Take Me in the Night (Take Me #1)

by R. L. Kenderson

  “Navy.”

  “Huh?”

  “My Navy friends.”

  Ben shrugged and wiggled, so I set him down.

  He ran over to his mom and grabbed her hand. “Come on, Mommy. Tell Addison your idea.”

  She wrung her hands, shying away from the camera, but she still stepped forward. “I would be willing to sell my land if you would take it.”

  “But what about—” I almost said Mickey.

  Thankfully, Claire laughed at my blunder. “It’s being taken care of. My lawyer says I will be able to do what I want with the house and land. It’s yours.”

  Addison pulled Claire into a hug. “You’re amazing.”

  Claire’s cheeks were now red.

  When Addison let her go, I stuck out my hand. “Thank you. My mother, my siblings, and I appreciate it.”

  She smiled at me. It was timid, but I’d take it. “Thank you. And please tell your friends thank you, too.”

  “I will.”

  The reporter looked at me, and I knew the question that I had said absolutely no to was coming.

  “This is great news for your community. Do you think, with this recent development along with the charges being dropped, that you’ve redeemed yourself in the eyes of your town for what happened twelve years ago?”

  I clenched my jaw and barely pried it apart to say, “As you remember, the case was dismissed.”

  “Yes, I’m well aware, but I also know small towns have very long memories.”

  She was like a pit bull.

  I was about to tell her to fuck off on television when I heard my brother’s voice.

  “Excuse me, I have something to say about that.” He stepped next to me.

  “What are you doing?”

  “It’s time, Maddox.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” I told him, meaning it.

  “Maddox, yes, I do.” He took a deep breath and said, “It was me who robbed the gas station twelve years ago.”

  Epilogue

  Addison

  From the doorway of our bedroom, I watched my new husband yank his bow tie off and throw it across the room.

  I rushed over and picked it up off the floor. “Hey, we have to turn this in to the tux rental place tomorrow.” I set the bow tie on our dresser.

  Maddox and I’d bought a house about ten months ago. It was an older home, and Maddox had been busy with remodeling things one room at a time. He’d insisted the bedroom be first. I’d insisted the kitchen be second. That had been a rough few months.

  Maddox let his jacket slide down his arms and set it on top of the bow tie. “Sorry, Addy. I’ve had it with being dressed up.” He was struggling to unbutton the shirt. His fingers were too big.

  I pushed his hands aside. “Let me.” I began unbuttoning him myself. “So, you don’t like being dressed up, but did you have fun?”

  “Yes.” He smiled wickedly at me. “But I’m going to have more fun now.” He reached behind me and began unzipping my dress. His brows furrowed when it didn’t fall off me right away.

  I laughed and paused my unbuttoning to pull the tulle from underneath. My dress immediately fell to the floor.

  “What the hell is that?”

  “Something to make my dress look fuller without adding more fabric.”

  He looked at me like I was crazy. “This is why the bride and groom can’t see each other before the ceremony.”

  “You’re probably right.” I finished taking the buttons apart on his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. “Maddox Wolfe. Navy SEAL, sheriff, husband.” Alpha male, I added to myself.

  He smiled. “That’s me.”

  After Simon had been charged with Brandon’s attempted murder, getting thirty years in prison, Detective Porter had begun to look more into Sheriff Whitlock’s conduct. Detective Porter thought there might be enough to press charges. However, the consensus in town was that, if Sheriff Whitlock stepped down and avoided future law enforcement positions, he wouldn’t be charged.

  With the position open, I encouraged Maddox to run. I knew it was very different from being in the Navy, but I thought he could do some good for our little town and our county. Plus, it would give him a sense of accomplishment. He’d been cleaning up the department the last few months. He complained sometimes, but I thought he secretly liked it.

  It had taken the town a little while to get over the scandal that Foster had committed the crime that everyone had blamed Maddox for, but they’d learned to forgive Foster. Most of them anyway. And those same people had opened their minds to Maddox being a good guy. So much that he had been voted into office.

  Brandon had made a full recovery and finished the golf course as the lead on the project. It made life easier that the golf course was constructed, and Maddox’s mom had relocated to the new trailer park. Claire had taken the money and bought herself and Ben a nicer house in town and was now working at the country club. In the end, everything had worked out.

  Maddox ran his thumb down my cheek. “Addison Wolfe. Attorney-at-law and wife.”

  “What would you think if we added one more title to our names?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, and what would that be?”

  I touched my finger to my chest. “Mommy.” Then, I touched his. “And Daddy.”

  Maddox blinked a few times before hauling me into his arms and lifting my feet off the floor. “When did you find out?” he asked, setting me back down and staring at my belly with wide eyes.

  “This morning. I was feeling off the last week or so, and I thought I’d better check before I drank champagne today.”

  He grinned. “So, that’s what was with the sparkling cider at the last minute. Why didn’t you tell me this morning?”

  “I wanted it to be your special wedding present from me when we got home.”

  “Oh, Addy, it’s special all right.” He kissed me and slowly took off the rest of my clothes. “I need to be inside you right now.”

