Chapter 28
Adrian
My eyes flick to Maddy, who’s about to vibrate her way out of her tight black dress and sky-high heels as we step into Pulse, one of our favorite nightclub spots. Somehow, we made it through the rest of the workday, though I won’t lie, I didn’t get much done.
All I could think about was how good it felt to come inside Maddy while Caleb was buried in her ass. I’m up for doing that all day, every day.
“You’ve never been here?” Beck cuts into my thoughts as he threads his arm around Maddy’s waist and pulls her into him.
“No, it’s way too expensive for me!” she answers, her voice almost a yell. The bass thumps as she grins up at him, and he plants a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. Normally, something like that would irk me, but right now… I just love the way it makes her face flush.
Why do I find her happiness worth sharing? Honestly, the longer I watch her with my friends, the more I start to feel happy for them, too.
I’m happy for all of us.
Together, we wind through the first floor. I nod toward the VIP section, and Beck, his arm still around Maddy, guides her to the velvet rope at the bottom of the black stairs. Beck says something to the bouncer that I can’t hear, and then he lets us through.
The music isn’t quite as loud on the upper level, and it’s not nearly as humid or crowded. Beck leads the way to a section of unoccupied couches and plops down, pulling Maddy onto his lap.
“We should get drinks,” Caleb calls out to us. “I’ll be right back.” He heads for the VIP bar, as Beck kisses Maddy’s neck, causing her to giggle.
I stay standing, peering out across the dance floor below and feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves.
It feels like I’ve leveled up both my relationship with my two best friends and my relationship with Maddy.
But I’m still trying to wrap my head around what transpired on that conference room table.
That was incredible.
I just have no idea how the rest of the world will view the fact that Maddy belongs to all of us. I try to imagine that conversation with my parents, cringe inwardly, and then push it away.
Fuck that. I don’t need to think about that yet.
“Drinks!” Maddy squeals, and I readjust my focus.
“I’m back!” Caleb grins, holding up a tray of shots. Maddy claps, jumps to her feet, and grabs her tequila shot and a lime. I skip the lime, opting not to chase it. The four of us clink the glasses and throw them back.
It burns. But damn, it feels good as Maddy grabs my neck and brings her lips to mine. I kiss her, my tongue tasting the tartness of the lime on her lips.
“Fuck,” I groan as she brushes her ass against me. I’m thoroughly enjoying watching her bounce around with a kind of childlike joy.
“More drinks!” Beck stands to his feet, pumping a fist in the air.
I laugh at him, placing a hand on Maddy’s hips, as she sways in front of me, tipping her head back and meeting my gaze.
“You’re beautiful,” I kiss her once more, and then let her drift over to dance with Caleb. I watch the two of them interact, expecting to feel jealous again…
But I don’t. I just feel happy.
And the drinks keep coming. Maddy alternates between water and cocktails, which I respect.
Meanwhile, Beck is on a mission to test the limits of his liver, pounding shots.
Caleb sips his whiskey and watches everything, smiling and nodding along to the beat.
It’s a strangely perfect balance between the four of us.
After a half hour of drinking, Maddy leans in, eyeing all of us. “I want to dance. Who’s going to join me?”
Beck bursts into a grin. “Fuck yes. I got you, Maddy Girl.” He’s up immediately, his hand out. Maddy takes it, and he leads her to the VIP dance floor, moving with a drunken, reckless confidence that draws stares in pure Beck fashion.
I stay perched on the arm of the couch, nursing a gin and tonic, watching them disappear into the strobe-lit mass. Caleb follows my gaze, his eyes narrowed as they meet mine.
“He’s good for her,” I say, realizing that Beck might be the only one out of the three of us who likes to have a drunken good time. Or even dance for that matter.
Caleb nods, then takes a sip. “Are you fighting the jealousy?”
I give him a look. “About what?”
“About Beck being the good time guy.” He turns the glass in his hand. “That we might not be fun enough for her.”
I watch the dance floor, where Beck spins Maddy, her laughter visible rather than audible with all the noise. “I think we’re needed to balance out how much fun Beck is. He might be too much fun.”
Caleb snorts. “That’s the truth. He’s the fun one, I’m the sensitive one, and you’re the one who makes the decisions.”
“Damn,” I frown, “That makes me sound like a dictator.”
“Nah, you’re just the protective type.”
There’s a long silence, filled only by the club’s manufactured thunder of music.
I down the rest of my drink and set my glass down. “Maybe we shouldn’t be so uptight. Then we can be the fun ones, too.”
He shakes his head, but then pauses, gesturing to Maddy. “She looks happy.”
She and Beck have found a rhythm, not quite in sync with the music but perfectly attuned to each other. She throws her head back and smiles, and he dips her, not caring that his drink sloshes over his shoes.
