Now Maddox knows my interest is piqued, and I’m not even sure where that came from. Can I blame it on the whiskey? No, that's immature. The whiskey has only let me loosen up and be more myself than usual, but the truth is I wanted to know. There's no way I’d ever be able to satisfy him.

“Do you want to be in my bed, princess?”

I swallow hard. My body is begging for him. “No.” I try to lie. “I’m blaming the whiskey.”

“I don’t need games to tell you what I want or alcohol. And I’d never take advantage of a woman who’s been drinking.”

He’s a gentleman through and through. “I never once thought you’d take advantage of me, Maddox. Not once. And now it’s time for you to lose another article of clothing.”

I feel as if I know Maddox better than I know myself.

He stands and removes his pants. Showing me his boxers and long, muscular legs. I look up at him, and his eyes meet mine. All he does is smile.

“What do you want from me, princess?”

Not breaking eye contact, Maddox gets up from his chair and comes around to my side of the table. I turn and look up at the tower of a man standing in front of me. Giving in to my inner voice, I slowly rise and break eye contact as I bring a hand up to his chest, lightly caressing his peck. He’s so warm, and there’s hardly any hair, which seems odd to me.

"Tell me," he whispers. "I want to hear you say what your eyes are already telling me." I slowly let my hand trail down his abs and swallow my desire at how hard he is. I stop at his waist and make my way back up, and look back into his eyes. There's so much heat and desire in them that I genuinely believe the blue darkened about three shades. My insides tighten in such a delicious way, I lick my lips and bite my bottom lip, just slightly, in an attempt to control my breathing.

I close the small gap between us and Maddox lifts me onto the table, so I'm at a better height. Without thinking, I wrap my legs around his and feel just how hard he is at my navel. I look back into his eyes, and before I can assess what I see, he clasps my face in his hands and covers my lips with his. At that moment, I lose all inhibitions. I pull him closer to me with my legs and feel his erection against my stomach. The kiss deepens to a degree I didn’t know was possible.

It feels as though we can’t get close enough. My hands roam over his arms, his sides, his back and Maddox returns the favor by caressing me with fervor, grasping both my breasts in his hands as he breaks our kiss. As he leaves a trail of kisses on my neck, I’m becoming so wet I can hardly stand it.

“I want you so bad, Taylor,” he admits as I run my fingers through his hair.

Taylor. He called me Taylor, not princess. This makes it even harder to stop him, but just as important.

"Maddox, this is happening too fast." I want and need him more than I need air, and when he stops kissing me, I feel so empty. He drops his hands to the table to brace himself and hangs his head and rests his forehead to mine, trying to catch his breath.

"I understand.” Maddox leans forward placing one soft kiss on my lips before he steps away from me, runs his hands through his hair, and stalks to his room. He respected my wishes. There was no wrongdoing here…except for maybe me. Maybe I was in the wrong here. Why did I stop? Why did I push him away? Because I'm a virgin. There's no way I could continue this way without telling him I've never been with anyone before. He needs to know the truth.

I'm still sitting on the table, trying to gather my thoughts and honestly, beating myself up for stopping him. Every part of me wants Maddox and still does. My insecurities have gotten the better of me, again.

I thought with the whiskey, I’d just let go and finally not care or worry, but that nagging little bitch in the back of my mind wins again. She may own my voice and forever be a part of me, but there are times where she blindsides me and find her presence a real inconvenience. Now, I have to figure out my next move. I honestly don't want to go to my bed, cold and alone. I loved the feeling of being in Maddox's arms and want to return to that warmth. I don't want to give in to my annoying backseat driver anymore.

And just like that, I make up my mind. I refuse to let this go and to avoid what I want. I want Maddox, and I will do all that I can to tell him that. I take a deep breath, hop off the table and walk to his door. I stop myself for a moment, hand frozen in the air and ready to knock.

With a big swallow and a second deep breath, I knock on the door. At first, I hear nothing and my heart sinks. Either he's upset or no longer wants me. Maybe this isn't a good idea. I should wait until tomorrow when we’re both sober. Talking myself out of taking this risk, I start to walk away, but as soon as I turn to leave, the door opens. When I turn back around, Maddox is leaning on the door frame, eyes half open.

