Page 48 of Bossy Hero (Redleg Security #8)

Chapter 47

Midnight Snack

Big Al

Three days later

T he mere idea of waiting until tomorrow morning to see Maddie has me ready to bite everyone’s heads off and then my own. Ideally, in that order.

I don’t give a damn how tired I am—which is extremely. I’m not sleeping without her in my arms.

Talking to her on the phone hasn’t cut it. When it comes to her, there’s no substitute for the real thing.

After the shit show formerly known as the Lenkov op, I was tied up with law enforcement for three days.

Three. Fucking. Days.

Between what happened in Miami and here in Tampa, there was a metric fuck ton of cleanup needed. Mountains of evidence to turn over. All my team members had to provide statements, including my daughter. I refused to let a single one of my kids go through it alone.

Alphabet soup agencies had to be dealt with—ATF, DEA, DOJ, USSS, TFI, and FBI. Then came the local authorities, ready to pelt us with questions. Sheriff’s offices. Police departments. Federal prosecutors. State attorneys. On and on. I thought it would never end.

Fucking hell.

By the end of day two of interrogations and information sharing, I was contemplating getting a life alert bracelet and picking out a room at Shady Acres. I feel like death warmed over.

I say again— I’m getting too damn old for this shit.

Since most of my guys were stuck in purgatory with me—including Sawyer and Leo—Maddie and Sue stayed at Sammy’s.

Tonight, we were finally released from debrief hell.

After stopping by my place for a quick shower, I pull into the driveway at Sawyer’s house.

My eyes struggle to focus, thanks to the oppressive fatigue. However, knowing she’s so close perks me right up.

As soon as I see my Maddie, I’m kissing the ever-loving shit out of her.

It isn’t only her body I need. I miss everything about her. Her smell. Her touch. Her smile and teasing quips. Her caring, gentle heart.

Absolutely everything.

Sammy opens the front door with a baby cuddled to her chest. “Well, hello there. If it isn’t our bossy hero.”

“Very funny. Sorry for coming over this late.”

After shifting her daughter higher on her shoulder, she gestures for me to enter. “No worries. When Sawyer got home a little while ago, we all woke up anyhow. He’s not known for stealth around the house like he is on the job.”

Chuckling softly, I scuff my boots on the welcome mat and then ease inside. “Which baby is this?”

She beams at the infant, then kisses the top of her soft little head. “This is our princess in training.”

I can’t pass them without running the back of my knuckles along the silky skin of the baby’s chubby arm. “Hello, Laci.”

Sammy tenderly grasps the baby’s wrist, feigning a wave. “Hello, Grandpa.”

Well, shit. Is it dusty in here?

Not sure I’ll ever get used to the sound of that, or to how much I like hearing it.

As Sammy closes and locks the door, I scan the space. Their home is smaller than mine, but his decorating is far superior. Say what you will about Sawyer—court jester, loud, thinks he’s funnier than he really is, addicted to coffee, and so on—but his taste is unmatched.

He pokes his head around the corner, waving at me with a spatula. “Hey, Boss.” He has his son strapped to his chest in an intricate wrap, looking as natural as can be. Cooking while holding his baby to his chest. Sounds perfect to me.

Antsy to find Maddie, I enter his fancy-ass designer kitchen. Nope. No Maddie.

“Want a grilled cheese?” Sawyer asks.

I wave him off. “Nah.”

“You sure? This is the good stuff. Artisan bread, gruyere cheese, and a vintage mild cheddar that will blow your tits off.”

Even his food is bougie.

“Pass. I like my tits where they are.” Channeling my daughter, I add, “Thank you for the offer.”

After I clap him on the back, I whisper a greeting to Logan and mosey into the living room. Laci’s chilling out in a motorized swing and Sammy’s kicked back in a fancy reclining chair.

“ Mom, your boyfriend’s here, ” she singsongs. The vibration of the chair gives her voice a humorous vibrato.

I ruffle her soft blond hair, earning her middle finger. Sweet kid. She isn’t.

Despite the call from her daughter, Maddie’s nowhere to be seen. “Where is she?”

Sammy glowers at me, lips pursed and eyes squinted. “Why? You in a hurry to see her or something?”

I cock my head to the side, eying her down.

Unfortunately, she must be immune to my glare. Like her mother.

Dammit.

