He needed her, too.

  Matt plucked her from the tub, wrapped a towel around her, and plastered her against his body. She threw her arms around his neck, grabbed him desperately, and gave him her tears. It was so bittersweet. He had earned her complete trust, and she was laying her worries at his feet. But there wasn’t a damn thing he could do other than assure her he would be there.

  “I’ve got you, honey.” He stroked her back and kissed the top of her head. “I’ve always got you.”

  She hiccupped as she stared at him with desolate eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “We’ll figure it out one step at a time.”

  Madison opened her mouth. The faint whine of boat motors filling the still morning stopped her. Her eyes widened with terror.

  Matt cursed. In this deserted corner of the swamp, people didn’t happen by. Other than the dock out front, there wasn’t a great fishing spot. He hadn’t seen an observation point capable of dishing up a pretty view. Anyone who came here did so intentionally, and Jack never showed up without radioing in first. The damn device had been silent for days.

  Dread twisting his gut, he set Madison away. “Get some clothes on. Now.”

  “Who do you think that is?”

  “I don’t know. Go.”

  He couldn’t wait to see if she obeyed, just dashed into the bedroom, tossed on pants and boots, grabbed his Glock, checked the chamber, then marched to the front room. He pressed his back to the door and leaned around to lift the drape and peer out the front window. Five guys in two boats, moving too fast for him to get a good look, but they were heading straight for the dock just beyond his line of sight.

  Fuck.

  “We’ve got company,” he yelled.

  “How did anyone find us?” Madison sounded shaken.

  Matt wanted to know that, too, but they didn’t have time to figure it out. “Get in the dungeon. I’m going to lock you inside. Don’t make a sound. You can’t let anyone know you’re here. Do you hear me?”

  It was his last resort, but he didn’t see many other options to keep her safe.

  “Matt—”

  “Do it,” he snarled as he marched to the other side of the room and glimpsed out the kitchen window. He might be fucking outnumbered, but if their uninvited guests were looking for a welcoming party, they would be sorely disappointed. He intended to come at them, full force.

  “I won’t leave you to face my mess alone.”

  Matt whirled on her. For nearly two weeks, she had obeyed him every single goddamn moment. Of all the fucking times for her to rebel… “That’s an order.”

  “No. If those are Winston’s or Todd’s thugs, they’ll kill you.”

  At least he’d take some of those bastards down with him. “And what will they do to you?”

  Madison all but stomped her foot, then disappeared down the hall. Matt cursed, torn between bodily shoving her in the dungeon for her own safety and defending their front door.

  A moment later, she saved him from the decision, appearing in the front room again, shotgun in hand. “I found this in the bedroom closet.” She cocked it, then shot him a challenging stare. “I might obey you in bed, but don’t you ever think I would leave you alone to die.”

  Goddamn it, he wanted to paddle her ass red at the same time he wanted to tell her how much he loved her. “We’re going to talk about this later.”

  If there was a later…

  The sounds of male voices jerked Matt’s attention back out the window. The sight of a few familiar faces had him sagging with relief. “Jesus, it’s just Jack. He came with company.”

  Madison pressed a hand to her chest as she exhaled. “Oh, thank god.”

  He turned back to her with a smile and realized she’d braced a few feet behind him, gripping the gun that looked too big for her small hands, wearing nothing more than his T-shirt. It hung to her elbows and knees and covered the essentials…but it was obvious she wasn’t wearing a stitch underneath.

  “Put more clothes on.”

  She glanced down at herself. She’d probably tossed on the first thing she could find and hadn’t worried about a dress code for a gun fight. But a rapping on the door told him it was too late.

  Jack let himself in. “If anyone’s indecent, cover up now. I don’t want to see that shit.”

  “What the fuck?” Matt set his Glock aside. “You scared the hell out of us.”

  The Cajun grimaced, his expression rife with apology. Then he looked the two of them up and down, brow raised. Matt was conscious of his disheveled hair and his bare torso.

  Deke filed in behind him, followed by One-Mile. They stared, too. He glanced down and grimaced at the long red scratches across his torso. He’d forgotten Madison had raked her nails down his chest overnight when he’d awakened her with his tongue on her pussy, then set her astride him for an explosive orgasm.

  “Why is everyone blocking the door?” Ethan Garrison barged in.

  The bastard’s gaze immediately zipped to Madison, devouring her from head to toe. Matt swore. Even from a distance, there was no missing her nipples poking the front of his white shirt. He stopped in front of Ethan and blocked his gaze.

  “Madison…” Matt flipped a stare over his shoulder at her, his voice a warning.

  She nodded and slipped into the bedroom. The door shut with a quiet click.

  For a long moment, no one said a word.

  “You two don’t look like you’ve suffered too much the last twelve days,” Deke remarked. “That’s some serious sex hair.”

