Choosing Happy (Madison Square #2)

by Samatha Harris

  “The truth,” she said.

  I brushed my thumb against my bottom lip and shook my head. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She’d risked her career, her reputation, everything, for me.

  Before I knew what I was doing I’d closed the distance between us, my hands framing her face and my forehead pressed to hers. She melted into my arms, and I sighed as a wave of relief washed over me, but I held back. I needed to be sure that she wanted this, wanted me.

  I couldn’t handle losing her again. I didn’t think I would survive it. I had to be sure.

  “If you don’t feel it, Madison, tell me. Tell me and I will disappear from your life completely.” I leaned back and stared down into her eyes. “Just say the words.”

  She searched my face, tears welling in her eyes. “I can’t,” she whispered.

  I stepped forward, aligning our bodies perfectly together. I leaned in close. Her breath felt warm against my lips. “Tell me to stop,” I said as my lips brushed lightly against hers.

  She stayed still, breathing me in.

  I smiled, and a soft sigh escaped from her lips. “Last chance, beautiful.”

  “Just kiss me,” she whispered.

  The moment our lips touched, we ignited. She whimpered as my lips crashed against hers, hungry and heated.

  I pressed her back against the counter and threaded my fingers through her hair. I let go, kissing her with everything I’d felt. I poured it all into that kiss.

  I nipped and sucked at her bottom lip. I slid my hands beneath her shirt, gripping her hips as I lifted her onto the cool marble counter top. I tugged at her knee, guiding those perfect legs to wrap around my waist as I deepened the kiss.

  Fuck did I miss this: her taste, the feel of her skin, that soft little moan she makes when I nibbled at the sensitive flesh behind her ear. I’d missed everything about her, about us.

  A deep moan rumbled in my chest as her delicate fingers slid beneath my shirt. She tugged at the hem, her fingers brushing lightly against my skin.

  Our mouths parted only long enough to rid me of my shirt before they crashed back together.

  I felt crazed. I couldn’t stop. I needed more. I needed to bury myself inside her and claim her once again. Madison was mine and I was hers. Nothing felt more real or true than that.

  Her shirt was the next to hit the floor. She was bare, those perfect pink nipples hard and brushing against my chest as I kissed my way down her throat. I slid my hands up her stomach, cupping her breasts, sucking the stiff peaks into my mouth.

  Madison moaned and arched into me. She slid forward on the counter and rubbed herself against my cock, looking for any source of friction.

  I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be with her. I felt alive and desperate and so fucking happy. It wasn’t the sex. It was her. Having her wrapped in my arms, her breath in my ear, the pounding of her heart in total sync with mine.

  I loved her. It didn’t have to make sense. We didn’t have to make sense. We belonged to each other, and that was all that mattered. This was what true happiness felt like.

  I smiled against her neck and slipped my fingers under the waistband of her pants. I pulled them quickly down her thighs and tossed them aside as I kissed her again and again.

  Stepping forward, I forced her legs wide open and teased my fingers along her inner thigh. She gasped as I slipped my fingers through the slick folds at the apex of her thighs. I brushed my fingers gently over her clit, moving in slow punishing circles as she squirmed beneath my touch.

  “Sean,” she breathed as she ran her hand down my chest as I slipped one finger inside her.

  Madison gasped. A moan slipped from her lips, and I leaned into her, swallowing her sounds with my kiss.

  She pushed at my pants, sliding them down my thighs to the floor. I stepped out and kicked them to the side as my cock pressed hard into her stomach. She reached for me, her delicate fingers wrapped tight around my shaft. She gave me a tentative stroke as her lips traveled across my throat. I dug my fingers into her hips as her lips traveled up my neck, to my ear.

  When she reached my ear, she sucked the lobe into her mouth. I couldn’t hold back anymore. A growl ripped from my throat and I gripped the back of her thighs, positioned my cock against her entrance, and thrust into her hard, both of us crying out as I slid home.

