He leaned against the wall opposite to me, making himself comfortable. Maddox took a small box of cigarettes from his pocket.
My voice was sharp when I spoke, “You’re not allowed to smoke in here.”
Maddox made a derisive sound in the back of his throat as he flipped the tiny box over his fingers and around in his hand. “I won’t disrespect your grandparents like that. I’m just checking how many I have left.”
I could almost hear his unsaid words. Stop assuming the worst of me, Lila.
Ignoring the silent jab, I continued with my sweeping. Even with me not looking at him, I could feel his stare burning into the back of my head. He was staring hard.
Maddox stalked me with his eyes, and I didn’t like how he could make me feel… small.
“So, are we not going to talk about the elephant in the room?
“What elephant?” I grumbled, distracted.
“The hard-on you gave me two days ago.”
Oh. I had been trying to forget all about that night, but he had to bring it up. Of course, since I left him dumbfounded. Not a lot of people has the chance to push back on Maddox. I gave him a taste of his own medicine, and he obviously didn’t like it.
I stopped sweeping and held the broom up, leaning my arm on it. “Oh that. Did the cold shower help?”
“It didn’t. I had to use my hand.” If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was a note of petulance in his voice.
“I didn’t need to know that.”
He shrugged, quite nonchalantly. “You asked, I answered. Can I borrow your hand next time though?”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. “That’s going to be a hell no, Coulter.”
His lips twitched, and I almost rolled my eyes. “You’re boring, Garcia,” he taunted once again.
“I’d rather be boring than be your next hookup.”
Anything was better than being his next meal. To put it simply, Maddox was a lion – it was quite easy to see the resemblance. When given meat, lions pounce without a second thought. They devour their meal, messy and savagely. Once they’re done, they spit out the bones, and with a belly full, they walked away.
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 ‘boundaries.’ 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