We both sit and watch until Maddy’s out of breath, and leads the way back to us, dragging Beck along behind her. I expect her to flop down on the couch, but instead, she drops Beck’s hand and grabs mine.
“We should all dance,” she says, looking straight at me. “I want to see your moves, Adrian.”
I start to say no—I’m not a dancer, never have been—but Beck is already grabbing my wrist and hauling me off the arm of the couch. He’s stronger than he looks, and I give in.
Because honestly, I’ve realized I’ll do anything for Maddy.
“Come on, Caleb,” I call out to him, and he grins, following us.
The four of us hit the dance floor. I’m awkwardly stiff, like someone who’s never danced a day in his life. But Maddy doesn’t seem to mind. She moves close, her body pressed to mine, hands around my neck. I let go, letting the music thump around us.
The DJ drops into a remix of some Rihanna song, and Maddy spins around, backing her ass up to me and pulling Caleb into her. I lose track of everything but the heat of her body against mine. Beck finds his place adjacent to me.
And once again, I can’t stop thinking of how fucking right this feels.
By the time we finally stumble into my penthouse, my shirt is half-untucked, Beck is borderline shitfaced, Caleb is laughing at everything, and Maddy’s hair is a mess of brunette and glitter.
“Holy shit, Adrian,” her eyes go wide as she takes in my place for the first time. “Did you rob a billionaire or something? It’s all black and white and villainous in here.”
Beck bursts into a cackle, tossing his jacket onto the marble island. “Nah, Adrian’s always aspired to be like James Bond.”
“He’s not wrong,” I admit, winking at Maddy as she giggles.
She kicks off her heels, padding barefoot across the polished floor. She leaves little prints on the black granite, each one a perfect outline of her foot before dissipating. She drifts toward the windows, gazing down at the city like a queen with a kingdom.
She deserves to feel like that. She has no idea how fucking amazing she is.
I move to the bar, pouring a single malt for all of us. Beck tries to one-up me by pouring his own, but he fumbles and gets half of it on the counter. Caleb just takes his glass and settles onto the sectional, stretching out like he’s claiming his territory.
Maddy sips her drink, nose wrinkling at the burn, then curls up on the couch, knees tucked under her. She lets out a sigh as she rests against Caleb, her eyes closing.
Beck turns on the TV, flipping through menus at lightning speed, landing on some action movie I’ve never seen before.
I drop onto the couch, Maddy in the middle of Caleb and me. Beck plops himself down on the floor in front of her and then rests his head back. Her fingers find his hair, and she begins playing with it. I rest my hand on her thigh, thankful to feel the warmth of her body.
The movie is background, and I find myself just zoning out. The real action to me right now is the slow, melting together of four people who have no idea how to do this, but are doing it anyway.
And we’re going to figure it out because we love her.
The thought comes in as a shock, and as much as I want to question everyone else and see if they feel the same, I swallow it for now.
I don’t want to fuck this up.
Maddy shifts, and her feet end up in my lap.
She flexes her toes, brushes them against my wrist. The motion is innocent, but it makes my heart stutter in my chest. I glance at her and then begin to rub them for her.
She catches my eye, holds it for a long moment, then looks away, smiling to herself.
Caleb starts to drift, his head tilting back, his eyes heavy. Maddy lifts a hand, runs it through his hair, and he leans into it.
“We should call it a night,” he mumbles, his eyes closing fully now as he rests against her palm.
“Agreed.” Maddy stands, stretches, and then looks at me. “I guess I should head home.”
“No,” I say, reaching out and grabbing her hand. “You should stay here. Everyone can.”
“So we’re all going to pile into your bed then?” Beck tilts his head and looks at me like I’m crazy.
“We can make it work,” I say as I stand up. I turn off the TV and the light and lead the way to my bedroom.
Maddy bounces into the room and onto the king-size bed and scoots to the center, making room on both sides.
“Come on,” she giggles, patting either side of her.
Beck claims one spot, flopping onto his back and pulling Maddy close.
She’s still giggling, but it’s a loose, sleepy sound now.
Caleb eases in on her other side, lying on his side, arm draped over her waist. I slide in next to him, propped up against the headboard, waiting to see where the pieces fall.
Maddy lifts her head, looks at me through the dim glow of lights. “You don’t have to watch over us, you know.”
“I’m not,” I lie.
She reaches out, tangles her fingers in mine, and pulls me closer. “Just relax,” she murmurs. “This has been the best day ever.”
I chuckle. “It has been.”
I rest my head back, chuckling at how fast Caleb falls asleep, and then watch as Beck follows, a light snore drifting off his lips.
Maddy settles in, eyes drifting shut, a soft smile on her lips.
I watch them all, the way our bodies fit together, and the way the tension of the last month has dissolved into a warmth that fills the space.
All we had to do was just give it a chance.
And I’m really glad we did.