The Love Series Complete Box Set (116 page)

She looks wounded as I laugh. Before I can even get the words together to explain myself, she places her hands on my chest and leans up on her toes. Close to my ear, so close in fact that chills course through my body, she pitches her voice low and says, “I could pay you back with more than a dance, Reid.”

Holy fuck! She’s sweet and sexy. This can’t be for real.

Quickly regaining my composure, I cock my head to the side. “So you did a little digging, huh?” I need to stay on top here. I’ve never been out of control like this, but Maddy is fucking killing me here. I’ve only known her five minutes and already I never know what to expect from her.

“My name—you just had to find out who I am, did you?” I’m messing with her, but I have to admit that part of me is very turned on that she had to figure out who I am.

“Of course I dug. I needed to know who was responsible for getting me all hot and sweaty before.” As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she regrets saying them. Heat blooms across her neck and chest; her cheeks turn pink.

Going in for the kill, I put my lips right up against the outer shell of her ear. “So I got you all hot and bothered? Hmmm. Let’s see if I can do it again.” I pull her onto the makeshift dance floor in the living room and thank fucking God that it’s a slow song. Now, I have the perfect excuse to keep her tight ass pressed up against my groin.

When she raises her arms above her head and starts shimmying against my body, I nearly lose it. Needing to feel her skin under my fingertips, I trace lightly over her arms. Her skin flames and my desire for her is out of control. I feel her skin raise as goose bumps cover her arms. When her hands start roaming all over my back and chest, I want nothing more than to take her up to my room.

We move, perfectly in sync with one another. Her soft body pressed up against mine is pure heaven. I spin her around and our eyes meet again.

Fuck. Her eyes are wide but crinkling in the corners. She doesn’t have to try all that hard to figure out what I’m thinking. Thousands of unspoken words are exchanged in that one simple stare. I feel vulnerable and exposed. She knows I want her. But what’s even scarier is that I do—I want her so badly and not just for one night.

Remembering my vow to myself from so many years ago, I remind myself to keep my walls intact. I have to get away, now, before she figures me out, before I do something I regret.

“Thanks for the dance,” I say sharply as I help her stand up straight from the last spin. She tenses at the cold, hard change in my demeanor.

Whatever. I can’t risk being hurt again.

As I strut away from her, I see Jessa across the room. Desperate to forget Maddy, I spend the rest of the night making out with Jessa on the couch, certain for Maddy to witness the whole sickening scene.

I want her to see me with Jessa. I want her to be disgusted with me. The more I can piss her off, the more I can guarantee that she’ll leave me, and my dark secrets alone.

Bonus Scene #2

Alternate POV from Let Love In

The movement at my side wakes me up. Reaching my hand the other side of the bed, I feel someone next to me. What the freak? No one ever stays the night. Who the hell? Then, as the fuzziness clears from my head, I remember everything.

Maddy being drugged.

Me saving her.

Tucking her into bed and then sleeping peacefully for the first time in as long as I can remember.

There were no nightmares last night.

I roll over on my side to a wide-eyed and obviously afraid Maddy. Cupping her cheek in my hand, I need to try to calm her down. She looks like a frightened deer caught in the headlights.

“Good morning, beautiful.” I don’t mean for my words to sound as sugary sweet as they just did, but she really is beautiful, all sleep mussed and drowsy—she looks perfect, really.

Shock is still washing over her as she comes to. “Um, did we . . . you know.” She’s flailing her arms all over the place trying to communicate what her words aren’t. Finally, she spits out what she’s been trying to get at. “Did we . . . umm . . . do it?”

Holy fucking shit! She can’t even say the word. She’s so damn adorable that I can’t help but laugh at her. I pull myself up against the headboard and she joins me. She thinks I don’t notice, but I see her peaking under the covers to check out her state of undress. I’m pretty damn proud of myself that I didn’t touch her last night. God, I wanted to, but even I’m not that much of an asshole.

When she’s situated next to me, I stare into her eyes. “No, Maddy. We most definitely did not ‘do it.’ Believe me
when
we ‘do it,’ you’ll remember.” I arch an eyebrow at her and fold my arms behind my head.

“Did you just say
when
we sleep together?” Her shock just adds to my desire for her. Does she think that I don’t want her? Fuck. I thought I made that pretty clear last night.

“Yes, I did.” I’m not going to hide that I want her any more. Seeing her with that dick last night, gutted me. I won’t do that again.

“So Maddy, what do you remember from last night?” I hate thinking about what could have happened to her if I wasn’t there. I never would have pegged myself as the protective type, but her vulnerability and sweetness have done all sorts of messed-up shit to my head. To be honest, I can’t say I hate how I’ve changed since I met her.

She looks so freaking hot chewing on her lip and twirling her hair as she tries to place what happened. “Um, well I remember being at the pool hall with everyone. And then I remember Mike and I hanging out at the bar for a little bit. After that, things get a little fuzzy.”

She’s got bits and pieces of the story straight, but the big part, the part about her almost being kidnapped and raped—because I’m certain that’s what that guy would have done to her—that part is eluding her memories.

I see her panic rise as some of the big picture comes into focus. She’s almost shaking with nervousness. The need to calm her is like needing to take my next breath.

