I see her wince. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
“Had you truly lied to me, we wouldn’t have stopped.” I shrug, thinking of how that would’ve changed things. Her breath hitches as if she’s thinking the same thing. Turning toward her, I lock my eyes with hers. “And if we had, I would’ve felt like a fucking asshole about it, and I don’t feel like that very often.”
“Was it all because of my age?” she asks softly.
“Mostly, yes, but also…I’m not the guy for you. Something like that should be saved for someone special. That ain’t me.”
“And you saved yours for someone special?” she challenges, crossing her arms, which pushes up her tits.
“Nope. Definitely not, which is why you should.”
“I’ve been told what to do my entire life,” she says sharply. “What not to do, how to do things, when to do things. It’s annoying to feel like I have no control or choices. So please, save your bullshit.”
I shrug, not sure what else to say. “It’s just my advice. You can do whatever the hell you want, but it won’t be with me. Better to just realize that now.”
She scoffs, and I can tell she’s getting pissed. “I figured that out the moment you kicked me out of that room like I was a five-cent whore.”
I release a breath. “I’m sorry about that, but—”
“Just shut up,” she cuts me off. “I didn’t tell my sisters because I was embarrassed, but you should know that I’ll be around because of Lennon, and as long as you’re around Brandon, we’re going to run into each other. So it’s best we just pretend tonight is the first time we met. Don’t treat me like glass, Liam, unless you wanna get cut.”
Maddie narrows her eyes at me before turning and walking into the house. My gaze immediately goes to her ass, and I curse under my breath. Even though she’s five years younger than me and isn’t as sexually experienced, she effortlessly put me in my place. Maddie’s the first woman to ever get under my skin, and I need to get her out of my head as soon as fucking possible.
The only way I’m going to survive being around her is to act as if she doesn’t exist. Block out the memories from that night and ignore the undeniable chemistry that crackles between us.
Hopefully, my dick gets the same memo.
Chapter One
Liam
Sliding out of bed in only my boxers, I walk downstairs and enter the kitchen. My roommates are at work already, but it wouldn’t matter if they were here because it’s my house too. Mason and Sophie complain about it sometimes, but they’ve learned to accept and expect it.
Though it’s Wednesday, I’m counting down the days till Friday when I’ll have the place to myself. Sophie and Mason have been official for four months but haven’t had a chance to get away as a couple until now.
As long as I survive Thanksgiving tomorrow, the rest of the weekend will be pure bliss. The Corrigan sisters put together a potluck with Hunter and Mason, but I made plans to visit my dad and stepmom for lunch. I hate the holidays, but I promised I’d stop by and don’t want to let him down.
Grabbing the orange juice from the fridge, I take a drink straight from the bottle, then place it back. I can almost hear Sophie scolding me for being gross and inconsiderate and smirk at the thought. Sometimes pissing her off is too easy and fun. We’ve been friends since her sister Lennon introduced us over three years ago. Lennon was around often because she was dating my friend, Brandon. A year and a half ago, he passed away in a tragic motorcycle accident, and Lennon found solace with Hunter. They grieved the loss of Brandon together, and he helped her when she found out she was pregnant. Though Hunter’s reputation is similar to my own, he changed his manwhore ways to be with Lennon. He treats her like a goddess and loves baby Alison as if she’s his own.
Sophie moved in with Mason and me this summer because she had nowhere else to stay after the shitstorm with her boyfriend happened. Since we had a spare bedroom, it was a no-brainer. Plus, Mason wanted to protect her and keep her close. They’ve been through some horrific stuff over the past year, but now they’re happy together and have each other to lean on. Finding that kind of love is beautiful and disgusting all at the same time—especially when I hear his headboard slamming against the wall at two in the morning. Now that Sophie is sleeping in Mason’s room rather than her own, it’s a nightly occurrence. Thank God for headphones, though with my work and travel schedule, I’m rarely home anyway.