5. MADDOX
MADDOX
W ell, fuck me.
Lyra Vale is one hell of a spitfire, and by spitfire, I mean trouble.
This woman is going to be the death of me, but I don’t care. I’m here for it. I’ll fucking welcome it. And if she wants to burn me to the ground and ruin my life, I’d hand her the matches and make sure she doesn’t burn her pretty little fingers in the process.
They say post-nut clarity is a thing, but the only clarity I have is that I need to do that again. No matter what. I haven’t nearly had my fill of her yet. Not even close. Fuck, my cock hasn’t even gone soft yet, and I’m already trying to work out how to get her to invite me up for round two.
I lean against the wall, my arm braced high over her head as I try to catch my breath.
Lyra put me through my paces. Pretty sure I was going to pass out at one point, but I’m no sucker, and I don’t back down from a challenge.
The moment she told me some other guy had worked her up and let her down, I knew I had to make this one count.
She’d been waiting long enough, and it didn’t matter what it took, I was going to be exactly what she needed.
What a fucking idiot that guy was. If only that bastard knew the sweet pussy he passed up on.
How tight she was around me. How good it felt sliding inside her.
He’d be kicking himself right now, but I can’t be mad about it.
Because if Lyra wasn’t out here on the street, feeling irritably unsatisfied, then there’s a good chance she wouldn’t have given me a second glance.
Cheers to fuck-nuggets all over the globe who fumble the ball, I guess. Your greatest fuck up is my win.
Lyra shifts beneath me, and I pull back, painfully aware that, despite what happened between us, I’m still a perfect stranger to this woman I found on the sidewalk.
“You good, Savage?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Glancing around me, I find my shirt on the ground and step away to grab it. She tracks my every move. “Now,” I say, scooping it up before stepping back into her space and pulling the shirt over Lyra’s head. “If we’re gonna do that again, you need to work on holding out. I don’t like coming alone.”
Lyra’s head snaps up, her brow arched as though silently laughing at me. “Again?” she questions, adjusting the shirt and letting it fall all the way to her knees, and damn it, I like seeing her like this. I like it a shitload more than I should. “That’s awfully presumptuous of you.”
“Presumptuous? Baby, I’m just spitting facts.
You can’t deny how fucking good that was,” I say.
“And between you and me, we both know that you’re gonna go up there, climb into your bed, and spend all night replaying every second of this over and over in your head.
You’ll spend your days trying to chase the thrill again, trying to recreate how good this was, but you won’t find it. You know why?”
Lyra presses her lips into a hard line, looking up at me as though trying really hard to keep herself from smirking. “I’m going to regret playing into this shit, but tell me, why won’t I ever find it?”
I take a backward step, and then another as I start making my way out of the alley, a wide grin cutting across my face. “Because you and me, baby, we’re soulmates. Can’t you feel it? It was meant to be.”
Lyra laughs as she scoops her pants, shoes, and purse off the ground and hurries out of the alley after me. “Soulmates?” she says with a scoff. “Says the guy who seemed offended at the thought of me possibly being an astrology girl.”
I hold my arms out wide and hit her with the smile most women can’t resist. “What can I say, baby? It is what it is, and you, Lyra Vale, you’re my soulmate.”
She rolls her eyes and starts heading for the main entrance of the building. “And dare I ask just how many soulmates you’ve had? Actually, scrap that, how many have you had just this week?”
My hand falls to my chest, hovering right over my heart. “Oh, how you wound me, my little astrology firecracker.”
She shakes her head and all but prances closer to the entrance, and I can’t help but hurry after her, fearing that I might never get the chance to see her again, but I’m not about to let that happen.
I crowd her by the door while trying not to come off like a creepy asshole who stalks women at night. She backs up a step so that her back is pressed against the door, and her gaze instantly lifts to mine.
“Here’s what’s gonna happen,” I say, holding her stare.
“I’m going to ask you out, and those little cheeks of yours are going to flush bright red while you’re word vomiting bullshit about not being the girl who goes back for seconds.
But let’s face it, I’m not here for seconds.
After being inside you and seeing how well you fit me, we both know that seconds won’t even come close to what we need.
I want hundreds, Lyra. Thousands. Millions if you think you’ve got the stamina to keep up with me.
