Chapter 12

Twelve

Amber

W e spend the night like that talking, and the next morning I wake to find my lover has already slipped from our love nest.

I pad my way to the kitchen after a quick shower to find all my clothes neatly folded on the end of his bed with a quick note and my car keys.

" S ee you at school. Come to my office at noon for a quick lunch with me." -M

I smile. "Oh, Dean Spencer, kinky office sex?" I like!

I pour a quick cup of coffee and shoot off a text to my now former boss. Maddox was very firm and made sure I knew I would never have to spend another day on stage again dancing for other men.

I grab my keys and purse and step out and nearly fall flat on my face, trying to back track.

"What the hell?" I lash out. I take a step back and another. "How did you find me?"

A grin that no man should possess crawls across my father's face. He hooks a thumb toward his girlfriend I didn't see creeping up on my left. She has a gun in her shaky hand.

"Stupid girl," he snarls. "In your hurry to get out of town you left this in the trash for Tori to find. How could you leave me like that when I needed you? Just like your momma."

His eyes are glazed over, and I can tell he's been pushing the needle.

My heartbeat races and my eyes dart around for help. Anything that I can use to dive behind if the bullets start flying. I'm out here all alone. I pat my pockets. Ohhhh. Crap. No phone and not a chance in hell against him or the gun his flat-out crazy bitch of a girlfriend is swinging around.

"The only thing you ever needed me for was dope money. I'm not your money bag anymore. Now leave." Probably not the wisest move to antagonize the man, but I can't help it. Because of him so much bad has happened in my life, and I'm done with him and his problems.

"You need to leave before Maddox gets back," I warn.

"Your fuck buddy ain't gonna do shit to me once I tell the school what you two have been up to all alone out here."

My blood runs cold. "And we have pictures to prove it." Trixie jumps in waving her gun an inch from my face, phone in the other hand. They have me pinned in and I can't get past them.

"You wouldn't dare! How did you even find me here?" I seethe with anger.

"Easy—we followed him back here this morning, you little whore. I shoulda known you'd be just like your momma. Selling your pussy to any man to get what you want."

My blood is molten lava in my veins as my father slurs the feelings I have for Maddox, and I want to heave knowing my father looked.

"You watched?" I ask unable to fathom what kind of man would do such a thing.

"I did." Tori waves her phone at me and takes another step toward me. "Got the pictures to prove what a dirty little tramp you are."

"Shut the fuck up!" I command, sounding a lot braver than I feel. But I hold my scowl in place, knowing one slip up and he would exploit even the slightest of chinks in my armor.

"You wouldn't dare use those against me. He's a nice decent man and we've done nothing wrong."

"Dare me. All we want is simple. Give me a little money and I'll be outta your hair. You'll never see me again."

"Yeah," Tori snorts, waving her gun in my direction. "Money is all we want and it seems you have plenty of it," she says looking around Maddox's pristine lawn.

I stumble back but find the door locked behind me. I try the handle only to find it locked.

Shit. Now what?

"Or the school head honchos will love these little nuggets of gold."

"Look, let's talk later. Why don't you come by the school around noon and I can show you around? We can talk then and I can get money from Maddox. All you want."

The deep ruts in my father's face scrunch with a scowl. "Nah you call your boy toy down here instead nice and quiet like? We don't want trouble."

"Not on your life or mine," I counter like an idiot and when the back of my father's hand raises, I turn, anticipating the harsh feel of his knuckles across my already battered cheek, only it doesn't come.

I hear a snarl and a crack before I open my eyes, and my father is flat on his face in the rocky driveway.

Stunned, I don't realize Tori had weaseled her way behind me until I hear the hammer of the gun cock.

"Let him go," she squeaks, and Maddox is right there in front of me his chest heaving and eyes trained on Tori. I peer behind him and see my father knocked out cold with blood trickling down the side of his face and feel nothing for the man.

"I'll give you anything you want. Just put the gun down." Maddox winks at me. What the hell. Odd but okay.

He slowly takes out a stack of bills pinned with a silver clip and tosses it on the ground a few feet away from my father.

"Just keep your eyes on me, sweetheart. You're safe. I have you."

My heart rate is beating every record it's ever set, and to be honest it's hard to breathe with a barrel pointed at my head. Fun fact I'd rather not know.

Only thing keeping me from passing out or doing something crazy like telling Tori to fuck off is Maddox's calm, steady voice. I keep my eyes trained on his chest and match my breathing with his.

He jerks his chin in the direction of the money. "There's over three grand in that money clip and it's all yours, but you better grab it and leave. Cops are already on their way."

As Maddox predicted Tori can't resist and dives for the money, but the second she moves so does he and somehow manages to strip her of the gun and restrain her on the ground alongside my dad.

He looks up at me as sirens blare through the morning air in the near distance and he makes quick work grabbing my dad's cell phone from Tori. With a few flicks I watch as he erases all the private photos that were snapped of our intimate moments.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Me? You're the one who talked a crazy—might I add loaded—lady down from shooting me. Lucky you had that money on you or God knows what could have happened." And that's a sobering thought. I've never feared losing someone as much as I do right now with Maddox.

"I was going to take you shopping, but I guess that can wait," he says simply before several cop cars fill the driveaway. It takes about an hour for them to haul off my father and his floozy after getting our statements. With everyone gone and the peace and quiet, I fall to my knees on his front doorstep unable to catch my breath.

Warm protective arms are around me before the first tear has a chance to slide down my cheek.

I peer up at him. "You could have been killed. You could have died because of me. I'm so sorry. I've brought all my bad luck into your life and now you're cursed."

He pulls me into his lap, and I snuggle close. "Correction," he rumbles. "I would have died for you. And what curse? The way I see it you've lifted one, if anything."

I push up in his arms, tears running down my face. "No! Promise me right here and right now you will never do that again."

He cups my face between his strong, capable hands. "You're not going to get that from me ever and I'm not sorry."

He pulls me in and kisses my lips tenderly.

I pull my lips from his. "You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes when you think you're going to die?"

He nods and waits for me to continue.

"Maddox, there's so much in life that I want to experience. You need to know I want the mundane, the normal and the adventure. I want to study, learn all I can about law, but I also want to travel, see the world's beautiful beaches, swim naked in Fiji's warm waters, test my limits rock climbing and babies. Babies. I want a huge family with all the babies."

"In that order?"

"Not necessarily. It might be hard to go rock climbing with a baby bump."

Maddox draws me into his arms and traces lazy circles on my thigh with the pad of his thumb. To calm me, no doubt. "I promise to give you all that and more with my last breath I promise you will never have to face your father again and you will never be alone if that's what you want. For as long as I live. And since you brought it up, I'd love to see your belly round with my child."

His lips are on mine, and I'm drowning in his taste, heat and all things Maddox Spencer.

He stands, hauling me up his body, and I wrap my arms around his neck, taking the kiss deeper.

"Show me you love me."

"My pleasure, but this is going to take a while. Like a lifetime. Can you handle that?"

I nod, laughing through happy tears. "Yes, I think I can take on forever with you."