Page 18 of Gilded Bird

I have to walk away from the first man who showed me what a great romance could be.

Chapter Ten

Maddox

I wish I could say you should see the other guy, but I got the worst of it.

Staring at the bruise still coloring half of my face, I chuckle. Jameson always was a dirty fighter, not that I didn’t have it coming. I suppose if he had banged my mom I would take issue with it. Even if I had suspected he had a thing for her for most of our lives.

Lying to him for days, well if I am being honest, years, was a bad move. I should have gone to him before I ever went to Mika. I guess he was not all wrong that night he caught the two of us together.

“You pick the most vulnerable time of her life to show off these big bold feelings for her? You know how complicated their relationship was. How could you go to her when she was in the state of mind she was?”

After watching her sneak off in a cab, he and I had one hell of a blowout fight. It was the second time in our lives that we’d come to blows. The first was over a girl too--one I had warned him off of because she was no good. I regret that fight but this one? I don’t regret it one bit.

“Because I have been in love with your mother for most of my life, Jameson. If you thought for one moment I would risk us, all we’ve built together, over some one-off romp with a hot MILF, you don’t know me at all.”

“In love with her? What do you know about love?”

“I know that I look at your mother the same way you look at Jade. I would give anything to please her, to make her smile, to see her happy. Even if that isn’t me. The truth is, I’ve worked my ass off to become what I believed could be good enough for her. Just about everything I have done, going to school, learning about real estate, building something worthwhile, it was for her. Maybe at first I just wanted to make her proud. It stopped being that a long time ago, man. I love her. I would do anything for you, you should know that--but I won’t just give up on her. I love her.”

That was when his huge fist smashed into my face. We tussled a little and I got a blow or two in before he slammed me on the kitchen floor. I couldn’t see straight or breathe for a scary amount of time. Lucky for me, Jade was there to put a stop to it--all she had to do was call his name.

We finished the night off with ice packs and whiskey. I admitted I had come to Sunset Springs with hopes of pursuing Mika. I never needed to be here for our deal to close. Our location was chosen, our investors had given the go-ahead, and we would start training a fresh set of beefcakes on Heart Harbor in the coming weeks.

It was wrong of me to lie to him about my intentions. How do you tell your best friend you came to town to hook up with his mother? You don’t. At least not until you think it can be more than a hook-up. Even though I wasn’t sure it would get that far, I had no way of knowing for sure she would want something more with me.

It took one night for me to know she was it for me and I could be it for her.

“No man, she hasn’t taken any of my calls either. It’s been almost a week. I thought she might have calmed down by now.”

“We did it but good this time. I will head back there once I finish setting up the training here. I am sorry I caused this, man. I never thought…I should have thought this through before I took this risk.”

“Hey, man,” Jameson’s voice is rough with emotion. “I believe you when you say you love her. I know you love me, I know you would never risk our friendship for no good reason. I just have to say, if you figure this out, I need at least a year before I see you kissing my mom, bro.”

Chuckling, I thank him for understanding and end the call. I flew out to Heart Harbor the morning after everything blew up. I had plans to ask her to come to me. Heart Harbor is a beautiful little island just a few miles off the coast of Sunset Springs. It’s got a grand hotel and we’re opening the second Sunset Shots in just a few months.

Sitting at the window overlooking the white sand beaches, I should feel good. The truth is I’ve been miserable since the fight. Mika bailing on me the way she did threw me for a loop. I was never sure how facing Jameson would go down, but I damn sure didn’t think it would end the way it did.

Kicking off my shoes and dumping my jacket, I head outside. I need a break. Some time away from the deal and the ordeal. Rolling my sleeves up, I bend and roll my pants up too. I must look ridiculous out on the beach in a five-hundred-dollar suit, but what do I care?

There is a square of beach just for the villa I’m staying the week in. It’s a beautiful place and I hope Sunset Shots will do well here. I hope the strain between Jameson and I will fade with time. Mostly, I hope to go to Mika once I go back to Sunset Springs and we can figure this all out.

Sinking into the first cabana I see, I lie back to soak up the sun. I close my eyes and think back to the first day I saw her again, sitting in a cabana on the beach. Wearing that sexy one-piece that showed off every one of her perfect curves. Her sweet, floral perfume floods my lungs and I smile.

“You look good in the sun, honey,” Mika’s soft voice sing-songs.

Blinking as I sit up, I see her sitting on the chaise beside me, watching me with a mischievous smirk. I do a doubletake before that smile widens, her legs shifting so she can slide over, pinning me beneath her. My hands go to her hips, still wearing some of the marks I put there when we made love.

“Oh, honey,” she purrs, gently touching my black eye. “He hurt you?”

“Yeah, well, I hurt both of you. I went about everything so wrong. I am so sorry,” I spit the words out, my chest pumping as I fight to bring air into my lungs.

“Maddox, hush. I missed you. At first, I was not sure what was hurting. Why being apart was tearing me apart. I was trying to sleep one night…and you weren’t there. You were in every corner of that condo, on my sheets, in my kitchen, in the shower, but you were gone. It made me realize how much I wanted you there. How badly I missed you.”

“I missed you too, baby,” I rasp, letting my arms wind around her at last, crushing her to my chest. “I missed you for a long time before, and now…now it feels like I can’t even breathe without you. I know you might not believe me, or maybe you don’t even want to try again but I…”

“Maddox,” she coos softly, sitting up so she is straddling me. I for a moment forget about my heartfelt confessions when her tits bounce in my face, the cute two-piece she has on catching my attention. Hell, it’s even yellow. I blink up at her, seeing her teasing smile. “I do want to try again. I do believe you. I love you too. I wasn’t even sure how this felt before you. I might have a few decades on you, but you know just what you want, and you don’t care about the risks. I want to love you that way. I love you.”