Brett’s hands shook as he moved to the bar and poured a glass of whiskey into a highball glass.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough of that?” Madi’s tone was cautious, and he looked back at her, frowning, confused. Why did she seem fearful?
“As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t had near enough. But, if it bothers you, I’ll be done.” He set the glass down and saw relief hit her eyes. Then anger ripped through him as a sudden thought occurred to him. “Wait… Hunter never got violent with you when he was drinking, did he?”
Madi looked down. Brett moved fast and gripped her arm, turning her to face him. She was crying, and Brett felt a punch to his gut. “Madi, you’d better tell me.” Brett felt like he was about to explode.
“He…he got loud and occasionally aggressive. He never hit me but…in bed, he…”
Jesus, Brett thought and wanted to punch a wall with the fury that seized him. That motherfucker! He needed to go puke; he wasn’t ready for any more damn surprises today.
Brett turned, covering his face with his hands, attempting to hold his rage inside. He moved away before he roared so loud he scared her.
“Brett?” Madi asked. He could hear her closing in.
“Give me a sec, Madi. I just need to…” His entire body shook, and he took deep breaths in, moving to the couch to sit down. He wrung his hands. “God, I could literally rip him out of that grave and kill him right now.” Brett didn’t miss the flash of lightning that glinted in the window.
“I felt the same way today,” she said, bowing her head as she sat down next to him.
He looked up at her, at her pain, and his anger began to dissipate. “I’m sorry he hurt you. In more ways than one. I never should’ve…” he trailed off, knowing she didn’t need any more surprises today either. He had to ease into telling her how he felt and tonight wasn’t the night.
“You saw him…with them?”
“I mean, I didn’t actually see him fucking them, but I saw him go into the room with them. Then the next morning, I saw them leave, so…”
“Did he talk to you about it afterward?”
“No. I think he knew better than to bring it up.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“For me to be naïve enough to believe he wouldn’t cheat on me.”
“Oh, Madi…”
“No, it’s true. Isn’t that typical for celebrities and athletes?”
“Not all athletes,” Brett defended. “You’re more than worthy of having a man devoted solely to you.”
“Apparently not.”
“C’mon, Madi, Hunt lived for the fame. He wasn’t like you and I, he didn’t grow up with it. He basked in his stardom. He was a showboat. Men like him can’t be true to themselves, let alone anyone else. Don’t take his shortcomings personally. He obviously sucked at being a husband.”
“Or I sucked at being a wife,” Madi whimpered and covered her face with her hands.
This was what Brett had dreaded, Madi blaming herself for what Hunter had done. How could he convince her she was amazing? How could he prove to her she’d always deserved better than Hunter Thomas?
“Please don’t blame yourself, Sunflower.” He pulled her to him then, grateful the anger was gone but sad that dejection had taken its place. “Madi, please listen to me. I know that if Hunter were here now, he’d hate that you knew; he’d hate himself for hurting you like this. He’d tell you how sorry he was and how it wasn’t worth it.”
“You’re just saying all this to make me feel better.”
“No, I know it’s true. He wasn’t perfect. But he loved you, even if he had a shitty way of showing it.”
Brett let her cry then, cry for the past, cry for Hunt’s wrongdoings, deep down knowing Hunt had been right about one thing. Brett had been all talk and no action, too terrified to tell her he loved her. Well, if Brett had learned anything in the last few months, he’d learned that life was too damn short to drag his feet. Life had given him a false start—or was it Madi who’d been given the false start? Either way, Brett wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by. He’d been given a second chance and he wasn’t going to waste it. Soon, he was going to tell Madison Hope Thomas how he’d always felt about her and hope like hell he wasn’t too late.