  The warmth of her body was almost too much. I stilled, our hips pressed together as I regained control.

  Our eyes locked, and I brushed the hair away from her eyes and gently kissed her lips. “I love you, Madison,” I said. “So fucking much.”

  It started slow, my thrusts keeping pace with our tongues. As the kisses intensified, so did everything else. My hips slammed into hers as her heels dug into my ass, begging for more. I was seconds away from losing control, but I held back. She leaned forward, as if reading my mind, and whispered, “Let go.”

  I stilled and looked up, meeting her eyes. “Don’t hold back,” she said. A smile spread wide across my face and I pulled her off the edge of the counter, pulling from her body as I pushed her face down against the counter before I buried myself deep inside her again.

  Madison cried out as I drove myself into her over and over. My fingers bit into her flesh, and I leaned over her, flicking my tongue out to taste the soft skin of her back.

  I felt her body tighten around me. I groaned and wrapped my arm around her, pressing down hard on her clit as I slammed into her. She screamed, her body shaking. She milked my cock as she came.

  I pulled from her body and turned her around fast. I crashed my lips to hers as I lifted her in my arms. I turned us both and pressed her back into the refrigerator, thrusting into her again. She felt so good, my knees almost buckled.

  I pushed inside her, devouring her lips as her nails raked across my shoulders. I needed to feel her again. I needed to see her lose control just one more time. She dropped her forehead against mine, her body coiling as another orgasm built inside her. I sped up, burying my face into her neck, breathing her in as she let go.

  I thrust my hips up, her eyes going wide as I made contact with that magic spot inside her that made her come completely unhinged. I rubbed myself against it over and over as she cried out, gripping my hair in her fist. The pain from her fingers tugging at my hair mixed with the pleasure of her exploding around me made me lose it. My body jerked violently as we came together.

  I set her back on her feet and slipped from her body as I pressed my lips to hers in a slow, sweet kiss. “I missed you,” I whispered.

  ***

  Eventually we made it upstairs. We spent the rest of the morning wrapped in each other’s arms.

  The sun was high and bright when we finally decided to head back. I packed our bags into my car as Madison went through the house to make sure that the lights were off and everything was locked up.

  The drive back was quiet. I looked at her and smiled, threading our fingers together as we headed down the highway. Things felt different between us, yet the same.

  She stared out her window and watched the scenery pass, lost in thought.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  She looked at me with a small smile on her lips. She was worried.

  “Hey,” I said. “Talk to me.”

  She sighed and looked down at our joined hands. “I just…I don’t know where we go from here.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean…” Her phone started ringing. She looked at the screen and showed it to me. Liam. She swiped her finger across the screen to answer.

  “Hey, Liam, now’s not a goo…” she said. “Really? That’s amazing! Congratulations! I’m so proud of you. Oh, Liam you’re breaking up. I can’t…Liam?”

  She looked at her phone, her brows knitted together.

  “Good news?” I asked.

  “Liam got the loan,” she said. I frowned, not quite following her train of thought.

  Madison shook her head. “Liam is the new owner of The Den.”


  “Seriously?” I laughed. “Shit, the old man finally did it.”

  “Yeah, they’re drawing up the papers now.”

  “Wow, The Den under new ownership. I never thought it would happen.”

  Her phone rang again in her lap, and she answered it quickly, “Liam, I…” She was quiet for a minute. The smile slipped from her face. My attention volleyed between the road and my woman, who’d gone completely pale.

  She cleared her throat. “Um, yeah. I’m on my way.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “That was Michael,” she said. “He’s been arrested.”

  ***

  I paced the hallway of the fifth street precinct. I still had no idea why we were there, exactly. Madison told me to drop her off at her car, but there was no way in hell I was going to let her bail that fucker out of jail by herself. I compromised by riding with her to the station. If it were up to me, the son of a bitch could rot.

