Jace knew he should talk to Maddie, clear things up between them. And he should respect Lyman’s wishes that he did not to talk to her. But the urge to see Maddie again had taken over and Jace had found himself driving over there.
This was why Jace never got properly involved with a woman. Too many messy emotions. They made you do irrational things.
The problem was it had only been a night with Maddie. Surely, he should be able to walk away? Jace figured it was their past history that kept him coming back. A history he was not proud of. Maddie had to know that.
He had to speak to her.
He wasn’t expecting Maddie to welcome him in with open arms. In fact, he was expecting the hostility she showed when she opened the door, looking as lovely as she had done earlier.
“Can we talk, Maddie?”
Maddie huffed.
“This isn’t a good time, Jace. It will never be a good time.”
“Please.”
They did need to talk. What about, Jace had no idea, but he felt that he had to settle the past, get rid of demons. They were going to be stuck with each other for a while.
If Jace was honest, he wanted a chance to get back into bed with her. Although judging from her expression, he would be lucky if Maddie ended up in the same room as him after tonight.
Maddie scowled but she stepped back and beckoned him in.
“Seeing as you asked so nicely.”
Grateful, Jace stepped inside, Maddie banging the door behind him. A tall, beautiful blonde woman at least six feet tall was in the kitchen, a gun laid on the counter by her hand. She was watching him warily.
“You remember Beth Erikson, my friend from high school?” Maddie said, vaulting over the couch and moving to the kitchen the long way, keeping her distance. Jace didn’t like that she had done that.
Jace turned to Beth. He did remember her. She had been a tall, very cute girl who had broken his nose after she had caught Jace reducing Maddie to tears. His nose started hurting at the memory.
She had certainly grown into a beautiful woman as well. Jace nodded at her.
“Nice to see you again, Beth.”
“Jace. I can’t say I’m pleased to see you.” Beth’s eyes travelled over him with appreciation. “But, at least, you’re very pleasing on the eye.”
“I aim to please.”
Jace gave her a small bow. Beth rolled her eyes and Maddie growled. She had her arms folded as she glared at him.
“Get on with it, Jace.”
Jace knew he was stalling for time. He turned to Maddie and tried to remember what he had been planning to say on the way over.
“Look, Maddie, I didn’t mean to mislead you last night. That was not my intention at all.”
“Sure it wasn’t.” Maddie snorted. “You recognized me almost as soon as you saw me. You knew you’d been a bastard to me and yet you still decided to sleep with me. For what? To get points?”
“I don’t work like that.”
“Bullshit!” Maddie sneered. “I bet you play every woman you come across.”
Jace glanced at Beth and saw she wasn’t helping at all. She kept herself in the kitchen and stayed silent.
He wished it hadn’t come to this. He didn’t regret the night he spent with Maddie, but he did regret that he hadn’t said anything.
Chances were she would have run away from him as soon as she realized. Jace knew she would remember what he’d done but he hadn’t realized it would have such an effect on her. He sighed and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.
“They know straight up it’s always one night and nothing more. They have to be extremely good in bed or something special for me to go on hooking up with them.”
“I’ll remember that,” Beth murmured.
“Beth,” Maddie snapped. She turned back to Jace, looking a little more composed. “So, what now? We carry on as though nothing had happened, but you can say you fucked the Broken Hounds president’s sister?”
Jace winced. That didn’t sound like something he should parade around at all.
“We don’t have to act as though things have changed between us.” He stepped towards her. “Nothing has to change.”
“But it does.” It hit Jace in the gut when Maddie stepped away from him. “When you were just Jace who rescued me from Drake, I saw you as a good guy.”
“I’ve never been a good guy and I don’t pretend to be.”
“I realized that.” Maddie shook her head. She looked like she didn’t know whether to cry or fly into a rage. “You’re an incredible bastard. You were a bastard as a teenager. The only reason you’re alive is because Jeremy didn’t know. He does now.”
“I know. Your brother’s already told me that.” Jace resisted the urge to cup himself as his cock flinched at Lyman’s earlier threat. “I’d rather not get myself castrated.”
“Good. Because we’re going to co-exist like normal.” Maddie took a deep breath and let it out. “You’re going to go on your merry way back to the clubhouse and do as you’re told. And you won’t be in the same room as me.”
Jace had expected that. Beth raised her eyebrow at her friend.
“That’s a little harsh, isn’t it? You can’t expect that to happen all the time.”
“I don’t think it’s harsh.” Maddie looked at Jace and that was when Jace realized she hadn’t looked him in the eye until then. “As long as you and I don’t converse or see each other, we should be fine.”
If he hadn’t slept with her and it was simply about their past, Jace would have complied with this, no question. He had been awful to her and he would respect her by giving her some space. But now he had sampled her, had kissed her and felt how deliciously soft and pliable she was in his arms, Jace knew keeping away was going to be an impossibility.
“You can’t hide yourself away from me forever,” he pointed out.
“I can give it a damn good go. Now, are you going to leave?”
Jace knew there wasn’t much else they could say. Maddie had laid down the ground rules, it was up to him to enforce them.
As he left the condo and went back to his motorbike, Jace knew he needed to get out of Tucson. Being around Maddie was going to cause him no end of trouble. But he had a feeling that, no matter how hard he tried, leaving wouldn’t get Maddie Lyman out of his system.