by R. M. Lynn
“I can stop,” Maddox whispered as his eyes looked up at me. “But I promise I’ll make you feel good if you let me.” He kissed my inner thigh. “Another first to cross off your list.”
I was momentarily worried about how quickly firsts were getting crossed off the list by Maddox. After this, we’d only have one big first left to cross off. Then what? I shook my head slightly as if to rid myself of the daunting thought. However, Maddox seemed to think the headshake was for him, and he began to pull back from the middle of my legs.
“No, no,” I insisted in a rush and pulled him back to me. “I want this. Please.”
“You’re sure?”
I nodded, and my body immediately jerked when I felt his tongue flick out and lick at my sensitive clit. His hands went to the top of my thighs to steady me, and I felt his breath at my entrance as he murmured, “Relax, baby, I got you. Stop thinking so hard.”
He eased my thighs apart, pushing my dress up to my waist, and ran his tongue up my seam. My hand went into the longer pieces of hair at the top of his head, gripping him to me now and not wanting him to ever stop. I’d never felt the sensations he was giving me, and when he entered two fingers into me at the same time he lapped and sucked at my clit, I was a goner. My head went back against the mirror as I moaned out his name. The orgasm hit me hard, and my thighs trembled as a loud, ecstasy-filled moan ripped through me.
Once I rode out my orgasm, my body went limp, and he pulled his fingers from me while pressing a soft kiss to my inner thigh. He stood straight, shifted me up and pulled down my dress once he slid my panties back up, and I straightened to run my hands up his chest. His forehead dropped to mine, and when I kissed him, I could taste myself on his tongue. I wanted to sit in Luke’s family’s bathroom with him forever. My heart hurt at the thought that we’d stop all of this once we crossed the big one off my list. The way his arms wrapped around me and his lips trailed along my neck softly, I got the sense that maybe he wanted to stay like this forever, too. Maybe, just maybe, it scared him to stop all this just the same.
We both jumped when pounding came to the door with a shout of, “Maddox, hurry the fuck up, man! Dash’s in a fight!”
“Shit,” Maddox muttered and stepped back from me, shouting, “Be right there!” He gave me a weird look before stepping away from me. “I got to go get him. Stay close but not too close. I don’t want you getting hurt. Hear me?”
“Hear you,” I muttered and took his hand when he offered it to me before leading us out of the bathroom.
We heard the commotion as we rushed to the backdoors and shoved our way through the crowd. In the middle of the backyard, surrounded by people, was Dash. His lip was split but it wasn’t even close to the damage on the other guy’s face. It looked to be Austin Santino, a junior on the lacrosse team, but with his eye nearly swollen shut, it was hard to tell for sure. Maddox pushed me back gently before he entered the circle and stepped between Dash and Austin.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he demanded to know from Dash.
“Get the fuck out of my way,” Dash shot back and shoved at Maddox’s chest. “I’ll hit you, too.”
“I fucking dare you,” Maddox laughed out harshly and turned to Austin. “Get the fuck out of here, buddy, before I turn around and help him kick your ass.”
Colt stepped up to Dash’s back and wrapped an arm around his front to pull him back against him and hold him still.
“You don’t want to know what he said?” Dash spoke out and glared at the guy. “You want to tell him, Santino, or should I?”
“It was a joke, man,” Austin snapped back before spitting blood onto the grass. “Chill the fuck out.”
Dash smirked. “Yeah? Tell it to my man, Maddox. I bet he’ll think it’s hilarious.” When Austin didn’t say anything, Dash jerked his chin at Maddox. “He wanted to know what tricks Daze knows. When I kindly let him know she wasn’t interested in showing him shit, he said he could be convincing.” Maddox’s jaw ticked, and I bit my lip while focusing my attention on him instead of the many pairs of eyes currently locked on me. “He then let me know that Marcus told him Daze liked to share, so there was no need for me to get defensive. Then, I found these when they fell out his pocket after I grabbed him.” Dash tossed a baggie of some unknown pills to the ground between him and Maddox. “So, I beat his face in.”
“Motherfucker,” Maddox growled and immediately charged Austin.
