Page 45 of Sugar (Gilded #1)

Approach the Bench

MADDIE

I t’s a good thing I told my parents about Easton when I did…

Sitting at brunch on Sunday, Greer flipped through photos from Old Flame’s premiere a couple nights prior. “I can’t believe you went from never posting pictures of yourself online to having your beautiful face plastered all over the internet.”

“It’s not all over,” I pointed out. “Usually, it’s just my elbow that’s visible.” I patted said elbow. “Hear that, baby? You’re a star.”

Greer rolled her eyes.

“Wren would’ve found that funny.” I sighed forlornly at her empty spot. “I still can’t believe she ditched us.”

“Chris had some big surprise planned.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“I know. She was excited about it.”

Any trace of my dramatized grudge was gone in an instant. I was too happy about her happiness. “Did she have any idea what it was?”

“Nope.” Her eyes went huge. “Oh. My. God.”

I went alert at her tone. “What? What is it?”

Since Greer was the most even-tempered in our group, I assumed whatever it was had to be bad. Horrific even. But when she looked up from her phone, it wasn’t with terror in her eyes.

It was joy.

“Look at this picture.” She shoved her cell at me, practically smacking me in the face with it.

Almost all of the photos I’d seen were focused on Tripp or angled to capture him and the other celebs farther down the row. As a certified nobody, I had blessedly been cropped out of most of the pictures.

Except a few, like the one Greer was ecstatically showing me.

Tripp was centered in the image, but it was zoomed out enough to see me sitting next to him. I might have been talking to the charming actor, but my body was leaned toward Easton. With his hand possessively on my leg, there was no doubt who my date was for the evening.

Especially when I moved my focus up to his face and lost my breath.

If he hadn’t told me he loved me that night, this picture would’ve done it for him.

A hint of a smile pulled at his mouth as he stared down at me. There was so much intensity in his dark gaze, it made me want to climb through the picture to kiss him.

I checked the time in the upper corner of the screen to see it was barely noon. Easton had two client meetings scheduled for the afternoon before he was taking me to dinner.

Five hours left.

Greer took her phone back and copied the link before texting it to me.

Being extra thorough, she also tapped the screen to save the picture.

“What? You know how you journalist types swap out the pictures when a new click-baitier one comes along.” She gave a wistful sigh.

“Having a camera in my face twenty-four seven sounds like hell. I would hate to have my entire existence documented and analyzed like that. But I can’t deny it would come in handy for capturing moments like this. ”

“Really?” I asked drily.

Her brows furrowed. “Why do you say it like that?”

“You wouldn’t like your business documented, but you’re cool to do it to your friends?”

She grimaced. “I didn’t take down that picture from the bar fast enough, did I?”

“You did not.”

“Damn. When you didn’t say anything, I assumed I deleted it before you saw it.”

“Oh, you did. But not before my mother saw it.” I recapped the conversation, including giving her a belated heads-up about the OGs having finstas.

“Oh noooo ,” she cried, scowling down at the offending object. “I’ll do a thorough vetting of my followers tonight.”

“A little late, Greer Moore. A little late.” I gave her a sad shake of my head before exploiting my fictitious disappointment to grill her. “But you can make it up to me by sharing the latest about Josh.”

She transferred her scowl to me and held it as the server dropped off our food and another round of mimosas. When he walked away, she finally let it go. “Why would you bring him up when we were having such a good time being invasive of your personal life?”

“Does that mean you haven’t let him snake his way back into your heart like a wily ferret?”

“Wait. Is he a snake or a ferret?”

“That depends. Are you back together with him?” At her head shake, I popped a bite of French toast into my mouth before declaring, “Then he’s a scraggly rat who chews through important wires and rummages around in trash cans to make a mess.”

“I feel like you’re insinuating that my vagina is a trash can.”

“Not if you don’t let him rummage around in it anymore.”

She slumped back in her seat. “I haven’t seen him since that night at the bar.

I blocked him, but like our mothers, he’s not opposed to creating an endless number of new profiles.

The fact he refuses to quit working for my dad doesn’t help.

And my dad won’t fire him. My mom and I tried.

Something about a potential lawsuit.” She rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. I don’t get why Josh is bothering.

He puts all this effort in, and then as soon as he has me, he loses interest again.

He spends any time we’re together on his phone or cuts out of dates early.

I don’t want to be chased. I just want someone who wants to be with me. ”

“He’s a dumbass,” I said.

“Yes. Yes, he is.”

“And you’re amazing.”

“Yes. Yes, I am. I need an Easton.” She held up a finger and quickly amended, “Not actually him. He’s great for you, not me.”

That was an understatement on both parts. He wasn’t great for me.

He was perfect for me.

And they would be awful together. If he tried to tell her what to do, she would probably come back with a counteroffer that included a color-coded index, references, and uproarious laughter.

Greer swiped her screen to load the saved picture then zoomed in on his face. “But this. I need someone who looks at me like this.”

“You do.”

“Instead, I’ve wasted years with fucking Josh.”

“Literally.”

“But not anymore.”

I lifted the glass. “Cheers to that.”

