Exposed. Samantha Keith

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СКАЧАТЬ her hair danced in the sun, and her bare, slim shoulder lifted. He bit his tongue.

      Carlos stepped onto the deck, shirtless and in a pair of black trunks. Aviator shades covered his eyes, and his even white teeth flashed at her. Nate’s stomach lurched. His fingers tightened on the binoculars and he ground his teeth together. A bead of sweat rolled over his temple.

      Carlos sank beside Maddie, his profile turned to Nate, and his dark, hairy arm rested on the back cushion of her seat. His fingers picked up a strand of her hair and tugged on it. Maddie shifted in her seat, and slid over his lap, straddling him. She lifted her sunglasses and rested them on the top of her head. The corners of her mouth lifted and she leaned forward and kissed him.

      Rage shot through Nate’s veins. He tore the binoculars away from his face as if they burned him, the safety string yanked at the back of his neck. Sonofabitch. His temples throbbed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose.

      She was playing with fire, and to her it was a fucking game. If Carlos found out what she was doing, killing her was just the tip of the iceberg. Heat spread through his chest and he pushed away from the tree. He’d been stupid to come here. If someone had seen him, they were fucked. Maddie would be fucked…

      A tingling sensation erupted on his thigh. Who the hell was calling him now? He checked the screen: Ethan.

      Goddammit, what did he want? He never called repeatedly unless it was an emergency. Guilt ate at the lining of his stomach. He swiped the pad of his thumb across the screen, ignoring the call.

      He slipped it back in his pocket, but it vibrated again, this one a short interval. A message. He sighed and took his phone back out.

      Answer your phone, dipshit. It’s important.

      He kept his head low as he weaved along the boardwalk. A group of young women in bikinis whizzed past him on roller skates. His body didn’t even stir.

      He had Maddie to thank for that. The only time he got turned on, was when he saw or spoke to her. Which was right fucked up. Carlos was probably deep inside her and—

      “Fuck,” he breathed as he massaged between his eyes. She was driving him crazy. Maddie could do whatever the hell she wanted. She sure as shit wasn’t his girlfriend, thank god.

      He pushed Maddie from his mind, tapped Ethan’s contact icon, and pressed the phone to his ear. He had to play it cool.

      “You done avoiding my calls?” Ethan barked. Annoyance rippled through him. If Ethan only knew that he was dealing with Maddie, he’d understand.

      “I’m not avoiding you, dude, I’m working. What’s wrong?”

      Ethan breathed into the phone. “Sorry, just a little stressed. I didn’t want to bother Cal with this. Gracie is teething, and he and Lana haven’t slept in a week.”

      Nate groaned. He’d be damned if he ever had kids. “That fucking sucks. What’s up?”

      “It’s Maddie.” Nate closed his eyes and swallowed. He stepped onto the smooth concrete parking lot and fished his keys out of his pocket. The sun glared into his pupils, blinding him even through his sunglasses. He had to be careful. Ethan was as observant as a hawk when it came to his sisters.

      “What’d she do now?” He kept his tone even, though his throat swelled with the effort it took.

      “Dana called me. Maddie has been avoiding her for weeks. Dana finally got a hold of her today and learned she’s working on a case, but Maddie wouldn’t say what it’s about.”

      “You know she can’t divulge information like that.”

      Ethan grunted. “Yeah, but is that a reason to ignore your family for weeks? She’s up to something. I swear to fucking god, if I find out she’s doing something dangerous, I’m going to haul her ass out of there.”

      Nate opened the door to his truck, started the ignition, and let the air conditioning run while he leaned against the open door. Sweat collected at his brow and he wiped it away. With the pressure of Ethan, he’d combust if he got inside the sweltering vehicle.

      “Maddie’s impulsive,” he breathed. It wasn’t a lie. “Have you called her?” It was a stupid question, but he needed to figure out what the hell to say.

      “Yup. She hasn’t returned my calls.”

      Nate closed his eyes and ran his knuckles over his jaw. “What’s your gut telling you?”

      “I don’t need to listen to my gut, the facts are there. She’s lying and hiding and the only explanation for that is that she’s involved in something she shouldn’t be.”

      The roar of a speedboat split the air, rattling the ground beneath his feet.

      “Is that a boat?”

      Nate’s pulse slowed.

      “Where the hell are there lakes in Phoenix?”

      Nate’s breath came out in shallow puffs. If Ethan suspected he was with Maddie, he’d tear him to shreds. Whether he was banging her or not, covering up Maddie’s lies were just as bad.

      “A boat? Nah, man. That was a motorcycle. If you want my advice, back off a bit. You’re smothering her to death. And the more you hound her, the more she’s going to avoid you. Give her some space and let her come to you. If she doesn’t get back to you in a week, then go ape shit.”

      Ethan groaned. “Yeah, you’re right. She makes me so fucking crazy sometimes. She doesn’t think, you know?”

      “I know, believe me,” he ground out. “But, it’s her life and she’s the one who has to suffer the consequences. I know this is probably hard to hear, but you need to let her make mistakes. People need to screw up in order to learn.”

      “Are you saying I’m enabling her?” Ethan’s tone was terse.

      “Fucking right I am.”

      He snorted. “You don’t have any siblings, so you wouldn’t know.”

      Nate lifted a shoulder. “You’re right, I don’t. But what you’re doing isn’t helping. I think we can both agree on that.”

      A beat passed. “You know, this wasn’t the response I expected from you.”

      A vice tightened around Nate’s stomach. He was treading in dangerous waters. “Sorry, man. I’m really stressed out with this case I’m working on. Let me know how it goes with Maddie and if there’s anything I can do to help.”

      “Actually, there is.” Hesitation crept into Ethan’s voice. “Could you call her? Maybe tell her I’m worried about her? She might not ignore you.”

      Sonofabitch. Nate turned, climbed in his truck, and shut the door. The air was much cooler, but it did nothing to calm his nerves. He needed to stay the hell away from Maddie, not be talking to her and sure as hell not getting in the middle of her and Ethan. Aside from his own raging hormones that couldn’t handle being within a hundred feet of her, her life was on the line.

      If he refused, that could make Ethan even СКАЧАТЬ