Grabbing the chair’s remote, Sammy turns off the vibration and collapses the footrest, bringing herself gradually into a sitting position. She doesn’t break her stare the entire twenty seconds it takes for the damn thing to finish the position change.

Once upright, she shifts to the edge of the seat and folds her hands in her lap. “What are your intentions with my mother, Mr. Lancaster?”

I bark out a thunderous guffaw. “Ah, Sammy. Thanks for the laugh. I needed that.”

Her typical sarcasm is missing from her expression. “I was only partially kidding.”

Interesting.

“Sammy, if you’re asking for a sincere answer, I’m happy to oblige.” I splay my hand over my chest and hold her eye contact. “I’ve been in love with your mother from the moment I laid eyes on her. Now that Lenkov is in the morgue, my purpose in life is to bring Maddie nothing but happiness, love, comfort, and safety for as long as we live. That’s a promise.”

She hefts to her feet and squares herself with me. “Even if it gets hard?”

I slant my head to the side and narrow my eyes at her, searching for the source of the concern. I don’t need to probe far to see it, though.

“My mom’s lived a life most people can’t even fathom. For a long time, the only love she received from men—my brothers excluded—was conditional and violent. Not only from our shitbag father.” She lifts her brows, sharpening her gaze to ensure I get her meaning.

And I do. Maddie’s childhood was equally as fucked as her adulthood.

Sammy continues with a hint of wistfulness in her tone. “Through it all, Mom’s remained compassionate and loving.” After a sigh, she gives her eyes a quick roll. “And don’t ask me how she did it. I only went through a fraction of her suffering, and I came out bitter and resentful. No freaking clue how she’s managed to avoid hating the world and everyone in it. But that’s the magic of Madeline Mason, I suppose.”

I couldn’t agree more.

“She’s a grizzly, sweetie. A mama bear. Indomitable spirit. Strength and resilience. Loyal to her marrow.” I force down a jagged swallow. “Sadly, even bears are vulnerable to pain and fear. Since the night I met her, I’ve been trying to coax out her inner spirit, ensuring she feels secure enough to be her true self. I have no plans to stop doing that. Ever.”

Sammy’s earlier concern over her mother shimmers into a vibrant prism of love and light. I’ve never studied her this closely for this long. She’s wondrously complex. And I admire the hell out of her for having the balls to talk to me like this. There’s plenty of her mama’s spirit in her.

She squeezes my shoulder. “I’m glad to hear that because she deserves nothing less. And although things might be fine now, there will be times when she’s not okay. It even happens to me sometimes. Don’t give up on her.”

“Never have. Never will.”

“Good. Then you have my permission to shag my mother as often as she likes.”

And just like that, the tender moment is ruined.

“Argh. Sammy, come on.”

“ Oh, puh-lease . Don’t act like you don’t do the chitty chitty bang bang every chance you get. I know how you Redleg guys are. Bunch of freaks. And you’re their leader, so you’re probably the worst of them all. Age ain’t nothing but a number.”

“Come and eat, princess,” Sawyer calls out, saving me from having to respond to what’s rapidly devolved into the most uncomfortable chat of my existence.

Snickering diabolically, she points her chin toward the hall. “She’s in the guest room. Second door on the right.”

Shaking my head, I mutter, “Thank fuck I can exit this conversation.” Louder, I say, “Sawyer, you’re a saint. Off the shit list.”

“ Squee !” he crows annoyingly.

Silly asshole.

I shoot down the hall, heading right for my woman. As cliché as it sounds, a part of me is on the other side of the door. Not sure how I lasted fifty years without her by my side.

Without hesitating, I fling open the door.

“I’m indecent!” she yelps, darting behind the closet door. All I see is a flash of peach skin and chestnut hair.

Oops . Didn’t knock.

No regrets.

Closing the door, I twist the lock behind me. “It’s just me, Maddie baby.”

She pokes her head out, her bare shoulder visible beyond the edge of the wooden door. “Alan?”

Until this second, I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear her say my name.

Anyone else saying it triggers an avalanche of grief and remorse. But when Maddie says it, I feel peace and comfort.

Because I’m her Alan.

I eat up the few feet between us. She slinks from her hiding place, covering her chest with a nightgown.

As soon as I can reach it, I tug the wispy fabric out of her hands and throw it over my shoulder. Sadly, her bra’s on, but I’ll remedy that shortly. Same with the panties. Those have to go.

