Page 24 of Maddox: Wild Alaska (Hawke’s Ridge #1)

Feeling delightfully sated, I stretch my arms above my head and let out a small moan.

Then, I settle back into the soft pillows on the bed.

I gaze at Maddox's bare back, then his sculpted buttocks, and finally his strong legs.

He's very nicely proportioned. I find I can't look away from the man. I'm also waiting for a full frontal.

My brows furrow when I notice his shoulders slump and he rubs his neck.

Whatever he's being told is clearly not good news.

Sliding out of my comfortable position, I grab one of his shirts from the open closet and slip it on.

On my way past, I grab a pair of his sweatpants, and then I pad softly over to him.

He meets my gaze and holds out an arm to me.

I go straight into his embrace, holding him close while he finishes talking with his brother.

He gives me a comforting squeeze before letting me go and taking the sweats, which he quickly puts on. "Thanks."

"What happened?"

"I assumed the body that Hunter found was Olivia." He sigh and runs a hand through his hair. “Turns out it wasn't her. She's still missing. They have no idea who the woman is who is currently on her way to the medical examiner's office.”

"This is really bad," I say.

Maddox kisses me, takes my hand, and leads me into the kitchen.

I jump onto a stool at the counter and smile as he pulls things out of the refrigerator.

“Branson has Colton, Spencer, and Hunter helping with the search.

He wants us—me, Ryland, and Garrett—to keep an eye on the lodge.

" He rests his hands on the countertop. "That means I want you to sleep in the lodge tonight.

Share Judean's room, and keep it locked. You're not going anywhere alone."

I nod slowly, chills running through me at the seriousness of the situation. "I promise we'll stay together. I don't want you to worry about me."

I see in his eyes that he's still going to worry either way. I'll worry about him as well. "Oh, do you know your mom's here?"

He quickly blinks. "What?"

"Sorry for the sudden change of topic. I saw your dad carry her into his cabin earlier. He said not to disturb them for a week."

Maddox shudders. "That's good."

I snort. "You're full of shit! I can see how much the thought of your parents having sex bothers you. They have years to make up for."

“You need to stop!"

I tease, snickering, "I need something in my mouth to keep me quiet."

His eyes darken, and I raise my eyebrows. "I was thinking of an apple. I wonder where your mind went?"

"You know exactly where my mind was." He moves around the counter, cups the back of my head, and holds me while devouring my mouth. My body comes alive, relishing the dizzying heat of his mouth on mine, but then it's gone again.

"Hold that thought." He starts chopping vegetables and motions for me to sit and watch. "The staff will make sure the guests know there's a threat about town. I hope it doesn't reach here, but who knows? As far as I know, this asshole is after women. I just wish I knew what was going on with Gabe."

"Um, about that," I say. "Gabe was here earlier and told me what he was really doing in Montana." I wince. “It looks bad, Maddox, but I don’t believe he’s the killer.”

"Fuck! Tell me."

I repeat everything Gabe told me, and Maddox frowns.

"I can see why that would look bad. However, if he has a publisher lined up, they should be able to confirm what Gabe was doing.

" He pauses to put the vegetables in the oven.

"Something doesn't add up. My brother hasn't told you—or us—everything. "

“So, another woman has been found, and Olly is still missing, right? This guy is out of control, and that scares me." My stomach flutters with nerves at the thought of a killer being so close, possibly with his eye on the next victim.

Maddox moves around to face me, wraps his arms around my shoulders, and pulls me into his body. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he whispers in my ear. His words soothe my racing heart.

"Just don't let anything happen to you, either. You mean everything to me." I press my face into his chest and sigh.

His phone starts buzzing on the countertop at that moment. He grabs the phone with a heavy sigh and frowns at the caller ID: Branson.

My heart sinks because I have a feeling it's bad news.

Maddox holds my hand as we step inside the lodge.

My eyes immediately find Judean, who is standing beside Colton.

