26
ADAM
Yet again I found myself watching Maddie, only this time it was more than me wanting to stay in the shadows. I didn't want to intrude on what looked like an intimate moment between her and her sister.
You didn't have to be a genius to know the two women were related. They shared the same blonde hair and the same facial features. And right now, they were locked in an embrace that had my heart doing strange things and my brain drifting to my own sibling.
I missed the days where I'd been comfortable enough to simply pick up the phone because I wanted to hear my little sister's laugh. Or when she used to show up out of the blue to torment me with her boy troubles .
I missed Zoe. Missed my family.
The sputter of an engine coming alive drew my attention to the driveway next door in time to see the Honda pull out and roll down the street. Maddie stood stock-still until the early evening swallowed the retreating taillights.
Emerging from where I was standing, I made my way to the fence just as she pivoted. When she spotted me, the smile playing on her gorgeous lips stretched even wider. My heart stuttered in response.
There weren't words—there probably were, I just didn't have them—to adequately explain how it made me feel when she looked at me like that. All I knew was, I wanted to see a hell of a lot more of it.
I opened my mouth to greet her but before a single sound could come out, Sheldon darted around the corner. His shrill barking reaching a new octave the closer he came.
"Looks like someone is happy to see you." Maddie laughed.
I planted my hands on top of the fence and pinned her with a stare. "He the only one?"
"No." Her answer came without hesitation, loosening the band around my chest a little more.
My gaze flicked to Sheldon sitting against the fence; head tilted back, tongue lolling, he was watching me expectantly.
"I've been thinking about those movies you were on about," I told Maddie when our eyes locked again.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." Nodding, I dragged my palm over the back of my neck. "If you're not busy, I thought maybe you could enlighten me."
That beautiful smile that always touched some deep, dark part of me grew bigger and brighter. "You wanna have a movie night?"
Holding my gaze, she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, rolling it over her teeth .
My entire body went up in flames because, shit, I wanted to nibble too.
"Something like that." The words came out hoarse, scraping against my throat like sandpaper.
The way her features lit up with excitement was so damn beautiful and infectious; I felt my own lips curve upward in return. Smile still in place she said, "You better get over here quick. School's about to start."
I wasted no time hopping over the fence and quickly stooping to pick up Sheldon. Almost immediately, he attacked my face with his tongue, even managing to lick the inside of my nose.
Maddie laughed when I pulled my head back and groaned. "All right, buddy, I'm happy to see you too." With a chuckle, I scratched behind his ear.
"You know." Maddie nudged my arm with her shoulder. "If you'd shown up five minutes earlier, I could've introduced you to my sister."
The band that'd loosened earlier pulled taut again. Uneasiness crawled down my spine and made my skin feel tight. There were things I couldn't dance around anymore. Things about me Maddie needed to know.
I just didn't have the balls to come right out and tell her.
Choosing to remain silent, I followed her through her front door, down the long hallway, and into the living room. Sucking in a breath, I held it and dropped to my haunches to set Sheldon down. Slowly released it as I pushed to my feet .
Hands perched on my hips, I faced Maddie. But she was already watching me, those eyes of hers filled with curiosity as they roamed over my face.
"You don't like being around people, do you?" There was no judgment in her voice when she asked the question.
"It's not that I don't like it. People, in general, make me uncomfortable." Rocking back on my heels, I slipped my hands inside my pockets. "They're always staring." Her face softened and I hated it. "Don't do it, Maddie," I begged. "Don't pity me." I didn't think I would be able to handle it.
She shook her head, her pony vehemently swinging back and forth. "It's not pity you're seeing." I closed my eyes and almost immediately snapped them open when I felt her palm land on my chest. "I was staring too, but not—"
"I don't mind your eyes on me," I confessed roughly.
The moment the words left my lips, her gaze tracked up the tattoo on my right arm, over my shoulder and settled on my mouth for a long, hot second. "Good," she finally said when her eyes met mine, "because I don't think I can stop looking."
Good thing my hands were in my pockets, so I could somewhat hide how her words were affecting me. My lack of control over my body was becoming damn annoying. I swear, all she had to do was lick her lips and I was straining against my jeans like a fucking teenager .
