Page 32 of Sugar (Gilded #1)

Fuck It

EASTON

L eaving Hank Wilkin’s engagement party after the first course had been a stupid as hell business decision.

The ex-goalie turned sports broadcaster had his iron in a lot of different fires that would be profitable for both of us.

If he’d taken my abrupt exit as a slight, that would change.

Beyond that, the place had been loaded with potential VIP clients I should’ve spent the night socializing with.

Instead, I’d left a party that was set to have an exclusive spread in a magazine to go to the shittiest bar I’d ever stepped foot in.

I didn’t regret a thing.

For one, I’d left my date behind to make connections in my place.

I was good at what I did. I didn’t lay it on heavy with promises I couldn’t keep. I presented myself with the confidence I knew I could back up, and people responded well to it.

But June was better. She was a people person who could charm and network without coming across as disingenuous.

Mostly, though, I didn’t regret it because I got to spend the night with a drunken Maddie. Watching her laugh with her friends. Feeling her frequent touches.

As we stood out on the sidewalk and waited for her friends, she kept her front pressed to my side. Her cheek rubbed against my chest as she tilted her head back to look at me. “I’m just going to ride home with them.”

“No,” I said.

That should’ve been answer enough, but she was too tipsy to catch my tone or remember the rules. Her brows lowered. “But we live in the same building. It seems silly for you to also drive all the way?—”

“What did I say, Madeline?”

She pressed her lips together.

“Smart girl.”

Greer and Wren chose that moment to join us. They eyed the waiting town car, but it was Greer who frowned. “Are you sure this is okay?” She gestured to where Vic waited. “He looks irritated at being dragged out at this hour.”

“That’s just his face,” Maddie explained, and she wasn’t wrong.

“It’s fine,” I said, happy to pay his late-night rate rather than send them home in the rideshare they’d planned to order. Especially since it would just be the two of them. Wren’s boyfriend had tapped out after nearly falling asleep at the table.

And I had plans for Maddie.

“He’s also got strict orders to take you both to the drive-thru of your choice,” I added. “Or drive-thrus. Go wild.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. With one last extended goodbye, they took off. I kept my hold tight on a suddenly silent Maddie as we headed to my car.

Once we were inside, she again let her curiosity loose. “Why don’t you want me to ride home with them?”

“Because you’re not going to your apartment. You’re coming home with me.”

Her response was barely above a whisper. “Why?”

That was a good question. Bringing her into my personal space was yet another in the long list of ways I was torturing myself with what I couldn’t have.

I was doing it anyway.

I gave her a half-truth. “Because I want to make sure you aren’t going to break a leg drunkenly stumbling to the bathroom every hour.”

“I’m not drunk.”

I tore my eyes from the road to raise a brow at her.

“Okay, I’m still pretty tipsy, but I’m not drunk. I switched to water a while ago.”

That was also true. She would’ve likely been safe at her apartment.

I still wasn’t changing my mind.

She looked ready to argue some more, but a quick glance at me was enough to cut that off. “Okay, I’ll do it if it’ll make you feel better.”

“Thank you,” I said dryly.

“But I have a stipulation,” she rushed to tack on.

“Yes?”

“I get two of my coffees tomorrow.”

“Deal.”

“Yes,” she whispered with a little fist pump.

Fuck, she’s cute.

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask for the name of the coffee shop,” I said.

She inhaled so sharply, I thought she would choke. She smothered it quickly as she drummed her fingers. After a few beats of strained casualness, I could feel her eyes on me. “After careful consideration, I would like to revise my terms.”

“Too late.”

“Dammit.”

She spent the rest of the drive giving me her rundown of Wren’s new boyfriend and Greer’s ex. I didn’t give a shit about either beyond the fact it was important to Maddie. Which meant it was important to me.

The creative—and slightly alarming—vengeance ideas she came up with for Josh tapered off as we approached the main entrance of my neighborhood. I flicked a wave at the guard as the gate moved out of the way and continued to my house.

