DARE-TO-LOVE-TRUTH-AND-DARE-DUET-COLLECTION-by-Lylah-James-pdfarchive

IN THE MORNING, I woke up to an empty bed. For a brief
moment, I wondered if it was all a dream, and Maddox
hadn’t come home. But when I breathed in, I caught the
familiar, musky scent that he left behind. My body still
tingled from where he had touched me.
After quickly freshening up, I walked out of the bedroom
to find Maddox sitting at the kitchen table, staring out the
window. The morning sunshine shone through the glass,
and Maddox looked beautiful sitting there. He was
shirtless, with only his grey sweatpants on. It was the
perfect sight...but my chest tightened at the look on his
face.
My wounded warrior.
He had a black eye, and his lips were cut and swollen.
His ribs were turning into an ugly shade of purple and
green.
“Want some coffee?” I asked, hoping to get him to talk
and lighten up his mood. Last night was hell for all of us. I
needed to make sure he was okay.
But his next words were not what I expected.
“Am I a disappointment?”
I flinched. “What!? Maddox, what are you–”
My next words caught in my throat when I saw the
expression on his face. Utterly defeated, a look that could
only be described as heartbroken. Like a beaten puppy,
whimpering silently as it suffered.
My heart caved inside my chest at that look, and I
walked over to him, kneeling between his legs. He spread
his thighs wider, encasing me against his body.
“Why is it that whatever I do is never enough?” he said,
his words choked.
“Maddox,” I whispered.
I saw the phone in his hand and finally put two and two
together. Grabbing the phone from him, he didn't stop me, I
searched through his messages. The most recent message,
two hours ago, was from his father.