by Paige Steele
“Real mature,” I say, rolling my eyes for the second time tonight.
He crosses his arms and his ankles as he leans back. “So you want to explain why you think I am cheating on you?”
“Because I saw you with my own two eyes.” I give him the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture with my two fingers.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, or what you think you saw, but I promise you, Cupcake, I have never, nor will I ever cheat on you.”
“Geez, my bad, I guess girls just fall in your arms and you can’t help yourself.” Yes, I may have been a bit dramatic as I fell backwards on the bed letting out a huff.
“Maddie, again I don’t know what you are talking about. Where and when did you see this happen?”
“Maddie…” I think I heard him say my name. My eyes are getting heavy.
So, I may have passed out, because the next thing I know, I’m snuggled up against a body and I barely remember how I got here. I look around and notice who I’m lying with, it’s the man that broke my heart. I stare at his face, noticing just how truly gorgeous he is. His sharp jawline has me wanting to touch him. Reaching my hand out, I lightly graze my fingertips across it. He starts to stir and it makes me want to run. What the hell happened last night? It’s all a bit blurry, I remember walking into the bar and wanting to sing with the girls. Then I remember taking shots, drinking a couple drinks, but from there…the rest of the night is fuzzy. But how I got here is completely a mystery. Turning my body slightly, I look up at the ceiling. I can’t help the tears that are starting to bubble up in my eyes. The first drop slips from my corners and before I know what’s happening, I’m rolled closely to his body once again.
“Cupcake, don’t cry.”
“Jesse…”
“Why do you think I cheated on you?”
“What?”
“Last night you said I cheated on you. I’m just not sure why. You said you saw it, but it didn’t happen. So, I’m confused.”
“Me too,” I confess, as more tears leak out.
“Then let’s talk. Don’t run away from me. I’m not sure what you saw, but I assure you I’m no cheater.” He places a kiss on my head and goosebumps cover me.
“I saw you holding another girl.”
“When, where?”
“When I came back to see if you were ready to go after my shoot the other day.”
“Wait, when?”
“Remember the shoot at the track? Josie, Kenna, and I walked over to see if you were ready to go back to the hotel, and you were holding one of the new girls in your arms. I knew it wasn’t part of the shoot because nobody else was doing it, just you two.”
He lies there thinking for a moment before he speaks. “Oh, Cupcake, you saw wrong…”
I interrupt him before he can continue to explain, “I know what I saw Jesse, and you clearly had your hands on her waist, holding her as she pressed her fake boobs against your chest.”
“Haha, now I know what you saw.”
“This isn’t funny, Jesse.” I go to move because now I’m getting pissed. Does he really think this is a joke, because it’s definitely no joke.
“Oh, no you don’t. No more running until we talk this out. What you thought you saw is off base compared to what really happened. Maddie, that girl fell into me. She tripped on a cord and almost face-planted on the ground and I caught her. Nothing else.”
“I saw the way she was staring at your face. It was like she was begging for you to kiss her.”
“I assure you that wasn’t the case. She was embarrassed and wanted to hide from me after. I tried to make her feel like it was no big deal, but that’s it, nothing more.” He reaches forward and brings my chin upwards until my eyes meet his.
“But I saw you at the track with her again,” I whisper out.
“Maddie, she was just coming over to thank me again for not making her feel stupid. I’ll tell you what I told you last night. I have never cheated, nor would I ever cheat on you. Do you not know me by now?”
“I do, but when I saw that, I freaked.” My eyes start filling up again.
“I’m not him. Never will be, so please stop comparing me to that fucker.”
“I know you’re not, but you have to admit it looked bad.”
“Yes, I do agree, but again remember; I’m NOT him. Do you remember what I told you before we left?”
“You asked me to move in with you?”
“No, that was my question. What I said was…I was falling in love with you.” There is now fire building up in his expression and eyes as we lie facing each other.
“I remember.” The heat coming off him is drying up my tears.
