by E B Brooks
“Was that what happened at the club? You lost your head?” She frowned, not believing his bullshit for one second.
She glanced up the hill and saw Jace and Skylar waiting in line. Skylar was gesturing wildly as he talked to someone. Jace was staring at her with concern.
Ryder looked down. “You’re so damn hot, and funny, and caring. There’s this pull between us that I’ve never felt with anyone before.”
“I know, the chemistry is definitely there.” Maddy turned back to face him and crossed her arms. “So, what’s the problem, Ryder?”
“I’m no good for you. I’ll end up hurting you as I do everyone in my life. I wouldn’t be able to handle that.” His eyes slowly moved up to her face. “Can we try to be friends?”
Friends. He wanted to be friends. She scratched the back of her head. With all the heat between them, he wanted to be friends. Seeing him with someone else, she didn’t know if she could handle that.
She didn’t know him at all, though. She might find out there was something she couldn’t stand about him. “I can’t say I understand the whole thing. Then again, I don’t know you, but I’d like to. Friends sounds good, but we have to stay on that side of the line. No crossing over.”
He nodded just as Skylar and Jace returned.
“Okay, you two, it’s your turn now. Let’s go, Maddy. Up you go.” Skylar dragged her up the hill.
There was no line, so they were all at the start of the slide. It was big enough for all of them to race down together.
“Okay, let’s race on the count of three.” She glanced down the line of guys, and they nodded in agreement. “One… Two…” She took off.
“You cheat!” Skylar yelled as he pushed off.
They tried everything they could to pass her. Ryder did some swimmer motion to catch up to her. Jace couldn’t do anything. He kept spinning in a circle. All four ended up at the bottom of the slide in a pile, laughing like they were kids.
They rode the slide a couple of times, then crashed on the grass, laughing and catching their breaths as the warm afternoon sun dried them off. Jace was on her right, and Skylar was on her left, while Ryder laid down in front of her.
“Shit, Maddy, your bucket list is all wet.” Skylar laid the paper on the ground.
She chuckled. “You kept that? I thought you threw it away.”
“Why does Maddy have a bucket list?” Ryder tipped his head back so he could see her.
Skylar and Jace both looked at Maddy, wondering if she would tell Ryder.
Everyone else knew; she didn’t care if he did, too. She wasn’t hiding anything.
Ryder gave Jace a raised eyebrow, and Jace gave him a fuck off look.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jace said, putting an end to it.
Ryder shrugged, stood, and adjusted his shorts so they rode low on hips to show off his gorgeous six-pack.
Maddy couldn’t help but lick her lips.
“Well, it’s been fun.” When he looked at Maddy, his whiskey eyes held so much sadness in them that she wanted to bring the spark back into them. “But I see a group of blonds who are giving me a look.”
“Bye, Ryder.” She might have said she wanted to be friends, but she didn’t want to hear about his hookups.
As she watched him walk over to a group of girls and put his arms around two of them, Maddy had to push down the urge to rip his arms off of those blond bimbos.
Shit, being friends with him would not be easy.
12
Maddy
Maddy’s stomach let out a large growl, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. “Well, I guess that’s my cue to say goodnight.”
Rubbing her hands up and down her legs, she brushed away the grass that clung to her dried skin, preparing to get up.
“Nuh-uh. You’re not leaving yet. We’re planning on taking you to dinner,” Skylar said as he gently folded her bucket list back up.
Glancing down, Maddy shook her head slightly. “Guys, you’ve been so kind to me since you picked me up. You don’t need to take me to dinner.”
“I understand your hesitation. It’s hard to trust people, especially since we just meet. But I can guarantee that I’ll always be honest with you, no matter what.” Jace looked at her from under his long black eyelashes. “I won’t stand here and tell you that all I want is to be friends. Since I saw you at Walmart, I’ve felt this pull toward you that I can’t explain, and I think you feel it, too.”
