Roland stood to the side, clearly trying to hide a smirk and evading meeting our eyes. But I could see a satisfied twinkle in them.

Maddox pulled away from me completely, and I resisted the urge to clasp his hand in mine. I wasn't sure how receptive he would be with one of his men right there.

Swiftly pulling on his glove, Maddox stood and faced Roland.

"What?" Maddox growled out.

To Roland's credit, he didn't flinch at the clear annoyance in the tone. But he was probably used to it. Maddox could be a prickly bear sometimes.

When Roland faced us fully, all traces of good humour were gone. "We got a package, sir."

Something from his tone told me that it wasn't an Amazon purchase. Roland seemed almost hesitant to go on, and I soon realized why.

Maddox realized as well, before he reached back and lightly brushed his fingers over my lips.

"Continue on, Roland."

To my dying breath, I would keep the secret that I choked up a bit when Maddox said that. It was such a small thing, but it meant the world to me. It was a show of trust, a step to allowing me into a bigger part of his life. And with a start, I realized that's what I really wanted. I wanted to be a big part of his life.

Of course, the next words out of Roland's mouth pretty much ruined my good mood.

"Suffice to say, sir, the message was quite clear. Whoever killed Demarco, is coming for us next."

••••••••••••••

A few days had passed, and there had been a flurry of activity since the threatening package had arrived. Despite Maddox's willingness to share information with me, he wouldn't let me see what that package had contained.

But according to the household staff, it could have been anything from a severed human head to a post it note written on in crayon. So really, I had no idea. But I assumed it was closer to the former than the latter.

Maddox had switched into Big Bad Boss mode and mostly stayed holed up in his office. At night, just so I could hopefully catch a glimpse of him, I would sleep in his bed. It was lonely, but at least I was surrounded by his comforting scent.

I spent most of my time in the garden or on the phone with Tj. I had had a visit set up with Tj, but Maddox insisted it was too dangerous at the moment, and would hear no more about it.

I had thought of sneaking off the estate, but it was locked down. And honestly, I didn't have a death wish from whoever was threatening Maddox.

I was on my way to the garden for one of my walks during the sunset- it was the least chaotic part of the estate currently- when I saw Maddox and a group of armed men and women heading towards the front door.

What the hell was going on?

Maddox was conferring with Roland, and I picked up my pace so I could tug on Maddox's sleeve. With a tilt of my head, I guided Maddox around a corner to have some semblance of privacy.

My back bumped against the wall and Maddox's arms caged me in. I almost considered rubbing myself provocatively across him as a means to getting him to stay, but first I wanted answers.

"What's going on? Where are you going with all this firepower?" I gestured at the sniper rifles two men carried with them as they briefly passed in our line of sight.

"We have a lead."

"That's it? That's all I'm going to get? That you have a lead?!"

In my exasperation, I had grasped the edges of his dark leather jacket, pulling him in close. His breath brushed across my lips, and I felt tears well in my eyes.

Bewilderment settled on my lover's face as I willed the tears not to spill. "Why are you so upset?"

I couldn't answer without the risk of crying. So I grasped the back of his head and pushed my lips onto Maddox's.

It was a passionate, claiming kiss. Our tongues fought for dominance before Maddox's inevitably won. I pushed my slowly thickening bulge against his already hard dick. My fingers tangled in his hair as his muscular thigh pushed my legs apart. We finally parted so we could gulp in some much needed air.

Maddox was about to pull away to leave, so I left a chaste kiss on his lips before whispering, "I better not have to bandage you up again."