I groaned and flopped down on the couch as another wave of memories from the day before hit me. Everyone that attended the barbecue now knew that I wore bikini briefs. It wasn't just because I sat with my legs splayed open on the grass; no, I also attempted a handstand in my dress at some point. I cringed, vaguely wishing I had blacked out. I certainly drank enough. I'd had a hangover headache that lasted all day, no matter how much water I drank or how many ibuprofens I swallowed. I assumed it was the world's way of punishing me for making a fool out of myself at the barbecue yesterday.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the copious amounts of booze I ingested. I gave it a moment of thought, then shook my heavy head. Nope. It had to be because Alex and I threw more chicken at each other than we ate.

With each agonizing memory, I wondered more and more if I was the reason why Maddox disappeared from the barbecue. As in, he might've left because he couldn't bear to watch me. Had he left before or after the ill-advised handstand? I had been trying so hard not to focus on him that I didn't even notice when he left. It could've been for a multitude of reasons, I supposed, but I just knew it was because of me somehow.

"Ugh." I exhaled into one of my grandmother's embroidered throw pillows. I could feel the ornate design leave its mark on my face, but I didn't care enough to try to move. My head felt like it was stuffed with the world's most dense cotton.

Thinking of Maddox's disappearance only reminded me of the fact that he hadn't even tried to contact me since last night. Not that I had tried to reach him, either. I thought he might at least send me a quick text to make sure I hadn't drunkenly stumbled into traffic or something. Then again, I did try to flirt with Alex. Poorly, but openly. And that was before I had even started to drink.

I could make a thousand excuses, but it still wasn't okay. Sure, I was upset that he showed up with Sophie, but I could've handled it better. I could've pretended to be fine.

"Ugh," I repeated for the eight-billionth time and forced my face down into the pillow even harder. I didn't want to think about Maddox and Sophie. I would almost prefer to think about making an ass out of myself.

However, that didn't stop the memory of them at the barbecue from bullying its way to the front of my mind. Him and Sophie, smiling and chatting together. I flopped over on the couch with a grimace, both at the memory and the easing pain in my head.

It wasn't like they were all over each other. There was nothing blatant about the way they were interacting, from what my limited memory of yesterday told me, at least. They almost seemed more friendly than anything.

I gnawed at the inside of my cheek as I gave that idea some thought. Maybe, just maybe, I was wrong. I frowned as that thought tugged at another, a memory I couldn't quite unlock. I was vaguely reminded of when Meghan and Joseph brought me home last night for some reason. Joseph had left, then Meghan sat down with me on the bed.

She talked to me but she seemed so serious. I could've sworn she spoke about something really important at the time, but I couldn't remember what she said. The words were garbled in my head. I felt like it had something to do with mates. Knowing me, I had probably pestered her with obvious questions again. Maybe she had acted so seriously because she tried to tell me how dumb I was acting.

I had to hope I didn't say anything too incriminating about Maddox. Drinking away your problems when you have secrets to keep didn't seem like the best idea. Actually, drinking your problems away, in general, seemed like a bad idea. I wouldn't be giving it another go, that was for sure.

I realized that at last it was evening as I fumbled for the remote, and I hadn’t bothered to turn on any lights. I had the idea of watching something, but I gave up before I even had the device in my hand. I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on anything right now. All I had managed to do today was mope and cringe, then mope and cringe some more.

I counted it as a blessing that my grandmother left early this morning and had been tired when she got home. She even went to bed early. At least she only had to see glimpses of me acting this pathetic, and I didn't have to field any questions about my behavior at the barbecue. I was sure she had heard all about it.

My best bet was to probably go to bed and maybe, fingers crossed, I could forget all about my embarrassing behavior. I forced myself to roll my stiff body off the couch. I barely got my feet under me in time—my stiff legs didn’t want to move. I wobbled and banged my shin on the coffee table. I grabbed my aching shin as I bit down the urge to cry out, but I cursed like a sailor on the inside.