“Don’t worry, Maddy. Nothing happened. I was walking back into Shooters when Mike was trying to leave with you. You guys walked past me and I saw that something was off. Your eyes weren’t clear. They were all glassy and you just didn’t seem with it. I had been watching you all night, so I knew you weren’t drunk. That’s when I realized he must have slipped you something. I knocked him on his ass and then brought you here. I know you probably didn’t want to wake up next to me, but I didn’t want you to be alone and scared when you woke up.”

As she’s trying to take this all in, she freaks out and tries to call Mel. She nearly falls on her face as she stumbles out of the bed. God, how much did he fucking give her? If I ever get my hands on him again—well, it just won’t be pretty. He’ll get a lot more than a knee to the sac.

“Shh. Don’t freak out. It’s okay. I texted her last night and let her know that you were here. Don’t worry. It’s all taken care of.” I lean in close to her needing to touch her, to inhale her intoxicating smell. When the pad of my thumb traces over her face, across her lips, my groin twitches with the electricity that moves between us. In all of my experience, I have never gotten
this
excited from a simple touch. I’m lost in her beauty; she’s mesmerizing and I’m completely disarmed by the charge between us.

“You were watching me?” Her question brings me out of my erotic musings about doing much more to her lips than just trace over them with my fingertip.

“Um . . . yeah. I guess you could say that. It’s just . . . well . . . I didn’t trust that guy. I’d never seen him there and he was staring at you like a wolf eyeing up a lamb while you were leaning over the pool table. I wanted to make sure that you were okay, that’s all.” Pulling my hand from her face, I readjust the sheets across my lap to hide my growing erection. I shouldn’t be turned on as we sit here discussing her attempted attack, but I want her. Thinking about protecting her just makes me wish she was mine. That’s what’s turning me on. Her being mine and only mine.

When she thanks me for saving her, that desire grows even more. She might just be the sweetest girl I’ve ever known. I only hear the tail end of what she’s saying as I’m lost thinking about just how sweet—and hot, for that matter—she must taste. “ . . . I know you don’t really like me and all, so I just wanted to say thank you for helping me despite that.”

Okay, wait a minute! Did I just hear her correctly? “That’s what you think? You think I hate you?” I don’t mean for my words to be harsh and biting, but they are. Here I am daydreaming about being with her and she thinks I hate her. Oh, she’s got another thing coming to her.

“Well, I know I’m not your favorite person. That’s for certain. I’d like to think you don’t
hate
me, Reid, but I don’t think you like me very much.” I lean in as close as I can to her. I feel her breath on my lips and mine are no more than a millimeter from hers.

Cupping her cheek, and then grazing my knuckles across her soft skin, I say, “I definitely do not hate you.” I can only hope and pray she hears the truth in my words.

“Then what is it Reid? What is going on here?” Cue the flailing hands again. “I’m exhausted from all of this. You antagonize me and all but treat me like shit, and then you run in like some kind of knight in shining armor to rescue me from some big bad wolf. I––I don’t know what to do or how to feel. I can’t keep running away from you. Avoiding you is draining me.”

She’s ranting and raving so quickly, that the deep breath she inhales, forces her chest out; I can’t help but look down at her perfect tits.

“Since the moment I met you, I’ve wanted to be here in your arms, but you’ve done nothing but push me away. So tell me how I was supposed to think that you felt anything other than hatred for me.” She finishes her little tirade and I quickly dart my eyes back to hers. There’d be no use in getting caught checking her out right now.

I need to change the mood here. We’re good together when we’re playful. It’s easier to flirt than fight. “So you think I’m a knight in shining armor, huh?” I grin all goof-ball-like at her hoping that she’ll slow down a bit and lighten up. When her hand falls playfully to my chest, the electricity returns. Her skin on mine is scorching hot. She looks down at her hand on my bare chest and her eyes widen with what I can only hope is desire.

We carry on the rest of the conversation basically laying out what an asshole I’ve been and how much I’ve hurt her. It’s nothing I didn’t already know, but I couldn’t help it. I can’t be the first guy on Earth who was ever afraid to admit his feelings to a girl before.

Yet, for the very first time in my life, I’m tired of it. I’m tired of keeping everyone away and I refuse to deny myself Maddy any longer. It’s confession time.

“You’ve completely knocked me off my game. I’ve never met anyone like you and it scares the shit out of me. It’s like you don’t see me.” She begins to say something and I softly press my fingers to her luscious lips to silence her. “You don’t see me; you see straight through me. You see beyond the outside and it’s like you see the me no one else sees. I saw it in your eyes that first night I met you and it knocked me on my ass. I was a goner, and since then, I guess I’ve just been trying to push you away.”

She doesn’t believe me. Why should she? I know I’ve been a shit, but I have to continue talking to try and convince her. I’ve never needed someone to believe me more than I need Maddy to believe me right now. “You’re a smart-ass, and I love that you keep me on my toes. You are most definitely not like the other girls, and I love that, but it also scares me like nothing else. I haven’t let anyone in for years and, well, with you, I feel like I want to give it a chance.”

All I can do now is hope she’ll accept my apology and give me a chance. I know it’s the last thing I deserve, but maybe, by some act of God, I’ll get an opportunity to redeem myself. I think I can be a good guy. I’ve never done it before, but for Maddy, I want to try.

Bonus Scene #3

Alternate Point of View from Let Love Stay