Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
CHAPTER SIX
Two days later
Matt let himself out of his room at five on Wednesday afternoon, wondering what the fuck he’d find today. Madison’s door was closed—again.
She hadn’t been the same since his altercation with Todd their first night back in DC. After her rush of concern in the dark hallway, she’d been distant. At first, Matt had assumed she was avoiding temptation. He’d been trying, too, because he ached for her all the time. Having her so near and being unable to touch her made him fucking insane. But over the last couple of days, he’d realized he was wrong. She’d gone cold. And she wasn’t being aloof simply to mislead Toddhole and get him off her back. No doubt the little asshole had rebuked her for masturbating on the sofa, especially since she’d done it at Matt’s command, for his viewing pleasure. Todd knew that, too. But as the hours had turned into days, and Madison had barely met even his clandestine stares, he suspected something else—something he didn’t know about—was going on.
As he reached the main living space, he found Ethan camped on the sofa with ESPN and a soda. “Hey.”
The kid rose and downed the last of his carbonated can. “Hey. Good sleep?”
Not really. He couldn’t relax being under Todd Pershing’s roof, and he didn’t like the distance growing between him and Madison. But he wasn’t confessing any of that to Ethan.
“Fine,” he lied. “Where’s the douchebag?”
“Gone. He left about noon. No idea when he’ll return.”
If it was like last night, where the cockbag had rolled in at three in the morning, pupils dilated like he was high and smelling of sex, that suited Matt just fine.
“FYI, he ripped out the sound system before he left,” Ethan added.
Matt glanced at the shelving beside the TV to see all the equipment gone. So the prick had removed the only means he and Madison had to talk. Frustration compounded his anger. That son of a bitch… “Where’s Madison?”
“We finished a movie about twenty minutes ago. Then she said she wanted a nap.”
Or she wanted to avoid him.
But she had zero problems hanging out with Ethan. In fact, the past two days Matt had awakened in the late afternoon to the sound of their combined laughter floating down the hall. That bugged the shit out of him.
Was she attracted to Ethan? Ready to toss aside everything for the punk?
Tomorrow—their one day away from this confining hellhole—couldn’t come soon enough.
Matt scowled. “Anything going on I should know about?”
“Like what?”
There were a lot of ways Matt could ask the question burning in his gut, but he wasn’t spilling his insecurities to the jackoff seemingly fixated on stealing his woman. “Did Todd do or say something to upset Madison when I wasn’t on duty?”
Ethan looked startled. “You haven’t talked to her?”
Matt looked up at the ceiling, a silent reminder of all the surveillance. “I haven’t had a chance.”
“You should.”
A chill iced Matt’s veins. So something had happened.
“Listen, I’m going to kick back in my room.” Ethan trekked to the kitchen and dumped his empty can in the recycle bin. “See you in the morning.”
“Wait.” As much as the kid irritated him, Ethan had information Matt needed. “Level with me, huh? I don’t want to ask if it’s going to upset her.”
“That ship sailed, man. I don’t know Madison well, but one thing I’m crystal clear on? She doesn’t like secrets and lies.” His fellow operative sent him a stare that suggested he’d fucked up, then he disappeared into his room, shutting the door with a final click.
Son of a bitch. Todd had crawled inside Madison’s head. Why would she believe her asshole of a husband? And why hadn’t she told the man she’d agreed to marry just last week what was wrong? Given him an opportunity to set the record straight?
Then again, how could she in this fishbowl of technology?
Fuck. They wouldn’t be able to hash out this shit until tomorrow, but he ached to at least see her face. Fuck coffee, food, and everything else right now. He needed to remind her that Todd was a snake trying to separate them for his own ends.
Palms sweating, he rubbed them on his jeans and marched to her bedroom door, then knocked. More than a minute passed. Matt was about to knock again when she cracked the door, wearing a T-shirt and matching shorts in a soft gray cotton with her hair pulled into a severe ponytail. She wasn’t wearing a drop of makeup. Or a bra. And for a woman who was supposedly napping, she looked as if she hadn’t slept in days. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot. And fuck, she’d been crying.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“You look pale and tired. You sure nothing’s wrong?”
She raised her chin, looking back at him as if he were a stranger, not the man she supposedly loved. “Positive.”