We both sit and watch until Maddy’s out of breath, and leads the way back to us, dragging Beck along behind her. I expect her to flop down on the couch, but instead, she drops Beck’s hand and grabs mine.
“We should all dance,” she says, looking straight at me. “I want to see your moves, Adrian.”
I start to say no—I’m not a dancer, never have been—but Beck is already grabbing my wrist and hauling me off the arm of the couch. He’s stronger than he looks, and I give in.
Because honestly, I’ve realized I’ll do anything for Maddy.
“Come on, Caleb,” I call out to him, and he grins, following us.
The four of us hit the dance floor. I’m awkwardly stiff, like someone who’s never danced a day in his life. But Maddy doesn’t seem to mind. She moves close, her body pressed to mine, hands around my neck. I let go, letting the music thump around us.
The DJ drops into a remix of some Rihanna song, and Maddy spins around, backing her ass up to me and pulling Caleb into her. I lose track of everything but the heat of her body against mine. Beck finds his place adjacent to me.
And once again, I can’t stop thinking of how fuckingrightthis feels.
By the time we finally stumble into my penthouse, my shirt is half-untucked, Beck is borderline shitfaced, Caleb is laughing at everything, and Maddy’s hair is a mess of brunette and glitter.
“Holy shit, Adrian,” her eyes go wide as she takes in my place for the first time. “Did you rob a billionaire or something? It’s all black and white and villainous in here.”
Beck bursts into a cackle, tossing his jacket onto the marble island. “Nah, Adrian’s always aspired to be like James Bond.”
“He’s not wrong,” I admit, winking at Maddy as she giggles.
She kicks off her heels, padding barefoot across the polished floor. She leaves little prints on the black granite, each one a perfect outline of her foot before dissipating. She drifts toward the windows, gazing down at the city like a queen with a kingdom.
She deserves to feel like that. She has no idea how fucking amazing she is.
I move to the bar, pouring a single malt for all of us. Beck tries to one-up me by pouring his own, but he fumbles and gets half of it on the counter. Caleb just takes his glass and settles onto the sectional, stretching out like he’s claiming his territory.
Maddy sips her drink, nose wrinkling at the burn, then curls up on the couch, knees tucked under her. She lets out a sigh as she rests against Caleb, her eyes closing.
Beck turns on the TV, flipping through menus at lightning speed, landing on some action movie I’ve never seen before.
I drop onto the couch, Maddy in the middle of Caleb and me. Beck plops himself down on the floor in front of her and then rests his head back. Her fingers find his hair, and she begins playing with it. I rest my hand on her thigh, thankful to feel the warmth of her body.
The movie is background, and I find myself just zoning out. The real action to me right now is the slow, melting together of four people who have no idea how to do this, but are doing it anyway.
And we’re going to figure it out because we love her.
The thought comes in as a shock, and as much as I want to question everyone else and see if they feel the same, I swallow it for now.
I don’t want to fuck this up.
Maddy shifts, and her feet end up in my lap. She flexes her toes, brushes them against my wrist. The motion is innocent, but it makes my heart stutter in my chest. I glance at her and then begin to rub them for her. She catches my eye, holds it for a long moment, then looks away, smiling to herself.
Caleb starts to drift, his head tilting back, his eyes heavy. Maddy lifts a hand, runs it through his hair, and he leans into it.
“We should call it a night,” he mumbles, his eyes closing fully now as he rests against her palm.
“Agreed.” Maddy stands, stretches, and then looks at me. “I guess I should head home.”
“No,” I say, reaching out and grabbing her hand. “You should stay here. Everyone can.”
“So we’re all going to pile into your bed then?” Beck tilts his head and looks at me like I’m crazy.
“We can make it work,” I say as I stand up. I turn off the TV and the light and lead the way to my bedroom.
Maddy bounces into the room and onto the king-size bed and scoots to the center, making room on both sides.
