“Maybe not, but I like you,” I whispered against his lips before sealing our mouths together.
24
MADDOX
“Ahem.” A throat cleared.
I blinked slowly, my brain dragging itself awake one reluctant inch at a time, fighting against the pull of unconsciousness clinging to the edges of my thoughts. For a second, nothing made sense. The ceiling above me wasn’t mine. The sheets smelled different, like lavender and summer breezes. The mattress underneath me wasn’t as plush as I was used to. Sunlight filtered through unfamiliar curtains, casting patterns across sage-green-painted walls instead of moody gray.
Shit.
I’m not in my bed.
So whose bed am I sleeping in?
Had I gotten wasted last night?
What the fuck had I done?
A warm body shifted beside me, still half tangled against my chest and soft where it pressed against mine. Her black hair spilled messily across the white pillow, and my arm was draped around a thin waist, a hand splaying possessively across her hip, and her oversized tee bunched beneath my palm. My gaze liftedto her face, taking in her features, the full lips, the slim, perky nose, the high cheekbones dusted with freckles, and the long, thick lashes fanning under her closed eyes.
Hales.
The entire night came back to me, but I didn’t get the chance to process how I was still here because I remembered someone standing in the doorway. We weren’t alone, and I was afraid who it might be.
Her mom.
She leaned against the frame, one shoulder propped casually against the wood, staring at us with a curve to her lips that might have been a smirk… Or maybe it was more of an “I’m going to kill you, and I’m looking forward to it” expression.
It was hard to tell.
Either way, not great.
Fucking fantastic.
It was too damn early to deal with the put-out mother of the girl I’d spent the night with. This was why I didn’t do sleepovers. Complications I didn’t fucking need.
The silver lining was thank God, I’d thrown my pants on before passing out last night. I was shirtless, though, bare chest, muscles, and tattoos on full display, the sheets pooling around my waist, and judging by the way her gaze flicked over the situation, my partial nakedness wasn’t helping my case.
This wasn’t the first time I’d been caught in a girl’s bed. Not by a long shot, but I’d never stayed the night, and perhaps that was why this felt different. Felt too fucking much like a relationship, which Hales and I were definitely not in. I didn’t date and most certainly didn’t do boyfriend status.
There was only one time I considered breaking that rule, and the girl chose someone else. My brother.
Her mom had every right to drill holes through my skull with her eyes. She probably assumed the worst, and with me in herdaughter’s bed, I couldn’t blame her. Yet, despite how it looked, I hadn’t had sex with her daughter. I’d wanted to and still wasn’t entirely sure why I hadn’t, why I had kept it to pleasure without penetration.
Hales stirred beside me, coming to faster than I had. I slipped my hand away from her waist, and her gaze followed mine to the doorway, sensing something was wrong. Now was not the time to think about how freaking cute she looked all rumpled from sleep, but if her mom hadn’t interrupted, I would have very much liked to pull her into me and continue what we started last night.
And that was a problem.
“Mom?” Mallory murmured sleepily, her voice muffled against my shoulder where her face was still half buried.
God, even her voice was adorable, all soft confusion and gravelly. It stirred something in me that had no business hardening. I nearly groaned. Morning wood wasn’t a problem I freaking needed.
Her mom lifted a brow. “Hopefully, all those talks we had about safe sex weren’t discarded like your clothes.”
“Mom,” she groaned, pushing herself up on the bed. “You got the wrong idea.”
“I think I got a pretty clear picture, Malibu.” Her mom’s tone was dry and unimpressed.
