Right before he’d hugged me.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Bringing you,” –I looked down at the sandwiches at my feet– “lunch.” At least I’d managed to hang onto the Thermos.
Maddox stepped forward and it was all I could do not to move. He bent down in front of me to pick up the sandwiches. The plastic baggies had kept them protected from the snow, so he merely brushed the little bit of ice off them. “Thank you,” he said.
Man, the guy was going for a record with the polite thing. I almost wanted to look to see if Newt was around to account for his behavior. The reminder of my brother and the events of the morning had me handing the Thermos to him. “I want you to stay away from me and my brother while we’re here. Newt especially,” I blurted.
If he was surprised by my comments, he didn’t show it. “Why don’t we talk inside?” he said as he motioned to the building behind him. I knew it was the place Dallas kept orphaned babies in the spring. As far as I knew, it was empty at the moment.
Not that being in a room with a bunch of baby animals would have made any difference, but somehow the idea of being alone in a building with him made me nervous. But Maddox didn’t give me a chance to respond. Instead, he turned and went into the building, leaving the door open for me.
I forced myself to follow because I wasn’t afraid of him.
I wasn’t.
When I entered, the lights were on and Maddox had placed the sandwiches and Thermos on a small table in the middle of the room. I watched him strip off his gloves so he could wash his hands. The building wasn’t warm, so I automatically put my arms around myself. If Newt and I were going to stay a little longer than planned, I’d need to invest in a heavier coat and some thicker sweaters. My plan had been to do so once we got to New York, but I’d also planned to have a lot more money to spend on stuff like that. As it was, I wouldn’t get paid for this job for at least a week. Dallas had offered to pay me an advance, but I’d refused and, fortunately, he hadn’t argued with me.
But it was definitely going to suck having to work in the icy conditions without the right clothes. As it was, Dallas had let me borrow one of his older coats, but it was too big on me and would make cleaning awkward. At least I had enough clothes for Newt that I could bundle him in layers. And I had enough cash that maybe I could go to the thrift shop and find him some snow pants and actual winter boots, especially if we were going to be spending more time outside.
I was silent as Maddox took his time getting cleaned up. He shrugged his coat off and pushed up his sleeves before reaching for one of the sandwiches. My belly dropped out at the sight of the dark hairs on his muscled forearm.
“So you were saying you want me to stay away from Newt… and you?” Maddox asked. He took three bites and the sandwich was gone.
“Yeah, that’s right,” I said. I felt a shiver go through me, but part of it was the cold.
Maddox reached for the second sandwich but hesitated, then he was moving toward me. I automatically stepped back before I could stop myself. But he just walked past me and closed the door, which I’d inadvertently left open. When he returned to the table, he stayed on my side of it. There were only a few feet separating us. A row of cages was at my back, preventing my escape.
Maddox reached for the Thermos and took a sip of the coffee, then handed it to me.
The actual Thermos, not the cup that came with it. And the way he’d turned the container, if I took it just like it was and drank, my lips would touch the same part of the opening that his had.
Had he done it that way on purpose?
Jesus, Isaac, get a grip. The man isn’t attracted to you.
I sighed and took the Thermos. I should have thanked him but didn’t. I’d made the damn coffee, after all. I didn’t often drink coffee because I just wasn’t a big fan, but it was hot so I didn’t care. I handed it back to him and watched as he took another drink. There was no doubt that his lips covered the spot where mine had been.
Despite the cold, my dick responded accordingly.
I needed to go. I was about to do that when Maddox’s fingers were suddenly on my arm. I opened my mouth to protest, but snapped it shut again when all he did was grab his parka lying across the table and drape it around my shoulders.