Yeah, she felt it, but what scared her was that she also felt it with three other guys. How the hell did she get into this shit?
Her eyes drifted over to Skylar. How did he feel about what Jace just said?
Skylar scratched the back of his head. “I won’t lie to you, Maddy. I want you—I’d be stupid if I didn’t—but boyfriend-girlfriend status is not in the picture.” He kicked the ground with his toe. “If you’re not into friends with benefits, then I’ll deal with just being friends.”
Wow, okay. So, two of the four guys just wanted to be friends. One kept on telling her he was no good for her. Jace seemed to be the only one who wanted to be with her. The main question was, could she handle seeing any of them with another girl? Or better yet, could they stand seeing her kiss Jace or another guy?
Running her finger across her bottom lip, she considered her options. “Thanks for being honest. It means everything to me. Now it’s my turn. To be honest, I also have feelings for Ryder and Cody. Ryder and I have this chemistry that’s off the charts, but he wants to just be friends. Cody keeps telling me he’s not good enough for me. I need to think this over.” Her forehead wrinkled. “I think the best thing right now is to just be friends.”
Jace’s face didn’t change.
Skylar’s, however, did. His eyes got wider when she said she had feelings for his brother.
She let out a deep breath. “This has been the best day of my life. I need to warn you I haven’t had a lot of friends. I’m afraid I’ll screw this up. I want to get to know each of you better and take it from there.”
Jace nodded. “I can agree to that. All the best relationships start out as friends.”
Skylar shrugged. “I have no problem getting to know you, I just can’t guarantee I can keep my hands off of you.”
Maddy chuckled as she shook her head. “Didn’t expect anything else, Skylar. Now that is settled let’s go get me some food.”
As Skylar reached down and pulled her up, a sharp pain shot through the shoulder that had just healed.
Maddy grabbed it in pain. “Fuck!”
Jace was instantly at her side. “Maddy, what’s wrong?”
Once the pain was under control, and she stopped seeing stars, she said, “Damn, I overdid it today. A little over ten weeks ago, I had a clavicle fracture. I guess the slide was a little too much.” She slowly moved her shoulder around.
“Shit, you should have told us,” Jace scolded.
“I didn’t think about it. I was having too much fun. I’m fine, so you can both get that worried look off your faces. I know how to take care of myself. Now let’s go get something to eat.” She started heading toward where the car was parked, not looking back to see if they followed or not.
She didn’t want to explain how she got the fracture. She just wanted to forget that whole place.
Skylar caught up to her and put his arm around her waist. “Silly, girl, I’m glad you’re having fun, but I think we should hold off on the body jarring activities for a bit at least.”
She laid her head on his shoulder as they walked toward the Jeep. “Maybe.”
They took Maddy to a diner that they claimed had the best cheeseburgers and fries.
Skylar sat beside her while Jace sat across from her. They suggested the Majestic burger and fries.
When the order came to the table, the burger was enormous. There was no way her mouth would ever fit around it. It had everything you could imagine on it.
Maddy took a bite, and her eyes rolled back in her head as
she let out a long moan before she swallowed. At their expectant grins, she nodded. “Best damn burger I’ve ever had.”
That wasn’t saying much coming from her, but they looked pleased.
Skylar pushed his chocolate shake over. “Try dipping your fry into my shake.”
She looked at him like he was nuts. “Why would I do that?”
“Trust me,” he said.
Across from her, Jace nodded.
They hadn’t steered her wrong yet. She took a fry, dipped it into the shake, then popped it into her mouth. The creaminess of the shake mixed with the saltiness of the fries, tasting like heaven. She let out a groan and rolled her eyes back.
Skylar whispered in her ear, “I want to hear that noise again.”
A shiver ran through her, but she wasn’t about to tell him she wanted to make that noise for him more than anything. Instead, Maddy bumped her shoulder against his side. For the first time in her life, she truly felt happy and relaxed. She was having such a good time with these two that she didn’t want the day to end.
