by Lylah James
That was Maddox.
He devoured anyone in his path, without care of the consequences, and he’d spit out the bones once he had his fun. Guys like Maddox would play with you, tear you apart, layer by layer, piece by piece and then lay you down – fragmented and empty because they took everything from you.
Maddox pushed away from the wall and took a step toward me. “You hate me that much?”
He actually looked curious, as if he wanted to pick apart my brain to see inside, to delve into my thoughts. He wanted to see beyond my wall. Too bad, he was the wrong person to break through it.
“It’s not about hate. I’m simply not excited about your existence.”
It wasn’t about hate. That was too black and white. No.
Boys like Maddox have already stolen enough from me…
My heart thudded in my chest, and I looked away. Boys like him… they ruined me.
Placing the broom back in its corner, I walked toward the door without sparing him a glance. “You should ask Gran what else she wants you to do. I’m going to take a ten minute break.”
Maddox blocked my way out. “Let me change your mind. Spend one afternoon with me.”
His words speared me with shock, making me stumble back a step. What?
Why would he…
Maddox truly didn’t understand the word ‘boundary.’ How did we go from enemies to him asking me to spend an afternoon with him?
Well played, Coulter.
He looked at me expectantly, as if he really wanted me to consider his offer.
I scoffed back a laugh that bubbled in my chest and threatened to escape through my throat. Was I a joke to him? Wait… I knew that answer.
“And what? You’ll have me putty in your hands?” I asked with a quirked eyebrow.
He grinned, losing the expectant look on his face. He was back to being a jerk. “In my arms and on my dick, yeah.”
I leaned forward, pushing my body against his. He never hid the fact that he appreciated the way I looked. My body tempted him; I was aware of that. So, two can play this game. “Is this your way of asking me out on a date?” I whispered, my voice sultry but dripping with sarcasm. If he was smart enough, he’d catch that.
Maddox stared down at him, his lips crooked on the side. “I don’t date. Ever. My favorite pastime is having girls on their back or on their knees for me.”
“You. Are. Disgusting,” I growled.
He shrugged.
Pushing away from him, I tilted my chin up, both to look at him and in defiance. He wasn’t winning me over. “Tell me something, do your fangirls know how you think of them?”
“Most of them know and don’t care. They’re using me the same way I’m using them. Sex, fun and popularity. Three things they want and three things I can give them. They’re happy with the arrangement. Those who aren’t, I show them the door. Simple.”
“So, girls get hot and bothered because you’re a jerk.”
“That’s the appeal, Sweet Cheeks.”
I opened my mouth but then snapped it shut when I couldn’t find the appropriate words. I was speechless.
“Lila!” Grandpa’s voice broke through our silent battle, and I flinched away. “Can you come and help me with this?”
“Coming!” I called out.
I tried to push pass Maddox, but he didn’t budge. On the contrary, he moved forward, forcing me to take a step back and away from the door.
“So, what do you say?” he grumbled.
A frustrated sound spilled from my throat. “What?”
He kept moving forward, and I walked back a step, two… and three. “One afternoon. Give me an hour of your time, and I’ll change your mind.”
“Not interested, Coulter. You’re not even worthy of one hour of my time,” I bit out, glaring up at him through my lashes.
He slid closer against me, and I stumbled back into the wall. Shit. “So, you’re saying, if I kiss you right now, really kiss you… the way you should be kissed and then I slide my hands into your panties, I won’t find you wet for me?”
Cocky much? I bristled at his words, and my fists clenched at my sides. He brought his face closer to me, staring into my eyes as his hands landed on either side of my head.
“Lila!” Grandpa called out again, louder this time. He sounded closer than before. If I didn’t leave right now, he was going to come and find me in the storage, room and he was going to see Maddox and I… Oh God.
“Kiss me and I’ll make sure you never kiss another girl again,” I warned.
“Challenge accepted.”
Maddox leaned down as if to kiss me, his lips a mere inch from mine. I turned my head to the side, and I could feel his minty breath feathering against my cheek.
“Move,” I growled.
“Lila,” he breathed, closer to my ear. His voice sounded deeper, edgier… like he really imagined kissing me.
I kept my head turned, refusing to give him access to my mouth. My eyes landed on his forearm as he kept me caged against the wall. I could feel the bulge between his legs pressing against my hips, and I bristled with anger and displeasure instead of being turned on.
I didn’t know why, but I expected something better from him. When he asked to spend one afternoon with me, looking adamant… for a brief moment, I almost believed he was serious about changing my mind.
The muscles in his forearm, where he had rolled up his sleeves, tightened, and I struck out, without thinking much about it. I bared my teeth and clamped down on his arm, biting.
Maddox let out a hiss of surprise, and I lifted my gaze to his. He had pulled away, only slightly to stare down at me. I grabbed his outstretched arm and bit down harder when he didn’t make a move to pull away. He froze for a second but then stayed still. I continued to put pressure, where my teeth were clamped down on his flesh.
He didn’t even flinch. No, he did the opposite.
Slowly, his lips quirked up into a tiny smile. His eyes glimmered with amusement, and he cocked his head to the side, waiting… and the bastard appeared not to be bothered by my action.