Whatever you’ve got, Savage, I want it.”
She shakes her head. “You’re insane.”
“I’m aware.”
“It’s never gonna happen. You were right about one thing, I don’t go back for seconds.”
“You don’t go back for seconds yet ,” I clarify. “But you will, baby. It’s just a matter of time.”
“I’m not inviting you up,” she tells me.
“It’s almost five in the morning. I’ve been working since one in the afternoon, and to put it bluntly, I need to spend what’s left of my night researching local priests who could douse me in holy water because someone who lets a perfect stranger screw her in a back alley without a condom, despite how delicious he may appear, is surely possessed by some kind of demon. ”
A laugh rumbles through my chest. “Oh, Savage, you were definitely possessed by something, but I don’t think it was your inner demon that had you screaming. That was my cock.”
She holds back a laugh. “Nevertheless, I need a holy water bath. And a plan B. And then maybe a snack. You really worked up my appetite.”
I grin, more than okay with the idea of this woman becoming my greatest obsession, though despite that, and despite wanting nothing more than to constantly be in her presence, she’s done for tonight, and I’ll respect that.
Instead, I pull out my phone and hand it to her.
“Put your number in, Savage. And don’t even think about entering it wrong, because nothing is going to stop me from knocking on every single door inside this building.
Constantly. All fucking night until I find you. ”
She lets out a heavy sigh as she holds my stare. “What the fuck did I just get myself into?”
I tap the top of my phone in her hand. “Number, baby. Otherwise, this is about to turn into a very long night for you.”
She groans and starts putting her information into my phone. “Why do I feel like I’m going to regret giving this to you?”
“Trust me, I meant what I said. You’ll regret not giving it to me more.”
She rolls her eyes and hands me the phone, only I immediately hold it up and snap a picture of her before adding it as her contact profile.
“Wait . . . I wasn’t ready,” she says, reaching for the phone, only I drop it right back into my pocket.
“Want a new picture, then you’re gonna have to see me again. Or send me nudes. That’ll work too.”
She shakes her head and lets out a heavy sigh as her hand digs into her purse, fishing out a set of keys. “Goodnight, Maddox Blake. I wish I could say see you never, but you’re clearly about to shit all over that plan.”
A smile pulls at the corner of my lips, and I realize that chasing this beauty is about to be the best fun I’ve ever had. “Goodnight, Savage.”
She unlocks the door before pushing it open, and I immediately follow her in. Only she pauses and glances back at me, her brows pulled down. “You good?”
“I’m good. Are you good?”
“I told you, you’re not coming up to my apartment.”
I step into her and wind my hand around her waist before pulling her in hard against me. “As much as I would love to spend my night sinking into you over and over again, I’m down to respect your boundaries . . . mostly. You said no, so it’s a no.”
“So, what the hell are you doing?”
I laugh as I release her and start moving toward the elevator to press the call button. “I wasn’t lying earlier. I have a friend living in this building. I came here to see him, and despite getting a little distracted out there, I still intend to follow through on that original plan.”
“Right,” she says, glancing away as she awkwardly strides toward me and waits for the elevator. “Of course.”
“Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
The elevator dings with its arrival and we each step in, turning around to face the front. “Nope,” she says, popping the p.
Lyra reaches across me to press the button for the fourth floor, and I stand back as the doors close us in. “Which floor?” she questions.
“Fourth.”
Her gaze slowly lifts to meet mine, her stare narrowed and full of suspicion. “Uh-huh.”
I laugh to myself. I really am heading to the fourth floor, but her squirming makes this more than worth it. Just because I want round two doesn’t mean she’s off the hook just yet.
We travel in silence as she fidgets with her hands, holding them together as though scared she might reach for me. But let’s be honest, if she did, I wouldn’t hesitate to pull that stop button and put it down right here. But again, boundaries and all that shit.
The elevator finally reaches the fourth floor, and I wave my hand toward the opening. “Ladies first.”
She shakes her head. “No, really. Assholes first. I insist.”
“Oh, well if you insist.”
A smirk settles on my lips, and I step past her out onto the fourth floor before turning to the left and starting down the hallway. I take my time, and after a moment, the feisty little vixen falls in step beside me, her gaze narrowing with every apartment we pass.