Easton

Me: How was brunch?

Guppy: Good. It was just me and Greer because Wren had plans with her boyfriend.

There was a lot I loved about Maddie. The way she told me random details about her day was high on that list. I might not give a damn about Wren or her boyfriend, but I liked that Maddie wanted to share anything and everything with me.

Me: I’m glad you got some time with Greer. She still split from the prick?

Guppy: You remembered! And yes.

Me: Are you with her?

Guppy: No, she wanted to sweat out her mimosa with a hike. What a waste… Why?

Me: I need a favor, mine. Where are you?

Guppy: The cafe because you won’t tell me where you get the better coffee.

Me: Ensuring you keep me around.

Guppy: You do that in much better ways. What do you need?

Me: Can you take a picture of my bench in the library? I want to show Cohen the artistry.

Guppy: Going now.

Then so am I.

Getting out of my SUV, I made my way from the parking lot to the library. If she’d been with her friends, I would’ve just let her know I was there early to pick her up. But since she was available, I had something else in mind.

Something I’d been thinking about since she’d first told me what happened on the bench in the far corner of the library.

I approached from behind her and barely held in an admonishment when I saw she was in leggings and not the dress I’d told her to wear. Instead, I quietly ducked down one of the many abandoned aisles just as a picture came through.

Me: Good. Now send me one up your skirt while you’re sitting on my bench.

I heard her sharp inhale, and my cock jerked.

When she took a few steps toward the exit, I hurriedly sent another message.

Me: Madeline.

She stopped as if I’d said her name out loud. She started to lower her phone before thinking better of ignoring me.

Smart.

Guppy: Maybe a different time. I don’t want you to accidentally show Cohen the wrong one lol.

My enjoyment at toying with her disappeared at just the idea of anyone else seeing what was mine.

Fun over, I stepped out. “Are you sure it’s that and not that you disobeyed my order?”

She let out a startled yelp as she jolted and spun around. Her hand went to her chest. Seeing it was me, she started to deflate before remembering she had, in fact, broken the rules. She braced again. “What’re you doing here? I thought you had a meeting?”

I took a step forward.

She took one back.

Maybe my plan isn’t ruined after all.

“I assigned it to someone else,” I said.

Fear forgotten, she didn’t retreat when I closed the rest of the distance. Instead, she smiled up at me like I said I gift wrapped the moon just for her. “You did?”

“Yes. And I was hoping we could use that time to fool around like I’ve been fantasizing about since you told me about what happens here.” I hooked a finger in her leggings and hauled her body against mine. “But it looks like that won’t be happening.”

“I was going to change before I saw you. I didn’t want to spill French toast on my white dress. I know it’s your favorite.” She jutted her chin, and a calculating look came into her blue eyes. “When you think about it, I didn’t listen for you. You’re welcome.”

“That’s fine.”

Her brows raised. “It is?”

“Of course. It just means I’m the only one who gets to come.”

“I thought you didn’t do punishments,” she said with an adorable pout that I wanted to fuck from her face.

“You know things are different with you.” I released my hold and sat on the hard bench. Spreading my legs, I tilted my head in a silent command.

“I can run home to change,” she tried.

I added a not silent one. “On your knees, Madeline.”

If she gave any hint of apprehension, I would’ve backed down and waited until we were home.

Or at least in my car.

But it wasn’t trepidation that flashed across her pretty face. It was regret and enthusiasm as she sank to her knees.

That and lust so blatant, it blew her pupils as she stared up at me expectantly.

Waiting.

Fucking hell.

“Take my cock out, Madeline.” Once she did as I said, I gave her free reign. “It’s yours.”

I thought she might lick it. Or tentatively take it in her mouth before pulling away to scan around us. And that would’ve been fine with me. All I wanted was to tease her with what she could’ve had if she’d listened.

But she didn’t seem the least bit concerned that we were in public. She opened wide to take as much of me as she could.

She sucked me until she gagged before going back for more like my dick was more important to her than air.

Fucking hell fuck.

All plans to stop flew out the window at how good she felt.

Even if I wanted to, there was no way I could.

I didn’t have that kind of willpower. Instead of gripping her hair to shift her away, I used it to force her to go faster.

She moaned around me and took every inch I gave as I fucked her mouth.

I split my focus between staring down at her eagerly swallowing me and scanning around us to ensure no one got a look at what was mine. After another inspection, I dropped my gaze to see her lids were open. Pretty blue eyes were rimmed with tears as she spread her lips to take me deeper.

I tried to tug her hair, but that just made her moan again. My words came out a gritted pant. “Baby, I’m close.”

She dug her fingers into my thighs and sucked.

How the fuck did I get so lucky?

That was the last thought I was capable of before any semblance of control left my body. I moved her head at a relentless pace until my cum shot down her throat.

When I was capable of sight and speech and all the other senses again, I gathered her on my lap. I cupped her cheeks, and my thumbs swiped the tears that still slowly dripped. “Next time?—”

“I know, I know. I’ll wear the dress.”

“No. Next time, I’m coming all over this pretty face.”

She swayed into me like that was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard.