had no clue who she was talking about.
“Maddox.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Uh-huh. Just be careful. You might be playing with fire. But your secret is safe with me.”
The way she threw up her hands, spinning around in a circle created a heated flush floating from my neck to my cheeks.
“You’ve got it wrong. He annoys the hell out of me.”
“Okay. Have it your way,” Raven half purred as if she knew something I didn’t. “However, wewilltalk later.” As she headedout of the kitchen, I tried to keep the smile plastered on my face, losing it the second she’d cleared the doorway.
There was no doubt my acting skills sucked.
I grabbed a piece of cheese before leaving the kitchen, milling through room after room to try to shove aside any and all thoughts of him.
Another wave of disappointment slipped into my system when he didn’t suddenly appear out of the shadows. He wasn’t required to come to family celebrations, although he used to come to them all the time. Things might have changed, our last words terse. I’d been a foolish little girl then, acting as if a man of his stature could want me. He’d made certain I had no problem getting on the plane.
More guests were arriving, so many of them people I’d never seen before. I’d been completely out of touch with what had occurred in New Orleans over the years, trying to forget who I was. As I passed through a crowd of men, I could tell several of them were eyeing me as if I was a luscious snack. Okay, so they were cute, some even handsome, but I wasn’t in the mood.
I threw back half the glass of merlot, almost choking in the process. I exchanged the heightened level of disappointment with a moment of sadness that I hadn’t allowed myself to experience for years. It was from being back in the house I’d grown up in, the one I’d shared so many good times with my father. And Maddox.
I’d always known my lurid thoughts and desires were wrong, completely taboo, forbidden in every way. I wasn’t a fool. If my father believed there was anything going on between Maddox and his only daughter, his baby girl, he’d put a bullet betweenMaddox’s eyes. He had all but said those exact words the day I’d turned eighteen, although he was talking about almost every boy who dared glance in my direction.
A half laugh bubbled to the surface, but it sounded bitter. The fantasy had been spectacular, keeping me warm during long, lonely nights, but it wasn’t real life. It could never be. Not in any language or in any country. Even if we were an item, there wasn’t a single place on earth where we wouldn’t be hunted.
Maybe coming home was a huge mistake, even if my father had made it clear that I had no other choice.
I should hate Maddox for his frank words on the day I’d left, but all I’d done was pine away for him even more.
“You’re going to do great in New York,” Maddox said.
I’d been given a rare moment to be alone with the man considered my bodyguard, my father speaking with the pilot. I’d insisted on leaving for New York alone, trying to act like I was all grown up, even if I remained terrified inside.
“What if I don’t want to go?” I asked, trying to sound alluring.
“Why would you say that?” He scratched his head, acting as if he was bored, looking everywhere else but into my eyes.
