Authors: K Carr
“What do you want me to say?” she asked coldly. “What do you want from us?”
“Nothing,” Matt said quietly. “In fact, I would like to thank you.”
They exchanged confused looks before turning their attention back to him.
“Madison is beautiful, inside and out,” Matt said in a voice full of sincerity and pride. “She is sweet and fiercely protective of those she loves. She is determined, stubborn and makes me laugh in a way no one has ever done before. She sees the good in everyone.” Matt’s eyes narrowed. “And ignores the bad. She wants the best for everyone in her life, even if sometimes it makes her uncomfortable or goes against her own personal beliefs. She loves without conditions, without boundaries, and she loves me. So, I owe you thanks, for having a hand in raising such a wonderful person. Thank you.”
Cleo looked away. Matt could see her throat bobbing up and down frantically, but he couldn’t see her eyes.
“And I love her,” he said as he got to his feet. “More than life itself, and it’s a shame you refuse to acknowledge that.”
“I don’t know you.” Cleo’s head snapped around, dark brown eyes flashing. “I don’t trust you. Lord knows I’m not perfect and I’ve made mistakes, but she’s my brother’s baby and I did the best I could for her. Kept all those boys with their promises of the moon they couldn’t deliver far away from her, because I knew she had something special. I may have made mistakes along the way, been too strict, kept a distance between us…but I kept her on the straight and narrow.” Cleo stood up now. “And you, with your money and fancy life, you’ve come into her world and no one
sees
her. They paint her as some sort of gold-digging whore when she’s not. Oh I know, I read the things they say about her on the Internet. Being with you has done this. I don’t know you, but I see what being with you has done and I don’t want that for her. I don’t want her facing a life of always having to deal with people looking down their noses at her because of her race, or where she’s from, or how much money she has.”
“I love her, and I will protect her,” Matt said.
“And your family?” she shot back. “Tell me, what are their views on your relationship?”
Matt’s aloof mask was on as he answered, “My siblings are becoming quite fond of her.”
“Your parents?” Cleo asked. “Are they becoming fond of her, too?”
Matt wondered whether Madi had told her aunt about his parents’ continued frigidness with her. He wondered if she’d confided the hateful things Grumps had said to her. “They will come around soon enough.”
Cleo snorted, her gaze looking over him with something close to righteous disgust. “They don’t accept her, yet you expect us to accept you? Judging us for not doing so, when your own family don’t like her?”
“I’ve proposed to Madi, and she’s accepted,” he repeated. “We will be married and, whoever disagrees, well, that is not my concern. I love your niece, and I will protect her.”
“She’s a black woman,” Cleo replied in a hard voice. “She was raised knowing she doesn’t need a man to protect her. She can protect herself. I’m not going to lie, I can’t pretend to be happy about this because I’m not.” She held her head high, a haughty demeanour that reminded him of Madi. “I will say this though, my niece may be angry with me, she may never forgive me…I hurt—we hurt each other something bad yesterday. But God as my witness, you break her heart and there is nowhere you can hide from me. I don’t care how much money you have. Something you should know about black women: You do not hurt our kin, not if you value your life.”
Matt watched the bristling woman in front of him. He could see the shine of tears in her eyes even though she maintained a hard glare in his direction.
He sighed, knowing there was nothing he could say to assure her that he would never cause Madi pain, but he tried anyway. “I would never hurt her. I’m going to marry her and, you may not believe it, but she means everything to me.”
“I don’t trust you, Matthew Bradley,” Cleo said with a finality that echoed around the room.
Matt nodded. “She’ll be waiting for you, whenever you’re ready. Madi will be waiting, because that’s the type of person she is.”
Cleo looked at her husband, then back at Matt. The tiniest of smiles rippled over her mouth as she shook her head slowly. “You still have a lot to learn about my Madi. You’re right, she loves without conditions and boundaries. This cheque in my hand here is a prime example of that, but her forgiveness is not limitless. You ever hurt her deep and you’ll see what I mean. You don’t know my Madi.”
