Page 11

Chapter eleven

Maddox

H e wants to buy me a drink and kiss me. Is this actually happening? I pinch my leg to be sure. Yup, this is real. My heart rips open. I came here with my sights set on Level-Up-Dom, but this mystery man is too perfect to ignore. He’s like an offering from Aphrodite—or all my good karma rolled up for a one-time use. I try to resist the urge to look for him at the bar. My head turns anyway, and I frantically search for his familiar face.

He’s not here. I don’t see him. The nerves gathering in my stomach threaten to overwhelm me. It’s not like I can’t finish the trivia competition if I hook up with this gift of a man. We’ll go on Thursday, then I’ll see if I still have feelings for him or if I’m ready to walk away. But if I walk away from this romantic obsession, does that also mean the end of my friendship with Level-Up-Dom?

I can’t think about that right now. What’s that phrase Callie always uses? I try to remember. Carpe diem. Time to focus on the now and enjoy the moment. I shut off my thoughts and push away the self-doubt creeping at the edges, giving the man sitting with me my undivided attention.

His stare is all-consuming when I lift my eyes to meet his. It’s unapologetic and direct, shamelessly taking in every inch of me, like I’m some kind of prize. It ignites a part of me I didn’t even know existed, and suddenly, I want nothing more than for him to never stop looking at me like this. He’s ravenous, and it’s all for me. Each breath is harder to remember to take as I get lost deep in the endless pools of his honey-brown eyes, darkened at the edges by desire.

“I’d trade you anything to know what you’re thinking right now,” he rasps.

I try to come up with something witty, but my thoughts are scattered. Instead, I confess, “No thoughts. I was just lost in your eyes. Did you know they’re darker around the edges?”

His cocky smile has me squeezing my thighs together. One touch and he’d know how much I want him. There’d be no more playing hard to get or teasing. Just raw, hot, vulnerable truth. He’s right. I want to be ruined—and I want him to be the one to do it.

The handsome man in the mask must sense the shift in my mood. He stands and offers his hand to help me up. I stare at him, unmoving.

He reads the puzzled expression on my face and leans down to whisper in my ear. “You said if I wanted a kiss, I had to buy you a drink, and you also mentioned wanting somewhere more private.”

“Okay,” I whimper, savoring the way his hot breath caresses my ear, teasing me before he pulls away.

I’ll go anywhere he wants if it means he’ll keep teasing me with his mouth. If he uses the right words, he could make me come without even touching me. I take his hand, hesitating for a few seconds. Before I can change my mind, my body is free-falling through the air, landing against the hard, chiseled muscles of his chest. There’s no going back. He feels so good against me. I fit into his arms perfectly, like I was made for him. The world stops, just long enough for me to imagine how good it would feel to be sandwiched beneath him, his muscular body caged over mine.

His knuckle rolls down my jaw, lifting my chin forcing me to meet his gaze. Every cell in my body is fully aware of where we’re touching. He’s so close to kissing me—his lips linger inches away. The realization hits hard. If I want to kiss him, all I have to do is make the choice. The decision is mine. There’s something incredibly sexy about that.

I smile, my smile tugging over my teeth. It’s sweet, but playing hard to get is so much more fun. I’m winding my body up nice and tight, hoping he’ll be the one to help me come down from it.

He leads me to the back of the bar where dark shadows lap over every surface, shrouding it in secrets. To my surprise, there’s a staircase roped off with a red velvet cord and a man in a suit standing guard. My feet stop, but he pulls me forward.

“Come on.”

He nods at the man, who steps aside and unclips the rope, allowing us access. Who the hell is this guy?

We climb the stairs, and when we reach the top, the private VIP lounge area is completely empty—even the second bar.

“I didn’t know there was an upstairs,” I say, not realizing I spoke aloud.

He smiles. “How about that drink?”

Unable to turn him down, I nod, following him to the bar. He slips behind it and starts making something for me. I watch, impressed as he moves like he’s done this a thousand times.

“How do you know what you’re doing?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer, insead sliding the drink over to me. “Try it. Make sure you like it.”

I don’t argue. I take a sip. It’s good. Dangerously good. A few of these, and who knows what will happen.

“Wow. This is amazing,” I compliment.

He cracks open a bottle of beer and steps around the bar. I start to ask him a second time how he knew what he was doing when I notice a drink card on the counter—like someone had been practicing and left it behind.

“Hey. Did you cheat and use that card?”

He follows my stare, a smile parting his lips. “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. You’ll never know.”

“Come on, let’s sit,” he says, motioning to a leather sofa a few feet away.

As I follow him, I take small sips from my drink, trying to calm my nerves.