by Lylah James
He grunted, shaking his head, and then he let out a laugh. As if he was sharing an inside joke with himself. “I’m a man, like him. I know what he was thinking about when he looked at you like that.”
“Maybe he wasn’t thinking about sex. Maybe he’s a gentleman. Unlike you.” I was playing with fire, I knew that. I was testing him, testing us.
“I dare you,” he whispered so softly, I almost missed it. Maddox looked down at his glass, his fingers clenched around it. Even in the dim lights, I could see the way his knuckles were starting to turn white.
He was giving me a dare now?
He didn’t finish his sentence, and I wondered if he was contemplating his dare. Maddox’s jaw flexed from obvious frustration. For a brief moment, I thought maybe he wasn’t angry at me. Maybe, he was angry at himself. He was fighting himself. Could it be that the problem wasn’t me?
He drank the rest of his drip in one gulp and then slammed his glass on the counter, before swiveling around in his stool to face me. Maddox stood up and walked a step closer to me, until my knees were touching his strong thighs. He leaned forward, caging me in between the counter and his body. Our gaze locked, and he licked his lips. He had me captivated for a moment until he mercilessly broke the spell.
“I dare you to sleep with him.”
I reared back in shock. Wh-at? No, I must have misheard him. That couldn’t be…
“What?” I whispered, my throat dry and my tongue suddenly heavy in my mouth.
Maddox’s eyes bore into mine, staring into my soul. When he spoke again, his deep accented voice danced over my skin dangerously. “I dare you to fuck him, Lila.”
A tremble started in my core and then moved through my body like a storm. Not just a quiet storm. A tsunami of emotions hit me all at once, reckless in its assault. I submerged under the dark waves, suffocating, and then I was being split open so viciously, it sent tiny cracks of my heart and fissures of my soul in all directions. I clamped my teeth together to stop myself from saying something –anything that would make it worse.
We had done too many dares to simply count on our fingers. Countless silly dares over the years, but we had never dared each other to sleep with other people. Granted, I had asked him to kiss a girl once; they made out, but it was years ago. But our dares had never crossed that line.
Sex… that was never on the table. We never explicitly talked about it, but it was almost an unspoken rule.
Why would he even ask me to do such a thing?!
“What’s with that look, Lila?” he taunted.
My eyes closed. I refused to look at him, to look into his beautiful eyes and see nothing but pitch-black darkness. He wasn’t looking at me like he used to. The light in his eyes was gone.
It scared me.
It hurt me.
It was destroying the rest of what was left of me.
“Look. At. Me.”
I didn’t want to. I didn’t want him to see the hurt in my eyes.
“Open your eyes, Lila,” he said in his rich baritone voice.
I did as I was commanded. He crowded into my personal space, forcing me to inhale his scent and feel the warmth of his body. “Are you serious? Or are you already drunk?” I asked quietly. It was hard to breathe with him this close.
“I never take back a dare.”
And I never lose. He knew that. We were both very competitive, and to this day, neither of us had backed down from a dare.
Maddox’s hand came up, and he cupped my jaw. His fingers kissed my skin softly. He smiled, but it didn’t match the look in his eyes. “What’s wrong? You don’t want to do it?”
“I don’t play to lose.” Asshole.
Maddox leaned closer, his face barely an inch away from mine. Our noses were almost touching. My heart fluttered when he tipped my head back. Take back your dare. Take back your dare, Maddox. Don’t make me do this.
He curled his index finger around the lock of hair that had fallen out from my bun. His minty breath, mixed with the smell of alcohol, feathered over my lips. I wanted to beg him with my eyes. Maddox tugged on my hair slightly before tucking it behind my ear. He moved, and my eyes fluttered close once again…waiting… a desperate breath locked in my throat as my chest caved and my stomach clenched.
He pressed his cheek against mine, and his lips lingered over my ear. “Don’t disappoint me, chérie.”
