Page 10 of Between Secrets and Obsession

Maddie

Jesus. You had to go there, didn’t ya? FINE. Consider me on board then.

I send her a thumbs-up emoji and she replies with the middle finger one.

Setting my phone on my nightstand, I jump in the shower. Just thinking about Maddie makes me consider taking a cold one. She has my heart rapidly beating and knows how to push my buttons, but that’s Maddie. She’s under my skin at all times, living there to torture the fuck out of me.

I try to push the dirty thoughts of her away, but they come fast and unexpected until I’m hard as a goddamn rock. I’ve shamelessly jerked off to the thought of her more times than I want to admit over the past few years, and right now is no different. The thought of her tight ass, soft moans, and dancer’s body posed in different positions has me groaning and grunting as I stroke myself faster. The orgasm quickly builds and rips through me until I’m whispering her name.

Leaning my forehead against the wall, I keep my eyes closed and allow the water to fall over my body, trying to find the control I’ve lost. Knowing she’d give herself to me if I wanted makes her nothing more than forbidden fruit dangling from a tree. I can look from a distance, but I can’t touch. And it has to stay that way.

After I’m dressed, I go out for a few drinks. I text Hunter, but he’s too busy being the perfect family man, so that leaves me with no wingman, which means nothing but trouble.

I wake up the next morning with a naked woman in my bed and can’t remember her name. But knows everything about me and wants to make small talk, but I’m not having it. Thankfully, we both have somewhere to be, so she gets dressed, and I escort her downstairs without running into Mason or Sophie. It’s a small miracle since I can hear them cooking. I don’t wanna hear them talk shit about my hookup’s walk of shame.

Once she’s gone, I climb back in bed to sleep a few more hours before I need to leave to go to my dad’s. I drank too much, stayed up too late, and it’s caught up with me.

When my alarm goes off, I get dressed and head downstairs. I can hear everyone in the kitchen having a good time. They’re snacking on appetizers while they wait for the turkey and side dishes to finish cooking.

“You sure you can’t stay?” Lennon asks.

“Wish I could. I’m sure you’ll have a good time without me. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone,” I say, grabbing my keys before heading out.

While I want to stay and hang out, I force myself to leave since I promised my dad I’d visit.

It takes me thirty minutes to drive over due to the holiday traffic, but I’m a man of my word, so I suck it up. We chat and catch up as we eat turkey with all the fixings until our stomachs hurt and finish off with pumpkin pie.

After thanking my stepmother for a delicious meal, I go home and watch football with the guys. Maddie stares at me from across the room, but I ignore her, regardless of how damn tempting she looks.

My phone goes off with a few last-minute job offers from a bonds company, but I decided to take the rest of the weekend off since I’m swamped next week. After the game, Hunter and Lennon take Maddie home, leaving me as the third-wheel.

“You two have fun this weekend,” I tell Mason and Sophie when they get up to go to bed.

“Oh, we’re gonna haveallthe fun,” Sophie says.

I chuckle. “That’s code for tons of sex, right?”

She ignores me. “Good night, Liam.”

Mason winks before taking her hand and leading her upstairs. I turn off all the lights, then go to my room and lie in bed.

I can’t stop thinking about heading back to Vegas and hitting the poker table. Since I have the next few days off and plenty of frequent flier miles, I contemplate booking a flight. Before I even look at prices, I know it’s a bad idea during a holiday. The airports will be overcrowded, but damn, I love the bright lights of the city. There’s something about the thrill of winning that gets me every time. Playing gives me an adrenaline rush like bounty hunting but without all the life-threatening danger.

By Friday, I’m bored as hell being home alone, so I cave and look up flights to see if it’s possible to book one without selling my kidney or using all my banked miles. Just as I find an airline that has one seat available for later tonight, I remember I told Maddie I was on call this weekend.Shit.

Maddie might text Sophie to pry, and I don’t doubt she’d text Mason if she didn’t get an answer. I can ask her all day not to do something, but she doesn’t listen to anyone, especially me.

She’s already suspicious and has been relentless the past few months in sending Mason pictures of wedding rings she thinks Sophie would like. Although it took Mason years to find someone after losing his girlfriend, the moment he met Sophie, everything changed. So I get it. And Mason found it helpful because he had tons of ideas for a ring thanks to her.

A month ago, Mason told me what his plans were for Thanksgiving weekend, and I swore on my life I wouldn’t say a word. He didn’t want to tell her sisters in case they got too excited and ruined the surprise. Hunter doesn’t know either because Lennon has him by the balls, and he can’t keep anything from her. The only person to worry about is Maddie because she has no filter whatsoever.

Knowing I can’t go to Vegas now, I change into workout clothes and drive to the gym to get out of the house. My back hurts from lounging, and I need to get my blood pumping.

I stretch before deciding to lift some weight. Just as I finish my reps, I get a phone call from Maddie. She’s probably trying to get a rise out of me since Sophie and Mason are already on their way to Tahoe City. I’m half-tempted to give her a few choice words, especially if she’s only calling to agitate me, but I answer it anyway.

“Liam?” She sounds as if she’s been crying, which causes me to pause and change my attitude.

“I’m here. Are you okay? What’s wrong?”