With an angry huff, I released his arm and pushed away from him. Mr-Pain-In-My-Ass looked down at the bite mark and then grinned a slow, lazy grin. "I always knew you liked it rough... but I would have never guessed you were into biting."
Holding back a frustrated growl, I pushed him hard enough to have him stumble back a step. I shoved my middle finger into his stupid, smirking face before stomping away.
His amused chuckles followed me even as I left him behind in the storage room.
Don’t kill him. That’s murder. Do. Not. Kill. Him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lila
Later that day, Riley and I were lying in my bed, going through her Advanced Calculus homework. Riley had planned to major in business and after go to law school, that was her parents’ expectations, which wouldn’t be difficult for her since she loved Law and Politics.
Her weakness, though, was math. Absolutely everything that had to do with math. It was sucky for her since if she had to major in business, she had to pass her calculus courses with flying colors.
Enter me: Her best friend, her tutor and a genius in math. Lucky her.
“I don’t understand shit,” she whined, flopping on her back. Riley closed her eyes and threw an arm over her face, hiding from me.
I gave her a gentle nudge with my toes. “Let’s try the question one more time.”
“That’s the third time. I’m a hopeless case. There’s no way I’m getting into Harvard if I flunk Calculus.”
She was exaggerating. Riley was in no way flunking Calculus. She was currently in the mid-eighties, since she had been busting her ass night and day to practice all her equations and solving extra math problems. Riley Jenson was dedicated to a fault.
“Practice makes perfect, right?” I cajoled, gently. “One more time, babe.”
She lowered her arm a bit and peeked at me. “Then we can watch Riverdale?”
&n
bsp; “One episode,” I reluctantly agreed.
“Binge watch the whole season?” Riley gave me the puppy eyes, the ones she had mastered, which almost won me over.
I pinched her shin. “Now you’re pushing it, Missy.”
She hissed, pulling her feet away, and her bottom lip jutted out in a pout.
“Let’s go back to the question.”
Riley nodded and sat up, focusing back on her notebook. I explained the steps to her again, she nodded along and gave it one more try.
Twenty minutes later, she let out a shout of victory. “I did it!”
Yes, she did. Just like I knew she would.
The happiness on her face was infectious, and I found myself laughing with her as she did half a twerk on my bed.
We spent the next two hours working on our homework. Once we were done and had put all our stuff away, I went down to get us snacks while Riley loaded Riverdale on Netflix. She wanted to binge watch while I was settling for only two episodes. It was going to be a battle for sure.
Halfway through the first episode, Riley started to get edgier. She was sneaking glances at me, and I noticed the way she was practically poking a hole through her blouse.
I knew Riley long enough to know this was a sign of nervousness and it had nothing to do with Riverdale. I waited for her to speak instead of pushing for information. If something was wrong, she’d tell me on her own without me having to force it out of her. It was a silent understanding between us. Riley has never pushed me about my past. I told her bits and pieces, and she accepted them without demanding more. I did the same with her. She only gave me what she wanted; we established this understanding early in our friendship.
Her silence didn’t last for more than fifteen minutes. “I have to confess something.”
I paused the episode and faced her. We were both sitting cross legged on the bed. “What is it?”
Riley swallowed hard and chewed on her lip, her brows pulled together in nervousness. Her body was strung tight with tension, and I didn’t like the dreadful look on her face.
She licked her lips, took a deep breath and started. “On Friday, after Maddox pulled you away and Colton grabbed me…”
The night of the haunted house? Confused, I nodded and waited for her to continue. “Yeah?”
“He pulled me behind the dumpster…” Riley trailed off, her eyes wide and glassy.
“Yeah. You told me. Fucking assholes. Both of them. If I could, I’d report them–”
Riley shook her head and cut me off, sharply. “No, listen. I didn’t tell you everything that happened.”
And then she… blushed. She averted her gaze for a second, and she went back to poking holes in her shirt.
“Riley…?” I slowly questioned.
She let out a loud, frustrated sigh. Her cheeks were tinted pink, but there was a guilty look in her eyes. “I messed up. I don’t know how it happened but it just… happened. One minute, I was screaming at him and I even punched him; he was laughing like a stupid, madman and then he pulled me close and… it just happened. I didn’t think. I wasn’t thinking.”
She was babbling, talking too fast, but I caught the gist of it. For her sake, I carefully concealed my shock. But… oh my fucking SHIT!
“Riley, did you… I mean, you two…?”
“No! We didn’t have sex,” she sputtered and blushed even harder. “We made out. Oh God, I can’t believe I’m saying this. But he pulled me into him and just slammed his lips on mine. I think it was the adrenaline. I was so scared, and then I was excited and like, my heart was beating so fast, I felt dizzy and then I just kissed him back.”
Don’t freak out, Lila. Don’t freak out.
“What happened?” I calmly asked, even though I was anything but calm.
“Colton pulled us down, so I could sit on his lap. And we just… um, kissed.”
“And?”
Riley buried her face in her hands, letting out a choked scream. “I’m horrible. Jasper was right. I’m a whore.”