They paid for dinner. She told them it wasn’t necessary, that she could pay for herself, but Jace wouldn’t hear it.
When they climbed back into the Jeep, Jace hopped into the driver’s side and Skylar jumped into the back. When she went to argue, he put his hand up and shook his head.
Jace turned to her. “Where do you live?”
“At the Cascade Apartments.”
They both got a look on their faces.
Jace shook himself. “I forgot my brother told me you lived there. Why?”
“It hasn’t been that bad.” She looked out the window as she ran her fingers through her hair.
Skylar moved closer to the front seats. “Honey, it’s not a safe area to live. There are lots of drugs in that area. How did you find that place?”
“I asked the university if they knew of any apartments close to the school. Most of the ones they gave me were way out of my price range. It’s not that bad. There have only been a few things. Plus, you need to remember that I grew up in a group home. My upbringing is way different from yours.”
Jace gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. “What happened to you, baby?”
She shrugged and scratched her nose. “It’s nothing. There’s been a lot of parties, shouting outside. Two nights ago, a guy was knocking on my door screaming for Greg.”
Jace rubbed one eye. “Please tell me you didn’t open the door when that person pounded on it.”
Maddy’s eyebrows shot above her hairline
“Dude, did you just seriously insult her intelligence?” Skylar shook his head.
Jace’s face scrunched up. “Sorry, I know you’re smarter than that. Just promise us, if you ever hear the name Malum, you turn the other way.”
“Who’s that?” she questioned. It sounded familiar to her.
“He’s a bad mother fucker drug dealer. He just came on the scene about a month or two ago.” Skylar’s whole body shivered. “You don’t want anything to do with him.”
Jace pulled into a parking spot in front of her place. “May we walk you up to your apartment?”
Shit, did she want them to see she had nothing? “That’s fine, but just remember, I just moved here from a home so there’s no future yet.”
“Like we care,” Skylar scoffed.
Once they were out of the Jeep, Skylar took her hand, and Jace followed behind them.
When they reached the front door, she could hear Jace swearing behind them.
They started up the steps.
Jace gagged. “Oh, my god, what’s that smell?”
“Not sure. Just glad my place doesn’t smell like this.” Maddy opened her door.
At the same time, the door across the hall opened. “Dude, what are you doing opening Greg’s door?”
Maddy put her head against the door frame. Not again.
Skylar released her hand and walked over to the guy. “Dude, Greg does not live here anymore.” He crossed his arms, making him look bigger. “I need you to leave my girl alone. You need to stop banging on her door at night.”
The guy took Maddy in. “She your girl?”
Skylar glanced at her, then turned back to the guy. He leaned closer and put his hands on his hips. “Yeah, she is.”
The guy gave him a thumbs up. “She’s hot, dude.” The guy started to back up when he stopped. “Wait, are you Cody Anderson’s brother?”
Skylar’s face went from relaxed to tense. “I am.”
“Dude, I went to see his last fight, but I couldn’t get in. If I promise to take care of your girl, will you get me in?” The guy looked hopeful.
Maddy remembered Cody saying something about him fighting, but when she brought it up, he basically ran away.
Jace stepped closer to Skylar and in front of her. She now had a boy shield, not that she needed one.
Skylar patted the guy on the back and gave him one of his award-winning smiles. “If you promise not to bang on her door, I’ll get you in.”
The guy did a happy dance and screamed, “Yeah! Woohoo! You got a deal!”
Skylar walked back over to Maddy.
She opened the door and walked in, the guys following behind her.
Skylar stopped Jace after he shut the door. “Jace, did you see his shirt?”
Skylar busted out laughing.
Jace shook his head. “Not all of it. Something about a clown and farting?”
Skylar couldn’t stop laughing. He sucked in a huge breath, then let it out. “Okay, it said If a clown farts, does it smell funny?” He started laughing again, tears running down his face.
Jace shook his head and walked into Maddy’s living room.
