Chapter 11

11

Maddox

D akota has been different the last couple of days.

Morose, I'd say. She isn't the gloomy type. She's always focused and present, but lately, I can feel her slipping away from our conversations. Tonight, we are chilling at our house, sprawled along the sofa in front of the giant, wall-mounted TV.

Trevor is fast asleep in his room upstairs. Archer is in charge of keeping an eye on him while Reed and I entertain Dakota. Or, better said, try to entertain her. She doesn't seem to be in the mood for any sort of amusement, though.

"How's Maisie?" I ask.

We're watching a movie, a 1960s flick with Cary Grant. There's popcorn by the bucketful and plenty of ice-cold lemonade on the coffee table in front of us. Reed comes back from the kitchen with a bag of salted caramel chocolates—Dakota's favorite.

Out of the three of us, Reed tends to pay more attention to the small stuff. I'm more focused on figuring out a way of getting more money into her bank account. I know she's working hard to make ends meet, and I also know she'll never accept any financial support from us. Not directly, anyway.

"She's probably in dreamland by now," Dakota sighs, her gaze fixed on the screen. "Chelsea's with her."

"What did I miss?" Reed cuts in, taking his seat next to her.

"I'm not sure," she says.

I put the film on pause and look at her. "Okay, what's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" Dakota gives me a confused look.

"You're not yourself," I say.

Reed nods in agreement. "There's none of your usual banter or witty comebacks. You actually seem kind of sad or lost, maybe. Talk to us, Dakota. We're here."

She sighs softly, resting her head on my shoulder. It fills me with warmth, the kind of warmth I had forgotten about until Dakota came along.

She needs a minute, and we give it to her, watching quietly as she reaches for one of the salted caramel chocolates, gingerly unwrapping it before she pops it into her mouth. My gaze lingers on her lips for a moment. I can almost taste her.

"It's nothing too serious," Dakota says once she's done swallowing her little morsel of comfort.

I can hear it in her voice. It is kind of serious.

"I promise."

"Dakota—"

"My ex is back in San Francisco," she blurts out.

I can feel her trembling ever so slightly while nestled against me. Reed frowns and scoots an inch away on the couch, carefully eyeing her.

"Your ex-husband. Maisie's father."

"Yes."

Archer comes downstairs as if summoned by the universe itself in order to partake in what I'm guessing is going to be a difficult—or at least uncomfortable—conversation.

"What's up?" Archer asks, immediately picking up on the vibe in the room. "Trevor's sound asleep. What are we doing?"

"Dakota's ex-husband is in town," I say, my tone flat.

"Oh," Archer mutters, his demeanor shifting into something I recognize immediately. He's uncomfortable. Curious. Much like Reed and me. And much like Reed and me, he doesn't really know what to say. "How'd that happen?"

"I have no idea. He's been texting me more often than usual, the same soppy crap," Dakota says, sighing deeply, but she keeps her head on my shoulder. I find an odd sense of comfort in that. "He says he misses me. It's just a bunch of BS."

"While still owing you eight months' worth of child support, right?" Archer asks.

"Yeah. And that's what I tell him every time he reaches out," she says. "Then yesterday, I saw him at the grocery store. He followed me there. He didn't want to approach me at home because he saw Chelsea going in."

"He probably knew Chelsea would tear him a new one," Archer chuckles dryly.

Dakota offers a faint smile. "Yeah, pretty much. Anyway, he's back in town, and he claims he wants to make up and reunite. He wants to see Maisie, too."

"And what do you want to do?" Reed asks carefully.

"Anything but that," she replies with lightning speed. "I told him to fuck off. He doesn't have a place in our lives anymore. And until he catches up on his child support payments, I'm not letting him anywhere near Maisie, either."

"Get your lawyer involved," Archer advises, taking a seat in the armchair next to me.

She nods slowly, but I sense a hint of hesitation. "Yeah, I'll do that."

"There's something else you're not telling us," I say, still on edge, unable to shake this uneasy feeling. There's a piece missing from what she just told us, something she's holding back, and it's starting to irk me.

"Nothing, it's just that… he bothers me. His very presence bothers me. I've got enough on my plate as it is. The last thing I need is my no-good ex-husband prancing around town like he's entitled to my daughter and me, especially after the way he treated us, the way he left."