“You mean everything to me, Maddie. So what I should have said instead is that, I AM in love with you.”
I blink once, taking in what he just said. When I look back in his eyes, he leans in closer so our faces are a mere inch away from one another. I can feel his breath against my lips, and I’m sure he can tell the effect it’s having on me. The slight headache I woke up with has vanished as he burns me with his stare.
“You are it for me. There’s no one else and there hasn’t been in over a year. The day I met you was the day I realized no one else would ever be you. I just want you, Maddie.”
He keeps talking, just over a whisper. His lips keep brushing against mine with each word, causing butterflies in my stomach to start flapping their wings faster than they ever have before. I bite my top lip to stop myself from kissing him before he’s finished.
Once he pauses, I take the opportunity to express myself back to him. “It may have taken me longer to realize my feelings for you were more than friendship, but I assure you, you have always held a special place in my heart. I’m glad that we waited because now I can truly say, I’m in love with my best friend.”
I dart my tongue out to lick my lips and end up connecting it with his as well. A growl escapes his throat then his voice drops, sounding huskier than before. “Can I now make love to the woman that I’m head over heels for?”
“Jesse, I’m sorry I overreacted.”
“No worries.”
“And yes, I think I’ve made you wait long enough.”
“Three days,” is all he says, before his mouth drops down on mine.
Lord help me, I think I just fell in love with him even more. The tenderness that this man just shows me as he joins our bodies as one is breathtaking. He caresses every part of my body as if I am a prized possession, like the first trophy he ever won.
After our shower together, we quickly make our way downstairs to catch a ride over to the airport. Our plane is at the gate when we finally make it through security and everyone else is already waiting to board.
“Well, it’s about time,” Josie giggles, “we didn’t think you two were going to make it.”
“We had a lot of making up to do.” I wink back.
JESSE
Moving in day is tomorrow. We are so tired from the weekend; we decide that grabbing her stuff can wait until then. Right now we are going to wait for the pizza that Maddie ordered on her cell from the car and watch a movie.
“You owe me.”
“I owe you?” I answer back.
“Yes, you do.”
“And why’s that exactly?” I laugh.
“Because you made me go crazy this weekend.”
“Haha, that wasn’t my fault. If you would have just come and talked to me, instead of assuming, this all would have been avoided.” I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her in close.
“Maybe, but I still think you owe me.”
“Nope,” I kiss her lips precisely as the doorbell goes off. “Perfect timing.”
Letting go of her, I head to answer it. After setting the pizza on the coffee table in front of the couch, I follow Maddie in the kitchen. She reaches for plates and napkins, while I grab a bottle of beer for me and a Diet Coke for her. She informs me that she had enough alcohol over the last few days to last her awhile.
“So what are we watching?”
“Well, for your punishment, I was thinking a chick film is in order.”
“Oh, did you now?”
“Yes, it’s only fair.”
“And for your punishment?”
She looks over her shoulder at me as she reaches for a slice of pizza. I see the mischief in her eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that, Cupcake, or we’ll be starving from lack of food, as I take you right here, right now on the couch.”
“You’re the one that said it. Don’t talk like that.” She smirks at me while going to bite her slice.
I reach for my own and slip my hand around the back of her neck. Before she has a chance to sink her teeth, I grip her hair slightly, pulling it backwards, I kiss her with the intention of letting her know that we’ll be further discussing this later, in bed.
“Hmm, I don’t think I’m hungry for food any longer. What were you saying about the couch?”
I laugh, “Eat, woman. You’ll need your strength for later.”
“Fine.” I think she’s honestly pouting. It makes me smile even more.
“So have you decided on our movie yet?”
“Bad Moms.”
We watch it and laugh throughout the entire show. It’s a really funny movie, one that could be watched again.
