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Clutching my bag tighter to me, I repeated, “I wasn’t stalking.”
“I caught you red-handed,” Maddox said, his voice gruff.
“What’s your problem, Coulter?”
What I really meant to ask was… what… who hurt you?
He cocked his head, scanning me. “You.”
“Huh?”
“You’re my problem, Sweet Cheeks.”
Maddox stepped closer. “That kiss…”
“Won’t happen again,” I finished for him. “That was your only taste of me, Coulter. First and last. Memorize it and tattoo that kiss in your brain because it’s the only one you’ll get.”
“Harsh,” he mumbled. “I like you when you’re a spitfire, like a little annoyed dragon.”
I lifted my chin, squinting at him. “I’d like you better if you were nicer.”
“Nice?” He let out a booming laugh that had other students turning around and focusing on us. “If you’re looking for Prince Charming, you kissed the wrong frog.”
Maddox Coulter was neither Prince Charming nor the… villain.
He was something else, and I didn’t know where exactly to place him.
“I didn’t kiss you. You kissed me.”
“Same shit.” He combed his fingers through his hair, pushing the stubborn locks away from his eyes.
“We’re going in circles, Coulter.” I pushed past him, making sure we didn’t touch. “Have a good day.”
His hand snaked out, and he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back into his chest. His heart thudded against my back, and I stayed still. The crowded hallway faded away as his voice lowered to a mere whisper, speaking only for me to hear. “Next time, make sure you don’t stare at me with such a heartbreaking expression. Anyone would have thought you cared, except I’m no fool.”
He was referring to his morning, when he had caught me watching him through the window.
Oh God.
His deep voice rolled down my spine. “Don’t fall for me, Lila. I’ll break you.”
Conceited much? Why would he think I’d fall for him out of all the other options I had? Maddox was the last person I wanted in my heart.
“Falling in love with you is the last thing I want. Rest assured, even if you were the last man on earth, I would neither fuck you nor love you; you’re too ugly for me.”
“Me or my heart?”
“Both,” I breathed. Lies.
He let go of my wrist, and I could feel the burn on my skin, where his touch had just been. His breath feathered next to my ear. “Good.”
I took a step away from him. He followed, to my irritation. “One last thing. If I can’t kiss your lips, can I kiss your pussy instead?”
My… what?
Fucker!
Anger coiled inside me, and I swiveled around, glaring. “Didn’t your parents teach you any manners?” I spat out through clenched teeth.
Maddox instantly lost the teasing look, and his face hardened to granite. The change in him was so quick and confusing; it felt like I had been dropped into the rabbit hole.
“No. They didn’t. They never cared enough to teach me anything,” he simply said, his eyes empty.
My mouth opened although I didn’t know how to respond. My brain stuttered for a moment in shock as my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. Maddox didn’t wait, he walked past me, and I lost him to the crowd before I could call out to him… to apologize? For what?
I didn’t know. Shit. Fuck.
Shock and confusion coursed through me, and for the first time, I realized that I truly didn’t know Maddox.
What’s your story, Maddox Coulter? Who are you?
***
“Table eight,” Kelly said, handing me a tray of warm food. I nodded, bursting out of the kitchen and going straight to the table she told me.
The soles of my feet were burning and the high heels were not helping. The restaurant I worked at was nice, the ambiance was pretty and welcoming, and because we were the only Grill and Bar restaurant for miles, this place could get hectic. I wasn’t allowed to work at the Bar, though, since I was still underage. I was hired two months ago, and I only served tables. The tips were good enough to keep me here, even though the job was tiring, and some nights I could feel the exhaustion in my bones.
I swore under my breath when another customer tried to catch my attention, waving his arm with irritation.
It was a busy night, must busier than the last few days, and we were short two servers. Both of them had called in sick last minute.
“Coming,” I called to him.
I served table eight their dinner, a tight smile on my face. “Let me know if you need anything else. Enjoy,” I said, chipperly. It was fake, I was feeling anything but chipper.
I went back to the man who was waving, fishing out my small notepad from the pocket of my apron. As I got closer to his table, I noticed that he had already ordered and ate his food. The plates were empty in front of him. Ah, so he needed the bill then.