I screamed for him to stop as he punched him over and over again. “Colt! Tell him to stop!”
Colt shoved Dash to me, and I held onto his forearm, knowing he wouldn’t make a move to join the fight if I had him. Colt then grabbed Maddox by his shoulders and yanked him off of Austin. Maddox was too strong, however. Getting out of Colt’s grasp, he quickly forced Austin up by his shirt collar, his nostrils flaring with anger and his chest pumping with hard breaths.
“P-please, stop,” Austin begged as he seemed to struggle to keep his head up. “Those aren’t mine. I s-swear to God. Marcus gave them to me. I thought it was a joke. He just shoved them in my pocket. I wasn’t going to use them, I swear, man.”
“Where is he?” Maddox demanded to know so lowly, I could barely hear him.
Austin swallowed and mumbled weakly, “I don’t know, man. Last I saw him, he took some sophomore upstairs.”
Maddox pushed Austin away from him after that, causing Austin to fall on his ass with a thud, and then immediately shoved through the crowd toward the doors of the house. I raced after him along with Dash and Colt, but Maddox had already made it to the stairs before we could get to him. Logan appeared from the crowd and grabbed my arm, pulling my attention to her while the guys hurried up the stairs.
“What the hell is going on?” she asked, worry etching her features. “I heard there was a fight? I was drying Trish’s tears after she caught Hank in a bedroom with Laurel Hannigan.” She touched my face. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
I shook my head. “No, but I have to go get Maddox. He’s fucking pissed.”
She gave me a quick nod and let me go. I found the guys huddled at a bedroom door, and when I pushed between them, I saw Maddox hovering over the end of a bed that held a shirtless Marcus and a topless girl. She was red with embarrassment while she struggled to hold the covers up over her chest.
“What the fuck, Tate!” Marcus shouted with wild, angry eyes.
“Get up,” Maddox ordered coolly. When Marcus let out a defiant laugh, Maddox shouted, “Get the fuck up, Williams!”
I jumped at the tone of his voice and mumbled, “Maddox, you–” Colt put his hand on my shoulder and shook his head at me, halting my words.
When Marcus didn’t move, Maddox lifted the covers up until his shins and knees were showing. Marcus let out a yelp when Maddox grabbed him around his calves and dragged him down the bed until his ass hit the floor with a loud thump. I glanced down at my feet so not to look at him in just his boxer briefs, but my eyes flew back up when Maddox lifted him up with a hand at his neck and shoved him back against the wall.
“I’ve had enough of your bullshit, Williams,” Maddox growled as his hand tightened around his neck, making Marcus’s face turn purple as he gasped for air. “I’m going to make your life a living hell. Starting right now.” Maddox loosened his hold so Marcus could suck in a deep breath before he turned his head to the girl in bed and told her, “Marcus likes to drug girls because he can’t pick them up all on his own. His personality sucks, and his dick is too small to hit your g-spot, baby. Colt will take you downstairs to your friends, yeah?”
She nodded hurriedly, her eyes wide as she quickly pulled on her shirt and ran to the door. Dash and I stepped aside for her and Colt, and the second they were gone, Maddox threw his fist into Marcus’s face. I let out a startled yelp as Marcus immediately slumped, but Maddox held him up by the neck once more and punched him again.
I called Maddox’s name as he snapped at Marcus, “I let her make her own decision about you, and thank God, sh
e decided she wanted shit to do with you. That shit you gave Santino? What was it?”
“Fuck you,” Marcus seethed.
Maddox punched him, making Marcus’s head slump forward with a pained groan. “Wrong answer. Tell me what the fuck they were!”
“Just some shit I got from my cousin, man!” Marcus shouted and glared up at Maddox. “Nobody was going to use them.”
“How the fuck do you know that?” Dash spoke up next with a scowl. “What if that kid was stupid enough to use those? Or what he gave them off to some other dumbasses?”
