CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Mad Bell

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Mad Bell

I felt like shit.

I was tired and so pissed I was nearly seeing red. I was also grumpy, more so than usual, which no one could fuckin' blame me for.

I couldn't believe that dill-hole from the bar was her cop brother. It took me a long minute to put it together. Fuck! I wanted to hit him again for what he called her.

Thinkin' of what happened was not helping my fuckin' mood. I had enough control not to pop off right in the middle of the station, but I was barely hanging on.

When I walked out and saw Maisy standing there, everything stopped. My sour mood melted away, taking a good chunk of the anger with it.

Her eyes were wide and unsure when they met mine, but the energy radiating off of her was pulling me in. I didn't see anything else around as I fuckin' walked into her arms. She wrapped them around me and buried her face in my neck. I didn't want the stink of the holding cell to touch her, but she didn't seem to mind.

Fuck, I needed a shower.

But I needed her more.

My arms tightened around her waist as I held her close and breathed in her scent.

"What now?" she asked as she pulled her head back to look at me. I reluctantly let her go but breathed a sigh of relief when she slipped her hand into mine. "Are you free to go?"

"Yeah, I'm good to go," I told her. "Don't know what you did, but your brother came back and had us released. He said all charges will be dropped. He looked pissed."

She shrugged. I took the hint and didn't press further. Maybe she didn't want to talk about it here.

"I'm sorry—"

"I think we should talk," she said, eyes shining with uncertainty.

"Yeah, right. I get that." Damn, that was not the thing I wanted to hear after this shit-show of a day. But what was I gonna do? Deny her? Run away and pray tomorrow things would be fine? No. I believed Maisy deserved more than some asshole that wouldn't listen to her. I might not like what she had to say, but I was going to be the man she deserved, whether she took me or not.

LT came up at that moment and slapped me on the back. He had my full attention as he stepped in front of me.

"We need to talk," Prez said, making me internally sigh hard. Was that everyone's go-to saying now? "The lawyer wants a word, but not here. She's gonna meet us back at the compound."

"Alright," I said. There was no getting out of it. "I gotta catch a ride back to the compound. My bike is at my place and Maisy's car is at the bar."

LT's eyes were looking at something over my shoulder as he gave a jerk of his chin.

"Plugs left with the prospect. But Honey just got here with one of the SUVs. He'll give you guys a ride back," LT said. His eyes slid to Maisy. "That okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks," she replied. Her hand squeezed mine, but I didn't have a clue what she was trying to tell me. It frustrated me that I didn't know if I'd get a chance to talk to her before we got back to the compound.

We loaded into the SUV. The brothers took off. Maisy pulled out her phone and appeared to be texting someone. I didn't crowd her, so I had no idea who. Honey kept the radio down. It felt weird riding in the second row while he drove us around like Maisy and I were in some kinda rideshare.

"I don't know what to do here," I told her, half-caring that Honey could hear.

"What do you mean?" she asked. When she turned her gaze on me, everything was gone. That relief of seeing me free. The urgency of needing to tell me something. The happiness of seeing me again. In its place was a woman who was closed off. Still nice and bright, but closed off. Almost like she was hiding behind those walls again.

"I don't want to leave us like this," I said, cringing at how it sounded. "I still think we both have things to say. I don't want you to shut down on me. Please." I looked at her with honesty in my eyes. It had been a long fuckin' day, but I couldn't let her go without figuring out what page we were on.

"Can you drop me off behind the bar, Honey?" she asked, glancing at him for a second before dragging her eyes back to meet mine.

"You got it," Honey said quickly as he turned into the lot for the bar.

The SUV stopped. I held my breath as she reached for the door handle.

"I'll walk back," I said, hopping out before she could open the door. I held out my hand, an invitation she took as she slid across the seat and placed her hand in mine before exiting after me. "Tell Prez I'm right behind you."

"Gotcha, brother," Honey said and he didn't stick around a second after the door was closed.

"I think I need time," she said, sliding her hand out of my grasp. "And I think you have things you need to sort out and I…" Her words trailed off as she gave me her back.

She was turning into sand and slipping through my fingers. I didn't know what to do, but I knew it was a delicate balance when it came to Maisy. Sometimes it was best to let her lead, but I believed there were times she also needed someone to match her bold attitude to show her that she was worth fighting for, worth standing beside.

Was it one of those times? If I pushed now, would it break this delicate string between us?

I crowded her back and wrapped my arms around her waist. My head dipped until my lips were right by her ear. I didn't miss the way she melted into me or the little sigh that escaped her.

