Hell On An Angel (Fated Love Book 2) (16 page)

“Not yet, but I can be…” I felt him move in behind me and I elbowed him as hard as I could. Contact was made impossible by the covers but he humoured me with a grunt. I felt him move away from me but before I could grip them knowing what was coming, the covers were off me. “Up. You need to eat.”
 

I rolled onto my back and looked up at him. He gave me that shit eating grin and I threw the pillow at him again and turned my back to him again. “Asshole.”
 

“I love you too, now up!” He leant over and slapped my ass hard and I squealed. “I have coffee.” I grumbled some more but pushed myself up and got out of bed.
 

“Could have started with that!” He ran over to me and scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder. I squealed again when he lifted me off my feet and I reached down and smacked his ass. “I can walk, ya know!”
 

“I know, but I would hate for you to wear yourself out on the way to the kitchen.” I slapped his ass again and slumped against him.

“Did you sleep?” I asked him.
 

“I slept a little. Mostly just laid with you while you did.”
 

I frowned as we entered the kitchen and he sat me on the bench. “Don’t frown, baby. You’ll get wrinkles.”
 

I kicked him and held out my hands for my coffee. “Pay up, mister.” I tried not to worry about him not sleeping. He told me what could happen if he didn’t get enough sleep. “Baby, when is our appointment with the psychiatrist?”
 

“Day after next. Why?” I shook my head.
 

“No reason.” He raised a brow and handed me my coffee. Taking it from him, I blew on it and took a sip after a little while. “So, what are you feeding me for breakfast?” I gave him a smile. “You always did make good pancakes.”
 

“I’ll make them for you, baby. If you tell me where the other train of thought, came from?”
 

I let out a sigh. “I’m just worried.”
 

“About what?” He asked as he started to gather the ingredients for pancakes.
 

“That my little stunt back in Sydney is doing more then I think it is.”
 

“Okay, explain.”  I took a deep breath and set my coffee down. “You aren’t sleeping, and the boys seemed to be worried about you when they picked us up. I am worried that I am putting more stress on you than you can handle.”
 

He put the bowl down and moved over to me. He cupped my cheek and met my eyes. “Please don’t worry about it. I am still in shock that you are here with me, and I was worried that if I went to sleep, I would wake up and it all be a dream. I love you. Yes, I wish that I could take all your hurt away, but you are nothing for me to worry about. I know that this is just a tiny bump in the road and you’ll get past this like so much before. You are stronger than you think you are.”
 

I nodded and leant forward to kiss him softly. “I love you, more than words. Please, promise me that you’ll talk to me if it gets too much?”
 

“I promise, Snowflake. I will always talk to you. No matter what.” I took a deep breath and pushed it all down, giving him a smile.
 

“So about those pancakes…”
 

After hiding away with Maddie for a few days, we adjusted to the new time zone - well, she did, anyway. For me it wasn’t a huge difference, as I didn’t stay in Australia long, but the flight knocked me around more than I thought. Initially I was fine, but then jet lag knocked me on my ass. I felt Maddie relax after that. I felt bad for what I had done to her. I dropped a lot on her, and now I was a ticking time bomb for her, wondering when and if I would have a seizure. She was never one for living in the moment. She hated the unknown, and I really wished I could have made it easier on her.
 

Hearing my phone go off in the other room, I ran a hand over my jaw as I moved to answer it. I knew it would be either Mario or Blake checking in. I had given them strict instructions not to just stop by like they normally would until Maddie had found her feet. Picking up my phone and reading the text message that had come through, I looked up as Maddie came into the room. She had those jeans on that shaped her ass just right and... just, damn.
 

“What’s up?” she asked me and all I could do was answer her with a smirk.
 

“You’re an ass.” She moved over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist and I pressed my lips to hers.
 

“Nothing important. Mario and Blake are just checkin’ in.” I told her.
 

“Oh, and why aren’t they here?”
 

“I told them to give us a few days before I unleashed them on you.”
 

“Oh, come on, they can’t be that bad! Can they?”
 

“Famous last words, baby. You’ll see, because they are on their way over.”
 

“Oh good! I have some stories for them.” Her lips curled into a smirk and I couldn’t help the groan.
 

“Lord help me!”
 

“Oh, baby, not even He can save you this time.”
 

When the boys got here, the fun began. They gave Maddie a few drinks, and then it was on, for young and old. Thankfully, though, she knew that line not to cross and kept quiet on some of things from our past. Once the wine was gone and the boys had burned through my beers, Mario thought it would be an awesome idea to go out drinking. Our local pub was a short drive into town. Mario never walked out of there alone. No matter who he came with, he always managed to score. Blake and I were never really interested. I was never interested in a one night stand and couldn’t commit to someone that wasn’t Maddie.
 

Ten years later, and I was still so hung up on her. Blake told me once, after a chat with a bartender who worked there, that the girls would always place bets on who could get me to go home with them. “Yeah let’s go.” I said, surprising myself. I called up a car service, knowing I would end up having a couple and wouldn’t want to drive home after drinking. We all got in and headed for the pub.
 

Wrapping my arm around Maddie and keeping her close to me, we made our way to the bar.
 

“Boys, welcome back! What’ll it be tonight,” asked old man Jackson behind the bar.
 