“What is it, princess?”

“Um, I-I’m sorry. I’ll let you sleep.” I turn to walk away.

"Taylor. Come here. Or I'll carry you over my shoulder and make you." Maddox chuckles, and I'm relieved to see him smile again.

My butterflies return at the thought of him carrying me to his bed. Just as I let the picture settle in my head and start to answer, he opens the door a little more, swoops down and lifts me over his shoulder so that he’s holding my legs and my head is at his backside.

“Hey!” I yell at him, but can’t fight the giggle that escapes as I do.

“Way to call my bluff, princess.”

He brings us into the dark room and playfully drops me on his bed so that I bounce a little before settling into the mattress. It takes my eyes a few moments to adjust, but when they do, I still can't see very much. The fire is dying, and it's the only light in the room. Maddox plops himself down on the bed, lying on his back, and drapes his left arm over his eyes while his right is resting on the bed right next to mine. The room is quiet, and I continue to look around, trying to see a little more of his room. His voice breaks my search, startling me a little.

“You cold?”

“A little.”

“Do you want me to get the fire going again?”

“Um, if you aren’t too tired.”

“You could just crawl under the covers with me and let me warm you up.” Maddox winks.

"I get cold at night, but I like the idea of both options."

He releases a snort-laugh as he gets off the bed. Maddox heads to the fireplace, closing the door on his way. I'm confused why he isn't going out into the living room to get wood, but when he turns on a small lantern that’s on the mantle, I see there’s a woodpile sitting on the hearth.

While he adds more logs to the fire, I quickly look around to see what I can make out with the little light provided. His room is a lot larger than the spare room, and the bed is massive. There are four posts and are all thick logs.

Why does he need such a large bed? I look around a little more and can only make out a nightstand on each side of the bed and some paintings above each, but of what I'm not sure.

“Looking for an escape route?” Maddox breaks the silence. I didn’t even know he was looking at me.

“No. Just curious to see where the magic happens.” I chuckle.

“There’s not much to see.” He shrugs.

“Why do you need this big of a bed?” I finally ask. He sits down next to me.

“I don’t know. I guess I got a little out of hand when I made it.”

“You made this?” I look at the woodwork once more and realize it's the same as the bed in the spare room. “Did you make the one in the other room as well?”

“Most of the woodwork you see in the house is mine.”

“Wow. You’re amazing.”

I look back at Maddox and notice he’s staring at me. His gaze makes me shy and excited at the same time. I’m not sure what to do, but I know I don’t want to leave.

“So what do ya think, princess?”

“About what?” I ask, slightly confused.

“About sleep? I'm exhausted.”

“Oh! Right, I’m sorry. I can go.”

“No, you’re staying here. I meant it when I said you could lay under the covers with me.”

My cheeks are blazing hot, and I look down at the bed.

Am I really going to sleep with him? In his bed? My head is reeling. I have never spent a night with a man and have no idea what to expect. When I get the nerve to look back up at him, Maddox smiles at me and lightly caresses my cheek with his thumb.

“There’s nothing to fear, I promise.” All I can do is nod. I trust him.

"Here, let's get settled in." He gets off the bed and pulls back the covers, holding my hand as I maneuver to get myself under them. I'm in the middle of the bed and place a second pillow under my head. Deciding I want to get as close to him as possible when I have the chance, I lay on my side and wait for him to settle in. Maddox lowers himself next to me and pulls the covers up over us. He lays on his back but lifts his arm, inviting me to move into him. I'm a little hesitant, but crawl in as close to him as I can. I lay my head on his chest, and Maddox wraps his arm around me, pulling me in tight. He’s so warm. I honestly thought it’d be hard to cuddle with him because he's so muscular, but this is the most comfortable I’ve been in a long time. Physically and emotionally.

“G’night, princess,” he whispers as he sneaks his other hand up to mine on his chest and wraps mine in his.

“Night, Maddox.”

Before I even have time to think about where I'm at the moment, I'm welcomed with peaceful sleep.