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Maddox nods his head to the right and starts walking slowly, talking as we leave the crowded space by the fire. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but it’s really not his fault. Ridge doesn’t speak under immense pressure or when he’s nervous. It all started when he was a kid. Believe me, he has a lot he wants to say to you.”
I stop walking, and Maddox does the same. “But why would Ridge be nervous around me?”
“Because he likes you. A lot.”
I know that to be true. There’s no other reason Ridge would watch me the way he does. But the whole nervousness thing seems very childish. “He was talking to that other girl just fine.”
“Because she wasn’t you.” Maddox starts moving again, heading toward a fallen tree that’s lying on the ground. “I shouldn’t be sharing this with you because it’s Ridge’s business, and because…”
His words trail off, so I finish them for him. “Because…you like me, too?” Talk about putting myself out there. Wow. I wanna crawl in a hole and die.
Teeth grazing his bottom lip, he smirks. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
“You did.” I roll my lips together, blushing. Thankfully it’s dark, and the only light is the glow of the fire behind me.
Maddox takes a seat on the fallen log and retrieves the vodka from his pocket. After taking a swig, he passes it to me. “I shouldn’t have. Not with everything going on.”
With the bottle in hand, I sit beside him, curling one leg under the other, while turning in his direction. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”
He’s silent for a minute, staring off as he thinks. It’s something I notice he does often. Like there are so many thoughts circulating his mind at once that he needs to take a second to sort through them.
“No,” he finally says, “not anything you need to worry about.” Changing the subject, he nods toward the bottle. “You gonna drink that or just hold it all night.”
I bite back a smile as I bring the bottle to my mouth, Maddox watching intently. I tip it back, keeping my eyes on his as the liquid courage slithers down my throat.
As I pull the bottle away, Maddox immediately replaces it with his lips.
The vodka on our tongues collides with tenacity, igniting something inside me that I’ve never felt before. It’s different from my kiss with Ridge, which was both satisfying and intense. This kiss with Maddox appears soft and gentle on the outside while a war wages inside our mouths. Our tongues go head-to-head. A fight for dominance. Before I even realize what’s happening, the bottle slips out of my hand, landing next to my feet. Now that my hand is free, I bring it to Maddox's shoulder, curling his jacket between my fingers. One of his hands lands on my hip, while the other cradles my cheek, pulling me closer.
Then as fast as it started, it stops. I shake my head. “Don’t stop,” I feel the need to beg. This is what I want. That feeling inside me that tells me I’m worthy. That I’m not a third, fourth, or fifth wheel. That I’m the wanted one.
Maddox doesn’t let go of me. His nose rests on mine, and he whispers, “This is wrong.”
“No. No, it’s not.”
“But it is. Ridge is my best friend.”
My heart is pounding in my chest and the vibration of his jacket proves his is doing the same thing.
“He’ll get over it.”
“No,” he shakes his head, our noses brushing, “he’d kill me. Quite literally, actually.” He chuckles and I do the same.
I didn’t realize until now how much I really like Maddox. The urge to see where this could go has heightened to an extreme and I wanna throat punch Ridge for being so damn obsessive. He’s in the way. He’s hindering my chances of getting to know a great guy.
“What the fuck are you two doing?” The voice comes from behind me, and Maddox lifts his head abruptly, letting go of my cheek.
“Lev. What’s up, man? I don’t think you two have met. This is Riley.”
I can only assume from the death glare I’m getting, he’s heard of me, but also has zero interest ingettingto know me.
“Hi,” I say, extending my hand to him politely, “I’ve heard so much about you.” It’s a lie, but an icebreaker, nonetheless.
Lev narrows his gaze to my hand, and he scoffs. “You talking shit about me to this girl, Maddox?”
“What? No,” I intercept the conversation. “Nothing bad. I swear.”
Maddox places his hand on my lower back, leading me a few feet away from Lev. “Ignore him. He’s not very social. Sucks with words. Don’t take it personally.”