  Matt tried not to bristle. Yeah, they’d passed the time in each other’s arms, but no amount of pleasure he’d given her could diminish the way she’d suffered. “Listen, I know you’ve been trying to broker a deal on her behalf, so I appreciate that, but save the sophomoric jokes. She’s falling apart.”

  “Really?” Ethan licked his lips. “She looked mighty fine to me.”

  Matt clenched his fists. “I’m going to fucking beat you, you son of a bitch.”

  “You can’t. The bosses need me for an op.” The bastard sent him a smarmy grin. “Sucks to be you.”

  “Hey, buddy.” Pierce clapped his arm, his expression calming. “Good to see you. How about we take it down ten notches and peel ourselves off the ceiling, huh? We need to talk.”

  Scrubbing a hand down his face, Matt nodded. He made a mental note to thank his best friend later for preventing him from making a total ass of himself. “Sure. Brea and the kids okay?”

  “They’re great. I won’t ask how you’re holding up.” One-Mile winced. “How’s Madison doing?”

  “It’s been day by day. The waiting is wearing on her.” Matt turned to Deke. “Do you have anything?”

  The men all exchanged a glance. The air took on a sudden gravity he didn’t like.

  “Yeah. I’ve got a counter to Madison’s proposal.”

  “Tell me.”

  At the sound of her voice, everyone looked her way. She padded down the hall, toward them, now dressed in yoga pants. She’d tied the long ends of his overlarge shirt in a knot at her waist. She still wasn’t wearing a bra, and he hated the way Ethan was taking advantage of the view. But if Deke was here with some goddamn information, her lack of undergarments wasn’t their biggest issue.

  “Stop gawking,” he barked at the punk.

  Ethan looked Madison up and down. “I don’t see your ring on her finger.”

  Not that it hadn’t crossed Matt’s mind, but Ethan strained his already stretched temper. He lunged at the prick. Pierce caught him by the shoulder and yanked him back.

  Jack came to the rescue, glaring at Ethan. “This situation is too serious for you to flap your jaws for the fuck of it. You want to run with the big boys? Act like a man.”

  One-Mile nodded. “You’re supposed to be an asset to the situation. If you don’t knock it off, I’m going to help Matt close your mouth for good.”

  “I can speak for myself.” Madison sounded irritated. “Thank you for your help at the motel, Ethan, but I’m not interested.”

  “Fine. Whatever,” the bastard grumbled and rolled his eyes, but he blessedly plopped in a chair and fell silent.

  Madison closed in, approaching Deke. Despite being surrounded by an overload of testosterone, she didn’t look intimidated, and she didn’t back down. “Is the deal done?”

  Everyone turned to Deke. He sighed.

  Matt didn’t like the way that sounded.

  “If you agree to Pershing’s terms, yeah. But you won’t like them.”

  Madison pressed a fist to her stomach. She looked seconds from breaking apart but raised her chin. “Tell me.”

  “You can have a divorce. Todd will file the day after Thanksgiving.” Deke’s stare slid Matt’s way. “Citing infidelity. Once it’s final, you’ll get continued medical care for your father for the duration of his cancer treatments and five million dollars in exchange for three things: First, every copy of the video of Brent Westbrook’s murder, including the original. Second, a full social calendar of events with the family during the two weeks before the election. And…”

  Matt stood beside Madison, steadying her as she held her breath.

  “And?” she prompted.

  Deke looked like he’d rather swallow glass than say what came next. “The senator’s people will float the story that you’ve been visiting your dad in the hospital these last couple of weeks. But now you and Todd have decided to start a family. They’ll announce your pregnancy in September. You’ll lose the baby right before the election.”

  “So Pershing gets sympathy votes?” One-Mile growled, disgusted.

  Deke nodded. “Especially from women, who are one of his weakest voting blocks.”

  Pierce grimaced. “What a piece of shit.”

  Matt couldn’t agree more. “That story isn’t going to fly. If she’s visiting her sick father and not returning home until just before the midterms, how could she get pregnant by a guy she hasn’t seen in months?”

  Madison paled. “Oh, my god. Todd wants me back now.”

  “That’s right, wife.” Todd suddenly appeared in the doorway, wearing a blue-checkered shirt and khaki shorts, as if he was about to hit the golf course, not torment her in the middle of the swamp. As she gasped, his smirk deepened. “Or should I say whore? I do want you back now. You’ll live with me, day and night, between now and the midterms. I’ll make sure you get ‘pregnant.’”

  Matt shoved Madison behind him, then whirled on Jack and Deke with a glower. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

  “He showed up last night and insisted on delivering the counter in person,” Deke explained, his face full of apology. “If I gave you advance warning, the deal was off.”

  “That’s right, Romeo.” Todd looked him up and down. “One of my terms and conditions.”

  “You’re doing this to torment me,” Madison accused.

  Todd nodded. “Because I can. Because you want to be rid of me more than I care whether I keep you.”

  “We’ll release the video,” Madison threatened.

  Matt nodded. “We have multiple copies.”