“I know what matters,” Matt countered.
Cleo stared at him for a moment, then walked out of the sitting room without a further word. Matt sighed as David got up and walked towards the door, holding it open for him.
“They’re both hurting,” David said as Matt headed for the door.
“I hoped I could fix it,” Matt said dryly.
David peered at him and shrugged. “A man doesn’t have the necessary tools to fix something like this. It’s up to them.” David paused and stepped back so Matt could walk out of the house. Then he called, “Hurt her and I will send my Cleo after you. Trust me, you don’t want that.”
Matt snorted in disbelief before turning on his heels and heading for the waiting limo. At least he had tried.
He spent the next few hours shopping, an absolute chore, but he knew the twins would never forgive him if he returned home empty handed. When he walked into the condo, he directed his two shadows to leave the numerous bags in the foyer. He was about to dismiss them when he heard a muffled grunt followed by a shouted, “Ai-yah!”
They all moved as one unit towards the living space. Matt outpaced the men paid to protect him, but his only concern was Madison. The sight that met his eyes had him forcibly swallowing his laughter as he plastered a unamused expression on his face.
“Ya!” Madi yelled, pretending to slam a fist in Ryan’s chest. She hadn’t noticed the return of Matt and his shadows. Ryan looked over at Matt, his weary expression making Matt think this had been going on for a while.
“Ai-yah!” She stood on one leg, the other raised in a high kick. “See? I’ve got ninja skills, Hulk.”
“Yes, Ms DuMont,” Ryan replied politely.
“Poppet,” Matt called and she spun around with wide eyes. “Stop play fighting with Ryan. I’m not paying him enough to deal with this.”
“Ah, yes,” she mumbled. “I was showing Hulk here my moves.”
Matt could see she was embarrassed at being caught messing around. She was blushing but, if he called her on it she would deny it, using her mantra of ‘Black girls don’t blush.’ He observed her for a minute, eyes running over her white t-shirt and matching yoga pants, hair pulled back in a high ponytail which put emphasis on her striking features. She was beautiful. There was no need for her to dress up or wear makeup. None of those things women did to make themselves appealing to the opposite sex was necessary with her. She was simply beautiful just as she was.
Matt realized he’d been staring at her for longer than was polite in the presence of company. The knowing male glances being exchanged between the guards had Matt adjusting the open look of longing on his face.
He cleared his throat and turned to Ryan. “We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning at six am. That will be all.” He gestured to the front door, dismissing the men. Once he was alone with Madi, his hands started tugging his shirt out of his pants. She arched an eyebrow at him and took a few steps back.
“Did you have breakfast, poppet?” Matt asked, undoing the buttons of his shirt.
“Yes,” she confirmed, eyeing him. “Ryan brought me food.”
“That’s good.” Matt discarded his shirt and was tugging his under-vest over his head. “Shall we go out for lunch later?”
“Maybe.” She took a couple more steps backwards. “Have you moved my envelope, Matt? It was on the table last night, and I wanted to get it in the mail today.”
Matt started unbuckling his belt. “It’s been delivered. Don’t worry about it.” He pulled the belt through its loops and grinned at her. “Why are you still dressed?”
“Why are you getting undressed?” she asked. “Last night was—”
“Was last night,” he said throatily as the memories of her naked body beneath his flooded his mind. He didn’t want old memories; he wanted to make new ones. “You know I can never get enough of you, poppet. Come here.”
“Your bodyguards are right outside, Matt.” She hedged, and Matt paused in slipping off his pants, observing her intently. He had to remind himself that, although she wasn’t body conscious, she was shy about certain things. Wearing leotards that left nothing to the imagination while twirling around a dance floor with another man as others watched on didn’t faze her. Making love with people nearby did. Never mind they were behind closed doors.
“They won’t hear a thing,” he cajoled, stripping off the rest of his clothing.