She gets up and starts pacing around the living room. "He left me in pieces, okay? I didn't see it coming, not even for a second. In the blink of an eye, my whole life was turned upside down, and I was left to fend for myself and my little girl all alone in Los Angeles. I didn't know anybody there. I was lost, unable to hold down a job because it's a huge city, and every bartender in LA is an aspiring screenwriter, actor, or director. There was no room for me. Plus, I had no help with Maisie."

"Dakota, it's okay. Breathe," Reed gently says. "You got through it. You came back here, you have Chelsea, and Maisie is safe and loved and in your exceptional care."

"Thank you, I…" She pauses to take another deep breath, but I can see her emotions are testing her as memories of the past threaten her present with unnecessary stress. I know the feeling, albeit from different circumstances. The sensation is similar. The helplessness. The rage. "He's got some nerve; I'll give him that. Did he really think I'd just roll over and welcome him back with arms wide open?"

Archer holds back a dry laugh. "In his defense, he's an idiot for walking out on you in the first place. That's not nerve you're seeing. It's not audacity. It's sheer stupidity and entitlement. The man probably thinks he can charm his way back into your pants."

"Which is ridiculous," Dakota replies.

"Is it?" I ask, my brow furrowed as I carefully analyze her expression.

She seems insulted, shocked almost. "Yes, absolutely."

"You were married. He's the father of your child. You can't tell me you don't have any feelings left for the guy," I say, testing the waters. "I wouldn't blame you, Dakota. Honestly. You were married." I say it again, on purpose.

"I don't love him anymore," Dakota insists, tears welling in her eyes. "I loved a man that never even existed in the first place. I loved a lie. That's what I understood when he walked out. It's what I told myself until I was ready to accept it as the cold, hard truth. The Keith I thought I knew was not the Keith I married or lived with. It may sound ugly, but it is what it is. I felt like an idiot for a long time, but then I signed the divorce papers, and I came back here, where I could breathe again. I'd been living a lie unbeknownst to myself, a fairy tale that I mistook for reality."

I watch Dakota as she grabs another piece of candy and takes her time unwrapping and eating it. All I can do is sit here like a stone, licking my lips as I stare at hers. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and I'm almost inclined to believe that there's nothing more to any of this other than her grief causing ripples from the past.

I know I shouldn't press her any further; it's too soon in our relationship. I need more information about Keith. I'll get it. I'm a man of means and resources, and there's nothing I won't do to keep a woman like Dakota in my life where she belongs.

"I'm angry," she says. "Angry that he thinks I'm stupid enough to take him back. In the meantime, I'm still having to tell Maisie that her dad is far away. So far away, in fact, that he can't reach us, not even by phone. It's the only way I could explain his lack of… everything."

"Keith was clearly not cut out to be a father. Or a responsible man," Reed says. "I am sorry that he caused so much pain. I assume he set you back a lot as well."

"Don't even go there," she chuckles nervously. "I'm now stuck with a mortgage on my house because I had to finance our move to Los Angeles. Keith didn't have a penny to his name." She pauses, her eyes widening as she realizes that she may have just given us too much information.

I know Dakota's type all too well. The hyper-independent woman who is doing it all by herself. She wasted a few years of her life being a wife to that spineless piece of trash. She took out a mortgage on her grandmother's place to support his ambitions and wild dreams. She carried and gave birth to his baby. She raised his daughter and worked her ass off while he got cold feet and then bailed.

But then we came along.

She knows we could solve her problems with the snap of our fingers. But she would never allow us to do that. My brothers and I have already talked about this. We won't let her drown, obviously, but as long as Dakota feels like she can keep it together, we won't intervene, either.

We'll just make her days and nights a whole lot better. We'll add value to her life. That's what real fucking men do. I would love to meet Keith. I would love to look him in the eyes and watch him squirm.

"I'm sorry, I've said too much," Dakota whispers. "It's okay. I've got this. You really don't have to worry about me." She sits back on the sofa and puts on a warm smile, then takes the remote and hits the play button. "Come on, let's finish watching this. It's about to get interesting."

But I've got something else in mind.

