Page 36 of Mr. Irrelevant (Rock City Renegades #1)

TWENTY-SEVEN

LIVVY

“Are you okay?” Maddox asks, pressing soft kisses to my neck and shoulder.

I’m still buzzing from the orgasms, and all the discomfort from being taken so roughly has morphed into a delicious reminder of the most mind-blowing sexual experience of my entire life.

I’m dripping with both of our releases, but I don’t hate knowing how full of him my body is right now.

“Mhmm,” I mumble contentedly, enjoying the gentle slide of his plump lips across my sensitive skin.

I know we need to talk about what happened with Deacon, but I can’t stop myself from taking just a few more minutes for us, letting him hold me close.

I’m hoping the conversation doesn’t take him back to where he was when he got home, but if we don’t address it, I can’t ease his mind.

It obviously rattled him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so desperate to claim me the way he just did.

I’m certainly not complaining—I’ll tell him who I belong to a million times a day if he wants to hear it—I just never want him to doubt that it’s true .

I turn my head, finding his eyes with mine. They’re filled with emotion, and I hate that he’s holding it in, so I tear off the Band-Aid for both of us. “What did he say to you?”

His brows furrow tightly, as if he’s recalling a haunting memory, so I ghost my hands up and down his sides to let him know I’m right here. He gathers himself, taking a slow, deep breath and letting it out on a steady exhale before he finally speaks.

“He said he was with you last night. That you two—” The words are strained as he cuts himself off, like he’s afraid I’ll confirm Deacon’s story if he says the whole thing out loud. I certainly won’t lie to him about what went down. I just hope he trusts that I’m telling him the truth.

“He stopped by my apartment, uninvited,” I say.

“He managed to get by security because the guard knew who he was, but I never let him inside. Fully aware of how persistent he is, I agreed to hear him out, but when he said he wanted to get back together, I told him to leave. Your call came through before I could close the door, and he saw it.” I find his gaze with mine, raising my hand to his cheek and cupping it gently.

“I swear, nothing else happened. I wouldn’t do that to you. ”

His eyes flutter closed, and relief washes over his expression.

“I know,” he replies. “I lost my head for a second, but when I had time to really think about it, I realized that I had given him exactly what he wanted. Somehow, he knew I’d get fired up over the thought of him fucking you—and I did.

” He shakes his head, a defeated sigh pushing past his lips as he swallows roughly.

“I just need you to be mine, Liv. Really mine. Please. I don’t care what it takes.

If you want to keep it a secret until we both retire, we will.

But I can’t just be your friend anymore. It’s fucking killing me inside.”

My heart cracks in my chest as I take him in, pleading— begging —for a chance.

I can’t even be mad at him for going against our initial agreement because I want it just as badly as he does.

But there’s still a tiny voice in the back of my head telling me that we’d be opening the door for a lot of pushback from both the Renegades organization and the public if we were to openly date one another.

At this point, though, I’m more scared of the alternative.

The thought of saying goodbye to Maddox, knowing that I’ll still see him all the time, seems a hell of a lot worse than anything else that could happen.

Ten years from now, when I look back on this monumental moment, I don’t want to have any regrets.

And I know I will if I don’t follow my heart.

“Okay,” I whisper.

His eyes go wide, head jerking back as if he’s been caught completely off guard by my answer.

“Okay?” I can’t help but giggle at his shocked response, nodding in affirmation as his jaw drops.

Apparently, he was expecting me to fight him on this, but I’m sick of doing that.

For once, I want to do something for me—because it feels right—without considering how it’ll look from the outside.

“I want to be with you, Maddox,” I tell him.

“I’ve been driving myself crazy over it for weeks, trying to figure out how we could make it work.

I still don’t have an answer, and I think we should keep things quiet until the season is over, but you make me happy and I’m tired of acting like this thing didn’t go beyond just friends a long damn time ago. ”

Before I can even form another thought, his lips are pressed against mine roughly.

He swallows the surprised squeak that bursts from my chest, tasting and exploring every corner of my mouth with his tongue.

His hands roam my bare skin as if he’s touching me for the first time, goosebumps following the path of his fingertips as satisfaction flows through me like a warm wave.

I wish we could stay in this moment forever—just him and me—unbothered by the possibility of outside forces trying to keep us apart.

