Beautiful Burn (The Maddox Brothers 4)

I climbed up from his lap, straddling him again, gripping his girth and lowering myself slowly, watching the warmth and wetness of my insides overwhelm him. He had done this many times before, but not with me. Tyler looked like the type to take charge, the kind of guy who pleasured his women until they futilely begged him for more. But he couldn’t give them more, and that was exactly what I liked about him—aside from the fact that he was insanely hot and knew how to touch my sensitive parts like he was the architect who’d built me.

His fingers dug into my hips, and I could tell he was trying to relax my pace. He wouldn’t admit he wanted me to slow down. He was close, but so was I, and some asshole was knocking on the door, calling his name. He wasn’t leaving until he’d finished what I’d started.

I was panting hard, moaning every time my ass slammed against his lap, and when Tyler came, he came hard, gripping my ass as he arched his back. He was so deep it hurt, but I circled my hips until I tumbled over the edge. I dug my fingers into his chest, smiling with an open mouth, unable to control the cries ripping from my throat.

Tyler spread my thighs and tensed his ass, pressing into me further. He growled a string of expletives, and then relaxed, exhaling after catching his breath. He looked up at me, sleepy and satisfied. “God damn, woman.”

I leaned over, lifting my leg, and then crawled off the bed. He watched me dress as he lay on his side, ignoring the knocking on the door.

“I, uh … I work a lot. I’m on the Alpine Hotshot crew, and—”

“So?” I fastened my bra behind me, and then stepped into my underwear.

Tyler paused, trying to decide what to say next. “So … are those Calvin Kleins?”

I looked down at the extra small men’s tighty whities I’d slipped on. Lace, thongs, cheekies … not my thing. “Yeah?”

He chuckled. “So, uh … I won’t be able to … you know—”

“Call? That makes two of us.”

Tyler stood up and began collecting his clothes while the pounding from the hall began again. “Maddox! You in there?”

“For fuck’s sake, Zeke! Hang on!” he said, pulling on his jeans.

He was waiting for me to dress before opening the door, but I’d barely pulled my T-shirt over my head before his friends opened the door.

One of the men, a bit shorter and a lot bulkier, nodded to me, and then—realizing I was half naked—stared at the floor. “You ready or what?”

“I’m ready, Zeke,” Tyler said, grinning at me.

Zeke pointed behind him with his thumb. “They’re tearing up the place. Want us to help you get them out of here?”

I shook my head. “I have a great cleanup crew.”

“I don’t think they can clean your couch. There’s down feathers all over the floor.”

“I’ll buy a new one.”

Tyler frowned. “Let’s put a stop to that shit.”

Zeke nodded. “And then we’re going.”

Tyler winked at me. “Thanks for the, um … pleasant surprise.”

“I’d say anytime, but neither of us call.”

Tyler breathed out a laugh, looking down, and then back up at me from under his thick lashes. “I guess. See you around, Ellison.”

“It’s Ellie. And probably not.”

He didn’t seem fazed. “Good night.” He took a step back and closed the door.

I sat on the mess of sheets, blankets, and throw pillows that was my parents’ bed. Tyler’s condom was hanging halfway off the rim of my mother’s wastebasket next to her vanity by the door. Tyler was a terrible shot.

I curled into the fetal position, shedding tears no one would see. Crying, not because I was ashamed, but because I knew no matter how trashed the house would be, or how horribly I’d disrespected my parents’ room, they wouldn’t be angry. They would forgive me, and pity me. I would forever be their perfect little girl. The louder I screamed, the tighter they’d mash their hands over their ears.

Someone knocked on the door, and I called for them to come in. Standing in the threshold was Paige, looking lonely and desperate.

“Room for one more?” she squeaked.

I pulled back the blanket and sheets. She smiled and then hurried to lie beside me. I wrapped my arms around her and relaxed as she kissed the inside of my wrist.

“You’re beautiful,” she whispered. “What is it like? To live in a house like this? To live this life?”

I didn’t know how to respond, so I said the first thing that came to mind. “Close your eyes.”

Paige reached back, wedging her hand between my wet thighs.

“I saw him come downstairs,” she said.

“So you decided to come up?”

“I knew he wouldn’t stay.”

“I didn’t need him to.”

“I do,” she said, “need people to stay. You can pretend I’m him … if you want.”

“I’ll pretend you’re you,” I said, kissing her temple.

Paige relaxed in my arms, settling in while the bass throbbed through the floor. After a few minutes, the music abruptly turned off, and I knew Tyler and his friends were ending the party and kicking everyone out.

Not long after, Paige’s breathing evened. I closed my eyes, pulled her closer to me, and sunk into oblivion.

CHAPTER TWO

I was just making my way to my father’s pristine black Audi when the first van arrived. Men and women filed out, their boots crunching against the snow as they carried buckets, vacuums, and boxes of cleaning supplies into the house. Felix, my father’s assistant, had already expedited the new sofa.

My parents wouldn’t be in Estes Park from Rome for another week, providing plenty of time to get the house back in order. It wasn’t the first time Felix had had to hire crews to clean up after a party, and he was very good at making sure nothing was out of place. Since I was seven, Felix had been the peacekeeper and protector of the family, and doubled as my father’s bodyguard when necessary. Sometimes Felix had to protect Daddy from me.

“Miss Edson,” Felix said, nodding as I approached the drive.

He towered over the Audi, his suit jacket tight around his thick arms. His metal-rimmed glasses were tinted, protecting his eyes from the same sun that reflected off his smooth head. He held a cellphone in his right hand and a clipboard against his chest with his left. No doubt there was a list several pages long of items to be checked off, repairs and orders to be made, all in an effort to provide Daddy with the life he paid Felix to create.