“Three beers and a Southern Comfort and lime.” He blinked for a minute when he noticed Maddie and nodded.
 

“Coming up.” He gave me a grin which I returned. He moved away to get our drinks and came back not long later. For an old man he moved fast. When I pulled out my wallet to pay him, he waved me away. “Be gone with ya money, boy! My treat. We’ll call it a celebration.” He turned his back and I quickly put money in his tip jar.
 

We took our beers and moved to an empty booth. I noticed a few of the local girls looking Maddie up and down as we walked past, whispering amongst themselves. Maddie ignored it, but it just made me pull her closer. Jealous hags. Letting Maddie slide in first, I slid in after her and kept my arm along the back of the bench.
 

“So, how long before Mario ditches us?” I asked.
 

“I’m surprised he hasn’t already,” replied Blake.
 

“Hey! I’m not that bad!”
 

“Sure, you aren’t, bud. You usually ditch us after a couple.”
 

“Yeah, well, you two get boring, so I go and entertain myself.”
 

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” asked Maddie.

I couldn’t hold back the laugh at the look on his face.
 

“Yeah, well, seeing all the looks Tim and Maddie are gettin’ is more fun anyway.” I raised a brow. “Oh, come on! You can’t tell me you ain’t noticed the chicks giving her mad death stares.”
 

“Oh no, I see it. I just don’t care. She outclasses them five to none.”
 

“Guys, I am right here, ya know!” I turned to her and grinned.
 

“Sorry, baby.” She rolled her eyes and cuddled closer to me.
 

“Want to get any closer to him, honey?” I looked up and saw one of the ones giving her death stares standing there.
 

“Can I help ya?” She slid a piece of paper over to me.
 

“Yeah, you get bored with blondie, then give me a call.”
 

“Excuse me?” Before she could say anything, Maddie had the number, tore it up into shreds and threw it back at her.
 

“Thanks, but he goes for class, not ass, so he won’t be trading down anytime soon. Bye, now.” She picked up her drink and took a sip, not taking her eyes off the chick who was still standing there.
 

“What? She isn’t wrong. You’re lucky I am sitting here, though.”
 

“Yeah, and why’s that?” she asked. “Because I am likely to get up and pull those fake as fuck extensions outta ya damn head. Walk away, before I make a game of it. Tell ya friends to stay away, too.” The girl flipped her hair and walked away in a huff.
 

Blake and Mario both burst out laughing. “We are so keeping her around!”
 

“That’s the plan, boys.” I grinned and took a drink of my beer.
 

After a couple of drinks Mario did wind up ditching us for the group of girls who were giving Maddie dirty looks. He goes for ass. I was on my way to get another round of drinks when he brought one of them up to me.
 

“This pretty thing wanted to come say hi.” I turned and looked at her and blinked.
 

“Gracie!”
 

“Hey, big brother.” She moved over and gave me a hug and I squeezed her tightly.
 

“What are you doin’ here?”
 

“Moved out here.”
 

“Wait? What? You two are related?” asked Mario.
 

“Yep!” I said popping the p. “Do the rents know?” She shook her head.
 

“Nope. I moved away and don’t speak to them.”
 

“Makes two of us.”
 

“Three. Matty wised up to dad’s bullshit and cut ties with him too. Saw how badly the move affected you.”
 

“Where is he now?”
 

“Afghanistan. We caught up when he came back, but he was called up again.” I nodded and ran my hand over my neck.
 

“Wait, does this mean she is off limits?” asked Mario.
 

“Does hell, yes, answer your question?” He sighed and asked old man Jackson for a shot.
 

I felt an arm around me and looked to see Maddie. “Can we help you?” asked Gracie.
 

“Nope.” Maddie replied.
 

“Oh shit. You girls did always hate each other.”
 

“We didn’t hate each other. She never thought I was good enough for you, though.”
 

At the same time Gracie took a drink I saw it register in her eyes and she spat it out in shock. “Maddison!” Maddie screwed up her face and tried to wipe the drink off her arms.
 

“Jesus, Gracie! You are supposed to drink it, not spit it everywhere!” Maddie told her.
 

“Fuck, I am so sorry. Wow. Guess I was wrong.” I raised my brow.
 

“About what?”
 

“You two not being right for each other.” I nodded.
 

“You weren’t the only one.”
 

After getting another round of drinks, we lost Mario again, and went back to the booth. Apparently, now that Gracie was off limits to him, he went to try with one of her friends.
 

“So how did you two end up finding each other?” Gracie asked.
 

“He came to Australia for a job, and I just happened to have been with the guy he was working for.”
 

“Huh?”
 

“I own a security company, and one of Morgan Young’s guys looked me up and asked me to fly out to cover for the guys who were coming home.” Tim told her.
 

“Wait, you and Morgan Young? What’s he like?” Gracie asked me.
 

“An asshole. It didn’t last once Tim got there, though. I found out what happened when you guys left and some other stuff, and realized being with Morgan would have been something I would regret. He came home, and Tim and I stayed home for a bit before coming back here. I couldn’t stay there.” I told her.
 

“Well, it’s good to see a smile on his face again. He was devastated when we had to leave.” I nodded and laid my head against Tim’s arm.