“Eww. No.” She pushes me away. “Call one of your brothers. Hell, call my brother. I don’t want to see your junk.”
Turns out, I don’t need to call Cade because he calls me ten fucking minutes after Imogen leaves to make sure I’m staying off my leg. He also tells me he talked to the cops, and they don’t have any leads. It looks like a random break-in. “Thanks, man. I’m taking it easy now. Tomorrow, I’ll stretch and see how it feels.”
“Take it easy. Start slow. You’re in great shape, man. You’ve done the work. You’re not one of those guys who gets fat and lazy between fights. You’ve got this. You’re gonna be fine.” The busy gym hums in the background. The metal clang of weights hitting the floor. The beat of the music blasting through the speakers. The dull sound of voices. They’re all the sounds of home.
Crucible is my favorite place to be.
It’s ironic that inside that cage is where I feel alive.
And for the first time since I bought this house, I fucking hate that I’m stuck here.
MADDIE
“I thought Daphne was exaggerating when she told me how codependent the Kingston siblings are.” She’d just married Hud’s oldest brother, Max, and couldn’t get over how often they all stop by each other’s houses or how much time they spent texting each other. “I was wrong.”
Carys Sinclair closes her mouth and tries to hide her laughter over my rant. She’s used to them by now. We’ve been friends for years. And lucky for me, she and her husband, Cooper, live next door to Hudson.
Hud and Cooper are currently in the home gym, doing whatever Hud’s allowed to do for now, with strict instructions from Cade and the physical therapist at the gym to not put weight or stress on his leg. Meanwhile, Carys and I sit on the couch in front of a fire, working on the social-media presence for the holiday push for her company, Le Désir. She designs the most beautiful lingerie I’ve ever seen. I’ve splurged on a ton of it, even if no one has ever seen me in it.
It’s dinner time on a Friday, and I’m still working.
I guess that could be one of my issues.
You’d think Hudson’s siblings would be busy running their freaking empire because King Corp definitely falls into the empire category. But no . . . Not these people. “Becket and Lenny swung by at lunch to check in,” I continue my rant, deciding I’m fired up and not even close to done yet. “And . . . I may have also overheard a conversation earlier between Hudson and Sawyer. And I know that there’s been a group text happening because he’s either grumbled over it or laughed about it all day. All day, Carys. All freaking day. How do they get anything done?”
She peers over the top of my MacBook, trying hard not to laugh at me. “Mads, you and Daphne look at this differently than I do. I come from a big family. This is what we do. I’m used to it. We may not be as . . . involved in each other’s lives as the Kingstons, but my family chat blows up on a daily basis.”
“Says the woman who married her stepbrother.” I can’t help but tease her.
“Best move she ever made too.” Cooper walks into the room and drops a kiss on top of his wife’s head. “Right, baby?”
She rolls her eyes before tilting her head back to kiss him.
And that’s when I melt.
That . . . That’s what I want.
That easy kind of love.
The kind you work your butt off to get, then bask in for the rest of your life.
“Whatever you say.” She sighs, then sips her wine. “Where’s Hudson?”
Coop takes the glass from her for a sip, then hands it back. “He’s on the phone. Sawyer called.”
“Told you,” I laugh as the man in question shuffles gingerly into the room, grumbling, with his crutches tucked under his arms. I don’t miss the tension holding his body hostage before he sits on the arm of the couch next to me.
He tugs a strand of my hair until I turn around to face him. “What did you tell them, sunshine? Are you giving away all my secrets?”
“I don’t know any of your secrets.” Even if I wish I did.
And damn him for that.
“Carys . . .” Hudson turns his attention her way. “Sawyer just told me Six Day War is doing a surprise set at Kingdom tomorrow night.” He lifts his brow. “Happen to know anything about that?”
Her smile grows a mile wide. “I wasn’t allowed to say anything until they were sure they were coming.” Six Day War is one of the biggest bands in the country right now, and Carys knows them well.
She lived with them and sang with them back when she was in college.
The lead singer’s sister manages the band and is one of Carys’s best friends.
They’re also my favorite band.
I squeal like a lunatic and look between Carys, Cooper, and Hudson. “Oh my God. Please say we’re all going Saturday. I’ve been dying for them to come to Philly again.”
“Since my brother owns the bar they’re playing at, I’m pretty sure I can get us in, sunshine.” Hudson’s being sarcastic, but I don’t care because I want to see them again so badly. They played at Cooper and Carys’s wedding last year, and to see them in that small venue was all it took to make me a fan for life.
The doorbell rings, and Cooper steps out of the room to grab what’s hopefully our dinner and not another Kingston sibling. “Do you think you’ll be okay to go to the bar this weekend?”
“You worried about me, Maddie?” His words are a step above a whisper, which does crazy things to my body.
I stare into the depths of his cobalt eyes, lost for a second.
Of course, I’m worried about him. He’s my friend. Even if this feels like more.
Carys stands with her empty wine glass and clears her throat. “More like she’s worried Cade will kick her ass if you screw up your leg any worse, Hud.” She holds her glass up to me. “You sure you don’t want any?”
I shake my head and wait for her to go into the kitchen, so it’s just Hudson and me still in the room. “How are you feeling? You guys were in the gym for a while. You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”
“It’s sore, but I’ve had worse. I took it easy, and we just worked arms. The damn stairs were worse than the workout.” He reaches toward me, like he’s going to touch my face, but I pull away. Hudson drops his hand, and the look in his eyes turns glacial. “Don’t worry about me, Maddie. But we’re going to talk about that one of these days.”
I blink, shocked by the tone in his voice just as Cooper announces, “Dinner’s here.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Hudson,” I murmur as I get up, ready to hurry from the room before he can push harder.
And thank goodness, he doesn’t push.
Just waits for me to walk in front of him, then follows me into the kitchen.
“Hey, Carys . . .” She spins around to face me. “Want to pour me a glass of wine too?”
“Oh damn.” Carys looks between Hudson and me, silently questioning the uncomfortable look on my face. Then she settles on him. “What did you do?”