Chapter Seven
Leo
Rage had my fists shaking as I stalked to the car.
Melissa was shrieking behind me but I ignored her. She was ridiculously jealous of Maddy for no reason and I was over it. Things had been fizzling out for a while and we’d both kind of just kept going but I was done.
My best friend needed me. Nothing else mattered.
I opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat of my mom’s car.
She’d lent it to me tonight for the first time and now, I was more grateful than ever because it meant I could help Mads.
I glanced over at her, her tears now dried on her cheeks and I was thankful for that, each one of them had been like the strike of a whip across my heart.
I hated seeing her upset and I hated even more that it was over that pathetic piece of shit I’d caught with his pants down.
I’d never get the image of his pale ass thrusting under Alison’s dress.
Poor girl, she’d been horrified when she saw me.
I’d hoped to spare Maddy the sight of it and Alison had managed to make an escape but Kyle, the stubborn sonofabitch, had decided to try and fight me.
Fury at seeing how easily he’d moved on from my best friend had boiled up and over.
I was normally a pretty laid-back, happy-go-lucky guy but if you fucked with my best friend, all bets were off.
Especially when that sack of shit was lucky she even gave him the time of fucking day.
Maddy’s hands brushed over my cut knuckles, the sting pulling me out of my thoughts.
“You didn’t have to hit him,” she said softly.
I grunted. “Trust me, I did.”
I started the car and put it in drive. I loved driving, Charlie had taught me and Maddy through the summer last year at the ranch. Then we’d passed our tests together, and celebrated by leaping off the highest rock into the river that ran along the back of Redemption Ranch.
I heard a sound and glanced over, seeing Maddy sitting stock still in her seat, shivering. Her teeth chattering.
“Christ,” I rumbled and tugged her into my side to stop her from shaking and we stayed like that as I drove.
“Can we go to your place?” she asked after a few minutes. “I don’t want to go home like this.”
“Sure,” I said. “My mom’s out on a date tonight so we’ll be alone.” I don’t know why I added that. Me and Maddy had been alone together before. It wasn’t weird. So why did I suddenly feel so antsy?
“That’s nice,” she replied absently and I frowned, hating how sad she sounded.
I turned down my street full of small, one-story houses, and parked in the driveway.
Hurrying out, I opened her door, taking her hand and leading her into the house.
I switched on the lights in the living room.
The screen door banged in the frame, making us both jump.
We looked at each other and burst out laughing at our silliness.
“You can go to my room, I’ll get you a drink,” I said and turned towards the kitchen.
We used to have a much bigger house back when my dad was still alive.
Mom had worked at some corporate job that brought in a lot of money but she’d had to quit after he died.
Sometimes I felt so guilty at what she’d had to sacrifice for us, but she insisted she was happy in our little house.
I took a breath as I grabbed two glasses and filled them with water from the faucet then headed back to my room. Maddy was sitting on my bed, surrounded by a pile of my clothes from where I’d not tidied up. I handed her the glass of water, and she downed the entire thing.
“Thirsty?” I joked.
“Apparently,” she replied, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
I sat down next to her, lifting my glass to my mouth. “Wanna tell me what happened tonight?”
She pushed out a breath, her rosy cheeks puffing. “Have you had sex with Melissa?”
I choked on my water.
“What makes you ask that?” I asked, pounding my chest.
“I haven’t had sex with Kyle,” she whispered, like it was a secret and part of me was pleased to hear it, especially after what a dick he was tonight.
The guy had had a problem with me ever since his party last year and it had only gotten worse over time.
Any time I was with Maddy he would paw at her and kiss her like he was marking his damn territory.
“I love him. At least, I thought I did. But I never had the urge to sleep with him.”
I nodded, not really knowing what to say. She turned to face me and peered up at me, unshed tears magnifying her hazel eyes.
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing!” I rushed out, gripping her hands tight.
“There must be! I loved him and yet I didn’t want to sleep with him!”
“That just means it wasn’t him, that’s all.
There’s someone else out there and there’s nothing wrong with that.
” I brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“Plus, the guy is a tool. No way would I have ever done something like that tonight. He doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you, then to just go and cheat on you—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish; she launched herself at me.