CHAPTER TEN
Madi moped for two days after finding out Hunter had cheated on her last June at a football conference in Vegas. Once she’d seen the newspaper article, she’d let her anger overtake her and allowed the blame to settle on Brett. It still bothered her that he’d not told her when it all happened and not answered the question as to why he hadn’t. Madi let it go. Maybe guys had a guy code that caused them to refrain from telling on each other. Maybe he’d just never knew how to tell her. Maybe Hunter had never given him the opportunity. Whatever the reason, Madi knew that Brett had to have a good one. Brett valued honesty at all costs—honesty and loyalty—and he’d always been both to her. He’d never done anything to break her trust, never done anything to make her doubt him, never been anything but on her side, always.
But what she couldn’t let go of was how inadequate she suddenly felt. Hunter had been the only man she’d ever been with, and he’d cheated on her. With not one but two women at once…presumably. Was it because Madi’s sexual performance hadn’t been satisfactory? Had he been seeking more action in the bedroom because Madi was boring? Was she bad in bed?
She’d never had low confidence, but right now her self-esteem was reeling…and badly.
She’d spent the first day in bed, again—yes, she found peace in sleep. And Brett took the hint, leaving her to wallow. But by the second day, he’d come and got her, made her shower, and taken her to his house.
He was right, she had to get rid of her house; it was bad for her. The memories were destroying her.
It wasn’t until she was getting out of the tub and dressing for bed that Madi got an idea, an incredibly awful idea, that embedded itself into her brain. Brett was her best friend. If anyone could understand, it was him. And he owed her this much.
Madi pulled her clothes off, looked in the mirror, and took in a deep breath. She headed into the bathroom and donned the silky white robe hanging behind the door. When she exited the room, she made her mind up. She was putting herself out there once more, putting her heart on the line. She was braving the prospect of rejection once again, but she had to know; had to know if she was the reason Hunter had cheated.
And Brett was going to be the one to tell her.
Brett slipped into a pair of boxers following his shower and crawled into the freshly cleaned sheets. He grabbed his phone to text Pax back.
They were excited about him practicing with Quil tomorrow, but Brett found himself nervous. As angry as he’d been with Hunter, his best friend had also been his favorite receiver. He and Hunter had meshed well on the field together. Whatever had been going on outside of work, when they were on the field, nothing existed but the game. Brett and Hunter had been on the same page; they read each other well and were always in sync. Brett would call for the snap, Hunt would get in position, and somehow that pigskin always made its way into his hands. It was as if Hunter had a target on him, and Brett’s arm always managed to hit that target. And when 83 got that ball, he aimed to score—or do his damnest to get as close to the red zone as possible.
Not that Brett feared Quillan wouldn’t have that same drive; he was a great football player. But Brett felt somewhat lost without his best friend. And being on that field for the first time without Hunter there was going to be difficult.
A knock came on Brett’s open door. He looked up to see Madi, still in makeup and hair curled from their dinner earlier. She’d seemed miles away as they ate together, but he let it be; he knew she was still hurting over what Hunter had done—Hell, who wouldn’t be?
She had a white silk robe on and wore a look of apprehension on her stunning face as she stopped in front of h
is bed.
“Hey, Sunflower. You ok?” He would be glad when he could stop asking her that question. Far too often lately she donned an expression of sadness, regret, or pain on her face; each time he asked, he feared the answer for he knew she wasn’t really ok.
“Um, I—” Madi wrung her hands, looking far more insecure than she ever had. “Brett.” She took a step forward and leaned her hip against the post at the end of the bed. “You’re my best friend, right?”
“Right.” Of course he was. He always had been, and she’d been his.
“So, you’d do anything for me. Right?”
Brett smirked in amusement. “Of course I would, Madi. But…I’m not digging up Hunt. I know we were pissed at him, but that’s just too damn morbid, sorry.”
Madi seemed to miss his humor and looked down instead, gulping. Perhaps that comment was too premature; Brett gritted his teeth in regret.
Were her cheeks flushing? “I need to ask something of you. Something I’ve never asked. Something I…I need you to do for me.” She was stumbling over her words. Why did she seem so off?
“Madi, baby, what is it? C’mere.” He opened his arms, beckoning her to him.
