by E B Brooks
26
Maddy
The next morning, Jace was sitting outside waiting for her, she told him once again that he didn’t need to drive her to school every day. Especially when she didn’t even know if he had classes today. He chuckled and told her, even if he didn’t, he’d still come to get her.
He said goodbye to her then she headed off to her Elementary Statistics class. Once again, a paper was shoved in her face when she entered.
The classroom was half-filled already, and while deciding where she wanted to sit, Maddy saw a sexy muscular guy smiling at her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she smiled back.
“Hey, Cody, how are you?” she asked as she took the empty seat beside him.
When he took her furniture shopping, they never talked about what their class schedule was, and she was happy to see him sitting there.
“I’m good, little one. Missed you the last few days. Everything turn out all right after I left on Saturday?”
She still couldn’t believe the bullshit that Ryder’s family put him through. It was no wonder she felt the connection to him. They’d spent most of Sunday just laying around talking before she had to work. She’d hated having to leave.
She bit her lip, not sure how much to reveal to Cody. “Ryder and I talked. It was good.”
She didn’t get to say anymore, though, as the teacher walked in.
Two hours later, Maddy could barely keep her eyes open.
When the class finally ended, she plopped her head onto her desk and blinked tiredly at Cody. “His voice is so monotone; I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay awake in his class.” She yawned.
She’d gotten a good night’s sleep last night. She wasn’t sure why she was so tired. She’d been busy a lot, though. Maybe her body was just worn out.
Cody cocked an eyebrow. “Do you want a ride home?”
“Can’t. Still have one more class tonight.”
“Do you want to go get something to eat then?”
Elbows on the desk, she propped her head up on her hands. “Sounds great. Maybe food will help me stay awake in my next class.”
Chuckling, Cody got his stuff together. “Do you need me to carry you to the truck?”
“Har, har. I think I can walk.”
Cody held her hand and took her book bag as they walked to where Cody had parked his truck. People of all shapes and sizes milled around everywhere. A muscular man with short, curly hair was leaning against a car, a blond girl wrapped in his arm.
Maddy came to a stop, squinting at the pair, unsure if she was seeing things again.
But, nope. Skylar was leaning against someone’s car with Amber in his arms while he talked to a guy who stood beside him. There was a small group around them.
Skylar’s blue eye landed on Maddy and widened as they bounced between her and Cody.
Cody followed her gaze and ran his hand over his head. “Shit.”
Cody took a step toward Skylar, but Maddy stopped him by grabbing his arm. She shook her head. “Not now.”
If she wasn’t looking at Skylar, she never would have noticed the look of sadness that crossed his face before his wall slammed back down.
Cody and Maddy continued on their way, but that look she saw bothered her. If Cody confronted Skylar in front of the others, Skylar would feel cornered and fight back. Did he want Cody to confront him? Why did he have that bitch in his arms? He told Maddy that Amber didn’t matter. It was like everything he’d said was a lie.
Cody helped Maddy up into his truck then got in himself, shutting the door harder than normal, making her cringe.
He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “Why is he hanging out with those scums?”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Cody, but if you go confront him all mad, it won’t work out. We need Jace to ask him what the hell he’s up to.”
He scrubbed his hand down his face. “You’re right. It’s hard not to get involved when you see your young brother jumping into something stupid.”
Maddy moved over to the center of the truck and laid her head on his shoulder. She had no idea what it felt like to have a sibling; she could only imagine what Cody might be feeling.
Once he calmed down, Cody took Maddy to a Mexican restaurant right around the corner from the school.
They ordered, and Maddy asked, “What was Skylar like as a kid?”
A grin formed on Cody’s face. “When we were little, we looked so alike that our mom dressed us the same. As we got older, though, I grew and Skylar didn’t. He was a late bloomer. He’d throw a fit if he found out his new shirt was my old one, and mom was handing it down to him. He’d refuse to wear it. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, since both our parents were cops.”
Their food came, and they silently ate for a while before Cody continued.
“School was hard for Skylar, and still is, I guess. I breezed right through assessments, got straight A’s sometimes without having to study. Skylar was the opposite. Even if he studied, he got C’s and D’s. Teachers would make it worse when they’d say why can’t you be more like your brother. It was in about seventh grade when he started acting out. Doing dangerous things, pranks, anything to gain attention.”
Maddy finished the bite of her chimichanga. “How did you get into fighting?”
Cody scratched his chin, letting out a deep breath. “Our father has an anger problem. He’s a nice guy, but don’t piss him off or you’ll see a different side of him. I guess Skylar and I inherited that.
“In eighth grade, I got in a fight with another kid who said something nasty to my girlfriend. One of the teachers saw me and told me about underground fighting and how he might know a coach that would train me. I’ve been in it ever since.
“Skylar was a different story. He followed me one night and caught me fighting. He wanted to fight, too, but I told him it was too dangerous. Skylar threatened to tell Mom and Dad. Trapped in a corner, I could only do one thing; let him fight. My coach said he’d train Skylar, but he needed a lot of conditioning before he could step in the ring.”