  Jack sent him a regretful stare. “Yours are gone. Someone broke into your house day before yesterday, ransacked the place, and took most of your electronics.”

  Matt fumed at having his space violated by this prick. Todd’s smug expression told him exactly where to lay the blame. Still, Jack had a copy—not that the crafty Cajun was advertising for obvious reasons. And Madison still had the original in her backpack.

  “I can take any others, too,” Todd assured. “Besides, if you think Grandad can’t buy off the press and strong-arm social media companies into suppressing this story, spinning it as the vengeful ex-wife vomiting BS and the like, you haven’t been paying attention these last couple of years.”

  The threat hit Madison like a body blow. Matt felt her jolt. He wrapped his arm around her for support.

  “It’s incontrovertible proof, asshole, the kind you can’t squirm out of,” he snarled at Todd. And the Pershings wouldn’t be negotiating at all if they weren’t at least a little bit worried.

  “Wouldn’t you look pretty in prison?” One-Mile quipped.

  Todd scowled at him like he was a speck of shit on his shoe. “Fuck you, loser.”

  “Madison is not going anywhere alone with you,” Matt insisted. “After you fucking tried to kill her, I won’t let her out of my sight for even a minute, much less months.”

  Deke grimaced. “I raised the same concern, but—”

  “I’ve given you my offer.” Todd approached Madison, grabbed her wrist, and slid her wedding ring back on her finger. “Take it, and you’ll get a divorce…eventually. Leave it, and I’ll destroy you both.”

  Get ready for heart-pumping passion, intense drama, and unexpected twists in the unforgettable conclusion of Matt and Madison’s story.

  Order your copy of their explosive, epic ending today!

  WICKED AND BARE

  Matt and Madison, Part Two

  Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire

  By Shayla Black

  Click to learn more!

  (available in eBook, print, and audio)

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  WICKED AND BARE

  Matt and Madison, Part Two

  Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire

  By Shayla Black

  Click to learn more!

  (available in eBook, print, and audio)

  He'd give his life to protect her…but he’ll demand everything from her in return.

  * * *

  Madison Archer-Pershing fled her murderous, soon-to-be ex-husband, Todd, running straight to operative Matt Montgomery, despite the fact he once broke her heart. Under his protection and in his arms, she can’t help but fall for him again. Then Todd discovers them together and coerces her back to his glittering, dangerous world of politics, greed, and deception. But Madison knows his deepest secrets…just like she knows he’ll try to silence her forever.

  * * *

  Matt is bad for good-girl Madison. He’s too rough, too commanding…but he can’t resist the woman who still owns his heart. He’s determined to keep her safe at any cost…but he can’t protect her from his own dark desires. As she melts in his embrace, shocking revelations rock them. Peril lurks around every corner. And when he’s confronted with the most wrenching decision of his life, will he rip out his heart to save her life or risk everything to claim her forever?

  Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire

  Thank you for joining me in the Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire world. If you didn’t know, this cast of characters started in my Wicked Lovers world, continued into my Devoted Lovers series, and have collided here. During Matt and Madison’s journey, you’ve read about some other characters, and you might be wondering if I’ve told their story. Or if I will tell their story in the future. Below is a guide in case you’d like to read more from this cast, listed in order of release:

  WICKED LOVERS

  Wicked Ties

  Jack Cole (and Morgan O’Malley)

  She didn’t know what she wanted…until he made her beg for it.

  * * *

  Decadent

  Deke Trenton (and Kimber Edgington)

  The boss’ innocent daughter. A forbidden favor he can’t refuse…

  * * *

  Delicious

  Luc Traverson (and Alyssa Devereaux)

  He can’t control his desire…and that’s just the way she wants it.

  * * *

  Surrender to Me

  Hunter Edgington (and Katalina Muñoz)

  A secret fantasy. An uncontrollable obsession. A forever love?

  * * *

  Belong to Me

  Logan Edgington (and Tara Jacobs)

  He’s got everything under control until he falls for his first love…again.

  * * *

  Mine to Hold

  Tyler Murphy (and Delaney Catalano)

  His best friend’s ex. A night he can’t forget. A secret that could destroy them both.

  Ours to Love

  Javier and Xander Santiago (and London McLane)

  Two estranged brothers. A virgin with a past. A danger that could destroy them all.

  * * *

  His to Take

  Joaquin Muñoz (and Bailey Benson)

  Giving in to her dark stranger might be the most delicious danger of all…

  * * *

  DEVOTED LOVERS

  Devoted to Pleasure

  Cutter Bryant (and Shealyn West)

  A bodyguard should never fall for his client…but she’s too tempting to refuse.

  * * *

  WICKED LOVERS: SOLDIERS FOR HIRE

  Wicked as Sin/Wicked Ever After – Pierce “One-Mile” Walker (and Brea Bell)

  She begs him to rescue his enemy from death. In exchange, he demands her body…

  Wicked as Lies/Wicked and True – Chase “Zyron” Garrett (and Tessa Lawrence)