"I fucked up," I said, keeping my voice low as if I was sharing a secret only for her ears. Though the truth was, I'd tell this to anyone. I wasn't ashamed to admit how this whole mess of a situation fell on my shoulders. Just like I wasn't ashamed to show the world that I knew how to get it right, too. "I shouldn't have let you leave. I shouldn't have let you think even for a damn second that I wanted you sneakin' out of my room. I should have told you I wanted you, every single part of you. Should have told you that you light me on fire as much as you piss me off."

She laughed and shook her head slightly. I'd bet if I could see her face, she'd be rolling her eyes. Couldn't blame her.

"It was fuckin' lonely waking up without you there," I admitted.

She turned in my arms.

The moment our eyes locked, I swore the world stopped turning. Those deep pools of liquid sapphire swirled with so many different emotions. I'd never seen her so open, or maybe I'd just never paid enough attention before. It was a punch to the gut to know that I wasted so much time. I'd kept my walls up and my gaze down. I tried my hardest not to see her.

When her eyes flicked down to my lips, I lost it.

"Fuck it," I murmured before dipping my head and sealing my lips over hers.

If this was the last chance I'd get to taste her, I sure as hell wasn't going to let it slip by.

A quick moan escaped her as she gripped the back of my head and deepened the kiss. Her tongue wasn't shy, and I met every rolling lick into my mouth with one of my own. In two steps I had her backed up against her car. All thoughts flew out of my head, including the fact that this was about to be over. I wasn't sure if this was my answer to the problem or if I was just desperately trying to hold on while I could.

"Joe," she whispered between panted breaths. Damn, I loved the way my name sounded comin' outta her mouth. Nothing followed but her lips on mine again. It seemed her mind was as blank as mine.

Yeah, she was into this as much as I was. It was clear by the way she urged me to press into her harder. By the way she wrapped her legs around me when I grabbed her ass. By the way she kissed me until she was forced to pull away, both of us gasping for air.

I felt the heat of her pussy even through my jeans as she kissed me again. My hard cock throbbed and begged to be released. As much as I wanted to bury myself inside her, I had this deep feeling it wasn't going to happen any time soon, even if I was okay with fucking her out in the open where anyone could see.

Actually, the thought of taking her here behind the bar turned me on so much that I feared the next brush of her pussy against me would set me off.

Before I could wonder if she'd be into a thrill fuck like that, she slowly ended the kiss, pulling away like it took all of her strength to do so. Those blue eyes blinked at me for a long moment before she buried her face in my neck. I knew she was trying to gather herself, to remind herself of what she was about to do.

I held her against me as her legs released their python grip around my waist, clinging to every second of her in my arms. I breathed in her scent and the night air, hoping it would calm my racing heart.

"I…" Her words trailed off as she took in a shaky breath. I held her through it, giving her a moment to collect herself. "I want to see where this goes. I want you, I think that much is clear. If I'm really honest with myself, there's been something brewing between us since the beginning. Maybe not for you that first meeting, when you snubbed me like an asshole and dismissed me without a single word, but at some point, my charms reeled you in."

Her arms fell away from my neck, but then her hands were cupping my face as she held my eyes. I got a glimpse of her smile before it faded away.

"I don't do drama," she said seriously. "You have things in your life that you need to sort out. I believe you when you say you don't remember marrying her, and I see that you mean she's your past. But I can also see how your past is clearly here, and maybe there are some things you really need to face and deal with. I want to be good for you, Joe. Right now," she paused and took in a deep breath, "all I can offer is friendship."

My heart dropped to my toes. I should have seen something like this coming, but sometimes I let myself be hopeful. I did my best to hide my disappointment as I told myself that meant I still got to have her in my life. Not that anyone ever really wanted to be friend-zoned, especially not when it took everything in them to work on being open to things like feelings and love again.

I nodded because I didn't trust myself to speak. And though I knew she was right, that our timing wasn't quite aligned just yet, it still stung deep.

"I mean it, Maddie." That cheeky smile was back on her face, the trickster light dancing in her eyes. I choked out a laugh, and to my surprise, I was smiling. "I'm here if you need anything."

"I appreciate it," I told her honestly. I let my arms fall away from her. My hands balled into fists at my side to keep from reaching for her again. "Friends." I gave her a firm nod to let her know I understood.

I'd take this for now, but I'd already decided that I wasn't going to let her get away. She said she wanted to see where this thing between us could go, and I had every intention of getting my shit straight so we could get there.

"Night," she whispered harshly, but she didn't move.

"Night," I said as I pulled her in once more. This time my lips landed on her forehead. I released her after pressing a lingering kiss to her skin.

I forced my feet to move, backing up until she got the hint to get into her car. After fumbling to get her keys out of her pocket, she was dropping down behind the wheel. The moment her headlights rounded the side of the bar, I turned and headed for the dirt road that would take me to the compound.

And, hopefully, I was headed to find some kind of solution to get my life back.