Page 24 of Mr. Irrelevant (Rock City Renegades #1)

NINETEEN

MADDOX

UNKNOWN NUMBER:

Hey lover boy. This is Livvy’s sister, Sydney. Are you busy?

ME:

Ummmm hi. No, I’m not busy. Is everything ok?

SYDNEY:

Depends on your definition of ok. I need a favor.

ME:

Alright.

SYDNEY:

I’m with Livvy at Club Tilt. She hit the vodka cranberries a little too hard, and now she’s sitting at the bar with her head in her hands.

I ran into my old situationship and he’s looking a lot like he wants to be cuffed to my headboard later.

Would you come get her so I can live my life child-free?

Our parents will kill me if I call them this late.

ME:

I’m on my way. Can you get her to the VIP entrance?

SYDNEY:

Yeah. I think so.

ME:

Be there in 30.

I shove my phone in my pocket, throwing on a thick hoodie just in case I need to go incognito before grabbing my keys and heading to my truck.

When Livvy said she had plans to go out for drinks with her sister tonight, I decided to skip team bonding.

Because I knew if we were both in the same public place, there’s no way I’d be able to keep my distance—especially after last time, when I almost kissed her on a dance floor full of people.

I can’t imagine it’d be any easier to stay away now that I know what she tastes like, so I wasn’t going to risk it.

Traffic in the city isn’t bad for a Friday night, and I make it to the club’s underground garage with about two minutes to spare before the girls come walking out.

Well, Sydney is walking. Liv is leaning her entire body weight on her sister, all four wobbly limbs loose and unsteady as she focuses on the ground under her feet.

I’m idling in front of the door—totally illegal, but whatever—so I hop out of the driver’s seat, heading over to help them.

At first, she doesn’t notice me, too busy with the task of keeping her balance to worry about anything else.

But as my footsteps approach, bringing her attention forward, a silly smile stretches across her beautiful face.

She’s flushed and sweaty, probably from the heat of the bodies pressed together inside, but she’s glowing as she looks at me like I hung the moon just for her.

“Maaaad Dog,” she says with an adorable tilt of her head, her voice slurring just the slightest bit.

“Hi.” She drops her arm from Sydney’s shoulder, stumbling forward just a couple of steps.

“Don’t push me! ” she says loudly, whipping her head back toward her sister and almost falling on her ass as she does.

“I didn’t touch you,” she deadpans in response, rolling her eyes. She clearly has her hands full tonight, and I’m sure she’ll be glad to get back inside once Liv is safe and sound with me.

Livvy tries again, shoving her hair out of her face and taking another staggered step before realizing she isn’t steady enough to walk without assistance.

I expect her to turn back to her sister for support, but she doesn’t.

Instead, she stays put, extending her arms out toward me until I close the final few feet that separate us.

As soon as I’m within her reach, she falls forward without abandon, her face pressing into my chest as though it’s the most natural thing ever.

Her small arms wrap around my waist, and she inhales my scent for a moment before looking up at me.

“Hey there, Dimes,” I reply, peering around to make sure it’s just the three of us before sinking a hand into her hair and ghosting my thumb over her heated cheek.

“You look pretty tonight.” She smiles softly, melting into me and making my heart pound wildly inside my rib cage.

I know she’s drunk, but the way she’s pressed to my body, with all the familiarity and trust in the world, has me feeling like this is so much more than it is.

I need to reel this shit in—and quick—because I like what Liv and I have.

There’s no pressure to reprioritize the things in our lives, and we both respect that our careers have to come first right now.

Not to mention, it can’t be more. Anything beyond a friendship with occasional fucking will never be in the cards for us as long as I’m in the league, so we may as well enjoy the time we have together at face value.

“Thanks for coming,” Sydney says, drawing my attention.

I nod tightly, even though I want to thank her for calling me instead of putting her sister in an Uber and hoping she found her way home.

But those words sound entirely too boyfriend-ish, so I keep them to myself.