“And you’ll do it, right? It has to be you, Brett. I trust you more than anyone else, and this is…this is big.”
“Madi,” Brett gave a chuckle. “Whatever it is, I’m in. You know I’d re-sink the Titanic for you. You mean everything to me.”
“Good because…I …I need you to… have sex with me.”
Brett’s brows shot up just as Madi pulled the robe from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
Anything Brett had been prepared for hadn’t been this. She was completely naked beneath the robe. Completely, superbly naked. Madison Hope Thomas in the nude, in the flesh, was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen in his life—as he’d always known she would be. He couldn’t keep his desperate eyes from descending her shoulders, down to her perky, plump breasts with their light pink nipples—utter perfection, not too big and not too small but just the right size to be a handful. He took in her athletically trim waist and curvy hips to the little blonde triangle of hair pointing to the place he knew would be the closest thing to Heaven he’d ever get. Her thighs were muscular, and he longed to grab them and spread them open, lose himself in the depths between. His mouth literally watered as his eyes ascended, retracing their pleasurable excursion, back up to her twinkling, sea-foam green eyes.
She was more exquisite than he’d ever dreamed, and his immediate arousal banished all thoughts from his head. He was helpless and speechless as she slowly moved toward him. Was he dreaming? He had to be dreaming. This was definitely a dream, he knew. As the woman of his dreams moved onto his bed and began to crawl atop his lap, he indulged in this perfect fantasy.
His erection pressed painfully into her inner thigh as she straddled him and looked deeply into his eyes. Her soft hands moved slowly up his forearms to his shoulders. He shivered as he rested his own on her waist, his eyes moving from her breasts back to her eyes. He felt her nipples touch his pecs and grunted, loving the feel of her bare flesh against his own.
“I haven’t been ok with all this, not really. I need to know if I’m the reason that Hunter cheated. He’s the only man I’ve ever been with, Brett,” she whispered, shamefully. Then the beauty on his lap looked down, biting hard into her lip. “I have to know. I have to…”
What was she saying? His thoughts were running a mile a minute, and all he could focus on was how good her sexy body felt pressing against his. Some part of him knew he needed to stop this, knew he should be a gentleman and look away from the splendid physique that enticed him so; but, God help him, he simply couldn’t. He’d done the right thing for far too long where this woman was concerned. He’d held back, stayed quiet, hid in the shadows, and right now, all he wanted was to shout out his claim for the one he’d privately adored all his life. He’d never been selfish with her, never pressed for more, never made his desire for her known—tonight that was all changing.
Before he could protest, before his subconscious mind kicked in and shut this tantalizing scene down, he made the move he’d always longed to make. He leaned up and kissed her just as she was moving her head down to do the same. His palm cupped her head and pulled her face to his, angling his mouth as he deepened the kiss and took what he’d always wanted. Her lips were just as soft and sweet and delicious as he remembered back in college. The moan that escaped came from him, and when she fell into him, he ran with this incredible feeling humming through his veins—the need to make her his, finally.
Her tongue moved across his, and he flipped her over onto her back, the urge to be buried deep inside her taking over him. His hand moved to cup a breast, and he kneaded it like his life depended on it, loving the sounds escaping her throat as his other hand moved to her thigh, gripping it tightly. Madi moaned as her hands gripped his biceps, and when she pulled back for a breath, his mouth descended to her throat. He licked and sucked and had her hips arching up against his, making his desire for her rage like a fire fed by kerosene. He growled as he thrust back, scowling at the barrier of his boxers separating their bare flesh.
Her head flew back, and she gasped when his lips moved lower where he gently bit into the mound of her breast. “Oh, yes, Brett,” she practically whimpered.
Her desperation fueled his own as his hand moved up the back of her thigh to grip her bottom, but a little voice in the back of his head grew louder and louder and finally screamed. Suddenly, he stopped and looked back at her face.