The man looks exhausted, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

I notice how close my friend stands to him, as though offering silent support.

I feel sympathy for him, knowing he was the one who identified the body.

I've never seen a dead body before, and I don't want to.

I scan the rest of the group in the lobby and see Richard with his arm around his mother.

He looks like he's about to cry. I want to hug him, but I'm not sure if he'd want that. Besides, it certainly won’t help with me standing here with the man I've fallen head over heels for.

I never believed in love at first sight.

Yet, I can't imagine my life without Maddox by my side.

I shake my head, realizing how inappropriate those thoughts are right now. They just lost a daughter and sister.

Samantha was the woman Hunter found in the forest. She was dressed in Olly's clothes, which means the killer has Olly too.

Believe it or not, Colton recognized her hands because of their long, bright red nails.

He admitted that she had her hands on his chest, which he removed, so he noticed just how long the nails were.

She had been hateful toward Judean and me, but I didn't want her dead.

The feds and Branson were treating this case differently from their serial killer case until evidence said otherwise.

Samantha had been beaten to death with a baseball bat.

The others had bled and frozen to death while barely alive before being left to be found.

I swallow hard and turn to face Maddox. He meets my gaze and lowers his head. His mouth brushes my ear as he whispers, "Are you okay?"

"Not really." I briefly wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze. "I'm heading over to Judean."

He hugs me back and kisses me on the mouth. "I'll be over as soon as I can."

"I know. Just be careful.”

"I will."

I kiss his cheek, offer a slight smile, and make my way over to my friend. We hug when I reach her, and my eyes go to Colton. I grab his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm scared, Sofie." Judean's eyes are swimming with tears. I’m reminded that she’s known Samantha for a long time. "I'm sorry about Samantha."

She huffs out a sigh. "She was awful to me. All the time. She didn't deserve what happened to her, though.”

I notice Judean's eyes stray to Colton and wonder if something good will come out of something bad. "Have you eaten?" I ask him.

"I can't right now," he admits.

"Why don't you go rest?"

He hesitates, his eyes on my friend.

"Hey," I say, drawing his attention. "Judean and I will stay together. Maddox will keep an eye on us. We'll be fine while you shower and eat something. I promise."

"Are you trying to tell me I stink?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Well, now that you mention it." I offer a soft smile. "Seriously, Colton. You look tired. Take care of yourself."

His eyes bounce to Judean again, so I nudge my friend, who has been silently watching our exchange.

Much to my surprise— and, judging by the look on his face, Colton's—Judean steps into his space, wraps her arms around his waist, and gives him a big hug.

He swallows hard before returning her embrace.

"I knew you liked me." He pulls her closer and sighs softly.

"I'll go clean up, but only if you two come with me. You're not leaving my sight."

Judean gasps. "You want a threesome!" She tries to pull away, but he won't let her. His cheeks flush red while I glance around us. Yep, she wasn't quiet at all. Great! I meet Maddox's gaze from across the room. He's talking with his brother, Spencer.

"Babe, when I get you naked, it'll just be you and me. I don't share." He snickers. "Besides, Maddox will kill me if I try anything with Sofie."

"As if I'd leave your sexy brother. He's mine."

"I'm glad to hear that." Maddox wraps an arm around me, and I rest back against him for a moment.

I tilt my head up to look at him and ask, "What's happening?"

"Branson called. A couple of hunters called saying they heard a woman scream. They tried to follow the sound, but they couldn't find anything, so they called Branson. The search has moved." He runs his hands through his hair.

"You want to be out there with him, right? We'll be fine here. I don't want you to worry. Besides, Colton offered us a threesome, so we'll be occupied for five minutes."

"Hey, now," Colton stutters. "One night wouldn't be enough with this one." He slides his arm around Judean, who doesn't push him away.

Interesting.

Cupping my face in his large hands, Maddox rests his forehead against mine.

