Maddox didn’t respond to that, but she wondered if he would have if the pizza hadn’t come at that moment. The waitress again went out of her way to get Maddox to notice her chest when she placed the pizza near him. Joss didn’t mind one bit that Maddox stared down at the pizza, unmoving, even if she wondered what lay so heavily on his mind.
To keep things light, Joss rubbed her hands together. “See, this is so much better than broccoli and chicken.” She reached for a piece of pizza, placing it on a plate and sliding that one to Maddox before taking a piece for herself, ready to dig in. Cheese, bread, meat, and grease…and a huge orgasm earlier—life had never been better. Even now, she noticed how her bottom still felt warm. She never would’ve believed that a flogging could feel so relaxing, and she didn’t know if it was the orgasm alone, but she felt lit up inside.
She took a big bite of the pizza, moaning when the grease hit her lips, figuring they’d eat in silence, though Maddox surprised her.
“It didn’t matter, you know.”
She glanced up at him through her lashes, swallowing her pizza. His soft eyes were fixated on her face. “What didn’t matter?” she asked.
“Not having a mother,” he said, reaching for two more pieces of pizza and placing them onto his plate. Apparently, the one piece she’d given him wasn’t sufficient. And that didn’t surprise Joss. The man surely had a large appetite. He lifted his pizza to his mouth, and before taking a big bite said, “My father was enough.”
She wasn’t sure a mother’s love could ever be replaced, but she wasn’t going to tell Maddox that. It all began to make sense to her, though. Maddox didn’t want a girlfriend because he didn’t know what he was missing. He’d never had it, and he hadn’t witnessed a good relationship as a child. Heck, she understood the need to protect oneself. He left women before they could leave him. She got it. “Does your dad live here in Seattle?” she asked.
“Yeah, he does.”
She swallowed her bite, waiting for him to say more. When he didn’t, she asked, “He didn’t remarry at all?”
“No.”
“Is there a reason for that?”
“Never asked him.”
Ever the more curious. “Hmmm…”
Maddox paused with the pizza halfway to his lips, and the side of his mouth curved. “And what exactly does that ‘hmmm’ mean?”
“Oh, nothing really.” She reached for her straw and took a sip of her drink before replying. “Just figuring you out is all.”
“Perfect,” he said, grabbing his napkin and wiping his face. “So now we can reach the point where you think you can fix whatever is wrong with me and somehow correct the fact that I don’t want to be in a committed relationship.”
She noted the dry tone of his voice, even the irritation in it. “Well,” she said in a light voice, hoping he’d truly hear her, “from the way I see it, you’re honorable, straightforward, hardworking, caring toward other’s needs, and strong. I’m not exactly sure what needs fixing.”
Maddox lowered his pizza and stared into her eyes intently. The seconds drew on as his brows furrowed. Her body heated, both under the powerful command of his regard and in all the things he wasn’t saying out loud but she could hear anyway.
“But who am I to say,” she added quickly to break the silence, realizing she was making things a little too emotional. “I’m nowhere near perfect, so I’m probably not the best judge of someone’s character anyway.”
He didn’t reply, instead he gathered up his last piece of pizza. He ate the entire slice in silence before he grabbed his napkin, wiping his hands, looking at her again. “You’re wrong, you know.”
“Wrong?”
He pushed his plate away and stared at her with those stern eyes. “You’re the perfect you. The only you in this world. It doesn’t get more perfect than that.”
“Oh, you’d better be careful,” she said seriously, “I might start thinking you’re capable of being loving.”
He barked out a laugh then leaned away. “You’re right. You’re a terrible judge of character.”
Chapter 9
The next morning, Maddox awoke with a jolt. Fully aware that something was different, he snapped his eyes open and turned his head on the pillow. Joss lay next to him, snoring softly. The sun beamed through the window, casting a warm glow onto her bare thigh sticking out of the dark gray duvet. Apparently, after he’d taken her again last night, he’d fallen asleep.