I grumbled about it the whole way up the stairs and into my bedroom, but my frustration over the faint ache in my leg was a welcome distraction from my other thoughts. They still taunted me from the back of my mind though, and never quite let me forget the reason for the grass stains on my clothes from yesterday or the shreds of chicken in my hair when I woke up.

I flipped on the bedside lamp before I threw myself down onto my bed and closed my eyes. It was too much trouble to even bother to pull the covers over myself. I would probably get up and pace soon when the next cringe-fest came plodding through my mind.

I studied the backs of my eyelids and thought about getting up to pace when I heard a quiet noise come from my window. Persistent, yet steady. My eyes popped open. I knew exactly what that noise meant. My heart started to beat a little faster.

"Maddox," I whispered as I slowly rolled out of bed.

I looked outside and saw a sleek panther in the moonlight perched on a tree branch right outside my window. As our eyes met, he gently scratched at the glass once more. He drew back afterward and patiently waited for my response. I didn't hesitate to dart over.

I opened my window and stood back. I watched as with an effortless leap he was off the branch and in my room. My grandmother had wanted to cut that branch so many times over the years, but I always found an excuse to give her to keep it. I couldn’t lose that branch. It was for Maddox. Our secret entrance.

He stood and looked at me in his cat form for so long that I started to feel a little itchy. He took a deep breath and studied me some more. Normally, he would have shifted by now. I worried that he stayed in his other form because of how upset he was with me. Was he here to chastise me for yesterday?

I briefly thought he might be waiting for an apology or something of that sort, but I couldn't bring myself to give him one. I knew I was all over the place yesterday, but I was dealing with things the only way I knew how. And it wasn't like I had done anything really crazy.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, even though I knew he couldn’t answer me in this form. He blinked and his tail twitched, but he gave no other response.

"Maddox?" My voice took on an edge of worry. I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't shift already. Had I upset him that much?

He tilted his head as he took in another deep breath. His black fur glinted in the faint light from my bedside lamp. The panther stalked forward, one large paw moving slowly in front of the other, and I felt a moment of alarm. There was a feral look in his eyes that I’d never seen before.

This was no longer my lover and childhood friend. It was a predator with large teeth and claws that could rend my flesh. A panicked thought flashed through my mind that I might have made him so angry that he had completely lost control.

Then he bumped his head against me as he sniffed and nuzzled. He was my Maddox again. His teeth and claws were no longer scary. All I felt was his cool nose as he pushed up my shirt to sniff my stomach and his soft fur as it brushed against my thigh. But he still sniffed me.

"Stop it," I whispered sharply as I tried to push him away. I didn't want to wake my grandmother, but his sniffing was starting to tickle. And it was getting a little weird. Either I smelled like flowers or delicious food. I hoped it was flowers.

In the next moment, he shifted and my lamp gleamed against his naked form. Then his arms were around me as he pulled me in for a hug. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and inhaled again. His scent hit me. He smelled of fresh air and leaves and grass.

"Maddox, seriously, what are—" I was silenced as his mouth covered mine.

I wrapped my hands around his taut shoulders, his bare skin warm beneath my fingers. His body was flushed, his hard length pressed against my stomach. I didn't need to ask for answers now. I understood. The way his arms crushed me against him, his kiss, the heat boiling just beneath his skin—I knew what it all meant.

My Maddox was here for me.

And I was more than happy to give in. Or was I?

Thoughts of his potential mate briefly entered my mind. I could still feel it. That he would be with his mate in the near future. But Maddox wouldn't be here if he already knew who his mate was. Still, he had left without saying a word to me the other day. I pulled back ever so slightly as my thoughts went every which way. If we didn't have long, how would I feel if this was our last night together? Would I want it to be an angry one?

No.

I slid my hands along his shoulders, then his neck, bringing them up to cup his cheeks. I held him tightly in place as I kissed him deeply. If this was it, I was going to make the best of it.