So her words coupled with that heated stare had my body going from zero to one-hundred in the space of a breath. "Stop looking at me like that."
Feigning innocence, Maddie's lips lifted into the sweetest smile that had the dirtiest things running through my mind. "Like what?"
"Nothing." I took a step back and her hand fell from my chest. "Are we doing this movie thing, or what?"
Her right shoulder steadily lifted to her ear before falling back down. "If you insist."
Yeah, I insisted all right. Because if we didn't, I might've ended up with my mouth on hers. Or possibly buried deep inside her. A groan threatened to vibrate through my chest at the thought alone.
How would it feel when her body moved with mine? What sounds would she make?
"Are you even listening?"
I blinked a few times until Maddie's snapping fingers came into focus. "Huh?"
Laughter spilled from her lips while she rubbed at her temple with two fingers. "Where the heck did you just go?" Not giving me time to answer, she shook her head. "Never mind. Before you spaced out, I asked you if you'd mind if I took a quick shower before we started the movie?"
I gritted my teeth to keep a curse from rumbling free. I was already having a hard time with my rampant thoughts. How much worse was it going to get now that I could add the idea of her lathering up her naked body?
"Not a problem. "
If she noticed the strain in my voice, she didn't show it. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she smacked her hands together. "Great! I won't be long." Turning she sprinted for the stairs. I couldn't tear my eyes off her ass even if I tried.
My fingers itched to squeeze, and my mouth tightened with the need to bite.
"Oh!" she skidded to a stop so abruptly there was no way she missed the way I was checking her out when she spun around. "If you could make yourself useful and get the popcorn going, that would be awesome."
"Geez, you're bossy." I was smiling even as I said it.
Grinning, Maddie pivoted before meeting my gaze over her shoulder. "Don't pretend you don't like it." And then she was off again, darting up the stairs and disappearing from view.
My fingers trembled slightly when I dragged them through my hair and released a slow breath. Shaking my head, I ambled to the kitchen. I had to open and close a few cupboards before I found a bag of microwave popcorn.
When it was done, I grabbed two drinks of water from her fridge and settled on the chaise part of her sectional. Because her television wasn't on, I could hear the sound of running water coming from upstairs.
She was up there.
Naked.
Dragging a lathered-up sponge all over her body.
I threw my head back against the soft cushioning and pulled a breath through my nose. I held it for a few seconds before slowly blowing it out through my mouth. Yeah, it didn't help. My entire body still vibrated with the need to stomp up the stairs and replace the sponge with my hands.
Or my mouth.
Probably both.
I was well on my way deeper into fantasyland when Sheldon hopped onto the couch, his sudden presence giving me a small reprieve from the movie playing inside my head. He turned around and around before flopping down and snuggling up against me.
I smiled.
Who the hell knew a little creature that resembled an overgrown rat could paw his way into my heart? With a sharp shake of my head, I dug my fingers into the soft fur on Sheldon's head and scratched behind his ear.
Something that could only be described as a happy sound came from him before he tried to snuggle even closer to me.
"I think you bewitched my dog."
Hearing her voice, my head snapped up and my mouth went dry. Maddie was sashaying toward me looking like she'd just stepped out of one of my dreams. The small sleep shorts and loose-fitting tee she seemed to favor at night gave my fingers inches upon inches of skin to itch over.
The way her damp hair spilled over her shoulders had my mind running in a million different directions. All of them ending with the strands tightly wound my around my fist and my mouth crashed to hers .
But I couldn't do any of that, it wouldn't be fair to Maddie to bring my kind of fucked into her life.
Pushing thoughts of Maddie and her sinful mouth to back of my mind for the time being, I shrugged my shoulders and dryly stated, "Maybe he just likes my roast beef."
She made a noise but said nothing, sauntering to her TV unit instead. I couldn't keep my gaze from following her even if I tried. Something I very much regretted when she bent over to pull a stack of DVDs from the cabinet below the TV.
I bit the inside of my cheek so hard; the irony taste of blood filled my mouth. My hands curled into tight fists at my sides while I scanned the couch for a throw pillow. Anything to keep her from seeing my tented jeans.