His hand moved from her breast to her cheek, and he cupped it gently, letting his breathing calm some before he spoke. He frowned at her questioning face and said the most honest thing he’d ever said to her, “Not like this, Madi. We can’t.”
She gulped, shame reddening her features.
“I want to. Trust me! You can feel how much I wanna be with you, angel.” He thrust his raging boner softly into her pelvis. “But not here, not like this.” Brett shook his head. “I won’t be the man you fuck to prove something to yourself. I’m sorry.”
Madi’s lip quivered in humility, but he wasn’t done.
“When I make love to you, it will be because you want me to. You can’t allow this insecurity you’re feeling right now to do this to yourself—to me, to us.” When Madi frowned, he finally confessed the secret that had threatened to suffocate him for so long. “I’m too in love with you to have waited this long for a simple one-night stand. I won’t be your rebound. I won’t be second any longer, and I sure as hell won’t be the one to compare you to another woman.” She swallowed hard, and he did too. “Don’t you see, Madi? It wouldn’t even be possible because no one holds a candle to you in my eyes. They never have.”
He watched her face go from surprise, to acknowledgement, to acceptance. She looked away and fought the tears that came to her Caribbean blue-green eyes. He knew she was rife with mortification, but he couldn’t have their first time be under these circumstances. He didn’t want her just for tonight, he wanted her forever, for always—and having sex with her on these terms would only hurt them both in the long run.
“Fine,” she scoffed and lifted her chin, looking back into his face. “If you won’t do it. Then I’ll find someone who will!”
It made so much sense now. All of it. How Brett had been acting all this time…hell, all their lives. In high school, in college, at her wedding… Brett’s ex-girlfriend, Hailey, showing up to her office the morning after they’d broken up, telling Madi she was a, “very lucky woman.” It was as if a veil had been uncovered, the revelation to a magic trick, to every action and reaction Brett had ever had.
Madi felt her heart soaring even as Brett smirked, “Oh, I don’t think so, Sunflower. Maybe you didn’t hear me. I’m in love with you, and I don’t plan on sharing you. Not now. Not ever.” His eyes sparkled, brighter than she’d ever seen them.
He was in love with her, and he was confessing it—and damn t
he confession felt surreal, amazing. She gulped.
“You won’t be finding anyone to do your dirty deed.”
Madi had no time to respond as he brought her hands up and over her head, pinning her wrists with his big palm. She grunted, but before she could speak, he was kissing her again, eagerly, slowly, sipping her lips as if they gave him his very life. She moaned as his other hand came to her breast and squeezed possessively.
“Mmm, Brett,” she cooed when he pulled back for a breath, his mouth moving to her cheek, her jaw, her throat.
“Brett isn’t here, Sunflower. I think I should show you the owner of the lair you’ve entered.” Brett’s grin was triumphant as he shifted and opened a drawer of the nightstand, pulling a tie from it. He began to loop it around one of Madi’s wrist and tied it to the bed post. He pulled another tie from the drawer then did the same with the other wrist. “Tonight, you’re here with Zeus, darlin’.”
“But you said…” Madi gasped as Brett gripped her breast tightly again in his big palm. He lowered his head to her nipple, pulling the hardened peak into his hot mouth and teasing the tip with his tongue. He nipped and sucked and licked her into a quivering stupor while his other hand tortured the opposite breast.
“Mmm, you’re delicious, Sunflower,” he murmured as his eyes flashed jade fire.
Her hips began to arch up against him even as he chuckled and switched breasts, overwhelming her in sweet torment.
Finally, he pulled back just enough to look up at her, his hand moving down her side. “I said I wasn’t being the man you fuck to prove something to yourself. I said nothing about not worshipping your body as I’ve always wanted to do. After all, you came to me. I’d be a fool to refuse such a sexy little goddess, wouldn’t I?”
“Oh, God,” Madi stated as his hand moved down her belly to her thighs and in between, his finger sliding through her slit.
FALSE START (Gods of the Gridiron Book 2) Page 12
