Rival

I stood up, taking a few steps toward her. “Did you lose interest in it?”

“No.”

“Then why?” I stopped and crossed my arms over my chest.

Fallon loved skateboarding. She’d put in her earbuds and go off to Iroquois Mendoza Park for hours, alone or with friends, and just get lost.

Licking her lips, she said with a small voice, “I guess at first, I didn’t want to enjoy anything. I didn’t want to smile.”

That sounded like guilt. But why would she feel guilty?

“Were you angry with me?” I asked. “For not coming after you?”

She nodded, her voice still small. “I was.”

“But not now?”

At the time, I’d thought she’d wanted to leave. I never thought about going after her, because I thought I was the one she ran from.

Her eyes met mine. “No, I don’t blame you for anything. We were so young.” She looked away and added as an afterthought. “Too young.”

I guess she was right. At times, I knew what we were doing was dangerous, but I was consumed with her. I didn’t care. And whereas she slowed down and took her time growing up, I charged ahead. I didn’t sleep with as many girls as I bragged about even though the opportunity was there, but I definitely couldn’t say I’d saved myself for her, either.

I moved closer, stepping up to the end of the bed. “Why did you never try to come home?”

“I did.”

CHAPTER 23

FALLON

So Madoc wanted to talk.

This was new.

I couldn’t get off the bed without his permission, and I was totally na**d and vulnerable while he conducted his Q&A.

I sighed, knowing I owed him this much. And more. “A few months after I left I snuck back,” I added. “You were having a party, and you had someone with you.”

As much as I’d gotten past hating him for that, the feeling of betrayal could never be forgotten. He had been sitting on the edge of the hot tub with his legs in the water while some girl blew him. He had been leaning back on one hand with his other in her hair, and his head had fallen back. He didn’t see me looking through the patio doors.

His dad and Addie were home but undoubtedly asleep. I thought I’d worked it well, arriving in so late. He’d be in bed. I’d sneak in. We’d talk.

My timing couldn’t have been more wrong. Or more right.

I ran out of the house, away from someone I was too young to love.

Madoc averted his pained eyes. “You shouldn’t have saved yourself for me. I don’t deserve it.”

“I didn’t,” I whispered. “I saved myself for me. Part of it was that I didn’t want anyone else but you, but the truth was I just didn’t want anyone. Even you. I was in over my head. I needed to grow up.”

His body was so still. He’d stopped advancing, and I wanted him to know that none of this mattered anymore. I’d lived with it and had plenty of time to get over everything. He was still adjusting.

I lay back on the bed, watching his eyes come back to me as I rolled onto my stomach and looked over my shoulder at him.

“Fuck the past. Remember?” I told him, keeping my eyes and tone serious. My pose might be to redirect his attention back on me, but I wanted him to know that while I understood his concerns, we were done talking.

His eyes softened, and he walked around the bed, leaning down over me on his hands.

He was so close, and I faltered when I felt a streak shoot from my chest down between my legs.

Please touch me, Madoc.

I gave him a sly smile and hooded my eyes, trying to be sexy. Kicking up my legs, I crossed my ankles and swung my feet back and forth.

He turned his head, running his eyes the whole length of my body in a way that made me feel as if a warm blanket covered every inch his gaze touched. Reaching out, he grazed the skin of my back with his fingertips, and I closed my eyes.

“How’s school?” he asked, and I popped my eyes open again.

“Madoc! For Christ’s sake!” I yelled.

I hated questions, and now was not the time!

He arched a scolding eyebrow at me. “Temper, Fallon,” he warned.

I clenched my teeth, seething.

But then I was shocked out of my anger when he grabbed me by my thigh and hauled me to the edge of the bed, flipping me over onto my back.

“Madoc!”

Parting my legs, he hooked me under my knees and yanked me to meet him at the edge.

My heart pumped like a ten-pound weight pressed against my chest, and a sweat broke out over my neck.

What the hell? Why was he handling me?

“School,” he urged like a warning.

“It’s . . . it’s . . . good,” I stammered. “I’m studying Mechanical Engineering. You?”

I didn’t laugh, because I was mad, but this should’ve been funny, I guess.

He ran his fingers between my legs, massaging my entrance. “Pre-Law,” he responded in a light, nonchalant tone. “Surprise, surprise.” He sounded like he was having a business conversation.

“Yeah,” I breathed out, trying really hard to figure out what the hell my mind should be on right now. His questions or the sensation of his prodding fingers. “Pre-Law? How’s that?” I asked.

“I like it, actually.” His eyes weren’t on mine. He was watching everything his hand was doing. “I think I’ll be good at it. So what does the Valknut tattoo mean?”

He slipped a finger in, and my belly exploded with fireworks.

“Um . . . what?” I gasped.

What was the question?

His finger—or fingers, I thought it was one, but I felt so full—had to be buried down to the knuckle, because he was so deep when he started massaging my insides with small circles.

Holy shit. My eyes rolled to the back of my head.

“The Valknut symbol, Fallon,” he reminded me.

I barely unclenched my teeth. “Can I tell you another time?”

Please, please, please, pretty please?!