“If you so much as breathe too close to Daisy, I’ll fucking kill you,” Maddox snarled next, his hand tightening around Marcus’s neck again. “Do you hear me? Stay the fuck away from her. Don’t talk to her, don’t look at her. You see her coming down the hall, you go the other fucking way. Stay. Away. I hear you’re out with pills and shit again, I’ll get your ass expelled and thrown in jail.” Maddox dropped him, letting him hit the floor on his knees, and started my way. When he reached me, he looked over his shoulder with a smirk back at Marcus. “Princeton in the fall, was it?” He paused until Marcus gave a short nod. “I’ll be making sure you get a call from them soon, buddy. Make sure you get your affairs in order because when I’m done? You’ll be lucky to get into Summerset Community College.”
“What?” Marcus scrambled up and shook his head with wide eyes. “What does that mean?”
Maddox put his hand to my back and pushed me forward through the door with a chuckle, murmuring, “Let’s go.”
“What the fuck does that mean, Tate?” Marcus yelled after us. “You can’t take Princeton from me, Maddox, my dad will kill me!”
“Better him than us,” Dash called over his shoulder as we headed for the stairs. Once we hit the bottom of the steps, he put his hand on Maddox’s shoulder with a smirk. “Shit, man, I need a drink. Maybe I’ll go scare Santino again.”
“Please, don’t,” I countered and bit my bottom lip. “Can we just not make any more scenes?”
“You seem mad,” Colt suddenly said as he appeared to my side with Logan next to him. “You okay?”
“I’m not mad,” I insisted with a sigh and shook my head. “I just… I’m a little spooked, I guess. I mean, what if… What if I hadn’t stuck with Maddox?”
“There’s no sense in dwelling on the what ifs,” Dash assured me quietly and put his arm around me. “One of us always has eyes on you, alright? You’re always safe with us.”
Maddox gave me a small nod in agreement with Dash’s words, and he added softly, “I’d never let anything happen to you. Okay? I’m sorry for what did happen, though, and I’m sorry you saw all the fighting. But he shouldn’t cause anymore issues.”
“What did you mean about Princeton?”
“My uncle runs admissions over there,” Dash spoke up for him. “It’ll only take a phone call and his admission will be rescinded.”
The guys began to chat over the logistics of how to ruin Marcus’s livelihood. Logan’s eyes were narrowed on me, and when I took notice of her eyeing me, I scowled and snapped lowly, “What?”
“You stuck with Maddox? Colt told me he had to get Maddox from the bathroom when Dash was fighting Austin.” She grinned and whispered, “You were in that bathroom, weren’t you? I watched you follow after him, and you were both gone for a while.”
“Shut up,” I hissed and shook my head at her as she let out a laugh.
“Girl, you’re going to share everything later,” she insisted in a whisper. Then louder, “I’m getting a drink. Anyone want anything?”
Colt led her to the kitchen once Maddox and Dash gave her a nod, and I let out a breath as I closed my eyes. I worried that others may have noticed I was in the bathroom with Maddox for an excessive amount of time. What would happen if talk spread around the school about us? It’d spook Maddox for sure, and I wasn’t ready to put a stop to what we had going on. Maddox pressed to my side, sliding his arm around my shoulders and gripping my chin in his thumb and forefinger.
Tipping my face up toward his, he asked quietly, “You alright?” I nodded and bit my lip in response. He pressed further with, “Tell me the truth. You’re good? I’m sorry if I scared you.”
“You didn’t,” I assured him and wrapped my arms around his waist, my head hitting his chest. “I think I just need a hug.”
His arms tightened around my shoulders, and I closed my eyes as a breath escaped me. His lips pressed lightly against my temple, and I suddenly just wanted to go home and let him hold me all night. However, instead, Maddox pulled away from me as Colt and Logan came back with drinks.
For the rest of the night, we played drinking games, danced some more, and mingled with other partygoers. The buzz around Marcus and Austin died down, thankfully, and eventually, we headed out to go home. Colt and Maddox were the only ones sober enough to drive, and Dash, Logan, and I stumbled behind them as they walked ahead down the line of cars.
“Oh my God, you’re walking too fast,” Logan whined and leaned up against Dash, who was barely able to stand on his own.