Her lips pressed against mine, the force of her pushing me back against my pillows and she fell on top of me. My arms went around her in reflex but I gripped her hips, ducking my head and separating us.
“Maddy? What the hell?”
I glanced back and forth between her hazel eyes, not knowing what I was searching for but a reason as to why she was kissing me might help.
“I—I’m sorry,” was all she said. She pressed a hand to her lips, her gaze meeting mine.
I waited, wide-eyed for an explanation but nothing came from her.
Then I was very aware of how intently she was staring at me. At her body crushed against the full length of me. Her thighs draping mine, the silk of her gown flowing around us. Her chocolate curls framed her pretty face and her mouth was open, her breath sawing in and out.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
I hated that I noticed.
That it wasn’t something I used to noticed.
And now it was, ever since that stupid spin the bottle kiss last year.
I’d worked really hard to forget about our kiss.
To forget that for a brief moment in time, I hadn’t thought about her as just my friend.
To forget the sear of heat her lips had sent through my entire body.
To forget that I hadn’t found anything even close to that good ever since.
My cock hardened beneath her at the memory.
Tension rolled in thick and fast, so heavy I could barely breathe. I just inhaled the puffs of air she was sending across my mouth. We were so close I could see the beauty spot on her lip and then I wanted to touch it, kiss it.
Her thumb caressed my bottom lip, and I watched with awe, too scared to move and end whatever was happening right now. We were both breathing like we’d run a marathon, our chests expanding in tandem to an unbearable degree.
I was hot.
I was tense.
I was turned the fuck on.
More so than I’d ever been with…whatever her name was.
Maddy bit her lip and my cock pulsed as her white teeth clamped down hard and her brows dipped in like she was seconds away from moaning.
“Mads,” I rasped and her eyes flew to mine, clashing.
We were on the cusp of something, and I didn’t know what it was.
“I want it to be you,” she whispered.
My pulse pounded in my ears.
“Please.”
I shook my head and my body screamed no! “We can’t.”
“I trust you, I want it to be you. Be my first, please?” She stroked my bottom lip again and damn myself but I puckered my lips, kissing her thumb. She was doing something to me, unravelling me and I couldn’t stop it.
It would ruin us.
Surely it would.
But right then, I didn’t care. I wanted her more than air. More than anything.
I rolled my hips, pressing my erection into her.
Her eyes widened and her mouth parted in a gasp.
I was about to apologize for going too far, to push myself out from under her.
Then I saw excitement light her face, joy and pleasure following, and I consumed every shift, every twitch that revealed how I made her feel.
I did it again and she moaned. Fuck, it was the hottest sound I’d ever heard. Better than any fantasy, better than any porn.
“Maddy,” I sighed, my eyes fluttering closed when I rolled my hips and she pushed back, giving me the perfect pressure and hitting just right.
She leaned forward, keeping our mouths a breath apart and just waited. The anticipation had my nerves buzzing, the tension growing and the wait alone was hotter than kissing any other woman. My brain flashed back to our kiss.
“I tried to forget,” she spoke softly, echoing my own thoughts. “Tried to forget how it felt.”
“So did I.”
“You did?”
I nodded. “But I remember.”
“Tell me we’ll be okay afterwards? Promise me.”
I wanted to refuse because honestly, I didn’t know. I could already tell that if we did this, if we had sex, it would ruin our friendship.
There was too much love between us and this sexual tension that had suddenly surfaced already felt insurmountable.
I didn’t know how we could go back to being just friends after this.
It was already too good to not explore again and again.
I felt like now I knew what everyone was talking about in all those romance novels and movies I devoured.
This was it.
But no matter what, I would always love Maddy. She was my best friend and I would find a way to make this right afterwards. I would spend forever making this right between us if needed.
I closed the distance between us, until our lips brushed then whispered, “I promise.”
Our lips sealed together and like before, fireworks erupted. I jolted from the contact, the thrilling electricity shooting through my entire being.
Her mouth moved over mine, just like last time, a soft hesitance in that lower lip that caressed so gently as she opened wide and let me in. Our tongues touched and my stomach clenched in desire as she stroked mine. I took everything she had to give and demanded more.