Page 51 of Maddox
“Uh,” I say, waving my arm around. “I’m sure you didn’t bring me here so I could cry all over you.”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” he says, tipping my chin. “What happened?”
When he presses his thumb between my furrowed brows, I wrinkle my nose and say, “It’s a long story…”
Swiping his thumb beneath my eye and taking my tears with him, he says, “I’ve got time.”
Does he really want to hear this though…?
“I’m waiting,” he rasps, tapping my chin and I roll my eyes like a two-year-old.
His lips tilt the tiniest bit, sending my heart pumping before it fades and I mumble, “My little brother died a year ago.”
“Shit,” he rasps, dropping his head to mine.
“It’s okay.”
“It’snotokay,” he says, and I close my eyes.
He’s right. It’s not and I’m surprised by his response because I’m used to people accepting my words as an excuse to move away from the awkward topic.
Not Maddox though. He’s been remarkably kind considering my mini breakdown. Maybe he understands because he’s felt it, I don’t know but tonight, under the stars with his normally teasing facade gone, I’m drawn to the man underneath in a way that I couldn’t be to his other persona.
Is it a persona though? I don’t know. Either way, it’s this that compels me to speak my horror even though I know it’s opening a door that I can’t easily close.
When his fingers brush the hair at my temple, I turn to him and say, “He fell in our pool and with the winter cover on, he had no chance. Ihatethat I ever wanted the damn pool to begin with.”
Those midnight eyes search mine before he runs the tip of his finger over the bow of my lip and asks, “Did you remember a happy time?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
My heart feels…almost normal after this interlude and when I smile, turning my gaze back to the stars, he pulls me into his chest once more.
We don’t speak but it’s perfectly wonderful because I feel his heartbeat against my ear. With my palm pressed against his shirt, I also feel the hard lines of his body.
The longer we sit here, alone together, the more I want to explore further, so I smooth my fingers over his pec, sucking in a breath when he presses his hand over mine.
My fingers tingle to continue my exploration but I turn to the sky when a shooting star bursts between the trees and grab his shirt, gasping, “Did you see that?”
“Yeah,” he rasps and when I meet his gaze, goosebumps dance across my skin.
Maybe it’s the stars twinkling above, maybe it’s his eyes glimmering below but I can’t resist, and I lean over, brushing my lips over his.
They’re warm and soft and wonderful and I bite back a whimper when he groans and says, “Princess, we shouldn’t do this.”
But I don’t want this to end because with him Ifeel,and it’s been so long since something brought me joy. This is why I do something bold and reckless, and I don’t regret it when I lick his bottom lip, and say, “Why?”
A thrill rushes through me when his eyes widen, and he wraps a fist in my hair before flicking his tongue into my mouth.
Those warm lips feel amazing against my chilled skin, and I grasp his shoulders as he wraps his tongue around mine and sucks on it gently.
Everything and I do mean,everythingpulses at the sensual promise, and I slide my hand down to his chest, the beat of his heart thumping rapidly beneath my fingers.
Cool air greets me when his lips slide away from mine, and I shiver in his embrace when he gently bites down on my earlobe before kissing down my throat and licking along my collarbone.
A cascade of tingles follows in the wake of his wicked mouth as I stare into the sky, growing darker above us, matching the power of the desire swirling through my veins.