My body shuddered, and I breathed out a shaky breath. He tore my heart open and left me bleeding. He pulled away and stared down at me.
Maddox was mocking me. Taunting me.
He never stopped being a jerk. He just hid it behind a sexy smile and a nonchalant expression.
I thought he had left his asshole ways behind. But no, I was wrong. So fucking wrong about him. About us.
Friends. We were friends.
I thought maybe… he wanted more. More of me. More of us, of what we were or could be. I was so goddamn wrong.
Maddox Coulter was still an asshole behind a pretty mask.
And I was the stupid girl who fell in love with her best friend.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Lila
I waited, my heart thudding in my chest. His warmth behind me had my stomach twisting in anxiety. His shirt brushed against my bare shoulders. Maddox crowded behind me, and my gaze moved to Lucien.
He looked miffed as Maddox came between us. Lucien and I had spent the whole day together. He took me sightseeing while Maddox stalked us from a distance. Lucien didn’t know, but I saw him, following us everywhere we went.
Lucien planned to take me out for dinner later at the Eiffel tower. He said it was romantic and beautiful up there. I knew from the look in his eyes that he was expecting something tonight.
Lucien expected us to fuck.
And Maddox dared me… so it was happening. Tonight.
I tried to pull away from my best friend, but then the fireworks went off in the dark Paris sky, and it stole my attention. People cheered on the rooftop of the hotel where we were standing.
Someone had just gotten married; they were celebrating. The City of Love, indeed.
Because of the noise of the fireworks as well as the music and laughter that surrounded us, Maddox thought his secret was safe; he thought it was loud enough that I couldn’t hear the words he whispered in my ear. But I did.
“If there’s a God, He doesn’t want me to be happy. Maybe it’s my fault because I pushed you into the arms of another man. But He won’t let me have you even though I begged him to let me love you freely. I can’t remember the last time I asked Him for something. I guess... I’m not meant to have what I want. My parents. A family. You. You. You,” Maddox whispered in my ear, his voice a low rasp.
Another set of fireworks went off, loud and booming into the sky.
His lips caressed my neck, warm and soft against my skin. “All of you.”
He sounded so broken, so tortured.
If only...
Maddox and I...
We were more than friends but less than lovers. That was our relationship; there was no real definition. We were somewhere in the middle, tangling over the edge of something that could forever break us.
I turned around and his face held an expression of a wounded beast: a bleeding warrior, a broken boy.
“Lila,” he started, his voice a gruff baritone, but Lucien came forward. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into him.
Maddox’s eyes clouded, and he stepped back, without finishing the sentence and whatever he was about to say. Lucien’s lips caressed my temple, and Maddox stalked away, disappearing into the crowd.
Maybe that was all we were or could ever be: an incomplete sentence and a story without an ending.
But his secret confession changed everything.
Maddox wanted me.
God, how stupid could we be?
“So, we shall meet in an hour?” Lucian said, breaking through my thoughts. “Is that enough time for you to dress?”
I nodded
, mutely, and sent him a tentative smile before striding away.
I walked inside my room, grabbed a few things and then stalked over to the adjacent room. His door wasn’t locked, and I walked inside to find Maddox sitting in a sofa chair, staring out the window–into the dark night.
He was still in his black slacks, his tie hanging loosely around his neck, his rumpled white shirt unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His legs were stretched out in front of him. He had a cigarette between his lips and a drink in his hand.
Maddox looked… rugged. Angry. Intense.
He owned the room, his mere presence sending out a dominating mood. His gaze fell on me, and Maddox tensed. His whole body tightened at the sight of me. His face hardened, his expression dark and brooding.
I wished the situation was different, but there was no other way. I couldn’t unlove Maddox, and I didn’t want to. We weren’t something, but we weren’t nothing either.
I sucked in a breath and hung on to my courage, while sashaying inside. I dropped the two dresses on the bed, and my lips curled.
My legs trembled, but I locked my knees together. “I need your help.”