  Madison sat rigid in the hard plastic chair, staring at her feet. I sighed, sat beside her, and wrapped my arm around her shoulder as we waited for Michael to be released. Fucker was arrested on a DUI. He blew a point one two in a field sobriety test and tried to pay off the cop to get out of it. Dumbass.

  The door buzzed, and Madison and I shot to our feet as a large cop shoved a rough looking douche bag in what was a nice suit through the door. When the guy spotted Madison, he threw his arms open wide and smiled.

  “Maddie bear,” he said. “There’s my beautiful wife.”

  He took a step toward her, and I blocked him with a hand to his chest. He reeked of piss and bad cologne.

  “Who…the fuck…are you?” he slurred. “Get your hands off me. I want to see my wife.”

  “I’m not your wife anymore, Michael,” Madison said. Her voice was strong and defiant. Pride swelled in my chest. The strong, feisty girl I loved was coming out.

  “Aww, don’t be like that, Maddie bear,” Michael said. “You know you’re the only one I love. Only you, always you.”

  The cop handed Madison a large envelope with Michael’s stuff, like his wallet and keys. “Get him home,” he said.

  Michael glared at the cop as he disappeared back behind the door. When he was gone, a smile spread wide across Michael’s face. “I knew I could count on you, Maddie bear.” Madison groaned and stormed from the waiting room.

  “Wait,” he said as he chased after her with me hot on his heels. Madison pushed through the doors and was halfway across the parking lot before we reached her.

  “Come on, baby. Don’t be mad,” he said.

  Madison whirled around to face him. “I’m not your baby,” she said. “I’m not your anything!”

  A smile spread wide across my face. She was furious and so fucking sexy. She was finally standing up for herself, and it was a beautiful thing to witness. I leaned against the car and let her go at him.

  Michael took a step toward her. “Come on, Maddie bear. You’re my everything.”

  She stepped out of his reach and he frowned, his lips tight with anger. He looked like a kid who’d dropped his ice cream in the dirt.

  “Don’t do this, baby. You know how much I love you. I made a mistake, but we can get through this.” Dumbass probably would have sounded sincere if he hadn’t hiccupped every other word.

  She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “You have some nerve, Michael. You left me. You decided to fuck some teenage tramp and ruin our marriage. You filed for divorce. I signed the papers and I walked away, just like you wanted, but I still can’t seem to get rid of you. What the hell do you want from me?”

  “I told you, I made a mistake. I want you back. I want us back.” He reached for her arm and attempted a charming smile, but really it was more of a sneer.

  She yanked her arm free. “Well, it’s too late Michael. I’ve moved on.”

  “With who?” he asked and turned to me with a look of disgust. “With him?”

  I pushed off the car. “I think it’s time for you to go. She said she’s done. Respect her feelings.”

  He turned back to her. “You think you’re better than me,” he spat. “You sit on your high horse, judging me, when you’ve been fucking your brother’s friends.”

  Madison flinched and ducked her head, that strength I loved fading from her eyes.

  Michael turned to face me. “You think you’re fucking special. You’re just a toy.”

  My fist clenched at my sides, and I ground my teeth to keep from taking a swing. I needed to be the bigger man, for Madison.

  “You know what?” Michael said. “Fuck it. I’m a free man.” He raised his arms in the air as he swayed on his feet. He turned to face her, a look of disgust twisting his face. “You’re just a whore. No one will ever want you.” He laughed. The son of a bitch laughed in her face.

  I lost it. My fist slammed into his nose with a sickening crunch. He hit the ground hard, his face covered in blood.

  I stood over him. Anger flooded my system as my body shook with pure unfiltered rage. “Never go near her again,” I said.

  I looked back at Madison. Her eyes were wide as she looked down at her ex rolling around on the asphalt as he clutched his face in pain. She looked back at me and I saw it, panic. The same panicked look she had the first time she left me.

  “No,” I whispered.

  “I can’t.” She shook her head and took a step away from me.

