Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“It doesn’t matter. I want you.”
God, she really was made for him. “I want you, too, but not if I’m going to hurt you.”
“The sting will be gone in a few hours.”
He nuzzled her neck. “I think you’re lying to me. Maybe that pretty backside of yours needs a paddling. There are implements in Jack’s dungeon we haven’t tried yet…”
“I didn’t think that was possible.”
“Oh, it is. And maybe it’s time I violated that ass, too.” It would solve the condom situation, at least for a few hours.
She closed her eyes, her body seeming to melt against him. “Matt…you’re distracting me.”
Normally, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. Now? She was right; there was too much at stake. They had problems to solve.
“Sorry. Tell me what you’re expecting Pershing to come back with?”
Her sigh was a combination of reluctance and resolution. “In exchange for a divorce after the midterms, he’ll want a week or two of my time in the fall. The campaign stops at big, family-oriented community events were already in the works before I left. They’ll hit most of the donor dinners and galas without me, which is great. I might get roped into a speech or two geared at teachers’ organization or a ladies’ rally, probably just before the elections. In the past, I’ve accompanied Winston’s wife, Agatha, to those. But she does most of the talking. I mostly nod and smile.”
That didn’t sound horrible. As long as she didn’t have to be alone with Todd, almost anything to gain her freedom was bearable. But Matt intended to make sure Madison was protected. “Anything else?”
“I don’t know. I expect that Todd—not me—will be allowed to file quietly for divorce a couple of weeks after the elections. I’ll be blamed, of course. Don’t be surprised if they out you as my lover again, and I’m dragged through the mud as an unfaithful, gold-digging whore. But after the initial bomb of negative press, things should calm down. Winston and the rest of the family will probably vacation somewhere, pretending to lick their wounds after my ‘shocking betrayal.’ But then I’ll finally have a life around the New Year.” She shrugged. “At least that’s what I hope.”
“What are you not telling me?” Because there was something; he heard it in her voice.
She sat and rinsed the soap from her body with a sigh. “Todd is the wild card. Winston indulges him. I worry my husband will demand some punishment for what I’ve done. He has a vindictive streak, and the esteemed senator doesn’t take kindly to slights against the family, especially those aimed at his do-no-wrong grandson.”
“He does know that Todd murdered his own cousin, right?”
“Of course. On some level, I’ll bet he’s actually proud of that. Oh, angry that Todd did something that might tarnish the public’s perception of the family and jeopardize his re-election chances, but deep down, he relishes Todd’s ruthlessness. In fact, he feeds it, probably because he sees my husband in himself. His own son is passive. Roger follows orders, and he wouldn’t dare exercise an original thought, if he ever had one. Winston has nothing but contempt for him. But he loves that his ‘killer instinct’ lives on in Todd, so he rewards it.”
“That’s twisted.”
“That’s Winston Pershing.” She shrugged. “So there will be some emotional price tag for me wanting to leave the family, something most people will never see. But Todd will demand I pay in pain and humiliation. If Winston indulges that, God help me.”
Son of a bitch. The weight of Madison’s bleak future looked so heavy on her slender shoulders, he feared it might break her. Yeah, he was supposed to let her soak her sore spots for twenty minutes, but the worry on her face told him that she needed his comfort now.
He needed her, too.
Matt plucked her from the tub, wrapped a towel around her, and plastered her against his body. She threw her arms around his neck, grabbed him desperately, and gave him her tears. It was so bittersweet. He had earned her complete trust, and she was laying her worries at his feet. But there wasn’t a damn thing he could do other than assure her he would be there.
“I’ve got you, honey.” He stroked her back and kissed the top of her head. “I’ve always got you.”
She hiccupped as she stared at him with desolate eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll figure it out one step at a time.”
Madison opened her mouth. The faint whine of boat motors filling the still morning stopped her. Her eyes widened with terror.
Matt cursed. In this deserted corner of the swamp, people didn’t happen by. Other than the dock out front, there wasn’t a great fishing spot. He hadn’t seen an observation point capable of dishing up a pretty view. Anyone who came here did so intentionally, and Jack never showed up without radioing in first. The damn device had been silent for days.