Chapter Fourteen
Maisie
I groan, stretching out my stiff body as my eyes flutter open and then immediately close again, the too-bright sun making it almost impossible for my eyes to focus.
Rolling to my side, I pull the blanket up to my chin, only for me to realize I am not in my bed, the too-hard surface beneath me making that much abundantly clear.
My eyes dart open, instantly landing on Macallan, who’s on his side, facing me, his lips slightly parted, his breathing slow and steady as he sleeps.
I have no idea how I fell asleep, let alone how I slept through the entire night, especially given the undeniable chill in the air. Even still, I can’t bring myself to get up just yet.
I take a moment to study the lines of Macallan’s face, the cut of his jaw, the fullness of his mouth, a mouth I now remember kissing last night, though I’m still not sure why I did.
It didn’t go beyond that, even if I wanted it to. Macallan was nothing if not a gentleman.
I replay the kiss in my head. The way his hand slid into my hair, pulling me closer. The taste of his tongue as it slipped into my mouth. He wanted me. That much was apparent. But when I tried to touch him, he gently caught my wrist to stop me from doing so.
I wasn’t sure if I was disappointed or relieved as I settled back onto my back, his hand reclaiming mine as I stared up at the night sky, trying to steady my raging heart. But looking at him now, I can say with complete certainty that what I’m feeling now is disappointment.
Because, despite everything, I wanted him. I want him. I’m not sure I ever stopped wanting him. But that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t entirely trust him.
I stare at him for a few more moments, soaking up the ability to drink him in without consequence before finally peeling myself out from underneath the blanket, careful not to disturb him as I roll away and push to a stand.
Tiptoeing across the roof, I slip inside through the same door we entered through last night, using the flashlight on my cell phone to light my way down the rickety stairs before finally pushing my way back outside to find Macallan’s car parked right outside the exit.
Making my way to the passenger door, I mutter a silent curse when I find it locked, my soccer bag still inside. Knowing I’m going to need it tomorrow for practice, I can’t exactly leave without it, but I also have no desire to go back inside and wake Macallan.
I don’t know why, but I feel almost embarrassed about last night.
Not just the kiss, but of all the things I revealed, most specifically Lily.
I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve told that story to, and why I told it to Macallan, I still don’t know.
One minute, we’re talking about stories, and the next, I’m spilling a truth I’ve shared with almost no one.
Shaking off the thought, I round the building, knowing we’re only about a ten-minute walk from campus. Given that I grew up in this area, I have a pretty good gauge of what is walkable and what is not.
It takes me closer to twenty minutes to reach my dorm, which is on the far side of campus, by which time all I want to do is take a shower and climb into my bed to sleep the day away. Despite sleeping the entire night, I feel completely exhausted.
I blow out a sigh of relief when I push my way inside my dorm to find it blissfully empty, though I have no idea where Lana is off to this early on a Sunday.
Not really giving it a second thought, I drop my cell phone and room key onto my desk and then proceed to strip out of my clothes and head straight for the bathroom.
“Why?” I groan, slapping blindly at the beeping object above my head. It takes me several attempts to silence the blasted thing, and only then do I realize it’s my cell phone making all the racket.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I lift the device to my face, having to squint to bring the screen into focus. Several messages and three missed calls... Great.
Unlocking my phone, I see one message from Char, two from Lyric, and five from Macallan, who’s also the one who’s apparently been calling me, given that the only missed calls I have are from his number.
Opening the message thread, I smile at the first thing I read.
Macallan: I see how it is. Just leave me on the roof all by myself. I feel used.
Shaking my head, I read through the other texts.
Macallan: I’m afraid I didn’t get my fill of you last night. Can I see you again today?
Macallan: You good?
Macallan: Can you text me and let me know you got home okay? I’m starting to worry.
Macallan: Mais?
I’m seconds away from texting him back when a knock on my door nearly causes me to jump out of my skin.
“Ugh,” I grumble as I throw my legs over the side of my bed, jumping down from my bunk as the knocking becomes more insistent.
“Maisie, if you are in there, you better open this fucking door.”
My steps falter at the sound of Macallan’s voice.
“Maisie.” He knocks harder, and while I’m tempted not to answer, I have a feeling he won’t leave unless I do.
