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15

MADISON

B utterflies flutter inside my stomach, beating their frantic wings as I look in my rearview mirror, his truck following me home.

Emotions swirl through me—giddiness, nervousness, anxiousness, happiness, and finally, guilt. You have a boyfriend, Maddie . Remember Ben?

I snort. Yeah, the guy who texted and said he wasn’t coming home tonight.

Ben and I have separate bedrooms, although we often stay in one another’s room. But there are plenty of nights I sleep alone in my bedroom because he gets home late.

My brows crease. I know the campus library is open late, and since he’s twenty-one, he can legally go to bars. He’s also attended plenty of college parties.

With Chloe.

My fingers clench the steering wheel. It always seems to come back to Ben and Chloe. I have no proof either of them is doing anything wrong, except for a nagging feeling that warns me not everything is as it seems between them.

Maybe you’re just trying to justify the attraction you feel for the guy in the truck behind you.

Ugh. My hand hits the steering wheel. I’d be lying if I denied being attracted to my stalker. He infiltrates my thoughts during the day while haunting my dreams at night.

Biting my lip, I flashback to the last time I stayed at my mom’s house. My dream was so vivid I felt his lips gently covering mine. His cinnamon, leather, and cigarette smoke aroma swirled around me and I inhaled it deep inside my lungs.

He was inside your room, Maddie. He left you a rose and that note.

My heart pounds as the words on the note float through my head.

Maddie,

You looked stunning sitting in the tree, watching the sunset. But watching you sleep is fucking euphoric. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Forever yours.

I melted into my mattress when I read the note. My heart squeezed inside my chest as I read it three more times, then clutched the piece of paper against my chest, smelling his scent on it.

I frown as I think back to the way my name sounded on his decadent lips. Yet, I still don’t know his.

Sighing, I look in my rearview mirror, my gaze settling on his large hands wrapped around the steering wheel. Hands that pummeled that asshole who grabbed me at the coffee shop. An undeniable thrill goes through me from witnessing my hot stalker beating the shit out of that guy.

When he dropped him on the ground, those dark, possessive eyes locked on me, boring into me. Within seconds he was in front of me, his hands on my face, checking me over to make sure I was okay. That was fucking hot. Desire courses beneath my skin as a shiver of pleasure goes through me.

Fuck, Maddie. What is going on with you? I feel like a slave to my passion right now, which is unlike me.

My grip tightens on the steering wheel. What’s going to happen when we come face to face in the parking lot of my apartment building? Will I be able to resist the allure?

As I pull into a space, I release a breath, my hands shaking. I’m about to find out.

H anding my stalker his jacket, I try not to inhale the cinnamon, leather, and cigarette smoke scent of him permeating the space between us. It clings to my clothing and for a minute, I debate not washing this outfit ever again.

I jolt when our fingers touch, my eyes meeting his. He gives me a lopsided smile that makes my knees weak.

“Well… Thanks again for… Everything.” Pulling my hand away from his, I shove it into the back pocket of my jeans.

“Anytime, baby girl.”

I should tell him to stop calling me that, yet I can’t. I love the way it rolls off his lips, smooth and natural. As if I belong to him.

That last thought shakes me and when I analyze it, I realize why. I like it. The thought of belonging to him is titillating.

But I’m still with Ben.

As though he can read my mind, he steps into me, pressing me against my car. I try to convince myself that the rapid beating of my heart and my pulse hammering against my neck is because of fear and has nothing at all to do with my attraction to him. And the tremble of my body when he presses his hard body against mine has nothing to do with desire.

“Don’t be scared, baby girl.” His hand moves to my hair, pushing it away from my face. “I’m not going to hurt you. At least, not in any way you wouldn’t want me to.” His lips pull up into a smirk that makes me want to smack his face and kiss him at the same time.

As he stands there, several inches taller than me, the hard planes of his muscular mass pressed against my petite form, I realize I’m not scared. What I’m feeling has nothing to do with fear, and everything to do with desire, especially when he flashes me that blindingly white smile that is arrogant and sexy. Or maybe it’s his cinnamon and leather aroma mixing with cigarette smoke that causes me to inhale just a little deeper.

“W-what do y-you mean by t-that?”

Damn it. That didn’t come out the way I wanted it.

My stalker avoids the question.

Cocking his head, his hands move to my face, cupping it gently. “Fuck, you’re so goddamn beautiful.” His dark eyes beckon to me, luring me in.

Beautiful? Did I hear him correctly?

I haven’t been called beautiful in a long time.

His other hand moves to my hip, and I swear I feel a jolt go through me the second he touches me. It’s a heady, intoxicating sensation, especially when combined with the way he’s staring at me. He looks like a starving man who wants to devour me.

“Cat got your tongue, baby girl?”

I can’t seem to stop staring at him. I’m in a trance as I shake my head, finally mumbling, “No. I just…” I shrug.

“You feel it, too.” He presses into me a little more, letting me feel every muscular curve of his body beneath his clothes. His hardness presses against me, turning me into a nonfunctional pile of goo about to melt at his feet.