His sly little smile peeked out as he watched his fingers moving inside me. Triumphant bastard.

“One more question.” He raised his gaze to mine. “Do you trust me, Fallon?”

I stilled, knowing right away what my answer was. “You’re the only person I trust.”

Sitting up with my legs still hooked on his arms, I looked up at him and whispered, “And I’ll make you trust me.”

He was going to wake up in the morning with me still here.

He pulled me up to stand on the bed, and I wrapped him up in my arms, hugging him to me. His smooth jaw rubbed against my chest as his head lowered, trailing kisses over my collarbone and down my br**sts.

I ran my fingers through his short blond hair and leaned into his mouth. Chills spread everywhere, and I shivered.

He took a nipple between his teeth and then covered it with his entire mouth, sucking hard. “Damn,” I sighed, completely helpless.

I let my head fall back as I moaned. His hot mouth sucked and released, bit and let go, over and over again until I felt like there was a spark of electricity shooting from my heart straight to the heat between my legs.

Then, he turned his attention on the other one: kissing, nibbling, and damn near eating me alive.

Sucking in my bottom lip, I dug my nails into his shoulders while he feasted. The torture was so good, but it was building so much that I wanted to throw him down, climb on top, and ride him.

I jerked, my eyes popping open when I felt his fingers back between my legs.

“Damn, you’re wet,” he groaned into my neck.

Yeah, I could feel it.

I pushed against his chest and dropped to the bed, scooting back to the headboard in a slow crawl.

“Stop toying, Madoc,” I challenged through hooded eyes. “Time to put up or shut up. Let’s see what you got.”

He broke out in a bright smile, stilling my heart. Laughing and watching me, he stalked around the bed unfastening his jeans.

“My little rival. You think I can’t rise to the occasion in this game?” he shot back.

I couldn’t hide the smile at the corner of my mouth. Leaning back on my hands, I bent my legs up, locking my knees together with my ankles apart.

I lifted my eyebrows with a look that said prove it.

But my face fell when he smiled again, this time more sinister.

Oh shit!

A yelp caught in my throat as he darted out his hands, grabbed my ankles, yanked me down, and then paused only a moment to gloat at my wide-eyed expression before flipping me over to my stomach.

Fast, shallow breaths poured in and out of me, and my insides clenched and throbbed with the friction of the blankets on my stomach.

I choked on air. “Mad—”

“Don’t talk,” he growled low in my ear, and that’s when I realized I was trapped by a wall behind me.

He still had his jeans on. I could feel them rubbing against my ass.

His hand dipped back between my legs, and I closed my eyes as he smoothed them up and around the entrance, across my cl*t in circles but never entering me. I propped myself up on my elbows and started moving into his fingers.

The bed dipped, so I knew he must’ve brought a knee up to lean over me. A hot, wet tickle ran up my back, and I shivered at the feel of his tongue licking me.

A hard nibble descended on my side, and I clenched the blankets under me.

“Madoc.” But he didn’t stop. Coming down again and again, he sucked on the skin of my back, taking it between his teeth each time. It felt like glass splintering. One kiss and the tingles spread out in an even radius all over my body.

“You want to challenge me again?” He pressed himself into my ass, and I could feel his hardness trying to get free.

“Madoc, damn it!” I tried to sound angry, but it came out as a whimper-cry-beg instead. “I’m about to hump the damn bed! Please!”

Looking over my shoulder, I soaked in his sexy-as-hell smooth, tanned chest and six-pack that I wanted to lick. “I need you,” I mouthed.

He must’ve seen the pleading in my eyes, because he reached over to his nightstand and plucked out a condom. Ripping it open with his teeth, he pulled his pants and boxer briefs down and kicked them off his feet. I held his eyes as he rolled it on. I held his eyes when he knelt on the bed and lowered himself on me.

But I lost him when he arched one of my legs up, my inner thigh lying flat on the bed, and nestled himself between my legs.

As he positioned both of his arms on the bed next to each of my shoulders, he leaned down over me, his hand under my chin, and tipped my head up to meet his lips.

Oh. He covered my entire mouth with his, and slipped inside of me, slick and fast.

I whimpered into his mouth.

“I love you,” he groaned against my lips.

I reached behind me and clutched the back of his neck, closing my eyes and absorbing every back-and-forth movement of his body as it thrust into mine.

Grinding my teeth together, I sucked in air as he drove deeper and faster, his body sliding up and down my back.

His long, muscled forearms at my sides flexed and tensed, and each time he entered me, I started moaning at the pleasure of what he could do to me that I couldn’t do to myself. I think people called it the G-spot, and he was really good at finding it. I started squirming against the bed, pushing up against him to increase the speed. The faster he went, the more I felt it.

His hot breath hissed in my ear. “No patience tonight, huh?”

“I’m sorry,” I moaned, not lessening my speed one bit. “I’ll make it up to you. This position is just . . .”

My belly started to swirl with butterflies like I was free-falling, and my insides tightened and released. I dropped my head to the bed and arched my ass up to meet him and held it there as he slammed into me.

“Oh,” I moaned, feeling the burn, and I went wild, seeking him faster and harder.