Page 21 of The Criminal’s Cure

We’ve barely been asleep four hours when Maddie drags herself out of my arms and back to her bedroom to get ready for work.

I’m absolutely spent, but without her here, my bed feels cold and lonely, and I can’t fall back asleep.

Instead, I head downstairs and make her a cup of coffee before she heads out.

The sweet goodbye kiss we share is enough to light up my entire fucking nervous system again, so any chance I had of getting sleep is obliterated. I’ve still got a few hours before Ty wakes up, so I opt for a workout to release all of this pent up energy.

I’m still reeling from the way last night unfolded. After weeks of trying to deny myself and force Maddie away, I almost was successful. Even I was surprised at how much of an asshole I was. I mean, kissing her that way and then leaving her hanging? Yeah, not one of my finer moments.

Although, considering the absolute agony my dick has been in for the last few days, I definitely served my punishment.

That one might have backfired on me more than I intended, because teasing Maddie is a double-edged sword.

Getting her riled up turns me on just as much, and trying to fight that is hopeless.

It was stupid of me to push her away to begin with.

Maddie knows who I am. She knows what she’s in for.

And she’s right—that’s a decision she can make for herself.

And thank God, she decided to give it a shot.

Last night was the best sex I’ve ever had.

Physically, it rocked me to my absolute core, the rush and sensation better and more intense than anything I’ve ever even dreamed of.

Maddie is a fucking goddess, and having that salacious body in my arms took me higher than any drug or substance ever could.

What surprised me most, though, was the connection between us.

I expected the spark and the chemistry, but the emotional part was new to me.

The way I wanted to please her. To take care of her.

To make her feel better than she’s ever felt before.

Her release was just as important to me as my own, and watching her eyes roll back in ecstasy was incredible.

I loved Talia deeply, but never romantically, and we never had any kind of physical attraction. If this is what sex feels like with someone you have a genuine connection with, I’m in serious trouble—or Maddie is depending on how you look at it—because I want to do that all day, every day.

After a few rounds with the punching bag, I call it quits and head back upstairs. I take a shower, but it doesn’t help get my mind off of Maddie because all I do is picture her in there.

Maybe it’s my hero complex, but I could almost kiss that spider for the opening it gave me last night.

I’ve been craving Maddie for weeks, but seeing her nearly naked body crouched in the corner in fear of that spider, and needing me to save her, flipped a switch inside of me.

I loved being needed, especially by her.

She has such a strong personality that she’s rarely vulnerable enough to take any kind of help from someone else, but last night was different.

And I’m so glad it was.

By the time Ty wakes up, I feel like I’ve lived an entire day. I’ve worked out, showered, and gotten a good chunk of work done. It’s like Maddie rejuvenated me, and I’m on top of the world.

He scowls, slinking into a chair at the kitchen table with a serious case of bed head. “Where’s Maddie?”

“Hey, bud.” I ruffle his hair as I sit next to him. “She’s at work. How did you sleep?”

Ty groans, tossing his head back dramatically in ignoring my question. “I thought she was gonna be here. She promised she was going to teach me how to do a backflip into the pool.”

I raise an eyebrow carefully. “Well, let’s do something to take your mind off of it until she gets home? Maybe go to the park?”

His whole body tenses, frozen in place as his cheeks turn ashen. “How about something else?”

And that’s when I realize what I just suggested. The park. He was nearly killed there just a few weeks ago. Fuck.

The park used to be one of his favorite places in the world.

It was a sort of solace for him after Talia died, but now it’s tainted with its own painful memories.

Ty’s been doing so well lately that it didn’t even occur to me he might still be harboring some trauma, and now I feel like a fucking idiot.

Of course he is. Why didn’t I see it sooner?

And more importantly, how can I help him?

“Sure. We can do something else,” I say, changing the subject. “What about the mall? I was thinking we could get you some new clothes before you start back to school.”

Ty hasn’t been back since the shooting, and we’re both a little leery of it.

It’s nerve-wracking to send him off when I still don’t have a handle on what’s going on or who’s after us, but I know it’s the best thing for him.

He needs that stability, and his teacher has been absolutely wonderful in the wake of what happened with Talia.

I know he misses his friends, but I’m expecting it to be a hard adjustment, so I’ve been trying to think of ways to make it easier.

