Todd made gagging noises. “Stop making me puke. I always knew you were a stupid, spineless cow, but you don’t even take a breath without his approval. It’s disgusting.”

  She sent her husband a withering glare, refusing to dignify his bullshit.

  He wasn’t repelled; he was jealous. During their marriage, he’d tried repeatedly to bring her under the press of his overbearing thumb, but he’d never succeeded and that drove him insane. He couldn’t grasp why she’d refused to yield an inch to him but now willingly submitted her happiness, body, and heart to Matt. Madison wasn’t about to waste her breath explaining that Matt had never tried to steal her power. Instead, he had gifted her not just with pleasure, but with the freedom to be herself. He hadn’t offered her decadence and luxury in exchange for her soul. He had simply given her his protection and understanding. He had given her himself.

  “Thank you for your unsolicited opinion, Todd. You know how much I value it.” Madison smiled tartly…then realized he wasn’t stepping out of the other side of the vehicle. “You’re not coming up?”

  “Why the fuck would I do that when you and Romeo will just sit around and eye-fuck each other?”

  Relief swept through Madison. “Well, I have no doubt you’re capable of finding a strip club or an orgy, even on a Sunday night. Enjoy.”

  “Fuck that. My new pet will be sneaking out of her window once her parents go to bed. She’s not ready to let me breach her precious hymen yet, but I’ve already taught her that gagging on cock until I spew all over her face is perfectly normal. I’ve even trained her to lick herself clean for me and swallow every drop.”

  His depraved smile made Madison shudder. “She’s sixteen. She’s a child.”

  “With the body and the sex drive of a woman. She also thinks I’m the perfect fuck-you to her controlling father. Why would I say no? Now get out of my car. And remember, whatever you do…I see everything.”

  The queasiness she’d been feeling since the moment they’d arrived at Winston and Agatha’s mausoleum tumbled her stomach again. Madison swallowed back bile, along with the insult on the tip of her tongue. Sparring with Todd would only encourage him. Instead, she settled her fingers in Ethan’s and climbed from the limo.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She shrugged, gesturing to Todd. “Yeah. Todd’s crap is nothing new.”

  “Wow. When my dad married my ex-girlfriend, I thought that was fucked up, but damn…”

  He wasn’t wrong. And dinner tonight had been a shit show of epic proportions. Then again, once she’d heard the Westbrooks would be there, she’d expected nothing less. And poor Genie. The woman’s grief at losing her only child was palpable.

  Sighing, Madison turned back, expecting Matt to exit the limo next. Instead, neither man moved. She stopped breathing. Shit, was Todd threatening him?

  A small eternity later, Matt emerged, his face full of both menace and satisfaction.

  “What did he say to you?” She bent to glare at Todd.

  Matt slammed the car door before she could. Then the limo sped off. “I told him exactly what I thought of him. Ethan, would you mind sweeping the interior and getting the luggage settled upstairs. I need to talk to Madison.”

  Her fingers shook as she retrieved her keys from the purse she’d dragged from DC to Louisiana and back again before she tossed the ring Ethan’s way. “You’ll need the fob for the elevator. Top floor, unit on the left.”

  He caught them with one hand. “Burglar alarm?”

  She shrugged. “Todd didn’t see the point. The unit is on the tenth floor, and no one can even get on the elevator without a fob, much less near a door or window.”

  “How will you two get upstairs?”

  “The attendant will buzz us up.”

  “You got it.” With a jaunty, two-fingered salute, he headed into the opulent lobby, waved to the attendant like he owned the place, then disappeared into an elevator.

  She whirled back to Matt. “What do you mean, you told Todd what you thought of him? He won’t take that without retaliating.”

  “He just did. Where can we go?” Matt glanced up at the exterior cameras monitoring the front of the building.

  And not be surveilled? She spun around and came up empty. Every place she saw, security cameras lurked, from the Thai joint down the street to the drugstore at the end of the block. The apartment building itself was a high-security complex. Everything here was captured and cataloged. Too many high-profile residents and visitors to be less than diligent.

