Chapter Five

Isaac

The rain beat against the back window with a forceful intent as I watched Maddie butter her toast. “No jelly?” I asked.

Her head tilted, as if I asked her something complex, and then a soft sigh escaped her lips. “I don’t think I like jelly,” she said.

I chuckled, shaking my head gently. “Good. Things are starting to work themselves out,” I acknowledged.

The last week, lots of things were becoming clearer to Maddie, and it scared me to death. I didn’t want to lose her, but I knew once she found out the truth, she’d leave, probably hating me for the rest of her life.

“I really wish it would quit raining,” she whined, staring out at the wild ocean. I was glad it was raining, glad that she couldn’t walk to the gym and become more acquainted with her old life. The doctor’s suggestion had triggered something in Maddie, something I knew was from her old life. She loved being in the gym, telling me the smell, the noise, it all made her feel like she belonged. That was the life I wanted her to forget, the one that would only bring her more pain. Her life here, with me, that was the one I wanted to work on, the only one that mattered. I loved her, and soon, she’d love me. I needed more time.

“It should be nice tomorrow,” I smiled, secretly hoping that it would storm for the next three months.

Her hips drew me in as she stretched up to reach the cinnamon from the cabinet’s top shelf. That ass; fuck, it was tight and hard, and I wanted desperately to press my cock up against its warmth. She turned and her cheeks reddened, as if she knew what I was thinking. I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt roll through my veins, and worked to stop the blood flow to my cock before it was too late.

“I’ll just work out here,” she said contently.

Her smile paralyzed me, frozen in its presence. Damn, I loved that smile. I’d loved it from the moment I first saw it.

“I’ll only be at the office for a few hours,” I promised, quickly finishing off the coffee left in my mug.

There was awkwardness between us for a moment, one that screamed sexual tension. My cock twitched against my jeans as I watched her slouch against the counter, the small of her back resting above the drawer. I could just grip that tiny waist, lift her to the counter and settle into her warmth. My mouth watered as I imagined her taste, her flavor, her scent. I want her bad.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, her voice cracking a bit as she spoke.

Was she feeling it too? Did she want me to rush across the kitchen and take her, finally make her mine?

My eyes lingered on her breasts, small and perky. They were pressed up against her tank top, no bra underneath. My lips tingled at the thought of pressing around her tight nipples, sucking, pulling, and teasing with my mouth and tongue. Oh yes, Maddie Stewart was a beautiful woman, sexy, vibrant, and I had to do whatever it took to keep her from harm, even if that meant risking losing her for good.

She turned nervously, rinsing a cup under the faucet. I didn’t want to make her nervous, so I tucked in my lust and mumbled a quick goodbye. It was becoming harder and harder to steer clear of her sexy little body.

I left the house in a slight daze, still lacking the adequate amount of blood to my brain. I jumped into the driver’s seat of the Escalade and started my way to the office. It was close enough to walk, but with the storm, I decided to drive instead. The rain might’ve done me some good, cooled me down from the heat boiling in my crotch.

“Good morning,” Beth greeted me as I entered the office. She was tall, lean, and extremely smart. She was the kind of woman that men dreamt about but feared to approach. “You’ve had a phone ringing in your safe all morning,” she informed as she smiled, obviously waiting for an explanation.

“Shit, I forgot about that,” I gasped, quickly rushing to my office.

Beth was my assistant, a person I told everything to, but I couldn’t explain this, so I didn’t even try.

I opened the safe, pulled out the phone that belonged to Maddie, and closed my door. The phone was damaged to the point I didn’t think it could be salvaged. I’d worked all week, spending every second of my spare time on reading how to repair it, ordering parts, and finally getting it put back together. I’d inserted the battery the night before, placed it in the safe and left. I wasn’t sure if it would ever work again, but right now, I was delighted to see it was.