We’ll have to face all of that later. But for now, I’m happy right here, getting lost in the man who’s shown me that it’s okay to take something for myself every once in a while.

He breaks the connection, dropping his forehead to mine as a soft smile blooms across his face.

Like he didn’t get enough, he presses his lips to my own once more before gently sweeping a rogue lock of hair behind my ear.

The caring gesture makes my heart do flips, and I sigh contentedly, so full of happiness that I feel like I could burst at any moment.

“Thank you, baby,” he whispers. “I promise you won’t regret it. I’m going to give you everything.”

I shake my head. “I don’t need everything.

Just this. Us .” That’s the thing about spending time with Maddox.

We could be on the practice field at midnight, me forcing him to do footwork drills until he drops, or right here in his bed, talking about nothing, and there’s still nowhere else I’d rather be.

He rolls onto his back, pulling me under his arm and holding me close.

Feeling our skin pressed together, the heat of his body seeping into my soul and making me warm all over, has me wishing we could stay wrapped up in one another forever.

I breathe in his scent—a mixture of sandalwood and him —allowing myself to get lost in the moment for just a little while longer.

His heart beats steadily against my ear, a comforting reminder that he’s real, and that no matter what happens going forward, he’s mine.

Even though we’ll both have to face the consequences of the day, starting with but definitely not limited to Maddox’s punishment for the fight, we’ll have each other to lean on through it all.

We may not be out in the open with it, but the support is there—unwavering—whatever the circumstances.

“I’m guessing you spoke with Coach Hendricks after the game.

Did my dad and Tony call you in, too?” I don’t want to ruin the moment by talking about it, but being that tomorrow is Monday, I’m sure we’re in for a long day of meetings and phone calls to discuss how Maddox will be reprimanded for his actions, so I’d rather know what I’m walking into.

The league will likely fine him and hand out some type of suspension, then it’ll be up to the Renegades’ staff to tack on anything else they see fit.

I certainly have no pull with the commissioner of the NFL, but there’s no way I won’t be trying to sway my dad to go easy on him.

If it weren’t for Deacon disrespecting me, the whole thing would’ve never even happened.

Was Maddox wrong? Yes. But I doubt anyone would blame him if they knew my ex like I do.

I don’t even need to ask for the rest of the story—I know exactly what was said, and why the confrontation ended the way it did.

He sighs heavily. “No. I met with Coach, who literally ripped me a new asshole for losing us the game, but I have to be at the facility tomorrow morning to discuss my actual punishment. It’s going to suck looking them in the eye and saying I’m sorry when I don’t have a single regret about what I did.

I’d do it all over again if it meant shutting that piece of shit up. ”

I lift my head, pinning him with an unamused stare.

“Well, you have a rematch in three weeks. So, let’s agree that you won’t do it again.

” He rolls his eyes dismissively in response.

“I’m not kidding,” I hiss. “I don’t care what he says to you.

If you put your hands on him…” I pause, thinking of something that will get his attention. “No sex for a month.”

Jaw dropping in outrage, he sits up straight, staring down at me.

“A whole month ?” His voice is about seventeen octaves above its normal range, and I have to really try to keep my serious expression from breaking, because he looks like he’s about to have a full-blown tantrum.

“I thought having a girlfriend meant all the pussy I could handle, whenever I wanted. We’ve been official for five minutes, and you’re already using it as a bargaining chip? ”

Raising my chin, I give him a tight nod. “Yep. Try me, Mad Dog. It’s going to be pretty hard to focus on doing your job with the worst case of blue balls you’ve ever had.”

His face scrunches in mock disgust as he grabs my wrist and yanks me back into his chest. A playful growl rumbles against my cheek, and I finally break, giggling quietly as he presses a chaste kiss to the top of my head.

We both know I’d never be able to go a month without feeling him inside me, but thankfully, he doesn’t call me out on that.

I’m sure the seriousness of the situation isn’t lost on him, and I trust him to be more aware of my ex’s intentions.

Hopefully, Maddox knowing that I’m his—even if the public doesn’t—will be enough for him to keep his eyes forward in Cincinnati.

I have a feeling this won’t be the last run-in we have with Deacon, especially now that he has a bunch of puzzle pieces to put together.

Fingers crossed that he doesn’t figure out the whole picture before we’re ready to tell the world.