I heard the key in the door, and I jumped. Quickly, I sent one last text before shoving the phone down my pants and attempting to act innocent. As soon as the door opened, my body moved on its own, and I flew across the room at him, wrapping myself around him.
“Oomph.” His arms wrapped around me, bags crinkling in the process. “Miss me, Runt?”
“Mmhmm.” I nodded into him. As much as I hated needing him, I did. Inhaling his scent one more time, I pulled away, straightening my shirt while I pretended to act normal. “So, did you find anything?” I played with the ends of my sleeves, avoiding looking at him.
“I think so. I want you to look at it and make sure you’ll be comfortable there.” He sat the things he’d gotten while he was out on the table, turning to look at me. I could feel his eyes on me. Unsure of my feelings, I debated telling him about my text conversation. I didn’t think he’d want me to do it, but I also didn’t feel right keeping it from him.
He didn’t let me stay standing long as he picked me up and sat on the bed with my legs draped across him. Ever since Maddox had told me he had feelings for me, he’d been a completely different man. He constantly touched me, wrapping me up in his arms to be near him. I didn’t mind it at all, needing his comfort more than I wanted to admit.
“What’s up, Princess? You’re being evasive, and since I know you better than anyone, something’s on your mind. Do you not want to stay here in Memphis?”
“No, that’s not it.” I shook my head, my hair rubbing against his shirt at the effort. He tilted my chin up, and I almost drowned in his eyes. Sighing, I pulled the phone from my waistband. “I texted Chase.”
I didn’t know what I expected to see from him, anger perhaps, or even hurt, but all he gave me was a blank look. “And?” Maddox blinked, waiting for me to tell him more.
“I thought you’d be mad.”
“Do I like the thought of you talking to him? No. But I’m not going to police who you can and can’t talk to. That’s not who I am. Now, if he was here and trying to hit on you again, you better believe I’d step in. But that being said, I can’t forget that he helped us out in the end, and for that, I’ll give him a pass until he does another asshole thing.”
I giggled, opening the phone to show what I saved his name as. His face lit up and he moved, throwing me back on the bed. I bounced, laughing with him as he bent over me. The light overhead was blocked, and suddenly I was back in my bedroom with Agonizer over me.
“No, don’t.” I swung my arm, feeling my hand make contact with something as I tried to scramble out from under my attacker. This time I made it clear, and I scooted off the bed, landing on the floor. I kept going until I hit the wall. I sucked in a breath, holding my hands out in front of me. “Don’t hurt me.”
I took in a few lungfuls, sound returning to my ears, the pounding of my heart no longer the only thing I could hear. Blinking, I pushed the hair out of my face, looking down at my hands. Small divots from my nails were visible. Peering up, I found Maddox squatting in front of me, his hands stretched out in a peace gesture.
“It’s okay, Darce. You’re not there.” He handed me a bottle of water, and I nodded, taking it. Sipping it, I felt the cold water run down my throat, the feeling soothing. Once I drank half of it, I pulled it away, sucking in a breath.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.”
“It’s fine.” He smiled, holding in a laugh.
“What?” I asked, hitting him again.
“You hit like a baby deer, Darcie. It’s not like you’d do much damage.”
“Oh, really? That’s what you think?” I dove for him, wrapping my arms around his neck. The momentum had him falling back onto the floor as I clung to him like a spider monkey. “I’ll just squeeze you to death with my thigh muscles.” I felt him laughing under me as I pressed. “Or better yet, tickle you!”
I let go of my arms and immediately began to tickle him. He placed his hands behind his head like he had all the time in the world. Huffing, I sat on his chest, debating what I could do. Tapping my finger against my lip, I pulled all my Maddox information to the front of my mind.
“So you’re not ticklish on your ribs, but if memory serves me correct, you are on your feet!” I turned, scrambling down his legs to trap them in a vice grip so I could keep him from getting away, and I began to lightly stroke his foot.
“Don’t, Darcie.” His voice was stern, and I almost gave into the command, but the bratty side of me couldn’t let him have this win. I needed to feel like I had control and wasn’t a freak. Tracing my finger back and forth on his heel, I finally got a reaction when he tried to kick me away.
“Please, Princess,” he begged.
“Say, Darcie’s not a wimp.”
“Darcie’s not a wimp.” He practically shouted it through his laughter, the ticklish feeling crawling up his throat. Letting go, I rolled off his legs, sitting cross-legged next to him. Slapping my hands together, I sat them on the top of my knees, looking at him triumphantly.
“Feel good about yourself?” he asked, sitting up and hiding his feet from view.
“I do, actually.” Laughing, he stood and showed me the things he’d gotten from the store. We played Crazy eights around a junk food dinner that night, and I didn’t feel so broken.
It was a start.
“What do you think we should do for jobs?” I asked, playing a card.
“Hmm, what do you want to do?”