Her lips part, shiny ruby pillows begging for a kiss. I waste no time granting the unspoken wish.

Never needed a kiss the way I need this one.

As our mouths converge, the ever-present ache I’ve felt for the last several days without her evaporates. It’s rapidly replaced with a savage need to devour her.

Her silky hands skim my shoulders until she’s gripping me roughly and tugging me closer. I fucking love her tight hold on me. Knowing she missed me is repairing parts of me I didn’t know were broken.

The familiar minty flavor of her toothpaste explodes on my tongue, making me long to taste other parts of her. I break the kiss, letting my hands journey from her face toward her upper back, seeking the clasp of her bra. “I fucking missed you, Maddie.”

Rubbing her nose against mine, she pants across my lips. “Me too.” She scratches her fingernails up my nape into my hairline, toying and teasing me with her seductive touch. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight. I was planning to have Sawyer drive me to you first thing in the morning. You look exhausted.”

“I passed exhausted about forty-eight hours ago. But I couldn’t wait to see you. Is that a problem?”

“Aside from being less than thrilled that you drove while this tired, I have no problems. None at all.”

The smile she flashes draws my lips back to hers. After I unsnap her bra, she helps me slip her arms out of the straps.

Suddenly, she takes a half step backward and glances down her body. Her hands fall from my shoulders. “Wait. What’s happening here? Why are you taking off my bra?”

I shrug and remove the space she put between us. “Helping you get ready for bed.”

She clicks her tongue at me, pretending to disapprove. “Once a cad, always a cad.”

Unable to resist, I cup her breasts in my palms. Fuck . I missed those too. “Call me whatever you want, as long as you call me yours.”

“Smooth talker.”

Wearing a sexy grin, she raises her arms to hold me close. The movement gives me a glimpse of the healing skin on her upper shoulder. My heart pinches. I hate seeing her skin marred, but I’m so fucking glad the people responsible have finally gotten what they deserve.

Leaning forward, I gingerly kiss the raised pink flesh of her scar. My gaze lingers there for a moment.

“Alan, look at me,” she orders faintly, beckoning me with a gentle graze of her hand on my jaw. “I’m fine. All healed. And this whole nightmare is over. Let it go, baby. Please.”

“I’m getting there.”

“Good. Now give me another kiss. A few days without you, and I somehow forgot how talented you are with your mouth.”

Before I seal our lips, I rumble, “Allow me to refresh your memory.”

She moans into my mouth when I pinch and roll her nipples between my fingers.

Like she was shocked with electricity, she jerks her mouth away from mine. “Alan, the kids are out there.” She bats my hands away and covers her supple breasts.

I waste no time returning my hands to her chest, pinching her nipples harder this time. “I don’t give a fuck if the Pope is out there. I need you now . Unless you’ve perfected the ability to teleport us somewhere private, this is happening here.”

“Alan.” Despite chiding me with my name, she arches her back to drive her breasts fully into my greedy hands. “We can’t do this here.”

“Maddie, parents have been having sex with their kids in the other room since prehistoric times. Otherwise, nobody would have siblings.”

After one last pluck of her nipples, I slip my thumbs under the waistband of her panties. “Let me eat your decadent pussy for my bedtime snack. Don’t make me go to sleep hungry.”

Before she can object, I cover her open mouth with mine, needing one more kiss before I bury myself between her thighs.

Her hand caresses my growing bulge over my jeans. “Well, you are a growing boy.”

“Plus, you still owe me from our bet. One sexual favor at a later time in the location selected by the winner. Remember?”

She rolls her eyes and huffs. “I knew that would come back to bite me.”

“So... what do you say?”

Nibbling her lip, she drifts her gaze toward the door. “Did you lock it?”

I tilt my hips, driving my cock against her hand for a little friction. “I did.”

Pressing her breasts against my chest, she hovers her lips over mine. “Okay.”

“Fuck yes,” I growl. After giving her a chaste kiss, I thrust my thumbs downward to remove her panties, dropping to my knees in the process. “Spread your legs, baby.”

She complies, giving me room to work my mouth under her pussy. Like always, the urge to inhale her sweet scent overpowers all other desires. I drag the tip of my nose through her slick pink flesh, breathing her in.

Exquisite.

A guttural sound escapes me. My tongue twitches behind my closed lips, but I draw out the anticipation, letting my other senses indulge first.

Until I can’t resist any longer.