Maddie throws the plates and napkins inside the empty pizza box before I carry it to the kitchen. She’s right behind me with our empty drink containers. Setting everything on the counter, we agree that we’ll clean it up in the morning. Just as I lean over the sink to click off the light, I feel her jump on my back. Reaching around, I grab her ass to swing her around to the front. Placing her on the edge of the sink, we lock lips. I bring a moan out of her as I deepen it, leaving her mouth to find the place right under her ear that drives her crazy. She laces her fingers through the back of my hair as my hands pull her closer.
“We have way too many clothes on for this activity, and we need to find our bed rather quickly, or we’ll be naked in the kitchen soon.”
“Hmm, hmm,” is all she says.
Lifting her off the counter, I instruct her to hang on. I slip off her shirt as she wraps her legs back tightly around my waist, then her hands find my hair again. I start kissing down her neck as I walk us out of the room. I lean her back and rest her against the front door, I take one hand to lock it and shut off the lights. As I do so, she starts her own assault of my neck. Pushing back away from the wall, I let her continue as I make my way up the stairs. I hold her firmly to my body, as I can’t seem to get us close enough together. She grinds her hips against me as I walk toward the bed.
“My turn, Cupcake.” I say softly, as I unhook her bra, letting it fall off her arms.
There’s no reply from her, other than a nod while she bites her bottom lip. With her still attached to me, I climb to the middle of the bed, letting her body rest on the mattress. I sit back on my heels, looking down at her.
“You are gorgeous, Maddie.”
I reach behind me and grab the back of my shirt and pull it off, then look back at her smiling face.
“Yeah, you aren’t so bad yourself.”
Resting my body weight on my hands so I’m now above her, I feel the heat radiating between us. “Like what you see, huh?”
“I do, very much so.” She picks up her hand and drags her nails down my abs.
“You seem to be fond of those.” I chuckle at her.
“You have a beautiful body, Jesse.”
“Well, yours makes my mouth water.” I swallow hard at the thoughts running through my mind.
After kissing her lips, the front of her neck, in between her breasts, and down her stomach, I drag her black yoga shorts and thong off her body. Sliding off the bed, I strip completely. I see her lick her lips, and that’s all I need to see to know that I have the same effect on her as she does me.
The rest of the night we spend tangled together. She allows me to take charge with everything we do. When I tell her to leave her hands on the headboard, she does. When I tell her not to move, she doesn’t, and when I tell her I want us to come together, she does just that.
* * *
We are over at her place now, box after box is packed. I’ve been carrying them to the back of my truck. When I walk back in, from taking out the boxes, she just finishing another. I find her in her room with a huge box of shoes.
“Are you kidding me?”
“What?”
“How many pairs of those do you own?”
“I don’t know…like thirty or forty. But these are just my shoes and sneakers, my boots are over there.”
I turn to see another closet. Walking over to it, I open the door and my jaw drops.
“Okay, really? You own all these, too?”
“Yes, Jesse. A girl can never have enough shoes.”
“Or boots, apparently. How many are in here?”
She giggles, “I think there are twenty two pairs.”
“They’re boots, Cupcake. Do you really wear all these?”
“Yes, and if I remember correctly, there’s a pair or two that you are very fond of.”
“Okay, you can keep those two.”
“No, Babe, they are all going.” She seals the shoe box, leans up on her tiptoes, and kisses my cheek, before grabbing another box to attack the boots.
I could grumble about it, but really, what good would that do? Let’s face it, she’s taking them anyway. So, I pick up the box full of shoes and walk to the truck. She giggles again as I walk out. I just keep thinking, thank goodness for the huge walk-in closet that she’ll have in our room, because she’s going to need every inch of it.
There’s nothing left at the apartment, all of her things are in the back of my truck as I drive to OUR house. She and Josie are following behind me in her car. Maddie is feeling bad for leaving her, so she’s including her as much as possible with the move. Though Josie assured her she’s fine with it. She’s going to look for a smaller place, hopefully a one bedroom loft apartment.