A new wardrobe is one of my ideas. Specifically, the new Jordans he’s been asking about. It’s extravagant for a six-year-old, but these are kind of extenuating circumstances.

“Sure. That sounds fun,” he says quietly.

“Good. How about some breakfast first? Cereal? Toast?”

“Maddie’s been making me pancakes.”

“Every day?”

Ty nods. Well, damn. How can I compete with that?

“Tell you what, I’ll get Maddie’s recipe and learn how to make them, but how about Lucky Charms for today?”

He grins enthusiastically as I pour him a bowl. He wastes no time diving into it.

Once he finishes and we’re ready to go, Ty and I head to the mall.

We haven’t been out since the shooting, and truthfully, one of the first times we’ve done anything like this since Talia died.

I’ve tried to be the father he needs, but juggling so much has proven difficult.

I’ve been so focused on the logistics and making sure we survive, that I’ve kind of overlooked the fact that what Ty needs most of all is my time.

But with the way he is enjoying himself today, I know I need to make it more of a priority.

After we get a few outfits and secure the coveted pair of shoes, we head home.

In the backseat, Ty’s non-stop chatter about the game he’s been playing with Joe fills the car as we’re stopped at the light.

When I look out the window, I see the glass towers of the hospital just a few blocks west of where we’re at and my mind immediately travels to Maddie.

The thought of her inside those walls somewhere causes my mind to drift.

I picture her in her scrubs, wondering if she’s thinking about me, still sore from last night.

Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never lusted over anyone like this before.

“Hey!” Ty calls from the back. “That’s where Maddie works.”

“It is.” I nod.

“Can we take her lunch on our way home?”

His suggestion makes my stomach drop. I haven’t set foot in that hospital since Talia died, and even though I could definitely go for seeing Maddie, I don’t know if I can.

“Uh, I don’t know if that will work today, buddy. We’re running late getting home anyway and…”

“Please, Dad,” he begs, the excitement in his voice cutting me. “Please!”

Jesus, he’s a tough kid to resist.

“Sure,” I agree before I really even know what I’m doing. My pulse skyrockets as I turn toward the hospital. It’s so loud I can hear it in my ears, almost like I’m about to have a panic attack.

“Yeah! Let’s get her sushi. She loves sushi.”

“Is that what she said?” I tap my thumb on the steering wheel, taking a few slow breaths to calm myself down. I can do this. It’s just a building.

Ty nods. “She likes sushi and something called calamari that is like little teeny octopuses. Can you believe it, Dad? She eats octopus!! She told me one time she even caught one and ate it! Blehhh!”

“Disgusting.” I laugh at the way his nose scrunches up in the rearview mirror, and don’t bother to get into the difference between an octopus and a squid with him. The mistake makes it even more adorable. “You really like to spend time with her, don’t you?”

“She’s really fun, and really smart,” Ty adds, playing with one of the Lego sets we picked up. He couldn’t even wait until we got home to tear into it. “Like really, really smart. Don’t make her leave like my other nannies, okay, Dad?”

He catches me totally off guard and I burst out laughing. “Why would you say that?”

“Because they all start to like you, and then they have to leave.” He narrows his eyes at me like that’s my fault. We have gone through a string of less than stellar babysitters, and his assumption isn’t that far off, so Talia had sent them all packing.

“I’ll do my best,” I assured him. “But Maddie isn’t your nanny, she’s like...a friend.”

“She’s a doctor, Dad. A surgeon .” Ty doesn’t find this nearly as funny as I do, so I bite back my laughter.

“You’re right. But she’s still our friend, right?”

“Like a girlfriend?” He eyes me carefully.

“Well, no. Not exactly, no.”

Suddenly I feel very harshly judged by my six-year-old.

“Do you want her to be?” A small smirk tugged at his lips.

He knows exactly what he’s doing. God, this kid is too smart for his own good.

“I don’t know, bud. That’s adult stuff. I don’t want you to worry about it, okay?”

Thankfully, Ty drops the subject as I whip into the parking lot of a sushi restaurant across from the hospital.

Even though I want more with Maddie, it’s way too soon to be having that discussion with Ty. Although he doesn’t seem to be all that put off by the idea.