Page 22 of Mortala
It took every ounce of self control I had not to run back to the cabin after I got Maddie safely into the jeep. Every instinct in me screamed to get her the fuck out of there.
The only other person who knows that cabin exists is my uncle. I called him after Maddie fell asleep, hoping maybe—just maybe—he’s decided to come back without telling me, but no such luck.
He was still somewhere in Europe, living like he didn’t have a care in the world. Women laughed in the background, music blasted through the phone, and he sounded far too relaxed for someone who always seemed to have one foot out the door.
Regardless, he swore he hadn’t been back to the states in months. Which means whoever was in there was probably looking for him. It wouldn’t exactly be the first time he’d pissed off the wrong people. My uncle has always had a talentfor collecting enemies, though he never tells me how. He just brushes it off with one of his cocky grins and tells me not to worry about it.
Easier said than done.
After everything I’ve seen growing up, I know there’s something shady about the life he lives. I just don’t know what. But still, if that guy was there because of my uncle, why the fuck was Maddie so terrified?
Why did she look at that man like she’d seen a ghost?
The questions churn in my head until her soft voice pulls me back.
“You wouldn’t mind, would you?” she asks, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. “I’m just a little…freaked out.”
I can feel the tension in my shoulders ease at her words. Without thinking, I reach over and interlace my fingers with hers. I bring her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to each knuckle one by one before leaving one last kiss in the center of her hand.
When I glance up, her cheeks are flushed.
“Of course not, baby,” I say smiling. “I’d love it if you stayed with me.”
She smiles back, and that’s when it hits me.
I’m completely fucking screwed over this girl.
I parkmy car in the underground garage of my apartment complex and come around to the passenger side before she even has a chance to reach for the handle herself. Maddie watches me with that small, knowing smile of hers as I pull the door open.
She steps out and immediately slips her hand into mine like it belongs there.
“Such a gentleman,” she teases, a soft giggle escaping her.
A low laugh slips out of me as I close the door behind her and start walking her toward the elevator.
“A gentleman?” I glance down at her, shaking my head slightly. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“Why not?” she asks right away, like she already decided I’m wrong.
The elevator dings as I press the button, and the silence between us stretches long enough to charge the energy. When the doors slide open with another soft chime, I guide her inside first, my hand still loosely holding hers.
The second the doors begin to close, something inside me shifts. I turn towards her, not rushing, but careful as to not scare her. Her eyes flick up to mine, another question forming on her lips, but she doesn’t get the chance to speak before I step into her space. I’m close enough that the air between us disappears entirely. Her breath catches, subtle but unmistakable.
“Still think I’m a gentleman?” I murmur.
Her back meets the wall of the elevator as I brace one hand beside her head, caging her in. Her chest rises a little faster now, her fingers curling slightly at her sides like she has no idea what to do with them.
“Mmm,” she hums faintly, like she’s trying to play it off, but it doesn’t land as confident as she probably intended.
I tilt my head, studying her face. Every flicker of reaction she tries to hide, I see.
“You sure about that?” I ask quietly. “Would a gentleman do this?”
I lift her up, placing her ass on the railing inside the elevator. Her legs instinctively open for me, and I press myself betweenthem, loving the way her body so easily molds to mine as if she was made for me.
Sheismade for me.
I crush my lips to hers, and she moans into my mouth, the sound sending a shock wave straight to my cock.
