Page 27
Maddie sits on my lap and wraps her arms around my neck right in front of her dad, her brother, a few of her brother’s teammates, Crew, and Matt.
I remind myself to breathe as she rests her head on my shoulder. When my eyes lock with Ryan’s and then her dad’s, I gulp.
“Are you okay?” I whisper to Maddie.
She nods. “Yeah. Just tired.”
I adjust myself so that she can sit comfortably on my lap.
I whisper to her, “Do you want to go? It’s a long drive. You can sleep on the way down.”
Sydney walks up to Crew and says, “Are you ready to start the drive?”
Ryan widens his arms. “Everyone is welcome to sleep here.”
The crowd of guys appreciate the offer from Ryan, but really, I feel the guy staring at me, and I’m wondering if he’s trying to tell me to stay the night here.
Maddie keeps her hands around my neck as she turns to Ryan, “Thanks, Ry, but we’re gonna get going. I have homework and chores to do in the morning.” When she turns to me, her face is right in mine. “Ready?”
The butterflies in my stomach begin as I look into her eyes. I’m still not used to the brown hair either. She’s drop-dead gorgeous. Jesus Christ. I nod, staring into her tired blue eyes. “Let’s get you home.”
She doesn’t move off my lap, so I stand with her in my arms. She chuckles into my neck as everyone watches. Everyone’s like a deer in the headlights. Yeah, I got the girl. Even Matt can’t pull his eyes away from us. She drops her feet on the ground and then we tell everyone good night.
Her dad and Ryan walk us out to my truck.
“Drive careful,” her dad says to me.
I nod as I open the door for her. She smiles at her dad and Ryan after she gets in the passenger seat.
Ryan says to Maddie, “Text me when you get home so that I know you made it.”
I hop into the driver’s seat and start the truck.
Ryan and her dad glare at me.
“I appreciate you taking care of my girl,” her dad says to me.
I look over at Maddie and nod at her dad.
Ryan says, “We know what you’re doing. Just don’t fuck it up.”
I nod. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
Ryan says, “If Maddie trusts you, then we do too.”
“Thank you.”
Ryan taps the truck. “Good night.”
I reverse down the driveway. Maddie is smiling and waving at them. When the truck is turned around and driving forward, Maddie starts laughing.
“I’m so sorry,” she laughs. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
I shrug. “You guys are close. I don’t mind.”
“You don’t? I thought you’d be uncomfortable.”
“Oh, I was uncomfortable,” I confess.
She giggles, and I appreciate that.
I run a hand through my hair and say, “Pretty uncomfortable.” I reach for her. “But we’re not faking it anymore, are we?”
She blushes under the dim light and grabs my fingers.
I observe her face as I drive slowly out of the driveway, excited to start this three-hour drive with her. “We’re friends with benefits now?”
She throws her head back and laughs. God, I want to grab her and kiss her.
I squeeze her and say, “To finish the conversation from earlier, I don’t want to be friends with benefits, okay? I’m done being that guy.”
She slowly simmers down until only the radio is playing. “You swear I’m not just some fun fling you get to flaunt in Matt’s face?”
I grip her tighter, letting her know I’m serious. “I promise, Maddie. You’re not just… that… at all to me, okay? Me and Matt had our issues for a while, but it’s far in the past. Our parents have been divorced for a few years, and all that links us is this hockey team. But that’s it.”
“And then here I come along hoping to get revenge.”
I glance at her. “Are you happy with your revenge? Did you fulfill it?”
She gently pushes me. “Yeah, if you would’ve kissed me more. Gosh, you were the worst fake boyfriend.”
My eyes flutter as I look at her. I’m nervous as hell, but I have to say it. I mutter, “And I’ll be the best real boyfriend, I promise.”
She smirks, pressing her lips together. My stomach is flipping and twisting as I watch her. Fuck driving, I just want to stare at her. But I have to pull my eyes away before I crash this truck. I steal another glance at her. She’s looking at me like she never has before, so I adjust myself in my driver’s seat. “Maddie, if you keep looking at me like that…”
“What?”
I shake my head.
She flirts, “What are you going to do with me?”
I suck in a breath, feeling my body react to those words. “Watch what you say, bunny, or we won’t make it home.” I remove my sweaty palm from hers now and wipe my face.