  I reached for his pants and unzipped them. “I completely understand.”

  “Get on the bed, wife.”

  I grinned and walked backward to the bed. I lay down and spread my legs for him.

  Maddox groaned. “When can we tell people?”

  “In about five to six weeks, I’m guessing. We’ll find out when I go to the doctor. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I can’t wait to tell the world another way that I’ve marked you as mine.”

  I laughed and held out my arms. “Take me, Maddox. Right now, I need you to show me that I belong to you.”

  * * *

  Thank you for reading Take Me in the Night! We hope you enjoyed Addison & Maddox’s story!

  If you liked Take Me in the Night, check out Friends with Benefits, about a woman who moves back home and has a one-night stand with a guy she knew from high school.

  You may also like Wicked Chemistry. It’s a story about a female teacher who falls in love with her student.

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  Take Me in the Dark Excerpt

  Olivia

  As I drove into Brook Creek, I noted once again how different it was from Des Moines. I hadn’t been to the small town since Addison and Maddox got married. Whenever I got together with the two of them, they came to Des Moines. I thought I had forgotten just how little their town was. It felt safer, and right now, I could use safer. My last case had taken a toll on me.

  When I had started my own firm, I’d had to be there practically all the time. But we were big enough now, with enough associates and a couple of unnamed partners, that I could take a few days off. It was going to be tough for me not to call in every hour while I was gone though. Even after all I’d been through, I would never abandon my work.

  Putting all that out of my mind, I walked into Addison’s office, grateful for the
air-conditioning. Summers were hot in Iowa.

  “Hello,” Addison’s assistant greeted me.

  I had never met her before. Maddox’s niece used to work for Addison, but now that she was close to graduating, working for Addison had gotten to be too much for Serena.

  “How can I help you?”

  “I’m Olivia. Addison is expecting me.”

  “Come back here,” Addison yelled from her private office.

  I chuckled. “Thanks,” I told the assistant and walked back.

  Addison stood from behind her desk and came around to give me a hug. “I’m so glad you came.”

  When we separated, I looked her up and down. “Did you doubt that I would?”

  Her brown eyes lit up with a smile and a tad of guilt. “I thought maybe you were going to change your mind.”

  I laughed. “I did think about it once or twice, but I’m here.”

  “And I’m glad you are.” She looked at her desk. “Do you mind if I finish up this one thing, and then I’ll take you upstairs to the apartment?”

  “Sure. I’ll check my email while I wait.”

  Addison pointed to the open chairs while she took her seat back at her desk. “Sit wherever.”

  I sat off to the right in the corner chair to give Addison space to work and pulled out my phone.

  There was a message from my assistant, Derek.

  Derek: Another letter came.

  I took in a deep breath, counted to five, and exhaled.

  Me: What does it say?

  Derek: Same as all the others.

  Me: Throw it away.

  Derek: Are you sure, Little Miss Don’t Ever Get Rid of Evidence?

  Me: I’m sure.

  Derek: Okay. You’re the boss.

  Me: Call me if anything else comes up.

  I closed the Messages app and opened my email. I didn’t want to think about Derek’s texts. I had wrongly assumed that when my last case was over, the troubles that went with it would also end.

  But I wasn’t going to focus on that right now. I was on vacation. That stuff could wait until I got back to work.

  I hoped anyway.

  Turning my thoughts to something I could control, I started reading my email. I was a few in when I heard the front door open.

  “Addison busy?” It was Maddox’s voice.

  I grinned. Even if Maddox was not the type of guy I would ever date, I really liked him and thought of him as a friend and not just the husband of a friend.

  But I lost my smile when he walked in and I saw he wasn’t alone.

  His friend Tommy—aka Flash—was with him, and I was immediately transported back to the first time I had met him back when I was defending Maddox for assault and attempted murder.

  * * *

  Addison and I were in her office. Addison was behind her desk, and I was sitting in front of her with my feet up on her desk while I watched the news on my laptop. The night before, Maddox and his two friends, Thomas Morelli and Evan Malone, had rescued a mom and son from her ex-husband, who had come back to town and attacked her.

  Addison and I were discussing Maddox’s case and this new development when the front door opened. Addison looked up and watched through the doorway. I went back to my computer, half-listening to the conversation in the other room.

  “Hey, Serena,” Maddox said.

  “Hey, Uncle Maddox.”

  “Guys, this is my niece, Serena.”

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Serena, this is Tommy, and this is Evan. I used to work with them.”

  “Nice to meet you,” one of them said.

  “The rules that apply to Addison also apply to her. Hands off.” That was Maddox.

  I made a noise, and Addison looked over at me.

  “Please tell me I’m not representing some caveman,” I said in a low voice.

  Addison laughed. “Don’t knock it till you try it,” she whispered back. “Maddox would never boss me around…except in the bedroom.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “There’s something hot about being dragged off to the cave by your hair and being taken from behind.”

