Free Maddie and Wyn by Cameron Dane

where Wyn had watched his mother slowly die but still love him and parent him and guide him until the very end. He had not been able to stop looking at the old place or stay away.
    He glared at Maddie now, although at this point she’d seen him in bad moods and dark head spaces at least a dozen times since becoming friends; she rarely flinched at the sight anymore. “I’m allowed to be in a funk about the sale.”
    Strolling the living room, Maddie said, “Of course you are. I don’t deny that one bit.” Pausing, she yanked open curtains with one rough pull and flooded half the home in light. “But what you’re not allowed to do is mope in your house with all the curtains and shades closed for one of the rare full weekends you have off from work.” Riiippp. She pulled another curtain across its rod with dramatic flair and washed the rest of the space with blinding brightness. “There is a gorgeous, rare March day outside where you don’t have to wear a coat or boots, but you do have to wear shades or you’re likely to get blinded by the sun. I’m not going to let you miss it.” Before he could blink enough to get his sight back, Maddie strode up behind the couch, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and pinned his head back against the top of the cushions.
    Leaning over him from above, looking way too glowing with no makeup to sound like such a drill sergeant, Maddie tightened her hold in his hair. “While I didn’t know your mom, based on everything you’ve told me about her, I have to imagine Jayne would kick your ass if you didn’t get out and enjoy this weekend for her.” Dipping down even lower, her gaze glinting with hints of smoke, Maddie put them nose to nose. “So how about doing the right thing here by getting your ass off this couch?”
    A pang hit Wyn’s gut hard. He reached up and tangled his hand in Maddie’s hair too. “Low blow, Maddie.” Even as he growled, pictures of his mother tending to her garden as well as his on early spring days expanded painfully in his chest. “Very low.”
    Maddie stood up, crossed her arms under her breasts, and raised her eyebrows at him. “Did it work?”
    Wyn’s lip curled. If such a thing were possible, steam would have puffed out of his flared nostrils, but he still muttered, “Yes,” and reluctantly pushed himself to his feet.
    “Then get dressed and bitch about it to me in my truck.”
    Just as he reached the door to his bedroom, he swung around and zeroed in on Maddie. “Where are we going?”
    Her eyes shimmering like crazy, grinning like the Cheshire cat, Maddie wagged her finger in his direction. “You’ll know when we get there.”
    Her appearance in a white peasant blouse, jeans, moccasin loafers, scrubbed-fresh face, hair down and flowing, didn’t give Wyn a single clue to their destination. She perhaps looked slightly more put together than normal, but then again this was how Maddie tended to look for the most part if she wasn’t grungy from working at the garage—that is, except for the time he’d seen her all done up when he’d crossed paths with her when she’d been out on a date a few months ago.
    The memory of seeing Maddie with that too-good-looking guy brought forth a low growl in Wyn. Witnessing Maddie’s accomplished and attractive date place his hand on the small of her back as they exited the movie theater and walked to a way-too-cool car that Maddie would surely drool over had set Wyn on edge for the rest of that particular weekend. Hypocritical and ironic he knew, since he was the one who’d told her to get out more. And she did need to, but that didn’t mean Wyn liked seeing it.
    “Come on,” Wyn grumbled, a little bit of his latent irritation slipping into his tone. “Seriously? You’re not going to tell me where we’re going?”
    Maddie’s stance became that of the drill sergeant again. “No.”
    Wyn rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why I ever agreed to a friendship with you.”
    Fast as lightning, Maddie