  “Don’t do this, baby. Please don’t do this,” I begged.

  “I can’t do this.” She shook her head. “You punched him! How am I going to explain that?”

  “Explain it to who?”

  “To everyone, his parents, my parents.” I frowned, confused by why she was so upset. I defended her.

  “What was I supposed to do?” I asked. “Did you want me to just stand there and let him talk to you like that?”

  “I was handling it.” Anger flashed across her face. She turned and headed toward her car.

  “No, he was handling you,” I said as I followed. “Why do you do this? Why do you let people like him control you?”

  “I don’t…”

  “Yes, you do. Your family, your boss, that asshole, hell you even let your friends tell you what to think.” I stared at her, my breathing labored. I felt like my chest had been torn open.

  “Things were finally working with us. We were in a good place, after everything that we’ve been through, and all it takes is one word from this son of a bitch and you are ready to run again.”

  “I’m not running,” she said.

  “Bullshit, Madison! You’ve had one foot out the door just waiting for a reason to take off. You’ve been running from me since the day we met.”

  She looked down at her feet as tears fell down her cheeks.

  “Look at me,” I demanded. She lifted her head, and the sadness in her eyes almost brought me to my knees.

  “I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. Your strength, your beauty, that fire inside you that only I can see. I’m so fucking in love with you, but you are never going give to us a chance.”

  “You can’t save me, Sean.” She turned away from me, wiping the tears from her face.

  “Don’t you get it? You don’t need to be saved,” I said. I stepped forward and cupped her cheeks in my hands, brushing away her tears with the pad of my thumb. “You asked me once to make you happy and I would give anything to spend my life doing just that, but the truth is that if you want to be happy, you have to choose it.”

  I released her and took a step back. The ache in my throat grew with every step I took. “You have a choice, beautiful. You can live your life by other people’s rules, or you can choose to be happy for yourself, even if it’s not with me.”

  She looked up at me. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Then she got in the car and left.

  “Fuck!” I screamed as I watched her taillights disappear.

  Chapter 27

  Madison

  By the end of the we
ek, the papers had been signed and the deal was done. Liam was now the proud owner of The Den. Jack agreed to stay on for a few weeks to ensure the transition was smooth. Liam was over the moon. The pride that lit his face when he talked about that old dive was incredible. I was happy for him, but at the same time I was thankful that I was only a silent partner and could avoid the day to day operations of the bar for two reasons. One, I had no idea how to run a bar or what that entailed, and two, Sean was there.

  I hadn’t heard from him since I left him in the parking lot that night. The look on his face as I drove away played on a loop in my head. He looked broken, and sorrow filled his eyes, those beautiful eyes that were so full of joy when we met, so full of life, it was hypnotizing. But that night, that joy, that light, it was gone. I’d snuffed it out. I hated myself for hurting him, for not being the woman he needed, for not being the woman he deserved.

  All the quiet gave me time to think, but the only thing on my mind was Sean. His blank, empty eyes haunted me. Just knowing how much I hurt him killed me. I spent the last week crying myself to sleep. I missed him so much, but the reality of us together just didn’t make sense. We were completely different people, from completely different worlds. Leaving was the right thing to do, for both of us.

  ***

  Friday evening, I came home and dropped my bag by the door. I headed toward the kitchen when the phone rang.

  “Hello,” I answered.

  “Hey, Maddie,” Liam said, shouting so I could hear him over the noise of the bar in the background.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Don’t hate me,” he said.

  “Um, okay.”

  “The family is coming into town on Sunday. They want us to come to brunch.”

  “Demanded, you mean.”

  “Yeah,” he chuckled. “Look, Maddie, I’m gonna tell them about the bar. I need you to be my back up.”

  “Liam, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “I’m not going to hide it. For the first time in my life, I have something that is mine, something that I earned with my own blood and sweat. It may not be much, but it’s mine, and I’m proud of that.”