“You may want to take her back to your place to sleep it off. Her building has top-notch security with cameras everywhere—not to mention the chance of lurking paparazzi with all the other high-profile tenants that live there.” That’s a good point.

It’s one thing to be here in this dark, empty parking garage together, where I can clearly see the corridor that people would walk down before pushing through the glass doors.

But chancing it at a well-lit luxury apartment building? Terrible idea.

“Yeah,” I reply, focusing back on Liv. She tilts her head up again, her baby blues sparkling radiantly before fluttering closed for a second. It’s adorable. She’s adorable. “What do you say, sweet girl? Wanna have a sleepover?”

“Mhmm,” she hums, swaying for a moment before losing her balance, her ankle bending unnaturally in her stiletto.

I tighten my grip on her waist, hoisting her into my arms bridal style so she doesn’t end up hurting herself.

She gives me a sheepish look before burying her head into my neck, and I can’t help but chuckle under my breath at how funny she is when she’s drunk.

I may be singing a different tune when I’m up all night making sure she doesn’t choke on her own puke, but for now, I’m thoroughly enjoying this silly, cuddly girl.

We say our goodbyes, and Sydney leaves us, disappearing back into the club.

I carry Liv to the passenger seat of my truck, carefully setting her inside and reaching to fasten her seatbelt.

As soon as I lean over her body, a set of warm, wet lips presses to my neck.

My cock thickens inside my sweatpants at the contact, a low groan climbing up my chest as her tongue begins to trace the sensitive skin.

I start to get lost in the sensation, but thankfully, I have just enough sense to pull back before we get carried away.

“Bad girl,” I scold with a grin. She bites her lip innocently, but the look in her eyes screams that her thoughts in this moment are anything but.

“You can’t be turning me on in public like that.

You’re going to get us in trouble. I’m a weak man—far too weak not to bend you over my tailgate and turn that ass red if you aren’t careful. ”

“Ooh,” she replies playfully, doing a little shimmy with her shoulders.

“Punish me, Daddy.” A choked cough bursts from my throat, desire flowing like molten hot lava through my veins.

I’ve never been called that before, but the way it sounds falling from her plump lips in a mixture of sweetness and sin— fuck.

I want her to say it again. Preferably while I sink into her from behind with a fistful of hair.

“You’re gonna pay for that, baby,” I murmur, enjoying the shuddered breath that slowly leaks from her lungs. “But not here. And not when you’ve been drinking.”

“Boooooo,” she jeers with a pout, giving me a cute little thumbs down as I close her inside.

I quickly round the hood, hopping into the driver’s seat and buckling up before heading out of the garage.

She messes with the radio for a bit as I navigate the city streets, finally settling on an upbeat pop song and relaxing against the soft leather.

“Did you have fun?” I ask, reaching over and pulling her small hand onto the console between us.

She immediately interlocks our fingers, making warm satisfaction spread throughout my chest. Livvy may not belong to me in the public eye, but here in these quiet moments alone, we both know she’s mine.

The rush of possessiveness I get every time I touch her tells me all that and more, and I love every fucking bit of it.

“Yeah, I did,” she replies, her words a slow drawl that tells me she’s still feeling the effects of her vodka cranberries.

She rolls her head against the headrest so she’s facing me, continuing.

“I didn’t want to go, but Syd called me boring after I showed Bailey my list the other day because…

” she trails off for a second, her head tilting to one side as she blinks in slow motion, “because I never drink anymore.”

“What list?” I ask, my brows furrowing in question as I throw a brief glance her way.

Her free hand shoots up over her mouth, her eyes going wide with surprise, because apparently, that was supposed to be a secret.

I laugh under my breath, focusing on the headlights that dance across the oncoming lanes as curiosity claws at my insides.

She releases a heavy sigh, swiping her hand through the air dismissively.

“It’s just this thing I made. It’s like…

a bunch of stuff Deacon never did. He totally sucked.

Then we made it into a checklist of things to do with my next boyfriend.

It’s…whatever.” She sighs loudly, lifting her shoulders in a lazy shrug.