  Madison shoved down frustration and foreboding. She didn’t want to be here. So many memories, and all of them terrible. Worse, even when Todd wasn’t around, he crushed her chances of finding any peace or happiness. Like before, he’d locked her in a gilded cage that no one looking from the outside in could see. And this time, she’d dragged Matt into her captivity.

  “You don’t have to stay and endure this,” she murmured.

  “Are you?”

  “I don’t have a choice.” If she ever wanted to be free of the Pershings, she needed this divorce.

  “Then neither do I. Let’s go.”

  Instead of taking her elbow to guide her, he bobbed his chin toward the park across the street, nearly two blocks down.

  “Not there.” Public places had eyes and ears. “But I just remembered something. Follow me.”

  She pushed through the grand double doors and inside the lobby, plastering on a smile for Missy, one of the newer resident attendants. “Hello.”

  The young woman smiled, her curious gaze sweeping over Matt. “Mrs. Pershing, welcome home from your trip. Your husband said your father is recovering. That’s wonderful news. How can I help you?”

  Of course Todd had floated a cover story. No doubt Agatha had insisted. While reporters shouldn’t be able to cajole the complex’s workers to comment on residents’ lives…intrepid journalists sometimes managed to wheedle people into divulging secrets they shouldn’t.

  “Thank you, Missy. He’s doing well. Unfortunately, I’ve had some run-ins with the senator’s opponents, and my husband insisted on hiring me bodyguards. You saw Ethan a minute ago. This is Matt. They’ll be here at least through the midterms.”

  Missy’s welcoming expression turned concerned. “Oh, goodness. I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do to ensure your safety while you’re at home?”

  The woman was so earnest. She hadn’t yet been chewed up and spit out by this jaded town. Madison hated that she eventually would be. “You all do a great job. My husband is merely cautious. I just wanted you to know that you might see Ethan and Matt around the building. So I’ll need fobs for them.”

  “Of course. With what access?”

  “Everything I have, please.”

  Missy shifted another glance to Matt, a furrow marring her brow. “Everything, Mrs. Pershing?”

  Madison sifted through all the places in the building she could access. Was the woman questioning why men she wasn’t married to should have clearance into her bedroom? Did Missy even know that Todd had made entrance into his suite accessible only by key fob. For spite, she had insisted on the same. He’d laughed and told her he wasn’t interested in her cold bed, but if it shut her the fuck up, he’d have the access panel installed. As far as Madison knew, Todd couldn’t breach her bedroom once she’d locked it. She couldn’t enter his, either, which suited her just fine. Still, she had to maintain appearances.

  “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. They shouldn’t have access to the women’s locker room.” Madison forced a laugh. “Give them the same access as my husband, please. In case they want to use the gym during their off hours.”

  Missy’s smile reflected her approval. “Right away. I’ll have them sent up in the morning.”

  “Thank you. Can you buzz us up? Ethan has my keys.”

  “Of course. Have a good evening, Mrs. Pershing.”

  With a wave, she headed to the elevator, Matt trailing behind like her protective shadow.

  Once they stepped inside the car and the doors closed, she pressed the button for her floor. In the silence, she tried not to let anxiety overwhelm her. But with each floor the elevator ascended, her heart pounded more furiously. She wrung her hands. The last place she wanted to be was in this building, in the unit she had shared with Todd. So many awful memories…

  “Everything is okay,” Matt murmured.

  She wanted it to be, but nothing with Todd was ever okay. Platitudes wouldn’t change that.

  “Hey.” There was his commanding voice again. “Look at me.”

  After forcing herself not to look at him for hours, she couldn’t stop herself from visually drinking him in. “What?”

  He raked his thumb over his bottom lip. More of their silent language. He wanted to kiss her. His attention nearly made her knees buckle. She craved his touch—so, so badly.

