“Yeah, there’s some stuff going down with Scott and the club.  He’s trying to get me to go back home again,” I replied.

“And you’re refusing again?” he grinned and shook his head.  Rowan and I had often discussed my brother’s desire for me to return home, and because he had sisters he felt sympathetic towards Scott.

I nodded emphatically, “Of course I am.  So now he is sending someone here to look out for me.”  I rolled my eyes.

Rowan laughed, “You would drive me fucking insane if you were my sister, Madison.  I can just imagine the hell you are going to give this poor guy.”

At that exact moment I glimpsed him entering the restaurant; the guy that Scott had sent.  And I couldn’t believe my fucking eyes.  Over six foot of pure muscle, tanned and inked skin, dark hair and piercing blue eyes; he was as gorgeous today as the last time I saw him.  My heart started beating faster and I blocked everything else out as my mind focused on the man that was heading straight for me.  He looked as pissed as I was.  Yeah, I bet he didn’t want this gig and I could picture the battle he probably had with Scott about it.

I pushed my chair back and stood up, ready to face him.  It had been two years since we had seen each other and while my head was screaming that it didn’t want to see him, my body was betraying me.  I had that fluttery feeling in my stomach; felt that familiar deep need in my core.  No man had ever affected me like he did.

He walked up to me, ignoring everyone around us.  “Madison.”

His gravelly voice did me in, it always had.  I felt weak at the knees and gripped the chair to steady myself; there was no way he would see me falter now.  He had sent me away two years ago; ripped my heart out and crushed it, and I would be damned if he discovered what he was still capable of doing to me.  I lifted my face and met his eyes, “J.”

Chapter 4

Jason

Fuck, she wasn’t going to make this easy for either of us.  I was convinced that Scott was handing me my balls on a plate by sending me here.  One look at Madison and I wanted to shove them at her and get the fuck out of here.  Christ, she was still as goddamn sexy as the last time I laid eyes on her.  I ran my eyes down her body and took in the low-cut, short dress and fuck me heels; god I loved those shoes and my dick twitched just thinking about wrapping those legs around me.

“Can we talk outside for a minute?” I asked.

She pursed her lips and appeared to be assessing the situation before she gave me a curt nod and said, “Fine.”  And with that she grabbed her purse, brushed past me and stalked towards the front door.  I watched her ass sway as I followed her out and told my dick to settle the fuck down.  No way were we going there again; I was here for one reason and one reason only.

Once we were outside she reached into her purse and pulled out a cigarette.  She quickly lit it and took a long drag.  God, I hoped she was still sober; last I had heard she was and she looked pretty healthy, but the way she sucked on that cigarette looked like a junkie fixing for their next hit.

“Scott told you I was coming, yeah?” I asked, taking in the glare she had levelled on me.  Yep, balls on a plate.

“No,” she snapped, “He said someone was coming but he failed to mention it was you.”  She looked like she was going to say something else but took another long drag on her cigarette instead.

“Well, you’ve got me until he pulls me back home so I say we make the best of a shitty situation and put our crap aside.”

She took another long drag on her cigarette, threw it down and ground it out before scowling at me, “You’re a fucking asshole, Jason and for all I care you can go to hell.”

It was time to take my balls back; Scott had pissed me off by making me come here but now Madison was irritating the fuck out of me.  “Babe, call me whatever the fuck you want, but trust me when I say that you do not want Nix to find you alone.”

“Don’t call me babe,” she snarled, “And I really don’t think Nix is going to come here looking for me.  Scott is overreacting.”

I shook my head.  “You’ve got no idea, Madison.  The Nix you knew two years ago has nothing on who he is now.  Since he became President of Black Deeds...he wouldn’t think twice about fucking over his own mother.”

“Don’t talk to me about what that motherfucker is capable of.  I know what he can do and you know that,” she had come close to me and jabbed a finger in my chest.

The anger swirling around us threatened to snap my patience and I flicked my hand out and grabbed her wrist.  I managed to startle her and made a quick decision to shock her into understanding just what Nix did to those in his way.  Grabbing my phone out with my free hand, I scrolled to a photo and shoved it in her face.  “Yeah babe, I know what he did to you, but this...this is what he did to Bec.”

I watched her face pale and let her rip her hand away from mine.  She slapped my face which I should have been ready for, knowing her preference for doing that when she was pissed at me.  The anger at this whole fucking situation took over me and I shoved her up against the wall behind us keeping one hand on her waist and one on the wall above her head.  “Listen the fuck up cause I am not going to repeat myself.  Nix is out for blood and I’m betting he hasn’t let go of that shit that went down between you two.  He wasn’t ready to let you go, Madison, and nobody walks away from him like you did.  Bec tried and what you saw in that picture is what he did to her.  You want that to happen to you?”