Madi stared at his nakedness, eyes lingering on his obvious state of arousal. Matt sauntered over to the large leather sofa and sat down, patting his thighs firmly so she understood his intention. He watched from half-closed eyes as she began to undress slowly. When she glided over to stand in front him, he was almost crazed with the need to be inside her moist tightness. He held her by the hips as she straddled him and rested her hands over his shoulders. With their gaze locked on each other, she slid down his hardness, enveloping him in the heated folds of her flesh.
“Poppet.” Matt gasped at the feel of their flesh becoming one. Her luscious lips were parted, eyes widening as her body accommodated his pulsing manhood. He held her tightly when he was fully inside her, savouring the moment. It felt like coming home. Her body was home…she was his home.
“I’ve got my own requirements, you know,” she murmured, raising herself up slightly before sliding back over him.
Matt arched his hips upwards and her fingers dug into his shoulders as a low moan fell from her lips.
“Requirements?” He bent his head, kissing his way over her breasts while relinquishing his hold on her hips to instead grip her arse.
“Yes,” she exclaimed with a shudder. “You can’t…oh God…work as hard.”
Matt thrust upwards and the sound she made had his chest tightening. He wanted her to make that particular sound again.
“Mmm,” he agreed, getting drunk off her scent, the sounds of their coupling, the sensation of her body moving on top of his.
“A-and you—have to stop being—oh, don’t stop that, Matt.” Her head fell into his neck. “So bossy. S-stop being so bossy.”
“Mhmm.” His eyes closed as he focused on controlling his thrusts while guiding her movements above him.
“And—”
“Hush, poppet,” he growled into her ear before nibbling it. She did as ordered, the only noises to be heard were their intensifying groans of mutual pleasure.
Until she screamed for him and, hearing his name torn from her lips as they exploded into ecstasy, made his orgasm more potent deep inside her body.
“Love you,” she gasped, collapsing against him, a light sheen of sweat glistening over her dark skin. Matt ran his shaking hands over her back as he fought to catch his breath. He buried his face in her neck wanting to immerse himself in her scent. She was his drug of choice, his dark beauty.
“I love you too,” he finally replied once he got his breathing under control. “We’re not finished yet,” he added when her breathing started evening out. Madi laughed and sat up, drawing a tortured groan from him at her movement.
“You have the libido of a twenty-year-old, Matt,” she teased.
He winked at her before slanting his lips across hers and twisting their bodies into a horizontal position over the sofa. “The blame lies entirely at your feet. Now, shall we continue?”
She grinned at him, running her hands through his hair as she nodded. “We shall.”
Hours later in bed, Matt kept one eye on her and the other on the telly as he caught up on the news. She was replying to her emails and, every so often, a tiny frown would tug at her mouth.
“Poppet, are you okay?” he asked suddenly, muting the TV.
She was laying on her stomach, lower legs up and crossed at the ankles, wearing nothing more than knickers.
“Um hmm,” she murmured distractedly, not sparing him a glance where he reclined against the pillows. Matt caught her feet—they were lying in opposite directions—and tickled her arches. She jerked away.
“I’m asking you a serious question. Pay attention,” he reprimanded.
She immediately sat up and folded her arms across her bare chest. Matt couldn’t stop himself from an appreciative glance that turned into a stare, then the expected response of his body’s urgent request to claim his woman surged to the front of his thoughts.
“Matt,” she called to him, and he dragged his gaze back to her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “This current estrangement from your family, I don’t want it—”
“I’m fine.” She cut him off. “It is what it is.”
Matt sighed and crooked a finger at her. Reluctantly, she crawled up the bed to where he was.
“You’re upset. Don’t act like you’re not, poppet,” he said. “You shouldn’t bottle your feelings up inside.” Matt frowned at her. “I would hate for this to have an adverse effect on you.”
“I’m not going to have a nervous breakdown,” she replied wryly. “My sessions with Dr Brown have—look, I’m dealing with it. I need some time.”