He kissed me back with a desperation that rivaled my own. My eyes felt prickly and warm at the corners, but I couldn't cry. Not now. This was a moment for love—a love that was slipping out of my grasp.

I pulled my lips from his, just long enough to whisper, "Maddox."

He felt so right. His arms eased their crushing hold so his hands could take control of me. When his fingers ran along my skin, I could think of nothing else but his gentle touch, and he knew it. How could he not? We had been here, just like this, countless times before. I could hardly believe this was going to come to an end.

His fingers slipped underneath my shirt and distracted me from those terrible thoughts. My focus fell entirely on the way he slid them along my skin. My shirt was gone before I even realized it, discarded somewhere on my floor. My bra was next.

He pressed his lips hard against mine and his fingers moved to touch my bared flesh with an urgency that already had my hands tugging at his hair. He gently cupped my breasts. I felt my nipples bud as they begged for attention. His calloused fingers brushed over them, the friction fanning the flames of my need. I gasped for more between each increasingly frenzied kiss.

I felt heat pool between my legs. My body knew what he could do to me, and it wanted it. His touch was light and teasing, but I knew what it could be. I needed more.

"Maddox, please," I breathed against his lips. I was begging for more than his touch. I wanted him to tell me I could have him forever. I didn't want to give this up.

That thought soon disappeared, much like the rest, as he moved his hands down and his fingers hooked into the elastic of my simple shorts. He moved the thin material down my legs and followed them. He took another deep breath and a purr rumbled out of him. He told me before he could scent my arousal and that it drove him wild.

He held me steady as I lifted one foot, then the other. My shorts joined the clothing on the floor. He smiled up at me then, and that's when I saw it. The flash of green that was the most welcoming warning sign. He was about to lose control. A shiver worked its way down the length my spine and my entire body buzzed with anticipation.

Maddox placed his hands on my hips as he looked up at me, his thumbs making slow circles against my skin. He leaned forward then and pressed a kiss just below my belly button. I bit my bottom lip as I stared down at him. His kisses trailed lower and lower. He ignited a smoldering ache within me that only he could.

His hands gripped my hips a little tighter. He growled, but it wasn't one of warning, no, it was one of desire. Mine sparked his and drove him wild. He suddenly stood tall in front of me again, his eyes flooded with green. I felt my body pulse with excitement. I knew what was to come, and I couldn't wait.

My hands found his hard chest. I could touch him for hours, trace each carved line, but he wasn't going to let me. Not tonight.

As if to prove my point, he gently laid me on the bed in the next moment. Immediately, Maddox was above me. His back arched as he buried his face in my neck. His lips trailed down to my chest and stopped to lick and suck. He took his time as he coaxed each and every quiet moan he could until I writhed beneath him. Desperate to have more.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed him to touch me where I ached for him. As if he heard my thoughts, he moved down my stomach. His arms found their way beneath my legs.

I knew what that meant. Of course I did. My body responded eagerly. I wanted him so badly it hurt. He could have taken me right then and there, just like that, and I wouldn't have complained. I was ready for him.

He kissed and licked down to the heat between my thighs so slowly that it left me biting back moans of need. I had to be quiet, he knew that, and it felt like he tortured me on purpose. Each kiss deliberately skirted around the place where I wanted his touch the most. His tongue teased me with each short stroke.

With a low, frustrated groan, I thrust my fingers into his hair and pulled him to me. He didn't resist. He pressed a kiss to my wet heat and I felt him smile against me.

"I love the taste of you," he whispered and I shivered as his breath touched me.

I was soon rewarded for my impatience as he trailed his tongue up and down before he swirled it around the sensitive nub that ached for relief. It wasn't enough. My fingers knotted even more tightly in his hair as I bucked my hips up and tried to get closer to his mouth. I had barely gotten a taste of what I wanted and I had to have more. That was the effect Maddox had on me.