He simply grunted in response, his face flashing with uncontrolled frustration. I wondered if the thought of another man touching, making love to me, fucking me was killing him and the fact that it was him who sent me into the arms of another man.
My stomach cramped, and I inhaled. Exhaled.
The room was growing hotter, and a sheen of sweat slid down between my breasts. I slowly pulled the robe off my shoulders and let it pool at my feet, standing in front of Maddox in my lace panties and bra.
His eyes widened before they narrowed on my bare skin.
I’d been half-naked in front of Maddox plenty of time before. This time, it was… different.
I grabbed the first dress and stepped into it, shaking my hips a bit, so I could pull the tight fabric over the curve of my ass.
Once the dress was in place, I turned to face the mirror, giving Maddox my back.
A single beat passed.
One breath.
Thud.
I caught his eyes through the reflection. “Is this sexy enough to tempt him into fucking me before we can even get to his bed?” I crooned.
I was playing with fire.
And I was about to get burned.
His gaze traveled down the length of my body. It was a red fitted dress, sleeveless and the bodice cupped my breasts like a second skin with my tits practically spilling out. The dress was indecently short, and it was the best way to say–fuck me.
Maddox’s fingers clenched the glass in his hand so hard, I thought he’d break it.
I smirked. Am I breaking through your walls, Maddox?
His eyes grew darker, a vicious glint in his gaze. I smiled sweetly, trying to appear unfazed by his reaction, even though my heart was beating so fast it threatened to burst through my chest, and my knees were so weak, I wondered how I was still standing.
I licked my lips and blinked my eyes innocently. We were still watching each other through the mirror. “Can you zip me up?” I croaked. “I can’t reach the zipper.”
Another heartbeat.
A low exhale.
Thud.
Maddox stood up, tall and tensed, and the harsh look on his face had me whimpering silently. He stalked forward, eyeing me like a predator.
I was the prey, the willing captive.
Maddox pressed against my back, crowding into my space and pushing me closer into the mirror until the tip of my breasts were brushing against the coldness of it.
A silent gasp spilled from my lips and his fingers skimmed over my bare back.
He inhaled and exhaled a shuddering breath.
If I died tonight, it’d be a sweet death.
We continued to watch each other through the mirror, our reflection staring back at us.
Not blinking.
Not breathing.
Maddox then slowly zipped me up, before his hands dropped to my hips, and he held me tight. Oh God, my heart catapulted in my chest.
“If he hurts you, I’m going to kill him,” he growled low in my ear. His words were thick with threat.
My teeth grazed my lips, and I bit down, waiting for him to stop me from leaving, to take back his foolish dare. His grip tightened on my hips.
Stop me. Take back your dare.
Thud, my heart hammered in my chest. Goddamn it, Maddox!
Beyond frustrated and angered by his lack of words, my control snapped, and I swiveled around. Maddox didn’t see it coming, and he stumbled back as I pushed him into the wall next to the mirror. He let out a grunt, and his eyes darkened in warning.
Dizzied by our close proximity, I swallowed past the lump in my throat. I cupped his jaw and pressed my body against his.
He didn’t pull away, didn’t breathe, didn’t say a word. A line had been crossed, and we both knew it.
My mouth was so dry, I could barely speak the words: “It’s my turn, isn’t it?”
Standing on my toes, I brought our heads closer, my lips lingering over his. “I dare you.”
Maddox tilted his head, and his fingers dug into my hips. “I dare you to kiss me,” I breathed.
My heart stuttered as I said the words. Point of no return, this was it.
His eyes widened; his breath hitched.
One heartbeat. Thud.
Two heartbeats. Thud. Thud.
Then, Maddox pounced.
I cried out as his lips captured mine. Brutal. Harsh. Unforgiving.
Maddox Coulter devoured my lips like it was his last meal, and I fell into his arms, powerless.
I gasped into the kiss, which opened my mouth for him. His tongue slid inside, tasting me. He licked and kissed and bit on my lips. Savage and cruel.