Unlocking the door, I tug it open to find his fist raised, preparing to knock again. The relief on his face at the sight of me is palpable, and it only now registers that he’s been worried about me.
“Where the fuck have you been?” He steps past me into the room, running his hand through his hair as he turns back to face me.
“I’ve been calling and texting you all day.
I was starting to think you were kidnapped by an Uber driver or something.
” He blows out a hard breath, drawing my attention to my soccer bag as he dumps it next to my bunk with a thud.
“I was sleeping,” I say, gesturing down to my crop top and sleep shorts.
I watch in utter fascination as his eyes drink me in, his gaze darkening in a way that has my stomach twisting with a deep ache of desire.
“All day?”
“I was tired.” I shrug, stepping past him toward the bathroom.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to pee. Give me a minute.”
I quickly dip inside the bathroom, cringing as I catch sight of myself in the mirror.
My face bare of any makeup, my hair tied up in a messy bun with nearly half of the strands falling out, my eyes puffy with sleep.
I look awful and I quickly move to rectify that.
After fixing my bun, I splash some water on my face, do a quick brush of my teeth, relieve myself, and then wash my hands before deeming myself acceptable enough to reenter the room.
When I do, I find Macallan lounging in my desk chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him, appearing much calmer than he did just moments ago.
“Now, would you like to explain why you’re here?” I ask, leaning my shoulder against the frame of the bathroom door, crossing my arms in front of my chest to cover the fact that I’m not wearing a bra, though I doubt he hasn’t already noticed.
“Pretty sure that much is obvious.” He leans forward, resting his elbows just above his knees as he gestures to my bag. “You left that in my car. And... I was worried about you.”
“Why?” I ask like it’s the most ridiculous answer in the world, despite the fact that my heart is beating wildly in my chest with excitement at the thought that he cares enough to be worried, to show up at my dorm half panicked.
“Because you left while I was still sleeping and then didn’t answer any of my calls or texts. I thought something had happened to you.”
“Why do you care?”
He blanches at my question.
“Because I care about you,” he says, like it should be so obvious.
“Do you, though?” I arch a brow, pushing him for reasons I don’t fully understand myself.
“You know I do.” He pushes to a stand, crossing the room in a couple long strides, stopping directly in front of me. “Where’s crazy pants?” He gestures to the empty bed on his left.
“Not here.” I shrug.
“Will she be back soon?”
“No idea. She’s been gone all day. Why?”
“Just wanted to make sure I had time to do this.”
Before I can react, he moves, his hands going to either side of my face seconds before his lips are on mine. Gone is the gentleness he showed last night, replaced by a need that bleeds off him into me, making me damn near desperate.
My fingers plunge into his hair, pulling him tighter as his tongue slides against mine, my stomach tightening when he groans into my mouth.
I don’t know what happens. One minute, I’m on my tiptoes, the next, my feet are off the ground and my legs are around his waist as he presses me against the wall, his arousal thick and hard against my core as he grinds into me.
I drop my head back on a gasp, grinding down on him as his lips find my neck, biting and sucking.
“Do you have any idea how much I want you?” he murmurs against my already too-heated skin.
“You could have fooled me with the way you behaved last night.” His lips abruptly leave my neck and he pulls back to look me in the eye.
“I was trying to be a gentleman.”
“I don’t want a gentleman.” I twist my fingers tighter into his hair.
“Then what do you want?” he asks, his gaze burning into mine, his fingers tightening on my hips where he’s holding me in place.
“You,” I finally say, the word nearly cut off by the press of his lips to mine, the kiss rough and unforgiving, just like I like it.
I don’t stop to think about all the reasons we shouldn’t do this. Not when my body is so desperate to feel him inside me that I’m convinced if I don’t, I might actually die.
We’re all hands and tongues, nails and teeth, restraint snapping as if someone took scissors to it, severing it in half.
Until the door slams, breaking the frenzy as I break away from his mouth and peer over Macallan’s shoulder to see Lana standing in the center of the room, effectively dousing us both with ice water, our movements freezing in an instant.
“Lana.” I press on Macallan’s shoulders, and he quickly lowers me to my feet.
“Well, isn’t this sweet.” She pins me with a smile that sends my heart galloping for an entirely different reason.