I give Archer a slight nod. Reed picks up on it with lightning speed. He takes the remote away from Dakota and turns the TV off. She lowers her gaze, likely anticipating a continuation on the topic of Keith. I get up and scoop her off the sofa instead.

She gasps. "What are you doing?"

"We're done talking," I calmly reply, and proceed to carry her into the master bedroom.

"As much as I'd like to join you, someone's gotta stay behind and make sure Trevor doesn't wake up and need anything," Archer says.

"I'll make sure she doesn't miss you," I shoot back with a smirk while Reed joins us.

A few moments later, we're behind closed doors, peeling the clothes off Dakota one item at a time while she watches us with a mixture of arousal and embarrassment. She's too sweet for this world, letting herself be vulnerable like this. I can still see secrets in her eyes, but in due time, she will open up more. She will feel safe enough to tell us everything.

Until then it's our duty to make recent events disappear from focus.

"You're wound too tight," Reed says, firmly massaging her bare shoulders.

I kiss her. She responds with delicious eagerness, her lips sweet, her tongue swirling with mine in a maddening dance of conquest and desire. My cock stirs as she wraps her hands around it. Her touch is enough to set me on fire.

"There's only so much pressure I can take," Dakota whispers, tilting her head back to rest it on his shoulder. She is naked and wanting, wedged between us, her limbs quivering as I let my hands roam up and down her body. "Oh…"

Reed holds her by the hips, slowly grinding against her buttocks.

My hand slips between her legs. She's slick and hot, primed and ready for us. The way she reacts to us is still a wondrous thing. I love that we're able to turn her on with such ease. It makes every second all the more precious. I pinch her nipple while I work her clit into a swollen frenzy. Reed trails wet kisses down the side of her neck.

"I need this," she moans, hips swaying back and forth to follow the rhythm of my fingers and Reed's movements.

The room is dark and shrouded in simmering heat, our naked bodies melting into the shadows. I never imagined I'd feel this way about anyone, not at this level, not with such startling intensity. But here we are, losing our minds as we claim the one woman that was so clearly and undeniably designed for us.

Nobody is getting in our way with Dakota. Not Keith, not anybody else.

"Look at me," I tell her. "Look me in the eyes."

She obeys, our gazes locked as I apply more pressure to her swollen nub, my fingers slick and slippery with her liquid desire. Reed beckons her to part her legs, then slides up inside of her. Dakota gasps and I kiss her, tightening my index and thumb pinch on her nipple at the same time.

"Come, Dakota. Come all over me," Reed growls, fucking her harder and deeper.

I revel in the sound of skin on skin, her thick thighs and generous hips jiggling with each thrust. I flick her clit faster, capturing her cries of sweet agony in my mouth as she comes, all that pent-up pressure finally released.

"Fuck, that's it, that's it, baby!" Reed goes into a frenzy of his own, driving himself into her even harder while his fingers dig into her flash.

"Oh, God!" Dakota gasps as I pull back.

"Come down here," I guide her and bend her forward until she takes me in her sweet, warm, wet mouth.

The storm unravels between us, as I hold her head in place and slide back and forth, listening to her work hard to take all of me in. Reed pounds into her, riding the wave of her rippling, climactic pussy, while I let my woman suck me with everything she's got before I go hard and deep in her throat her the way she likes it.

"Mmm…" Dakota manages, tears trickling down her pink cheeks.

Practically unhinging her jaw, she loosens the back of her throat to let all of me in. The velvety heat sheaths my cock, sending shockwaves through my body as tension tightens all through my spine.

I shoot my load down her throat, coming hard, fucking her mouth until she swallows every damn drop. Reed finishes inside her with beastly thrusts, and I can see her shaking in the throes of a second, most unexpected orgasm. I listen to her muffled screams as she unravels and drinks me in while Reed loses himself inside of her.

"God, you're fucking beautiful," I say, caressing her cheek.

She pulls back, gasping for air, and I help her up and kiss her, tasting myself on her lips.

"Thank you," Dakota whispers, soft as jelly in our arms.

"Don't thank us yet, baby. We're just getting started," Reed says.

The night is young. And I intend to keep my word. I may not be able to wipe Keith off the face of the earth, though I would welcome the opportunity if it fell into my lap. But I am able to give Dakota all the physical and emotional comfort she needs to get over his return and to forget that he ever existed.