Anger rolled off him in waves as we became cocooned with our lust and need for each other. He took his frustration out against my lips, and I returned his punishing kiss with a violent one of my own.
He hadn’t been the only one struggling with this need… and hunger for each other.
I suffered, too.
My pulse throbbed, and my stomach fluttered. My whole body tingled as he spun us around, slamming my back into the wall. Maddox fisted my hair, his knuckles digging into my scalp. He growled a guttural groan and kissed me harder.
This was everything I ever wanted. Dizzy. Hazy. Full of desire and untamed hunger, I moaned into his kiss.
Maddox shoved my dress up, not so gently, and shoved my panties aside. “Is this what you want?” he grunted.
I moaned.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
He growled deeper. “You want to be fucked against the wall like this?”
Yes.
God, Maddox!
I cried out when his thumb brushed against my clit roughly, sending tiny sparks through my body. He tsked darkly. “I didn’t know you were such a dirty, filthy girl, Lila.”
I was already so wet between my legs, his fingers glided easily over my folds. Maddox groaned as he felt my pussy clench against his seeking fingers.
“Fuck,” he swore, pressing his nose against my nose. He bit down, his teeth digging into my sensitive flesh. I clung to his shoulders, writhing in his arms.
Maddox pinched my clit, and I cried out, my body growing tight as a bowstring. He callously dipped a finger inside my pussy, and I clamped down.
“Lila,” he said hoarsely.
He pumped his finger, once, twice. “Maddox, please!”
“Lila,” Maddox whispered wretchedly. He pulled out, and I gasped when he thrust back inside with two fingers. He didn’t give me time to adjust to his long and thick digits, he slid in and out, in a punishing pace, dragging out desperate moans from me.
I was so close… so… so fucking close.
He pulled his fingers out.
“Maddox!” I gasped.
He shushed me, his lips capturing mine again. Maddox shifted sl
ightly, and then I felt him – his hard length rubbing against my wet folds. He hooked my thigh around his waist, spreading me for him. My panties were still shoved to the side as his tip probed my entrance. His hips jerked forward, and Maddox groaned as he spread my pussy-lips with his cock, his tip seeking out my swollen clit.
He circled his hips, coating his length with my wetness. “How badly do you want me to fuck you?” There was a possessive glint in his dark gaze.
“If you don’t fuck me now… I’m going to go crazy.” My clit throbbed, and my heart was in my throat.
Every dream… every day I had been left wanting for Maddox…
This was finally happening. After years of refusing to acknowledge this tension between us, I had Maddox in my arms.
Our eyes met. Silent and breathless. Heart pounding.
Maddox shoved inside, in one punishing thrust, stealing my breath from my lungs.
I cried out and my body tightened. He stretched me; my inner walls spasmed around his cock as he seated himself inside my pussy, buried to the hilt.
His mouth brushed against my neck before they found their way to my lips again. I could feel his hardness pulsing inside me. A curse fell from his lips, as he pulled out almost all the way, before plunging in again.
I looked down between our entwined bodies, watching his cock disappear inside me. Thrust, after thrust. The sound of us fucking filled the room, echoing around the walls.
His grunts, my moans.
His groans, my whimpers.
My name was a whispered prayer on his lips.
His name spilled from mine as I cried out.
He ground the hilt of his palm against my clit, and my eyes rolled back into my head as my body spasmed. I spiraled down as my orgasm hit. It was the most intense release I’ve ever had.
One brutal thrust later, Maddox held himself inside me, as deep as he could go. I felt his release, spurt after thick spurt, as he filled me.
My leg fell from his hip as I gasped for breath.
Maddox pressed his forehead against mine, and I saw instant regret in his eyes. Oh no, no. Please no.
“Lila,” he rumbled.
“No.” I pushed his chest, and he stumbled back. “Don’t you dare,” I warned.
His face twisted with a brutal look, but I pushed him again, until he was forced to take a step back again and again.