Putting her fork down on the plate, she pushed it away. “It sounds like Skylar’s always trying to one-up you. Do you think I’m some sort of game to him?”
Cody rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I think he has feelings for you, but once he found out I liked you, too… He wouldn’t care if Jace was interested in you, but with me, it’s a different story.”
Maddy didn’t want to give away Jace’s secret, but if they already knew, then it wasn’t as big a deal as Jace thought. Just to make sure, though, Maddy decided to test the waters.
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Why do you think he’d be okay with me dating Jace, too?”
Cody shrugged. “Skylar loves Jace; he has for a long time. By the look on Jace’s face sometimes, I think he loves my brother, too. I don’t know why they’re hiding it. It’s not like any of us would care.”
Relieved not to have to keep that secret, Maddy leaned forward. “You’re right, Jace loves Skylar. I have to admit, it shocked me when Jace said he wanted to be with me even if Skylar doesn’t. I get the feeling this is the first time Jace is going off and leaving Skylar.”
“It is.” Cody reached out and grabbed Maddy’s hand. “I’m sorry my brother’s putting you through this. It’s not fair to you. Shit, I guess, in a way, we’ve all put you on an emotional roller coaster.” He glanced at his watch. “I better get you back to school. What class do you have, anyway? Ryder has a class tonight.”
She looked around for their waitress. “Early History.”
“Same class as Ryder. Since I have to pick him up, I’ll take you home, too.”
Maddy started to object, but Cody waved his finger at her to stop any objections.
Cody caught the waitress and asked for the check, then started typing something on his phone.
She waved to catch his attention. “If you’re texting Ryder, please tell him to bring my phone.”
“He’s already at school, but I know where your phone is. I’ll bring it when I pick you up.”
“Thanks.”
They paid and left.
Cody helped Maddy into the truck.
When he climbed in and pulled out of the parking lot, she decided she was tired of this feeling of indecisiveness. “Cody, I need to know if we’re friends or more than friends. No more of this back-and-forth shit. I know you said you had something going on and you wanted to wait. That we should be just friends. But then you hold my hand and kiss my head.” She let out a big breath. “You’re driving me nuts.”
He took his eyes from the road for a second to look at her. “Shit, Maddy, I’m sorry. I wanted to keep you away from the mess I’m in, but every moment I spend with you, it’s harder to stay just friends. I’m finding it difficult to not touch you when I’m around you.”
She turned sideways so she was looking at him. “I’m not like your other girlfriends, Cody; I know how to take care of myself. What the hell are you into?”
“Shit, there’s something Ryder and I got into a while back, and the less you know, the better. We’re trying to get out, but it’s becoming more difficult than we thought. I don’t want you near this shit; I don’t want you to get hurt. Then, I hear you talking about your past, and I realize you’re not some delicate girl. You know how to handle yourself. I spent most of last night thinking about this, and I came to one conclusion. There’s no way I can stop touching and kissing you. Sometimes, I need it like my next breath.” Cody found a parking spot, turned off the truck, and shifted to face her. “So, yeah, I’m in. All the way. If you still want me.”
“I still want you, Cody. I never stopped. I’m not sure how this is all going to work. Can I kiss you in front of the others, or will they freak out? Will you freak out if you see me kissing them? Then, there’s the whole sex question,” she huffed.
“For me, I don’t care if I find you kissing one of the guys, but I will go ape shit if it’s someone outside of the group. As for sex, I won’t lie, I’ve had a few threesomes with Ryder. But I don’t want that all the time.” He pulled Maddy closer to him and moved her hair from her neck. “I want some alone time, just like Ryder did the last night. The only problem is, I have a fight coming up, and I need to do a lot of training.”
“We’ll just have to find some time, then.” When he started kissing her neck, Maddy let her eyes close. “Hm, that feels good.”
Cody kissed up her chin and bit her bottom lip.
Maddy grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward until their lips touched.
They quickly lost all track of time.
“Hey, that’s my girlfriend! What do you think you’re doing?”
They broke apart to find Ryder tapping on Cody’s window, a big smile on his face.
Cody rolled down the window. “She’s mine right now.”
“Sorry, bud, but class is going to start, so she’s mine.” Ryder leaned in the window and gave Cody a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
“Ew, did you have to do that?” Cody complained as he wiped his face.
Ryder practically skipped around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for Maddy.
Maddy gave Cody another kiss before leaving.
Cody shook his head at Ryder’s antics. “I’ll see you both around eight-thirty.”
“Don’t forget my phone!” Maddy yelled.
Early History was just like all the other classes where Maddy found herself having a hard time staying awake.
As soon as they were back outside, Ryder carried her to Cody’s waiting truck.
Cody laughed. “Fun class?"
Ryder chuckled. “I lost count of how many times her head hit the desk.”
Maddy was too sleepy to talk, so she flipped them off and snuggled up against Ryder.
27
Jace
Jace parked his Jeep outside Maddy’s apartment Thursday morning. He was early enough that she was probably still be getting ready, so he walked up to her apartment and knocked.
Knock, knock.
He put his ear to the door and heard a loud thud, then Maddy swearing.
