Page 61 of Make You Mine

KAYDEN

I rest Maddy on the sofa and she opens her eyes.

Slowly catching up with the fact that she passed out and I brought her home.

“Want some water?” I ask, taking off my jacket and tossing it on a corner of the sofa.

“Yes, please,” she says. Sleepy eyes, straightening in her seat.

“I’m sorry about the bar,” she murmurs when I hand her the glass. She takes a diminutive sip. “I know I overdid it. Got too drunk.” Her words still slur, but she’s trying. “I’m sorry for bothering you. You probably had things to do.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

My life is a series of tasks. It will always be. But for Maddy, I’ll come running.

“Do you need anything else? A midnight snack?” I pause. “I’d offer to start you a warm bath, but we don’t have one. And I’d suggest helping you shower, but I’m afraid that’s crossing a line.” I click my tongue. “Unless you want me to.”

She looks up from her glass of water, my words stopping her midway through a sip. Her messy hair is delightful in this lighting. So raw and exposed. Her cheeks round and tainted with a brush of pink.

No witty comeback. No telling me to shut up despite my teasing.

Madelyn finishes her water and rests the glass on the floor beside her. She brings her feet up and hugs her legs.

“Come here.” It’s so soft, I almost don’t hear it. She pats the empty space next to her on the sofa.

Her eyes are glassy and inviting, seizing on me.

I’m hypnotized by her words, doing as she says.

“Can I ask you something?”

I straighten next to her. “You don’t need to ask if you can ask something, Madelyn. Just ask me.”

She licks her lips, wetting her bottom one with her tongue ever so slowly.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

I scoff, running a hand through my dark locks. “Are you implying I’m never nice to you?”

“Well…” She pauses, and with every second she delays her answer, my heart sinks. “You used to be such an asshole to me in high school, and then in college.” She pauses again. “And up until today, you had your moments. Excuse me for finding it weird.”

I cackle, her words making perfect sense to me. “Ouch. Thanks.”

What can I say? I completely intended on being an asshole all the way through. I was ready to get my revenge on her, if only that psycho hadn’t walked into our lives and forced me to switch to bodyguard mode.

She lets her soft lips contort into a curve and leans forward, stretching her hand to press her soft fingers to my cheek. “No offense.” Pause. “Maybe, I like it.”

“You like me being an asshole to you or being nice?”

“Both.”

“Okay.” I smirk. “I did make you come hard even when I was an asshole to you. I can see the appeal of that.”

“That’s not…” She lowers her hand from my face and her cheeks flush.

I know she’s thinking about that time in college when I lost control and showed her how a grown man eats over the hood of my car. Personally, I think about it a lot, too.

“It isn’t so much about you being an asshole or being nice,” she says. “But rather you…paying attention to me. Focusing on me. Making me the center.”