“Whoa,” Maddie said when she climbed out of my SUV. Her awe seemed to diminish when we stepped into the entryway, and she scanned around us.

“What’re you thinking, guppy?” I pushed, caring about the answer more than I would’ve if she were anyone else.

“That I’m sorry for not realizing you were allergic to color.” She winced. “Oof, sorry that was rude. Ignore me.”

I wasn’t insulted because she wasn’t wrong. Every wall in the place was white or beige. The filler decor—pictures, decorative pots, and assorted other bullshit—carried the same color scheme with some additional black.

It was boring as fuck.

It also wasn’t my doing.

“I can pass you the decorator’s info.” I gripped her hips and turned her to face me. “Fair warning, though, she’ll charge a fortune for a bunch of ugly shit you’ll be stuck with.”

“That’s tempting.” She tipped her head to give me an exaggeratedly haughty sneer. “But I think this might be a little too much for my tastes. It’s practically a technicolor circus in here. I mean, off-white with eggshell? How indulgent.”

“I should’ve asked her to tone it down.”

“Next time.” She patted my chest before leaving her hand to rest there. “Seriously, though, why don’t you change it if you don’t like it?”

“I only sleep here.” My gaze went behind her.

And jack off on that couch while I think about you.

I pushed the thought down since my control was already hanging by a frayed thread. “Let’s get you to bed.”

For once, she didn’t argue as I guided her upstairs and around the corner to my bedroom.

She meandered along the perimeter of the only room in the house that showed any life.

Picking up a pair of glasses from my nightstand, she turned them in her hold before carefully setting them back down next to a book.

“I didn’t know you wore glasses. I’ve never seen you in them. ”

Because they make me feel like an old fucker.

“I don’t need them all the time,” I said instead.

She murmured something I missed as she continued her subtle exploration. While she did, I grabbed one of my tees and tossed it on the bed for her before going to the en suite bathroom to find a spare toothbrush. I left it on the counter and came out to find her standing near the door.

Fuck, she’s pretty.

Like she could hear my thoughts, she gave me that smile. The genuine one that wasn’t driven by my money or power or faked for our arrangement. The one that hit me in the dick, gut, and chest.

My voice came out harsher than I intended. “Wait here.”

I backtracked through the house to the kitchen. Grabbing a water and some pain meds, I returned to find she’d listened and hadn’t moved a step.

Not trusting myself, I stayed in the hallway as I handed her both.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

After she took the pills, I gestured down the hall. “I’ll be in that room if you need me. The door will be cracked.”

“I don’t want to kick you out of your own bedroom.”

“It’s fine.”

“But—”

“Madeline.”

“But it’s fine,” she rushed out, though she didn’t look like it was fine. She looked adorably fucking disgruntled.

And I needed to get the hell away.

“Good night,” I forced out before starting down the hall.

“Wait.”

At the urgency in her voice, I turned back.

She disappeared out of view and returned without the glass in her hand. Even then, she hesitated in the doorway for a beat before moving. Her steps were slow. Cautious. She approached with the same apprehension as someone nearing a wild animal.

Good instincts as always, pretty little guppy.

She stopped in front of me. “I know you had a billion more important things to do than hang out with my friends at a crappy bar. And I really hope it doesn’t bite you in the ass that you ditched the party.”

“Madeline—”

My reassurance was cut off by her fingers pressing to my lips.

Fingers that tasted like sweet cherries and oranges and an even sweeter Maddie.

“But I don’t feel bad or regret anything because that was the best night I’ve had in a while.

Probably ever. And it was because you were there with me. So, thank you.”

Fuck.

Fucking hell fuck.

But Maddie wasn’t done.

Lifting onto her toes, she slid her hand from my mouth to wrap around my neck. She used that hold to tug me down so her lips could press against my cheek.

I turned my head at the last second, dragging her mouth to brush against mine.

She snatched her touch away like she’d been burned, and her blue eyes widened. I held the eye contact for a long, tense moment.

“Fuck it.”