“Your answer.”
“Eight.”
I watch her jaw drop, and her eyes grow wide. "Are you serious?"
“You asked for the truth, there it is.”
"And how old are you exactly? I need a little perspective on timeframe here."
“That’s a new question. And why do you need perspective? How does my sex life impact you in any way? It’s not like you’re in my bed.”
“Don’t you want me to be?”
And there it is. The shy, insecure woman from earlier makes an appearance. She quickly recovers and acts as if she's just being cocky. But I know she truly meant what she said. She wants something more here, and I'm not sure what to make of it. This is going downhill, quickly.
Chapter Eleven
Taylor
Now Maddox knows my interest is piqued, and I’m not even sure where that came from. Can I blame it on the whiskey? No, that's immature. The whiskey has only let me loosen up and be more myself than usual, but the truth is I wanted to know. There's no way I’d ever be able to satisfy him.
“Do you want to be in my bed, princess?”
I swallow hard. My body is begging for him. “No.” I try to lie. “I’m blaming the whiskey.”
“I don’t need games to tell you what I want or alcohol. And I’d never take advantage of a woman who’s been drinking.”
He’s a gentleman through and through. “I never once thought you’d take advantage of me, Maddox. Not once. And now it’s time for you to lose another article of clothing.”
I feel as if I know Maddox better than I know myself.
He stands and removes his pants. Showing me his boxers and long, muscular legs. I look up at him, and his eyes meet mine. All he does is smile.
“What do you want from me, princess?”
Not breaking eye contact, Maddox gets up from his chair and comes around to my side of the table. I turn and look up at the tower of a man standing in front of me. Giving in to my inner voice, I slowly rise and break eye contact as I bring a hand up to his chest, lightly caressing his peck. He’s so warm, and there’s hardly any hair, which seems odd to me.
"Tell me," he whispers. "I want to hear you say what your eyes are already telling me." I slowly let my hand trail down his abs and swallow my desire at how hard he is. I stop at his waist and make my way back up, and look back into his eyes. There's so much heat and desire in them that I genuinely believe the blue darkened about three shades. My insides tighten in such a delicious way, I lick my lips and bite my bottom lip, just slightly, in an attempt to control my breathing.
I close the small gap between us and Maddox lifts me onto the table, so I'm at a better height. Without thinking, I wrap my legs around his and feel just how hard he is at my navel. I look back into his eyes, and before I can assess what I see, he clasps my face in his hands and covers my lips with his. At that moment, I lose all inhibitions. I pull him closer to me with my legs and feel his erection against my stomach. The kiss deepens to a degree I didn’t know was possible.
It feels as though we can’t get close enough. My hands roam over his arms, his sides, his back and Maddox returns the favor by caressing me with fervor, grasping both my breasts in his hands as he breaks our kiss. As he leaves a trail of kisses on my neck, I’m becoming so wet I can hardly stand it.
“I want you so bad, Taylor,” he admits as I run my fingers through his hair.
Taylor. He called me Taylor, not princess. This makes it even harder to stop him, but just as important.
"Maddox, this is happening too fast." I want and need him more than I need air, and when he stops kissing me, I feel so empty. He drops his hands to the table to brace himself and hangs his head and rests his forehead to mine, trying to catch his breath.
"I understand.” Maddox leans forward placing one soft kiss on my lips before he steps away from me, runs his hands through his hair, and stalks to his room. He respected my wishes. There was no wrongdoing here…except for maybe me. Maybe I was in the wrong here. Why did I stop? Why did I push him away? Because I'm a virgin. There's no way I could continue this way without telling him I've never been with anyone before. He needs to know the truth.
I'm still sitting on the table, trying to gather my thoughts and honestly, beating myself up for stopping him. Every part of me wants Maddox and still does. My insecurities have gotten the better of me, again.
I thought with the whiskey, I’d just let go and finally not care or worry, but that nagging little bitch in the back of my mind wins again. She may own my voice and forever be a part of me, but there are times where she blindsides me and find her presence a real inconvenience. Now, I have to figure out my next move. I honestly don't want to go to my bed, cold and alone. I loved the feeling of being in Maddox's arms and want to return to that warmth. I don't want to give in to my annoying backseat driver anymore.
And just like that, I make up my mind. I refuse to let this go and to avoid what I want. I want Maddox, and I will do all that I can to tell him that. I take a deep breath, hop off the table and walk to his door. I stop myself for a moment, hand frozen in the air and ready to knock.
With a big swallow and a second deep breath, I knock on the door. At first, I hear nothing and my heart sinks. Either he's upset or no longer wants me. Maybe this isn't a good idea. I should wait until tomorrow when we’re both sober. Talking myself out of taking this risk, I start to walk away, but as soon as I turn to leave, the door opens. When I turn back around, Maddox is leaning on the door frame, eyes half open.