  “Matt…”

  He sent her a filthy half smile, watching her with a burning stare that blazed through her anxiety and scorched away the harsh reality of being back in Todd’s multimillion dollar prison while reminding her of all she was fighting for.

  The air in the car shifted, the tension turning sexual, ratcheting up and swirling thick. God, she could feel his barely leashed itch to touch her. Her need for him seared her veins.

  Was she escaping into a fantasy her brain could cope with? Probably. And after that horrible dinner, she was dying to lose herself in Matt, in the closeness they shared.

  Breaths shaky, Madison dragged her tongue across her lips. She wanted his cock in her mouth. She wanted his fists in her hair as she dropped to her knees, nails in his thighs, and swallowed every powerful, salty inch of him.

  Matt got the message. The demand in his expression surged. He swiped his tongue over his own lips in return.

  If I lick my lips, honey, consider that a promise. Next time we’re alone, I’ll get my mouth on your cunt and make you scream until you can’t anymore.

  Need sent Madison stumbling back. She reached for the rail to steady herself but couldn’t look away. She wanted him so badly she shook. How would she make it through the night without touching him? Through the next three months?

  In the silence heavy with mutual longing, the ding of the elevator resounded like a sonic boom. With a jolt, she tore her gaze from Matt as the doors slid wide, opening to the floor-to-ceiling water feature just outside the front door.

  Once inside the apartment, the familiar place assaulted Madison. She froze as the unavoidable nightmare of her reality washed all fantasy away.

  “Madison?”

  “I’m fine.” She had to be. She didn’t have a choice.

  Her queasiness returned, and she pressed a fist to her stomach. Nothing had changed. Nothing at all.

  Except Matt was beside her. Was it possible he could change everything?

  On trembling legs, she forced herself forward. Ethan had made himself at home on the pale gray sofa, his feet crossed on the low-slung acrylic coffee table. A baseball game played on the big screen against the wall, and he had a beer in hand.

  When he caught sight of them, he stood and set his bottle on the table. “That was quick. Unit is clean. I wasn’t sure where you wanted me to put the luggage.”

  Madison tried to find her equilibrium and breathe again. “I’ll show you both to your rooms.”

  “Great.” Ethan downed the rest of his brew, trashed the bottle, then grabbed his roll-aboard.

  Silently, Matt lifted his duffel and nodded at her to lead the way.

  Since the unit had three guest bedrooms and a barely used study, Madison had choices. She put Ethan in the first bedroom on the left, skipped the study, then gestured Matt into the bedroom farther down the hall on the right.

  “Where’s your room?” he asked.

  She pointed to the door directly across the hall. “Here.”

  “And Todd’s?”

  She flicked her gaze to the closed door at the end of the corridor. “There.”

  Matt grunted. “Awfully close.”

  And he didn’t like it. She heard that in his tone.

  “But see these panels?” She pointed to the discreet white pads that blended in with the walls. “Our bedrooms are each fob-access restricted. I don’t think he can get into mine.”

  Matt raised a brow. “If you requested the same access on my fob as Todd’s, does that mean I can get into his room?”

  “Maybe. It’s possible.”

  Something subversive lifted a corner of his mouth as he shoved open the door to his utilitarian bedroom. A white and gray geometrical rug warmed the hardwoods. A charcoal headboard towered over basic white bedding with throw pillows in varying shades of gray. A simple circular mirror hung above. White minimalist nightstands with black reading lamps affixed to the wall flanked the bed. The room’s lone window sported sheer shades. Ethan’s room looked precisely like his except in blue tones.

  “This okay?” she asked.

  He hoisted his luggage inside. “I’ve roughed it outdoors in Wyoming winters more than once. Comparatively, this is the Ritz. Now, tell me what you remembered.”

  It took Madison a moment to understand. A place where they could talk. Right. “Follow me.”

  In the few minutes since they’d been in the back of the unit, the sun had sunk under the horizon. Moonlight shimmered through the windows. She took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of red, then turned to him. “Beer?”

  “Not when I’m working.”

  “But Ethan⁠—”

  “Is off duty, and he should be in his room for the rest of the night since he’s taking days. I’ll be working nights.”

  She wondered why. Any particular reason? “I didn’t know.”

  He shrugged, and Madison got the impression there was more to the story than he let on. But here and now wasn’t the time or place.

  Madison retrieved her wineglass and ambled to the sofa, noticing that Ethan had shut off the ball game and disappeared into his bedroom.

  She and Matt were alone.

  “Um, the unit has an amazing sound system for movies or music. I’ll show you. If you turn it up loud, you can’t hear anything else. Nothing, and no one can.” Todd had once bragged about this method of outsmarting his grandfather…not realizing she’d outsmarted him by using it herself for phone calls from time to time.

  Instantly, Matt perked up. “That sounds interesting. Show me?”

  Nodding, she lifted the remote from the coffee table, hit the corresponding buttons, then started one of her favorite playlists, jacking up the volume.

  “See?” she shouted.

  “What?” He grinned.

  “Can you hear me?”

  He shook his head. “I can read your lips.”

  Madison grinned and patted the cushion beside her, then gestured to the remote as if she meant to show him out to use it. He complied and took the device from her hand.

  She leaned in. “Can you hear me?”

  He nodded.

  “If you speak directly into my ear, I’ll be able to hear you.” She pretended to point at the remote for the cameras. “You probably shouldn’t sit next to me for much longer. But I want to touch you so badly.”

  Matt gripped the remote tighter as if he struggled to keep his hands off her, too. Then he rose and settled himself in the chair just beside the sofa, casting a meaningful glance at the cushion closest to him.

  Taking the hint, Madison kicked off her stilettos, grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch, and pretended to cozy up to the arm. Matt leaned toward her, faking an intense study of the remote.

  “Can you hear me?”

  As the sensual strains of Halsey filled the room, she resettled her head, nodding as she pretended to find a comfortable position.

  “Good. I wanted to tell you that you were fantastic tonight, honey. Despite how awful Agatha, Winston, and Todd made every minute of that dinner, you succeeded at everything we worked on in the swamp, and you didn’t let those shit stains rattle you. I’m seriously proud of you.”

  Matt’s praise warmed her. She tipped her head back and offered him a smile with her eyes, telling him silently how much his support and his praise meant to her.

  “Roger is every bit the pussy you said. And Cynthia has obviously chosen to escape inside a bottle. But the compassion you showed Genie is one of the reasons I love you, but I’m sure that wasn’t easy.”

  Under the guise of shifting to find a comfortable position, she shook her head.

  “You looked incredible in that dress, by the way. And Ramona made amazing roast beef.” Suddenly, his voice deepened. “But I would ten times rather have eaten you.”

  She turned her stare back to him. His gray eyes darkened like the nighttime shadows lengthening inside the apartment.

  He leaned close to her ear again. “If we were anywhere else tonight, I would reward you like the queen you are. I would kiss my way down your body. Well, I’d linger on your nipples first. I’d suck them and bite them because I know how wet that makes you. Doesn’t it?”

  Madison swallowed, nodding in little jerks.

  Matt shifted in his seat, somehow now closer because she felt his hot breaths on her ear. “Are you already wet for me?”

  She didn’t even have to stick her hands inside her underwear to know. Matt always made her wet the instant he dropped his octave and spoke in those hypnotic tones.

  Wriggling, she nodded again.

  “Good girl. Close your eyes and listen to me.”

  Madison complied, her pulse jumping. What was he up to?

  “Your obedience makes me hard. You like knowing that, don’t you?”

  On the cushy arm of the sofa, she nodded under the guise of readjusting.

  His low laugh reverberated through her body, settling between her legs. “And you’re honest, too. Remember when I said you couldn’t play with that pussy between your legs because it’s mine? I’m giving you permission to touch it right now. Under that blanket, lift your skirt, slide your fingers in your underwear, and rub your clit.”