They both stumbled, and Dash fell to the grass with Logan on top of him. They laughed hysterically, and I couldn’t hold in my own giggles as I looked them over. Colt and Maddox turned back, and I could practically hear their eye rolls.
“Jesus,” Colt muttered as he pulled Logan up and lifted her up on his back, looking to Maddox. “Grab Dash, will you?”
Maddox let out a sigh, lifted our friend up to his feet, and Dash put his arm around Maddox’s shoulders for support. I couldn’t help the smile on my face when Maddox’s hand took mine to pull me along. Colt stopped at his car, let Logan down gently, and looked to Maddox who then helped Dash into the backseat.
“You good with taking them home?” Colt asked Maddox. “I’m probably just going to have him crash at my place.”
“Yeah, good idea. I got them. Don’t worry about it,” Maddox assured him before pulling us each under his arms. “Ready, ladies?”
We couldn’t even respond as he pulled us down the sidewalk toward his car. He helped Logan into the backseat before helping me into the passenger seat. He got into the driver’s seat and buckled up before flashing a smile my way.
“Good, babe?”
“Yep,” I assured him with a smile of my own.
He gave my thigh a squeeze before starting the car and heading down the road. Once we pulled up in front of my house, Logan announced she let her mom know she was staying with me. So, Maddox helped us inside, as quietly as we could, and up to my room. Logan immediately flopped onto my bed while Maddox stood in the middle of the room with his hands in his pockets.
“So, I’ll see you later?” he asked in a whisper.
“Yeah, sure,” I whispered back and stepped up to him. “Thanks for looking out for me tonight. And I’m sorry I didn’t listen when you tried to warn me that Marcus was a creep.”
He grimaced and ran a hand back through his hair. “Yeah, well, I didn’t realize his creepiness was off the charts. You’ll let me know if he bothers you at all, right?” I nodded, and he slid his hand to the side of my neck tenderly. “I should go.”
“You don’t have to.”
“But I do.” He let out a breath and shook his head. “I’ll see you later. Tomorrow or something. Let me know if you want a ride to school Monday. Yeah?”
“Okay,”
He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before he slipped out of my room, closing the door behind him. I quickly changed and took my makeup off, nudged Logan awake and helped her into an extra pair of pajamas, and then crawled into bed next to her. She rolled toward me with a smile on her face.
“You totally did something with Maddox,” she giggled out. “Tell me the truth.”
I tried to resist, but the alcohol made me chatty and I needed to get it off my chest. “Okay, fine. I may have proposed the idea of a fuck buddy arrangement with him awhile back. As you suggested. And he may have agreed to it.”
“Oh.
My. God.” Her jaw dropped, and she let out another giddy laugh. “You’re lying! You’re hooking up with Maddox Tate?”
I blushed and shrugged. “I guess? We haven’t had sex, but we’ve… I mean, after tonight, we’ve officially done everything else.”
“Holy shit, I’m so proud of you.”
I tried to smile, but the creeping thought of me and Maddox ending after we inevitably had sex was beginning to make my chest hurt. Logan squeezed my hand under the covers and gave me a sympathetic look.
“You have feelings for him?” she whispered with a sad half smile, and I nodded with a tired sigh. “You always have. I know you have, so don’t deny it. It’ll only get worse if you go all the way. You know that, right?”
“I know,” I sighed out. “Sometimes, when he looks at me, I think he feels the same way.”
“Just be careful, okay? I don’t want you to be hurt. But, Daze?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re going to have to be honest about your feelings eventually. You both are.”
◆◆◆
8
A week before winter break, the students of Whitewater Academy were practically ripping at the seams in anticipation to get out of school for two weeks. The football team was still the buzz around town as we’d taken home the title of State Champions a few weeks ago. With the semester almost over, and only one to go, I was beginning to feel the pressure to make a decision about where I was going to college. Sometimes, it felt like it’d just be easier if I didn’t go at all. I could get some laborer job, make enough to sustain some sort of life, and I’d never have to disappoint my dad or even myself. And yet, if I did go that route, I’d be disappointing the both of us, and perhaps it was just a better idea to only let down one of us.