Everything is unloaded and brought to the room they belong in, now let the unpacking begin.
“Hey Babe, you can go workout or ride if you want to, we’ve got this covered.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it all under control here.”
“I’m the only one that has control in here.” I wink at her.
“Gross, I’m in the room, ya know?” Josie rolls her eyes.
Maddie grins at me as she carries one of the smaller boxes to the bathroom that is attached to our room.
“Okay, I’ll head out for a ride, if you’re really sure.”
“Yep, I am and if you’re lucky, maybe I’ll ride you later.”
“Holy shit, you two, knock it off.”
All three of us start to laugh as she comes over and gives me a kiss goodbye. She tries to walk away, but I pull her back giving her another quick peck before she turns around to continue unpacking. Before walking out, I give her a small swat to her ass as she bends over.
Heading into the gym, I can’t help but think how bad I need this workout. Even though I went to the hotel gym while out of town, I haven’t been inside this room in about a week. I’m looking forward to beating up my body tonight. Before I jump on the rowing machine, I send off a group message to a few of the guys, letting them know that they can shoot over later if they want for a beer. Ryan, Cooper, Adam, and Cole all reply they’ll be over at some point, Trey, on the other hand, has other plans. I make sure Ryan and Cooper know to bring the girls and of course Ryder, as well.
I go from machine to machine until my body is about to drop. I sit on the weight bench, pull out my earbuds, and open a bottle of water. I just about finish it when I hear the girls in the kitchen.
“You are one lucky lady.”
“I know, right?”
“You got a hot guy that loves you and you get to live in this beautiful house. Damn.”
“He is pretty amazing,
huh?”
“Jesse is great.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with all this?”
“I am. Either I’ll find a roommate or I’ll move. No worries.”
Walking out, I go to where the girls are sitting. “Well, aren’t you all hot and sweaty,” comes out of Maddie’s mouth.
“Wanna hug?”
“No, I’m good.” She laughs.
“I’m going to head up for a shower.” I wink at her.
“You need one,” Josie says, plugging her nose.
“Oh, you want a hug?”
“Umm no, I’m good, thanks, I’ll pass.” She holds up her hands at me and laughs.
“You wanna join me in our ‘fifty shades of grey’ shower?” I wiggle my eyebrows at Maddie.
Josie just about spits out the water she just drank as she hears my question. “Jesus, your…what?”
“Haha,” I say nothing because the look on her face is priceless.
“Oh God, that sounds bad,” Maddie giggles.
“What do you have in your shower, cuffs on the wall or a spanking bench? Wait, I don’t want to know.” She covers her ears laughing.
“No, but, Cupcake, there’s a couple of ideas for us,” I chuckle, while Maddie joins Josie with her own laughter.
“It’s really because of the colors of grey in the shower. I made the comment when he first looked at the house.”
“But I like your way of thinking, Jos. Those can be arranged,” I joke back.
“Enough, I don’t want to hear anymore.” Josie covers her ears again as I walk out of the room.
I come back downstairs, freshly showered and ready to relax with some friends for the evening. I tell the girls that the others are coming over, so Maddie pulls out some burgers from the freezer to throw on the grill.
About an hour later, Cooper and Ansley arrive with the baby. Cooper looks good carrying the little seat Ryder is buckled into. He’s a good dad and husband. Just as we are walking to the kitchen, Ryan and Kenna knock and come in, followed by Adam and Cole.
The guys and I are all settled in the living room with plates full of food, and a beer to wash it all down with, while the ladies are all around the dining room table chatting and eating. The rest of the night is spent full of jokes and chatter about the races that we’ve done, while Adam tells us about how he’s doing with the BMX team he rides for. He’s leading in the points in his division. It’s somewhat different than how Supercross and Motocross works. And Cole says that he and Trey love traveling for the Supercross season, but they are looking forward to the X Games that they’ll both compete in. The payout for that is pretty good, so I get why they want to do it.