“What? Riley!” I scooted closer to her and pulled her hands away from her face, so she would have no choice but to look at me. “Don’t say that!”
“We kissed. I don’t know when it happened, but he unbuttoned my jeans and put his hand inside and… he touched me, and it felt good, Lila. I know this sounds stupid, but it felt really good. It was crazy and everything was happening so fast.”
She broke off, looking at me like I could save her from whatever she was going through in her head. My poor Riley. I was shocked, speechless, so I could only pat her arm.
“Ifhame,” she muttered too fast for me to catch.
“You what?”
“I came! He was just touching me and… I orgasmed on his lap while we were sitting beside a fucking disgusting, smelly dumpster.”
My jaw went slack, and I stared at her. Riley let out a cry, looking so conflicted and heartbroken. “I don’t even like him! God, I like Grayson, and I let Colton touch me like that and I’m horrible. Just like Jasper said.”
I snapped out of my shock at her words and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. “Riley, you are not. Stop that.”
Her chin wobbled, and she bit harshly on her lip. She was so red now, her cheeks, her ears and her neck were all flushed. “Colton is the first guy… I mean after Jasper. I haven’t been with anyone else. I haven’t even kissed anyone since Jasper. I couldn’t bear it and then with Colton, it just happened.”
“Oh honey. Come here.” I hugged her close, and she hiccupped back a sob. Now that she had finally confessed what was eating her on the inside, her mixed emotions had bubbled over, and there was no stopping them.
“He probably thinks I’m stupid and a slut.”
“Hush.” I soothed a hand down her back, comforting Riley in the only way I knew how. I sucked at comforting people, but I hoped my presence was enough for her.
“He’s going to spread rumors like Jasper did. I’m so scared to go to school tomorrow. What if I walk in and everyone stares at me like… before… when Jasper… the whispers, the snickers, the laughs behind my back.”
I pressed a firm hand on her back. “Not all boys are like Jasper, sweetie.”
“I know…”
“It’s okay.”
She lifted her face and pulled out of my arms. “He hugged me.”
“Colton?” That was… shocking.
“Yeah. After, my… um, orgasm. I think I was in shock. And I teared up. I wasn’t crying, but I mean, there were tears. He noticed and broke the kiss. Then, he just hugged me. We didn’t speak. That’s when you found us. I heard you calling out my name, and we broke apart.”
Oh wow.
“He apologized,” Riley confessed gently. “Before I left, he whispered he was sorry.”
I didn’t know what to say. Colton and Maddox were cut from the same cloth. Both were fuckboys, and both were assholes. It was almost impossible to imagine Colton doing something as sweet as to hug and apologize to Riley.
“Not all boys are Jasper,” I said again.
She nodded, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. Riley was always so cheerful, so full of life. The conflicted look on her face tore my heart apart. “Does that make me a bad person? I don’t like him. I want Grayson.”
“No, it doesn’t make you a bad person. Like you said, it was the adrenaline and in the spur of the moment. It happens, and no one has the right to judge you. If Colton hugged you and apologized, then I don’t think he’s going to spread rumors about you. I guess, he’s not like that.”
As I said the words, I came to a shocking realization.
Maddox and his buddies were one big package of douchebaggery. They were jerks, they constantly played with girls’ hearts and all they cared about was sex, sex and more sex. But I’d never seen them spreading any stupid rumors about other students. Sure, they were irritating – but they had never done anything to ruin someone’s reputation. Not like Jasper had done to Riley.
I guess… that was one good
thing about Maddox and his friends.
***
Monday morning, Riley’s fear was put to rest when we walked through the gates of Berkshire, and everything was normal, like any other day. It appeared that Colton hadn’t spread any rumors, and I could tell Riley was finally able to breathe better. She was back to her smiling self in two seconds flat.
We went to our respective classes, and the day continued without any more drama.
Except… with Maddox being a constant presence in my life, I only had three hours of peace and quiet until it was time for lunch.
The hallways were empty as I walked out of Mrs. Callaway’s office, my Chemistry teacher. Our meeting ran longer than expected, and everyone was already in the cafeteria, since it was halfway through lunch now.
I made my way to my locker to deposit my textbooks, only to stop dead when I noticed who was standing there. Maddox leaned against my locker, looking like he owned it. He was everywhere I went, everywhere I wanted to go – he was there. A constant thorn in my ass.
I was starting to believe there was no escaping Maddox Coulter once he checkmated you. And that was exactly what he did to me. He put me on his radar, and then checkmate, I became his unwilling prize. No matter how much I fought and pushed back, he was there, pulling me just as hard and pushing back harder. It was a never-ending cycle, and it was starting to get tiring.
Letting out a sigh, I walked forward. As I grew closer, I noticed he had a toothpick between his lips, his dirty blond locks were rumpled and let down, instead of the man bun, and his Berkshire coat was missing. His white shirt was untucked and his tie hung loosely around his neck.
He looked like an imperfect canvas, flawed and wild. But like every piece of art, you couldn’t take your eyes off him.
It was my first time seeing him like this. His godly appearance had been replaced with something imperfect and… humane.
“What do you want?” I asked, stopping next to him.