"Dad is expecting Colton, you, and Judean at his cabin.

" He softly brushes his thumbs over my cheeks.

"You'll get to meet my mom." He smiles. "She will love you both.

" After placing a lingering kiss on my forehead, he pulls back and stares at his youngest brother.

"Bro, I've got them. I swear I do." Colton huffs, irritated.

"This is all your fault!" Richard shouts, charging across the room.

Maddox steps in front of me, causing Richard to stop short.

It doesn't stop him. "You're to blame for this, Sofie Ryan," he snarls.

"That's enough!" Maddox says. "The only person to blame is the one who took her life."

Stepping out from behind Maddox, I warily eye Richard. "I'm so sorry about Samantha, Richard. Her death has nothing to do with me."

He huffs and puffs, and his eyes fill with tears. I feel myself becoming emotional and step forward to put my hand on his arm. "I trust the sheriff to find the person who did this. I know it won't bring her back, but it will give you answers. I'm really sorry."

Pulling himself together, he shakes off my hand. Maddox grips my shoulders and moves me away.

"You're not sorry," he hisses. "You didn't like her. You wanted her dead so you could come back to me without her interference.”

My eyes pop wide open in shock. What the hell has gotten into him? He's delusional. "I'm not going to lie to you. I didn't like her. But I sure as heck didn't want her dead. It's awful to accuse me of that." I pause. "Besides, if I loved you, I never would have broken up with you."

I turn my back on him, intending to leave with Colton and Judean.

However, Richard has other plans and reaches out, grabbing the back of my jacket.

I spin around to face him, my heart pounding in my chest. "What are you doing, Richard?

" I demand, feeling a mix of fear and anger bubbling inside me.

His grip tightens on my jacket. His eyes are filled with a strange intensity that sends shivers down my spine.

In the blink of an eye, Maddox's fist shoots out and hits Richard square in the face.

Richard releases his hold on me as he falls to the ground.

Maddox catches me as I stumble. "Stay the fuck away from her," he says.

"I will protect my woman with everything I am, so heed my warning.

You touch her again, and you'll be joining your sister. "

Wincing, I grab Maddox's arm and drag him away. Catherine and Bernie, another member of the bachelorette party, help Richard.

"Nice right hook, bro!" Colton hits his brother on the shoulder. "Bad timing, but great all the same." He takes my hands and pulls me toward Judean. "Bro, I'm going to shower, and then we'll hang out with Mom and Dad. Keep us updated."

Maddox nods in my direction, and I feel his eyes on me until we're out of sight.

As we step into the garden, Colton says, "You know, I could get down with having a threesome with you two!”

"In your dreams, Romeo," I chuckle, relieved that he has lightened the mood.

With Colton in the shower and Judean relaxing on the couch, the cabin is quiet and peaceful when I step onto the back deck.

Colton has a view of the mountains and the ravine below.

I walk to the end of the deck and sit down in a very comfortable chair.

Inhaling the scent of the wilderness, I sigh softly, closing my eyes and feeling completely content and at peace.

I settle deeper into my chair and listen to the sounds of nature surrounding me, wishing something evil wasn't lurking in the shadows of the trees.

As night begins to fall, I worry about Maddox being out there with such a predator.

I know the killer is targeting women, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous to the men and women hunting him.

A thud comes from inside, making my heart race with fear. "I'm being silly," I think as I shake it off. Judean probably knocked something over. My eyes grow heavy, and I struggle to keep them open, even when I hear the door to the back deck slide open. "Juju," I smirk. "I could sleep here."

She doesn't answer.

A bad feeling rushes over me.

I snap my eyes open to see what she's doing and open my mouth to scream.

But nothing comes out as the huge man dressed in dark green from head to toe covers my mouth and nose with a rag.

I struggle, kicking and clawing at him. He's too strong, easily overpowering me.

I try not to breathe, but I need air. Tears run unchecked down my face as the world goes black around me.