A sly smirk pulls at the corner of my mouth.

Ever since the night we recorded ourselves on her phone, I’ve been obsessed with figuring out what she missed out on while she was with him.

If my purpose in this arrangement is to make sure she’s satisfied, a road map would certainly be helpful.

And by the sound of it, that’s exactly what this list is.

“Show me,” I say. I keep my posture relaxed, my arm slung over the steering wheel casually, but on the inside, I’m like a kid in a candy store—desperate and giddy at the thought of cracking the code to Olivia Grant’s desires.

After hooking up as many times as we have, I feel like I’ve got her orgasms down to a science.

But if there are things she wants to try, I’m all over it.

I can’t think of anything she could suggest that I’d say no to—except maybe a finger in my butt.

Okay, maybe we’ll file that one under Negotiable .

“No!” she squeals, her body dramatically recoiling toward the door as though I’m actively trying to pry said list from her grip, not that I’d even know where to find it.

But when she brings her phone to her chest, fingers wrapped around it so tightly that her knuckles begin to turn white, I know exactly where she’s keeping her sexy little secret.

“C’mon, baby,” I tease. “Just flash me. Really quick. I have to keep my eyes on the road, so I probably won’t even be able to see it.

” Am I an asshole for trying to get her to show me something so private while she’s under the influence of alcohol?

Yeah, probably. But I’m practically feral with the need to know, and as her exclusive partner, it’s my job to make sure she’s getting everything she wants in the bedroom.

She dips her chin, narrowing her gaze skeptically.

I wait with bated breath, pretending I don’t want to pull over and hold her down while I look through her shit—not that I would, but intrusive thoughts and all that—until finally, she relents.

“Fine. Two seconds. That’s all you get. And we’re waiting until the truck is parked, because I’m not trying to die tonight. ”

I internally fist pump, unable to hold back the shit-eating grin that spreads like wildfire across my features.

Two seconds is better than nothing. I just need to read fast. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Dimes.

” She rolls her eyes playfully, tightening her hand around mine and releasing a satisfied sigh as she rests her head against the window.

The remaining ten minutes of our ride crawl by at a snail’s pace—or maybe that’s just for me since I know what’ll be happening when we get home.

Turning into my driveway, I continue down the lush, treelined path, shrouding us in privacy with only the moon to light our way.

I shift the truck into park, killing the ignition and angling my body toward Livvy.

She’s out cold, her breath coming out in shallow pants that fog up the glass with each soft exhale.

The excitement I felt moments ago about her list fades away, only to be replaced by the type of fulfilment that comes with knowing that out of all the guys she could be with after a carefree night of letting go, she chose me.

She felt safe enough to fall asleep in my passenger seat without a single worry that she wouldn’t be cared for.

That’s worth way more than whatever she was going to show me.

As carefully as I can, I get out, walking over to her side and opening the door. I reach in, undoing her seatbelt and lifting her gently into my arms, trying my best not to wake her. She burrows her face into my neck, her sweet scent overtaking all of my senses as I make my way inside the house.

I head straight up the stairs, holding Livvy close as I enter the bedroom, maneuvering the comforter down with one hand before lowering her to the mattress.

I know she sleeps most comfortably when she’s naked—she does it even when she’s alone—so I gingerly remove her shoes, dress, and underwear, dropping them onto the floor beside the bed.

I’ll deal with them tomorrow. All I want right now is to strip down and feel her soft skin against mine.

So, I do just that, piling my hoodie, sweats, and boxers on top of her clothes, then heading toward the en suite bathroom for some ibuprofen and a glass of water.

I don’t know if she suffers from bad hangovers, but if she does, I want to make sure everything she needs is right beside her.

As I slide into bed, pulling her sleeping body into mine, I can’t help the way my heart squeezes at how happy I am, and how complete I feel with this crazy girl in my life.

Football will always be my reason for waking up each morning, excited to face the day.

But knowing that Olivia Grant is the first thing I’ll see when I open my eyes—well, that definitely doesn’t hurt.