As if he has an uncanny sixth sense, his knuckles brush over my skin so gently it’s like a gentle ocean breeze. I tremble beneath his touch. “Just so you know, I’d never hurt you, or make you do anything you didn’t want to do.” The low timbre of his voice goes straight to my center. His grin is seductive, a spider drawing me into his web. “I’d want you soaking wet, begging me.”

Oh fuck .

I try clamping my thighs together, but he’s standing between them.

My gaze drops to his full pink lips, my tongue darting out, sweeping over my bottom lip, before my eyes lock with his.

His dark orbs blaze from desire, warming me like a heater. My breath hitches as he drags his knuckles slowly over my cheek again.

“I’d give anything to kiss you. Touch you.” He swallows hard, his Adam’s Apple bobbing. His gaze lowers, dropping down to my heaving chest, and then back up to meet my eyes. “Taste you.” Leaning slightly closer, I stop breathing for a moment as my heart bangs inside my chest, wondering if he’s going to kiss me.

But he doesn’t.

He hovers there for a couple of beats, and I breathe again, drawing his scent so far into my nose and lungs that I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

“I’d turn you into a whimpering, quivering mess. You’d beg me to fuck you. And make no mistake, baby girl. I’d fuck you like you’ve never been fucked in your life. I’d make you come so hard you see stars. But I still wouldn’t be finished with you. I’d keep going until you are so wrapped up in pleasure and lust that you think you’ll die if you come one more time. And then…” He brings his face closer to mine, his lips almost touching mine.

I stop breathing again, anxiously awaiting him to finish what he was saying, my panties damp from arousal.

If his words get me this turned on, what the hell would it be like to be touched by him?

His hand moves to my hair, his fingers lightly massaging my scalp. I find myself turning into his hand, his touch feeling heavenly, causing goosebumps to cover every inch of my skin.

“Then I’d come deep inside you, filling you so full it would run out of you for hours.”

Fuck. Why the hell is that so damn hot?

Before I can stop it, a low groan escapes from my parted lips. My fingers come up, gripping his hoodie. I really want him to fucking kiss me.

Instead, I’m greeted by the cold, chilly October air as he steps back, taking all the warmth away.

His voice is raspy as he says, “But I can’t do any of those things. You have a boyfriend.”

What the hell? I’m stunned, my brain scrambling to figure out what the hell just happened.

His gaze moves to my front door. “Go home, baby girl.” His voice is husky and warm, wrapping around me like a heavy blanket.

I don’t want to go anywhere unless it’s with him.

As if he knows, he gives me a final, longing look before spinning around and heading to his truck. I stand there, the coldness that’s seeping into my bones having nothing to do with the cool night air blowing around me.

He hops inside his truck, looking like a fucking chiseled Greek God as he does. Shutting the door, he places a barrier between us.

His truck window is down, AC/DC’s “Let Me Put My Love Into You” floating into the air. He stares at me intently as the chorus plays. I bite my lip, the hunger on his face palpable. He winks at me. “Lose the boyfriend, and I will give you everything I said to you tonight.”

Holy fucking shit.

The salacious smile on his face makes me want to run over, rip his door open, and climb onto his lap. Though I’ve never been forward or demanding, I know that I’d beg him to kiss, touch, taste, and fuck me, just as he said.

“Now get your ass inside your apartment and get warm.”

My brain finally starts functioning again, and I push off the door, in an emotional whirlwind by what has happened tonight. It’s nothing… and yet it’s everything. Something shifted and changed the moment he touched me. I have no idea what the repercussions will be or what will happen next.

“One question before I go.”

He raises his brows, waiting for me to speak.

“What’s your name?” My voice is soft, but I know he hears me. Even though being this far away from him feels like there’s a mountain between us.

It’s a jarring thought that only gets worse when I realize I’m prolonging this moment because I don’t want him to leave. I don’t want to be without him.

God, Maddie. What the hell is wrong with you?

He cocks his head. “Why?”

My lips curl in a coy smile. “So I can call out your name when my hand is between my legs tonight.”

What the actual fuck did I just say?

Momentary surprise is on his face before he recovers, his lips curving into the most seductive, panty-soaking smile I’ve ever seen. “Jagger.”

I let his name roll around in my head, a smile on my face. “Jagger. I like it.” Taking another step backward, I say, “Goodnight, Jagger.”

“I’m glad. You’ll be screaming it when my cock is inside you.” With a wink, he flashes me a wide smile. “Goodnight, Maddie.”

Biting my lip, I turn and head toward the apartment, not worrying about my backpack with my wallet inside… Oh, wait.

Spinning on my heel, I hurry to my car, feeling his gaze bore into me as he watches everything I do. Grabbing my backpack from the passenger seat, I sling it over my shoulder, then lock the doors.

Throwing him one final smile and wave, I hurry toward my apartment door, an added swing to my hips for his benefit. Unlocking the door, I pause, meeting his hungry eyes one last time, before stepping inside, putting a barrier between us.