  I could feel my eyes widen, and I was sure I was looking at her like she was crazy. “No, thank you. I’ll stick to nice, respectable men who treat me like a lady.”

  “Your orgasms must suck,” a deep voice said from behind me, “and be super boring.”

  I jumped in my seat, and Addison almost spit out the coffee she had just taken a sip of.

  I dropped my feet, turned around in my chair, and glared at the man who’d had the balls to say something like that to me. He didn’t even know me.

  I had to concentrate on keeping the look on my face and not showing any surprise when I saw the person who had insulted me. He was huge. Taller than an already-tall Maddox and full of muscle with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes.

  I swallowed hard but retained my composure.

  Piecing together the picture from the news and the info Addison had told me, I knew this guy must be Tommy.

  What kind of grown man goes by Tommy?

  Unfazed by my anger, he shrugged at me. “If you even have any at all. Excuse me, miss. I’d like to make you come now,” he said in a voice slightly higher than his own. “Okay, but be careful. I can’t ruin my hair or my makeup,” Tommy said, pretending to be me.

  If I were a cartoon, smoke would be coming out of my nostrils. “You don’t even know me.”

  Tommy laughed. “I’ve met your kind before. Big and bad to the world, but behind closed doors, you need your ass slapped and your pussy pounded.”

  I gasped. This guy had some nerve.

  “Flash,” Maddox said, coming into the room, “leave my lawyer alone. I want her to defend me, not run away, cursing my name because of my friends.” He stepped around his friend. “Please don’t throw my trial because of one asshole.”

  Poor Maddox. He needed to invest in finding new friends.

  I patted his hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve dealt with worse men than him before.” I looked at said asshole. “Nice name,” I said sarcastically.

  He snickered. “It’s a nickname, sweetheart.” He raised his eyebrows. “You can ask Addison about it later.”

  I threw my hair over my shoulder. “I don’t think so.”

  Tommy shrugged. “Like I said, boring.” He laid his head on his shoulder and pretended to snore.

  Maddox socked him in the gut. “Knock it off, asswipe.”

  Then, he walked over to Addison’s chair and lifted her out of her seat. She squealed.

  He sat down in her chair and settled her on his lap. “So, what do you want to go over today?” Maddox asked and nuzzled Addison’s neck.

  I had to turn my eyes away as the uncomfortable feeling of jealousy filled my gut.

  Thankfully, another man, who had to be Evan, walked into the office, reminding me to answer Maddox’s question.

  “Well, first, congratulations are in order for what happened early this morning. This will look very good to any potential jury,” I said.

  Tommy scowled. “Mad Dog didn’t do it for the publicity. We did it because someone was in trouble.”

  I sighed. “I know that. But it helps our case nonetheless.”

  It wasn’t that I didn’t feel bad for the victim—because I did. A lot. It was that I was looking at the big picture. And that meant getting Maddox cleared of all charges or found not guilty in a court of law.

  “She’s kind of right,” Evan said. “Everyone was waiting to shake Mad Dog’s hand when we went to get breakfast this morning. Ours, too. But they were looking at Mad Dog like he was a hero.”

  Maddox scowled. “Everyone likes me now, I guess.” He said something else that only Addison could hear.

  She kissed him on the cheek. “You don’t need them.”

  I went over a few more things with Maddox, and then the guys took off.

  Addison went through some of her paperwork while I did some work on my computer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop thi
nking about Tommy telling me to ask Addison about his nickname. I really didn’t want to know. But I did.

  Damn my curiosity.

  “Ask me,” Addison said, not looking up from her desk.

  “What?” I didn’t think I had been that obvious.

  She lifted her head. “I know you want to know, Olivia. Ask me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “How did Flash get his nickname? And what is his real name? I wasn’t actually introduced.” I did already know, but I didn’t want to admit that I had paid attention to who he was.

  “His name is Tommy. And he got the nickname because he said the ladies are gone in a flash when they go out to the bar.”

  “I can see why.” I frowned. “He made it sound like his nickname was a good thing.”

  “Well, apparently, the women avoid him because they’re afraid of his size.”

  “He is a big guy. But I didn’t get the impression he’d hurt anyone.”

  Addison laughed. “No, not his body size. The size of his dick.”

  My cheeks heated.

  Addison and I had met in college, but we had been more classroom friends. We hadn’t hung out with the same people. None of my friends would ever say something so blunt out loud. Not that they didn’t talk about sex. They just hinted about those things more and used code words.

  “Oh,” I said as I fingered the corner of my laptop. “That never occurred to me.”

  Addison chuckled. “Maybe Tommy is right, and you’ve been with the wrong guys. You haven’t had sex until you’ve had sex with someone with a big cock.”

  My eyes widened. “Does Maddox…” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

  “Hell yeah. Why do you think I can’t keep my hands off him? It’s big, and he knows what to do with it.”

  “I’ve never had that.” Again, my mouth was speaking before my brain could stop it.

  Addison grinned. “I’m sure Flash would be more than happy to show you.”

  I stiffened my spine. “No, thank you.”