Moving her closer to me with an outward tug of her ass cheeks, I kiss along her slit.

My tongue goes to work, eagerly exploring and tasting.

Back and forth, I lave my flattened tongue along her seam, encouraging her to pulse over me with my hold on her ass. Her breathing picks up, tiny pants and stifled sighs as she rolls her hips timidly. She spears her fingers through my shaggy hair, caressing my head lovingly.

When I pinch her clit between my lips and apply a little suction, she releases a dainty mewl.

The sound is perfectly Maddie.

I suck harder, desperate to hear it again. She gives it to me too. And I fucking love it.

Unfortunately, it’s much louder this time. Her hips stop pulsing, and her body stiffens. “Alan, I can’t do this here. We need to stop.”

I glance up and flash a pout. I’m not above begging. I’m already in the perfect position for it.

“I refuse to let my children hear me orgasm. Babe, you’re too good at this for me to be quiet.”

“Stroking my ego isn’t helping me want you less.”

Quickly surveying the room, an idea hits me. I move with purpose across the room and sit with my back leaning against the side of the bed, legs extending in front of me.

Cricking my finger at her, I order, “Come over here. Get on my mouth and bury your face in a pillow.”

She glances toward the bedroom door, nibbling her lip.

“Maddie, come on.”

“Nice double entendre,” she quips. “Come on your face, you mean.”

I restrain my booming laugh. Barely .

My eyes eat up the sight of her gliding over to me, a naked vision of beauty. Standing in front of me, she drags her fingertips over my beard.

I skim my hands up her silky outer legs as she inches closer. “Get up here, baby. Feed me that pussy. I’m starving for it.”

She spreads those luscious thighs, putting one on each side of my chest. I have the best fucking view as she settles into position, tentatively lowering onto my mouth.

Hell yes.

“Is this what you had in mind?” she whispers.

My tongue sneaks out, dabbing at her tender flesh. “Yes. And after you come on my face, you’ll do it on my cock.”

“Is that right?” she teases, subtly rubbing herself against my chin.

“Yes. I’m gonna fuck my woman hard enough to leave an indention in Sawyer’s overpriced mattress.”

“That’s horrifying but hot.”

I rest my head on the edge of the bed and dive in, lapping and licking at her sweet pussy like she’s my last meal. When her keens spike in volume again, she bends forward at the waist, burying her face into a pillow like I told her to do.

With her pleasure-filled cries muffled, she blissfully rides my face toward her climax. What starts as languid sways of her hips intensifies into rougher grinding and thrusting on my tongue.

“Delicious, Maddie baby,” I rumble across her pussy, then tug her clit into my mouth.

She tastes so damn good that I might come from the sheer ecstasy of driving her wild. No friction needed.

Once she crests the peak, her legs quiver, and her knees buckle as she cries into the pillow. I grab her inner thighs, lending her support so she can pulse over me to ride it out.

Before releasing her, I revel in her essence a bit longer, nuzzling my face and tongue delicately against her slick, tender flesh.

And a few moments later, I slip my throbbing cock inside her exactly as promised.

“Damn, I missed you. Missed this,” she whimpers across my lips.

“Is this all you missed?” I taunt, circling my hips and grinding my pelvis into her clit. “Just the way I fill your sweet pussy?”

Her muted, honeyed moans fill the scant space between us. “You know I missed more than your thick cock. And how it drives in and out of me until I come all over it.”

Oh, she’s in the mood to talk. Fuck me.

As my arousal grows, my hips pump faster and harder. “What else did you miss?”

“Your tongue. Mouth. Fingers.” She caresses her hands down my back to squeeze my ass. “And I especially missed this.”

The punishing way she digs her fingertips into my ass makes my eyes roll back. “Fuck, Maddie. Do that again. Harder.”

I love making her feral, watching her delicate manners fade as she gets rough with me. It’s such a contrast to her normal disposition, and knowing I’m the one who brings it out of her is heady as fuck.

“You mean this?” she teases, pulsing her hands harder. There’s a punishing bite to her touch that drives me wild with desire. “How I squeeze your firm ass, pushing you deeper inside my body?”

“Yes, baby.”

“You like that?”

“So damn much.”

“Good. Because I love the feel of your muscles flexing and pumping under my palms as you fu—” She cuts herself off to stifle a moan, careful to keep her volume low. “As you fuck me like this. Hard. Fast. Deep.”