The phone was blinking, so I opened it, noticing she had several missed calls from Rob Fallon. I opened up her messages and found their conversations. I found where he’d left her several texts over the last couple weeks, and the missed calls were countless. He was desperate to find her, to get her back. I wasn’t going to let that happen. 

He never was going to harm her again. She had told me all about this abusive asshole. I was worried she would go back to him if she couldn’t remember everything he had done to her.

I still couldn’t believe she was wearing the engagement ring she got from him when she arrived in Miami. I thought she had finally ended it.

My heart ached as I scrolled through the texts between Rob and Maddie. She told him she loved him, how happy she was that she found him, and then the tone changed. She told him to leave her alone, that she couldn’t live with his abuse any longer, and that she was starting a new life, somewhere far away. He obviously didn’t get the message clearly, or he was just that pushy, but his pleas for her to talk, to come back, and to give him a second chance were relentless. 

So she had ended it.

This was enough proof to show her he was abusive if she ever thought about going back to him.

I knew he’d given her that ringtone, and I couldn’t fathom why she hadn’t taken it off when she arrived in Miami. Does she still love him?

The phone rang again, startling me. It was him. Fuck!

Beth walked towards my office, and I knew she was ready for an explanation. I didn’t have one. I slid my finger to the ignore button and quieted the phone as she entered my office. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“It’s a friend’s project. She asked me to fix the phone her husband broke when she found it, hoping I could find out what he was using it for,” I lied.

She seemed satisfied. I’d taken on jobs for friends before, ones that she wasn’t a part of, but never ones that I’d kept so secret.

“You’ve been acting a little strange lately. You sure you’re okay?” she asked.

“Oh yeah, I’m great. I’ve just had a lot going on at home, projects I needed to finish,” I rambled.

I knew she wasn’t buying it. She knew me better than that. We worked together every day, sometimes at night, and spending that much time with someone, you learn their behaviors. Mine was off, and she knew it. Soon enough, she’d find out why.

“I’ve gotta head downtown to the courthouse; you play here while I’m gone?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said quickly, finding it a little offensive she felt the need to babysit me.

Beth gave me a look, one that said she knew something was going on, something more than just a friend’s project, and projects around my house.

She finally left, leaving me to deal with the phone that wouldn’t stop ringing. I had it on silent, but it buzzed across my desk as I looked up any dirt I could find on Rob.

Everything I found was flattering, nothing that suggested he was the monster I knew him to be. He was tall with dark features, and a smile that looked like a soap opera star’s. His Facebook page was filled with charity fundraiser events, over a thousand friends, and pictures of him and Maddie. They looked happy. She looked happy.

The phone continued to buzz, bouncing across my antique desk like it was trying to escape. I reached for it as it neared the edge, accidentally sliding to answer. “Maddie, are you there?” a voice spoke through the small receiver.

“Are you okay? Please answer me,” it continued to plead.

I pulled the phone to my ear and took a deep breath. “You need to leave her alone,” I said firmly.

“Who is this? What have you done with Maddie?” the voice demanded.

“Maddie is fine. She doesn’t want to see you again sot lose this number,” I ordered.

“She can tell me that herself,” he argued.

“She already has. I know what you did to her,” I snarled.

“No, you got it all wrong. We were fighting; she turned to leave and fell. I never laid a hand on her,” the man explained.

Likely story. I’d heard plenty of abusers tell the same tale. They were always innocent, and most of the time, they knew their women would return to them, tails tucked between their legs and ready to believe they didn’t mean it, or it would never happen again. Not Maddie. She made her way to Miami, to me, and that’s where she was going to stay.

“Where is she, and who is this?” the man still demanded to know. “We love each other; she would never just leave like this. I’ll find her, and I’ll find you,” the man threatened.

“She never wants to see you again, so move on and quit calling or I’ll have a harassment charge slapped on your ass so fast your head will spin,” I growled, ending the conversation.

There’s no way he’ll ever find her, or me. He’ll give up eventually, even though he threatened not to. I knew his type.