thoughts, and I swiveled around, glowering at the door. “What?”
“I can hear you overthinking, Lila.”
“Shut up,” I muttered to the door.
The door chuckled, well, Maddox chuckled. “Don’t make me come inside. You know damn well a locked door will not keep me away if I want to get in. Better remember that next time.”
“Is the word ‘privacy’ not in your vocabulary?” I shot back.
Maddox was silent for a short second before he replied, “No. Now, hurry. Our date awaits, milady.”
“I’m not a lady or a princess.” And yes, I was smiling because, damn him, I was falling for it again. His charm. His stupid attempts to woo me.
Even with a door separating us, I could imagine Maddox standing outside the door, smiling. “No, you’re not, little dragon.”
Little dragon.
My cheeks heated up. Damn it, was I… blushing?
Oh no, I was in big trouble.
Thirty minutes later, I walked out of the bathroom to find our master suite empty. Maddox was nowhere to be seen, but he did leave me a present. On the bed, there was a white dress.
With a single… dead rose.
A dead rose? What the hell?
And then I remembered why.
Maddox and his stupid pranks. The last time he offered me roses – dead roses – he was on his knees, making a grand proposal to my ass.
This was his messed-up way of being romantic, but still staying true to us.
Next to the dress, there was a blue Post-It Note. A handwritten note, with Maddox’s not so elegant penmanship.
You look beautiful in white. Wear the dress.
Ah, this was Maddox. He didn’t even bother to ask me to wear the dress or say ‘please.’ He ordered me to wear it.
And where the hell did he even get this dress? It was pretty and elegant. A simple white, spaghetti strap silk dress.
I grabbed the dress and walked over to the mirror, before slipping it over my head. It came down to my calves, a few inches above my ankles. The dress was backless, with crisscross straps to a tie a knot.
“I’m beginning to think I made the wrong choice.”
I gasped at the voice and swiveled around to face the intruder. “Maddox! You scared me!”
He stood at the entrance of the room and closed the door behind him. My gaze traveled the length of his body, slowly taking him in. Yes, I was taking my time to appreciate the view.
There was nothing wrong with eyeing your best friend, right? The same best friend I slept with last night…
Instead of his usual attire of jeans and a shirt, he was wearing black pants, a white buttoned-up shirt and a black tie. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his thick forearms coiled with muscles. My stomach fluttered at the sight of him…all casual elegance and so sinfully looking.
Maddox sauntered over to me, his eyes dark and intense. “Now that you’re in the dress, I don’t want to leave the room,” he said hoarsely.
“Why?” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you like it?”
He stood in front of me, a mere inch away. So close, I could feel the warmth of him. He smelled clean…his aftershave and favorite cologne mixed with his manly scent. I’d recognize his scent anywhere, even in a crowded room.
Maddox took another step, until our bodies were flushed against each other. His breath skated over my cheeks. I could smell the mint on his breath, and I’d bet he had gum hidden somewhere in his mouth. “I like it too much.”
I swallowed, my mouth was suddenly dry, and my tongue didn’t seem to work. “Um… can… you help me?”
There was a single heartbeat, a short second, a throbbing moment, before his hand came around my hips. Maddox turned me around, so I was facing the mirror. With my back against his front, we stared at each other.
There was a look in his eyes, the intensity of his blue gaze unnerved me. Eye contact was a dangerous, dangerous thing. It spoke a thousand unsaid words; words we were too scared to speak.
His fingers skimmed over my bare back, and I fought back a shiver. My toes curled around the soft carpet, and my eyes fluttered shut as his head lowered to my neck. His lips whispered over my skin, and his teeth grazed my shoulders sharply, before laving his tongue over the bite.
I felt him inhale, breathing me in.
I exhaled a shuddering breath in response.
My heart catapulted in my chest when his lips ghosted behind my ear, a tender kiss. I didn’t