The breathy quiver in her voice might be my undoing. And when she throws in that teasing dirty talk, it’s even more lethal.

Placing one flat palm on the headboard for leverage and to stop it from tapping the wall, I slam into her and grit out, “Keep talking, baby.”

She pants her reply, barely able to force it out. “No more. Words. Ah . Just. Kiss me. So I don’t. Mmm . Scream.”

“I know it’s wrong, considering where we are, but I would give anything to hear you scream for me right now.”

Her answering laugh is choked off with another throaty moan. “Alan, please, kiss me to keep me quiet.”

I slam our mouths together, drinking down every sexy sound she makes. They’re all mine now.

Time slips away, losing all meaning, as I drive myself in and out at a furious pace. Our tongues twist, and our lips greedily lap against each other like we’re ravenous. Sweat streams down the middle of my back.

She meets me every step of the way, matching my thrusts. No matter how fast I go, she keeps her arms and thighs wrapped around me. Like she’s afraid I’ll float away if she lets go.

Although I was joking about leaving an imprint on the mattress, I’m beginning to think my body took it seriously. We’re fucking like we’re thirty years younger.

The sparks of my impending climax coil low in my gut, slowly spreading until I ache for release.

I pull my upper body off her enough to snake my hand between us. As soon as I find her clit, I circle it with my first two fingers, flicking and rubbing the sensitive bundle. I’m not coming without her.

Her keens spike, and her back bows off the bed. “Alan, my god. Just like that. Yes .”

“Shh,” I warn in a hush, then recapture her mouth.

If I’ve learned anything in my time as Maddie’s lover, it’s when she says to keep doing something, fucking do it. Exactly like that. Change nothing. And I’ll get the best damn reward when she explodes in rapture, her body clinging to mine.

My fingers keep the same rhythm and pressure on her clit. When the tips of our tongues connect, her pussy flutters and spasms around my cock.

See what I mean? Change. Nothing.

And fuuuck .

With a stifled roar, I finally succumb to my climax, letting her velvety walls tug every drop of my release from deep inside me.

There’s a profound poetry in finding our bliss together the first time we reconnect after nearly a week apart. It’s as if our bodies wanted to remind us that we belong together.

As we float down from the pinnacle, I stay connected to her, not wanting this moment to end.

Between languid kisses, I tell her, “I love you. With all my heart. I always will.”

“And I think you’re pretty neat,” she jests, barely getting the jab out before her laughter escapes.

With our bodies still intertwined, I join in, laughing with her like we’re kids.

“I love you too,” she says when the moment sobers.

It’d be impossible for me to love anything or anyone the way I love Maddie. And I never want to go another day without her by my side.

Unable to hold in the words, they tumble past my lips. “This week was agony. Not because of what happened. It’s because you weren’t by my side. I love you so damn much. I need you in my life. Forever. I don’t want to live without you. I don’t care if we get married or not, but I need you. With me. Always .”

I pause for a deep inhale, trying to figure out why I’m so compelled to say all these things. No clue. I just need to get this out.

“Maddie, I can’t stand the thought of losing you again.”

She curls a few strands of my hair around her fingertip, loving me through her tender touch. “Again? When did you lose me before?”

“From the moment I first met you, every day that you weren’t mine was like losing you. Each day without you wrapped in my arms. Every night you weren’t in my bed. Every minute that I knew your heart wasn’t beating alongside mine. All those times, I lost you. Again and again. Every second of every fucking day. For years. I won’t survive it again.”

Her hand falls from my temple, cradling my cheek. “Oh, Alan. I hate that I hurt you for so long. If I could change it all, I would. All I can do now is promise those days are long gone. I don’t want to be without you either. And I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you. So sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, baby. I know how scary this is for you. I’ve always known earning your love wasn’t going to be easy. But I’ve never doubted your love was worth the effort. You are worth the effort. I love every beautiful part of you.”

The edges of her mouth quiver as she fights a grin. “Let me guess. You knew all this because you brain probed me?”

I chuckle, shaking my head at her. “Take a fucking compliment, woman. Don’t turn it into a damn joke.”

“Well, my daughter says deflective humor is the best way to handle all situations that push me the slightest bit out of my comfort zone. And things are working out pretty good for her.”

Still grinning, she lifts her head off the pillow just enough to touch noses with me. Fuck that. I claim her lips instead.

After all, I have nearly a week of kisses to make up for. And all the years before that.