CHAPTER 16
C HAPTER 16
ALLYN
“I still think this is a terrible idea.” I muttered as we approached the big white house in front of us. Tamara and Lydia were both much more enthusiastic than I was.
“Relax, Allyn,” Lydia said, strolling confidently to the front door and knocking. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Yeah, that’s how every horror movie starts.
The door opened shortly after, revealing a tall boy with curly brown hair, soft skin, and a wide smile. He leaned casually against the door frame.
Tamara’s face lit up when she saw him. I must’ve missed this “meeting” she had at the club. Probably during the thirty minutes, I’d been stuck in the bathroom, zoning out.
“Our special guests have arrived,” he said with a friendly grin, stepping aside to let us in. “Nice to see you girls. Come on in.”
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
*****
Hours later, the room was full of laughter and chatter. Everyone seemed to be having a good time—drinking, flirting, and talking.
Everyone except me. I sat on the couch between Lydia and Tamara, feeling completely disconnected.
Tamara was snuggled up with her guy, his arm draped protectively around her. I hadn’t bothered to remember his name.
Lydia had already found company in the arms of another one, kissing him and giggling like they’d known each other forever.
It amazed me how effortlessly Lydia switched gears.
Yesterday, she’d been in bed with a girl. Tonight, she was tangled up with a guy. I admired her freedom, her ability to just live.
I was the only one who refused to drink, which made me feel like the odd one out. Still, I wasn’t in the mood to dull my senses.
I noticed one of the guys had been eyeing me all night. It was getting on my nerves.
I turned to get a better look at him.
He wasn’t ugly—blond hair, blue eyes, average height, lean but not particularly muscular. Decent-looking enough, I supposed. Handsome in a generic sort of way, but definitely not my type.
Maddox isn’t your type either, but you were willing to fuck him in the hallway, last night, right?
The thought made my cheeks warm. My inner voice was relentless.
“Why don’t you stay the night?” Tamara’s guy suggested, breaking me out of my thoughts. His gaze swept over the three of us like it was the most reasonable offer in the world.
“Yes, there’s enough space,” the guy who’d been staring at me all night chimed in eagerly.
“I like this idea,” Tamara said, her smile widening as she leaned into her boy’s side.
Before I could voice my objection, the doorbell rang.
“The food is here,” Tamara’s guy said, standing up and disappearing toward the front door.
The others dove back into conversation, their chatter buzzing in the background. That was until the sound of voices raised in argument reached us from the front hallway. The tension spiked as the voices grew louder.
Seconds later, none other than Maddox stormed into the room, his presence swallowing up every bit of space. He looked like he’d been dragged straight out of hell, his dark eyes sweeping the room before landing on me.
I froze. His gaze pinned me in place.
“Dude, you can’t just walk into my house like that,” the guy stammered, trailing behind Maddox.
It was almost laughable how small the guy looked next to Maddox, like a child scolding a giant. Maddox didn’t do much as glance at him, his attention fixed squarely on me and the girls.
“Let’s go,” he said, his voice cold and commanding. “Now.”
“What?” one of the guys blurted out, clearly confused. “You know this dude?”
Maddox’s head turned sharply, his icy glare slicing through the boy. “Call me ‘dude’ one more time, and I can’t guarantee you’ll leave this house alive.”
The room went dead silent.
Maddox’s words weren’t just a warning—they were a promise. His dark, unyielding stare was enough to drain every ounce of confidence from the boy, who froze in place, visibly unnerved.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Lydia shot to her feet, squaring off against Maddox.
“Angelo called,” he continued, his gaze briefly flicking to me. “He wants Allyn back at her house. Immediately.”
“Who the hell is Angelo?” the boy who’d been ogling me all night asked, his confusion evident as he glanced between us. “What’s going on here?”
Maddox’s cold stare snapped to him, sharp enough to slice through steel. The boy froze, his mouth snapping shut as if Maddox’s glare alone had robbed him of words.
Satisfied, Maddox turned back to Lydia.
“Make sure Tamara gets home safe,” he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. Then, he turned to me. His dark eyes locked onto mine, unrelenting.
“Let’s go, Allyn.”
The weight of everyone’s stares settled on me like a heavy fog. No one said a word, waiting for my next move.
With a heavy sigh, I stood, feeling the heat of humiliation crawl up my neck as I walked toward the door. Everyone’s eyes burned into me. The walk of shame. How I hated it.
Maddox’s footsteps trailed close behind, steady and purposeful.
“You and your brother have something in common,” I muttered as we approached his sleek, unnecessarily expensive car parked out front.
He opened the passenger door for me, his brow lifting in silent inquiry.
“You both like to embarrass me.”
Maddox let out a dry evil laugh, the sound more mocking than amused. “We don’t have to try. You manage that all on your own.”
With that, he shut the door in my face the moment I slid into the seat. I scowled as he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine, his movements controlled. The car roared to life, and we sped off without another word.
I huffed, crossing my arms.
“I need some personal space, you know?”
“You lost the right to personal space the moment you stepped into our family.’’
I rolled my eyes, turning away from him, my frustration boiling over. If I stayed in this car a moment longer, I might scream—or worse, punch that smug, arrogant face of his, consequences be damned.
Instead, I focused on the passing buildings outside the window, my jaw clenched, counting every second until we reached the house.
The drive lasted ten minutes, though it felt like an eternity. The moment Maddox pulled up in front of my porch, I yanked the door open and hurried out, my heels clicking against the pavement as I made a beeline for the front door.
The house was silent, cloaked in darkness. I moved quickly, heading upstairs, hoping Maddox would take the hint and leave me alone.
“Don’t walk away from me,” Maddox muttered behind me, his voice low but commanding.
“Why?” I snapped, spinning around to face him without slowing down. “You have anything else to humiliate me with? Haven’t you done enough for one night?”
Before I could take another step, his hand shot out, grabbing my arm and yanking me toward him.
My breath hitched as my body collided with his, heat radiating from the point where his fingers gripped my skin.
My heart pounded wildly, and my mind scrambled to keep up.
“You have no fucking idea how hard this is for me,” he muttered, his voice like gravel, his jaw tightening as his dark eyes bore into mine.
“What?”
The word barely left my lips, more a breath than a question.
His tongue swept over his bottom lip, his jaw flexing again as if fighting some internal battle.
“To control myself,” his gaze flicked to my lips for a brief, agonizing moment before returning to my eyes. “Because every time I look at your annoying face, I want to fuck you. Rough. Hard enough to get you out of my fucking head.’’
The air caught in my lungs, his cruel, arrogant words sinking into my skin and setting it ablaze. Heat rushed to my face, and I knew I must’ve been as red as a stop sign.
“Do it, then,”
I whispered, the words escaping before I could think better of it.
A dare. Another game in this dangerous dance we couldn’t seem to stop playing. Something dark flickered in his eyes, and I felt a shift—a mask slipping, barriers crumbling.
His hand moved up, wrapping firmly around my neck like a chain, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us.
Then his lips crashed into mine, fierce and unrelenting, stealing the breath from my lungs and the ground from beneath my feet.