Was there someone else in there? Did she need help?
He knocked louder. “Maddy?”
She opened the door with a look of sheer panic. “Oh, shit! I fell asleep on the couch as soon as I got home last night. I never made it to bed. Oh, shit, how late are we?”
Jace looked at what she was wearing. Damn, she only had on a top and her underwear.
She pulled him in by his shirt. “Will you stop looking at my body and tell me how long we have before school starts?”
Jace shut the door with his foot. “Calm down; I’m early. We have enough time for you to get dressed and grab something to eat at a drive-thru. Even though you look sexy as hell, I don’t feel comfortable with you wearing that all day.” He pointed at what she was wearing. “I’ll clean up here. You go get dressed.”
“Thank you. You’re truly amazing.” She grabbed his face and kissed him.
He thought she meant it to be a quick kiss, but their bodies had other ideas. One hand wrapped around her waist and the other hand around the back of her neck. Oh, shit her skin felt so silky. He understood why Ryder called her Silk.
He worked his tongue into her mouth, moaning when her tongue touched his. Slowly, he backed her up until her knees hit the couch and they tumbled onto the cushions together. He braced himself so he didn’t put all of his weight on her before sliding his hand under her shirt, slowly moving up her toned stomach. Her body shivered as he found her warm nipple. Her body bowed, and his dick tried to break free of his jeans.
Panting, he broke the kiss and looked into her half-lidded green eyes. “I’d love to spend all day wrapped around and in you, but we can’t.”
She put her forehead against his and took a deep breath. “I know.”
He reluctantly stood, helping her up, and she left to get ready.
Flopping back onto the couch, he adjusted himself. He couldn’t think straight whenever she was around. It had never been like this with other women, or even with James. Anytime he got close to Maddy, all he wanted to do was touch her and sink himself deep inside her. He couldn’t believe he almost screwed this up and was so glad Maddy forgave him.
He shook his head. He hadn’t seen much of Skylar around. He’d been keeping himself scarce since the party. Their second class today was with him, and Jace was interested to see if Skylar sat with them or not.
Maddy came back out while Jace was lost inside his head. Standing behind the couch, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek before walking around the couch. She stopped in front of him, and as her eyes roamed his body, he was glad that the shirt he picked out was tight around his biceps and across his chest. Her beautiful green eyes heated with interest.
“Maddy, please stop looking at me like that,” he groaned as he threw his head back against the couch.
“Can’t help it that you’re sexy as hell. Are you ready?”
“If you are.” He looked at what she was wearing and moaned. Did this girl have anything in her wardrobe that wouldn’t make her smoking hot? She had on a blue jean skirt that stopped at mid-thigh and a top that started off lace, turned solid around her chest, then went back to lace.
Since he’d met her, Jace had been hard. Why stop now? He had a feeling he would be adjusting himself for the rest of his life.
Jace glanced over to where Maddy sat on the passage side of his Jeep. She was biting her lip as she stared out the window, which meant she was thinking of saying something.
“What’s up, Mads?” He looked back at the road, hoping she’d open up to him.
“Did you talk to Cody last night?”
Gripping the wheel harder. “No. Why? Did something happen?”
“Cody ended up being in my class yesterday. He took me to out to eat after the class.” She started picking her nail; not a good sign when it came to her. She let
out a deep breath. “We saw Skylar with a bunch of people, but what bothers me was Amber was leaning against him, and Skylar had his arms around her.”
“I was afraid that’s where he’s been staying.” Jace hit the steering wheel. “What the hell is he thinking?”
“I don’t know. He saw Cody and me; he looked right at me. Cody wanted to confront him, but I held him back. When I did that, a look crossed over his face. The best way I can describe it was sadness, then his wall went back up.”
“It’s a good thing you stopped Cody from going over. Skylar would have been on the defensive with people around him.”
He should tell her how he cornered Skylar in his room the other day, but she’d been stressing over everything. He’d tell her on Friday, when the first week of school was over.
.
28
Maddy
Between school, work, and the guys, Maddy was glad when Friday arrived. She could use a few days off. The first week of college was pure hell. Ryder and Cody kept promising it would get easier as the weeks went on but, somehow, she doubted that.
After work, she made a quick stop at Walmart to grab the rest of the ingredients she needed for dinner tonight. At this point, though, she wasn’t even sure she could eat. Her stomach had been doing flip-flops all day.
When she arrived home, she dove straight into making the chicken enchiladas. With the size of the group coming over, she needed to whip up three large batches.
Once she placed the pans in the oven, she started on her famous pudding cake. Maddy used to make it for the bakery, and it sold out in minutes. Which reminded her, she needed to call Mrs. Jones. She’d been meaning to do that all week, but it kept slipping her mind. Leaving the dessert for a moment, she walked to the calendar she’d hung on the refrigerator and wrote in big letters: Call Mrs. Jones.
By the time the enchiladas were out of the oven and the cake went in, she had just enough time to clean up the bathroom and change out of her work clothes. She wanted to be comfortable today, so she grabbed her favorite jeans and an old Maroon 5 shirt. Braiding her hair, she put on a bit of makeup.