Page 71 of Thirst Trap

Logan’s arm wrapped around her automatically, pulling her close. For the first time in years, he let himself breathe.

Penny held him, whispering against his skin as he drifted,

“You’re not a monster. Not to me.”

And Logan Creams fell asleep in her arms.

Chapter 35

Gatekeeper

It had been a month.

Maddison stood in the bathroom, staring down at the single pink line. Just one.

Negative.

She blinked, emotion flickering across her face for the briefest moment then she straightened her shoulders and flushed the test. No time to dwell. Lucas had a meeting at twenty, and no one got to Lucas Creams without going through her.

Since the island trip, everything had shifted.

She’d moved into his sprawling estate on the outskirts of the city. Half of her clothes were still in boxes, but her presence saturated every inch of the place lipstick in the bathroom, heels by the door, cinnamon in the damn kitchen.

Lucas hadn’t officially asked.

She hadn’t waited for the invitation.

And now?

She was more than just the assistant.

She was his shield. His filter. His sword.

Executives, board members, distant cousins, even Bonnie they all learned quickly: if you wanted Lucas’s attention, you went through Maddison first. And Bonnie?

Bonnie approved.

***

The Creams Tower penthouse smelled of old money, perfume, and something sharper beneath. Bonnie Creams sat at the head of the table, one hand wrapped around a glass of Bordeaux, the other tapping against her phone.

Lucas stood tall. Maddison sat beside him, legs crossed, mask of calm in place even though her pulse thudded like war drums.

“So,” Bonnie drawled, eyes flicking from her brother to the woman beside him. “This is the infamous assistant.”

Lucas’s jaw tightened. “She’s more than that.”

He didn’t hesitate. Didn’t blink.

“She’s my girlfriend.”

Maddison’s stomach flipped. He hadn’t said it out loud. Not like that. Bonnie arched her brow, taking a slow sip.

“Bold.”

Maddison leaned forward before Lucas could answer. “I’m not here to play bold. I’m here because I stood on a beach and put a bullet in a man who was aiming at your brother. He’s alive because of me.”

The silence snapped taut.