Skylar threw his hands up. “Come on, you have to think that’s funny!”
Jace didn’t answer him as he headed toward Maddy’s mural. Taking art in high school, she’d always loved painting, but there was nowhere at the home where she could spread out and paint.
Skylar joined him to check out her work.
“Wow, who did this?” As Jace ran his fingers over the painting, it felt like he was running his fingers over her.
She cleared her throat. “I did.”
Her face reddened as they stared at her with their mouths open. She only had a small part finished. She needed to go buy more supplies.
“You have incredible talent, Maddy.” Skylar praised. “I hope you’re taking art classes.”
Jace slowly shook his head. “I saw her schedule. She’s not, but I agree with Skylar, you should. You should also talk to Ryder.”
She tilted her head. “Why would I talk to Player about my art?” Without waiting for a response, she headed toward the kitchen. “Do you two want something to drink?”
“Do you have Dr. Pepper?” Skylar leaned over the counter.
“I’ll have water. The Player, as you like to call him, loves to paint.” Jace took the bottled water Maddy offered.
She set a Dr. Pepper in front of Skylar. “Ryder paints? This is some kind of joke, right?”
Jace opened the bottle. “No joke. He’s good. Don’t tell him this, but I think you might be better. Your mural really is amazing.” He took a drink of his water. “Show us around?”
“There’s not much to see.”
Skylar gave her a look.
“Fine, this is the living room-kitchen combo.” She gestured to the room they stood in, then walked through the archway to show them the bathroom, the extra bedroom, then her room.
“Shit, Maddy, what have you been sleeping on?” Jace questioned as he looked down at her makeshift bed.
“The floor,” she whispered.
This was why she didn’t want to let them in. Now she was embarrassed and wanted them to leave.
“Should you be sleeping on the floor when you’re still healing? Why haven’t you gotten a bed yet?” Hands on his hips, Jace’s face turned red as he talked.
Maddy put her hands on her own hips. “Well, Daddy
Jace” —Skylar cracked up at that, but she talked over him— “I had to wait until the electricity was turned on so I could look at beds online. I also had to work. Plus, I want to sit on the mattresses and touch them before I purchase one.”
“Would you stop laughing?” Jace’s nostrils flared like an angry bull.
Tears ran down Skylar’s face from laughing so hard. “She called you Daddy Jace.” This started another round of laughter.
This could take a while. Maddy slid down the wall, and Jace did, too. Skylar was already on the floor, rolling around laughing. She wasn’t sure why he thought that was so funny.
“Why do you have a two bedroom?” Jace questioned, ignoring Skylar’s laughing fit.
She told him about how she ended up with a two bedroom. “Strange thing is, I was in the hospital on the twentieth. I think she’s just an old bat and got me confused with someone else, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. I have to pay extra rent for a bedroom I won’t use.”
Skylar stopped laughing and rolled onto his stomach, his eyebrows doing that up and down thing. “I’ll move in with you.”
13
Maddy
Oh, man, if she let Skylar move in, she wouldn’t get a damn thing done. He’d be making her laugh or stay in bed with him all day. Her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip.
“You’re thinking about it; I can tell. You dirty girl.” He wiggled a finger back and forth.
Jace waved Skylar away. “It’s getting late. I hate the thought of you sleeping on the floor.”
She bit her bottom lip and took deep calming breaths in and out through her nose. “Jace, I’ve been doing it for the last week, and trust me, the beds at the group home weren’t much better.”
“I still don’t like it.” He frowned. “We’re having a party Friday night at our house. We’d like you to come and stay over ’cause we’ll all be drinking. Before you object, there are plenty of places for you to sleep. That way, the next day we can borrow my brother’s truck and get some of the furniture you desperately need.”
She wasn’t sure if she could spend the night watching every girl throw themselves at Ryder, Cody, Skylar, and Jace. At least she would have a few days apart from them so she could get in the right mindset of just being friends.