“Then pull over.”
I look over at her, shocked. “What?”
She nods, pink pinching her cheeks. She whispers, “Pull over.”
“Aren’t you tired?” I ask.
“Didn’t you drive three hours just to see me?”
I gulp and nod, checking my mirrors to pull over. “Okay.” On a shoulder, I pull my truck off the road. I throw the truck into park as my heart pounds in my chest. A nervous chill has taken over my entire body, and I’m shivering as her fingers graze the top of my skin. I glance at her hand and my eyes travel up her arm until I’m met with her beautiful eyes. She’s already leaning into me. Her lips touch mine, and I have to close my eyes to be in this moment. A beautiful girl like Madison Wilder thinks I’m worthy. She’s kissing me . It’s the second time this has happened, and this time there’s no audience. She only pecks my lips before smiling. I open my eyes, grabbing her neck with my hand. She inhales, dropping her smile. Her eyes look at my lips, so I lean in now and tease her with my tongue. She pushes me with hers as she crawls onto my lap. I’m feeling fucking faint as her hair acts like a curtain. In the entire world, only her and I exist right now. Her eyes are glistening as I force my seat to lean back. She laughs on top of me as I eat a mouth full of her hair. She adjusts herself, and I feel the warmth of her ass on my lap. I have to think about hockey right now, or she’s going to feel my hard dick under her because this is fucking hot. She’s going to drive me fucking crazy. Her eyes are back on my lips as she leans in.
Yup, hockey.
We start making out as I grab her head full of brown hair.
Think about hockey.
Now my hand is back on her neck, and I feel the muscles she’s using to kiss me tense and release. I feel the force she’s using, the coolness of her tongue on mine, and fuck thinking about hockey.
I told myself this was never going to happen with her. I expected her revenge plan to win Matt back was working, but now that I have one hand on her neck and another rubbing her lower back, I know this isn’t a dream anymore. My dick is hard under her, and I’m not stopping it because this is me. This is how she makes me feel. It doesn’t mean I want to have sex, but holy shit, she turns me on. This is the hottest kiss of my entire life. And the most meaningful one.
She sucks on my lips, pulling back with a smirk. The pinch of pain as she sucks them between her teeth makes my dick even harder.
“Thanks for pulling over,” she whispers, chewing on her bottom lip.
I grab her chin to pull her face up. I run my thumb over her mouth. “I want to know what you’re thinking.”
Her eyes flick to mine as she continues to bite her bottom lip. Time stops as I wait for her answer. She’s nervous, anxious on top of me. I love staring at her.
I say, “I thought I lost you.”
She looks down at her hands, releasing her bottom lip. “I can’t tell you how endlessly I think about you, Grey, but I’m scared.”
“I will do anything and everything to make sure you don’t feel scared when it comes to me,” I reassure her.
She exhales. “No, it’s not that.” She’s playing with the logo on my shirt. Her fingers are tickling me, but I let her continue. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and that scares me.”
I smile because fuck, I am so happy to hear that. I cup her cheek as she looks at me. She’s hiding her smile.
“Maddie,” I whisper, staring deep into the depths of her eyes.
“Grey,” she smiles. “All I wanted was to be your puck bunny and look at me now.”
I chuckle, grabbing her waist so she doesn’t fall.
She says, “All I care about now is pucking Grey.”
I try to control myself, but my dick definitely flinches under her. I think my heart might have skipped a beat too, maybe I’ve even forgotten how to breathe because fucking hell, has this beautiful woman fallen for me? Because easily, I already have.
Her hands trace my face as cars continue to pass us.
“Grey, will you take me home?”
“Home?”
She nods. “Your bed.”
I try not to appear excited as I nod. “Yeah, home.”
When she tries to climb off my lap, I grab her one last time. I would do anything to relive these last few minutes over and over until the day I die.
“I love kissing you,” I say to her.
She dives in, shoving her tongue into my mouth, so I force mine into hers. We’re so fucking hungry for each other, it’s like play tug-o-war.
She finally pulls away. “Okay, drive.”
I nod, releasing her.
When her seatbelt is on and my seat is adjusted upright, I start the drive. I ask for her hand once we reach the highway and then we let music fill the thick tension between us.