His arms were still hooked beneath my legs as he brought his hands up to grip my hips. His fingers held tight as he buried his face against me and lapped at me with his tongue. He increased the pressure and speed until my eyes rolled back into my head. I was so close already. I only needed the touch that would send an inferno pulsing through my veins.

I bit down hard on my lip and whimpered with the effort of forcing back each moan. I knew I couldn't possibly keep quiet, not with him between my legs. Maddox was doing his best to make it as hard as possible. All his attention moved to the source of that persistent ache and his tongue lavished my clit with alternating strokes, hard and soft. My hands moved from his hair to grip the bed sheets. I bucked in time with each stroke of his tongue.

All it took was one hard, determined swirl of his tongue to unleash the fire that had been building inside me. It burst forth and ripped through my veins with such force that it arched my body up and off the bed. I locked his head between my thighs as I twisted and gripped harder at the sheets. I desperately fought back against the urge to cry out until I finally collapsed against the bed, my breath heavy and body trembling.

When my thighs finally relaxed, Maddox couldn't resist one last stroke of his tongue. I was so sensitive that I nearly rocketed off the bed. I frowned down at him, although it was at war with a smile that soon won out. He smiled back at me for one wonderful moment, then his smile was gone. He was on his feet before I could register the change in his position.

"Maddox?" I whispered. I was so lost. This wasn't how things went. We still had so much more to do.

He raised a finger to his lips to hush me, then tilted his head to my door. I frowned at him in confusion, but a moment later I heard quiet footsteps, followed by a hesitant knock on my door.

"Roselani? Is everything okay in there?" my grandmother's voice called out.

I quietly cursed to myself as I rolled out of bed and gathered up my shorts and top. I threw them on, cleared my throat, then called out, "I'm fine!"

I hurried the few steps to the door but turned around before I opened it to see where Maddox hid, but I couldn't find him. I noticed that the branches on the tree outside my window shook slightly. He was gone.

I pushed aside my disappointment and opened the door with a smile.

My grandmother stared at me with tired eyes, her plated gray hair slightly mussed from sleep. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I thought I heard something."

I added a hint of embarrassment to my smile and nodded. "I was practicing some . . . dance moves." Odd, but hopefully it would explain the sweat beading on my skin.

She pursed her lips together and arched a brow. "As long as you're alright."

All of a sudden, I felt like a guilty little kid. I loved living with my grandmother most of the time. I really, truly, did. I liked being close and feeling like I could be here to take care of her. But it was hard at times like this. Especially because I was a terrible liar.

"I'm sorry, I'll quiet down." I gave her an apologetic look.

"I would appreciate it." Her eyes moved behind me and for a moment, I worried that Maddox had come back but then she gave me a knowing smile. That was almost worse.

"Goodnight, Roselani," she said in a soft, tired voice.

"Night."

I closed my bedroom door with a sigh. If Maddox hadn’t heard her coming, I didn't doubt that it would've been even more awkward for all of us. I could tell that he wanted to make me his tonight. It was like he was out to prove something. I was surprised he even heard her because he was like a man possessed. If only we hadn't been interrupted. I bit my lip at the thought and a small moan of disappointment found its way up the back of my throat.

I would think that with her clairvoyance, my grandmother would have known I was fine and didn’t need her to check on me. I sighed again. Who was I kidding? I knew it didn’t work like that. Besides, it was probably faster to simply act like a normal human being and go check on someone anyway. I would have done the same if I had heard strange noises coming from her room.

I wished Maddox had simply hid instead of left, though. He hadn’t given me a chance to ask him anything. To discuss the weirdness between us lately and the fact that something was wrong.

Once he touched me, my body was only too happy to cooperate, and my brain shut itself off. He had this way of moving his fingers over my skin that made me wonder more than once if he was a witch, or maybe even an incubus. He charmed me with every touch.

But he was gone now and suddenly I was exhausted. I climbed into my bed with a yawn. As I closed my eyes, something told me tomorrow was going to be a busy day.