I walked into my room and saw Hazel sitting on the chair.

She was a beautiful dream. A touch of an angel to the world of the devil I resided in. I stared for a few seconds, admiring the sight. Her hair down. Those green eyes shining brighter than they actually were. The way her body molded against the chair. I saw myself sitting next to her, putting some ink on her wrist. Something soft, sweet, subtle, something that was all her. Something you wouldn’t see at first, but when you did, you’d be in awe.

In fact, I had an idea for what I wanted to do.

Around her neck was the camera.

She grabbed it and lifted it up, snapping a few pictures of me.

“That came with a condition,” I said. “No more pictures of me.”

“Try me,” she whispered.

I walked toward her as she took about ten more pictures. I leaned over the chair, the camera still clicking away. I didn’t stop until my forehead rested against hers.

“Well, aren’t you feeling brave, huh?”

“Maddox, how much did this cost?”

“I think you know that answer, sugar. So why ask?”

“This is insane. I can’t pay you for this.”

“I didn’t say you had to.”

“At least take the gift card back. I don’t need anything else.”

“No refunds on the gift card,” I said.

“But…why?”

I touched her cheek. “You deserve it. Whatever you’re going through, you deserve this. At the very least, this. Because this you love. Because this is part of your spirit. And I don’t want you to lose your spirit, Hazel.”

“Are you saying that you like my spirit? That you like me?”

“That I like you? What are we, twelve?”

She grinned.

I kissed the tip of her nose and then turned to go to my desk.

“I’m just not good with gifts,” she said. “So, if I come across like I don’t appreciate it…”

“Sugar, I didn’t do this to get my name on a building or something,” I said. I sat down and pulled open a drawer.

“You did it because of her. The girl from the picture.”

I looked in the mirror at my own reflection. I swallowed hard.

Why the fuck had I flirted with opening that door?

“You don’t want to talk about it,” Hazel said.

I grabbed a pen and ripped a piece of paper in half.

“It’s not that,” I said. “It’s just not the time.” I folded up the paper. I turned and grabbed Hazel’s hand, and I put the paper into it. “Just take your pictures and make your living, okay? Don’t let anything stand in your way. There’s so much shit I can’t say to you, because it would be wrong. I don’t do what I’m doing right now. Ever. Okay? So that means something. I hope you know that. I have to go get some ideas for a sketch for a tattoo. And Tate is calling a meeting I guess.”

She swallowed hard. “A meeting. Yeah. I…well…yeah.”

“Yeah? Yeah what?”

“Nothing.”

She was lying to me.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure it’s good. Hey, why do you hate the cameras so much? I mean, my camera and stuff?”

“I just do.”

I stood up.

Reading her body language was like reading a picture book. I could see everything. Something had her uneasy. And Tate wanted to talk to her privately. And now, Tate wanted to talk with all of us. And me, privately, after that meeting.

That meant whatever was going on had something to do with Hazel.

She opened the paper and let out a laugh.

When she laughed, I smiled.

Her cheeks turned red.

I’d written something on the piece of paper.

Do you like me? Circle YES or NO.

I circled YES, like a damn fool, wanting to flirt and make her smile.

“There’s your answer,” I said.

I walked to the door but didn’t get a chance to open it. Hazel got off the chair and hurried to the door. She put her hand to the doorknob and turned the lock. Then she took a handful of my shirt and pulled herself toward me.

I slowly turned, and she was staring up at me.

There was a look in her eyes that shot heat through my body. I felt myself swelling instantly, putting myself and Hazel in dangerous territory. I gritted my teeth, wanting to warn her that if she was going to play these games, she would lose. No matter what, she would lose.

But this time…she actually got one over on me and won.

With three words.

“Here’s your answer.”

* * *

I gave her the benefit as she kissed me. I let her pin me against the door for a little bit as I held her steady, leaning down, kissing her as hard and wild as she kissed me. She tasted so fucking delicious, my favorite flavor in the world. One that I could never describe and one I would never fucking share. It was mine. All mine.

Her hands were under my shirt, scratching at my body. I loved that feeling—the way she found ways to let herself go. Show her true colors. Her beautiful strength. Her needs. I was a lucky man right then to be given the chance to see that and capture it for a moment or two.

My hands touched her face, stroking her cheeks. That was only temporary, though. Hazel slid her right hand down and went over my jeans, finding my thickness with ease. She squeezed it and groaned into my mouth.

That’s when I lost my cool.

My hands slapped against her hips, and I spun her around. She let out a gasp when she realized she was the one pinned to the door now. My lower half rested against hers. She bucked her hips at me, biting her lip as we took a momentary break from the wild kissing.

That moment gave me a chance to flirt with her a little more.

My fingers touched the button on her pants, flicking it open with ease.

“You know, I’ve never done anything crazy in here,” I whispered. I kissed her neck. “But you make me crazy, Hazel. Crazy in every sense of the word.”

“Maddox,” she purred as her hands grabbed for my neck.

I opened her pants and slid my left hand around to the small of her back, under her shirt, feeling the softness and the dimples on her back.

I ached for her in a way that bothered me. Shit, it really fucking bothered me.

I kissed her neck again and growled.

I looked at her, staring down at her. My lip curling. I felt angry, but in a really heated way. Not to hurt her, no, never that. But angry that she was the one who was getting to me and through me.

My hand felt the smoothness of her body. The curve of her body gave way to the damp folds of her slit. My fingers welcomed themselves, pressing and curling with her, feeling the tender heat pouring from her.

Her nails dug hard into my neck. Her mouth opened like she wanted to make noise.

But she knew any noise she made, everyone in St. Skin would hear.

Not that I gave a damn.

I ran the tip of my nose up and down against hers. I brought my middle finger up and touched her clit. I made the same motion with my fingertip to her clit as I had done with my nose to hers. Teasing her from top to bottom.

I made circles around her clit, feeling her hips moving with my touch. I was in full command, just the way I liked it.

Her body shivered as it rested against the door, ready for me.

I kissed her lips. “Try not to make too much noise, sugar. This is a place of business.”

I laughed and then kissed her neck.

My fingers moved back down, and I pressed them against her opening. Her pussy was beautiful, sheathing tight against my fingers as I sank them into her. I felt her legs flex and thrust, offering more of herself to me. She sucked in a breath and let out some breathless noise.

I groaned and ran the tip of my tongue along the sweetness of her neck, tasting her skin.

With a twisting and pulling movement, I made Hazel bend her knees, press her back harder against the door, thrusting herself at me. Her hands let go of their hold on my neck and grabbed my shoulders.

I gently went back up her neck to her ear. My fingers, however, were anything but gentle. Moving, circling, curling my fingers as I guided her toward the edge of climax.

I let out a breath against her ear. “Sugar, I want to feel you. All of you. This door is going to open soon. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

Hazel let out a groan sound as she rocked her hips against my touch. I felt her body starting to jerk randomly. She was there, getting closer by the second.

“Fuck, sugar, you don’t know what you’re doing to me. I’m going to give you everything soon enough. And I hope you can handle it and keep it safe. I’m going to share everything with you. Not even the guys here know my everything…”

“Maddox,” she groaned. “Kiss me.”

I put my lips to hers and felt her try to ravage me. Her body thrusting. Her tongue diving into my mouth. But I was the one still in complete and total control. My two fingers taking care of her between her legs. Sliding out and up, caressing her clit, giving her that last little nudge to the edge of that waterfall. My other hand moved up her body, over the swell of her breast, up to her neck, finally resting against her cheek.

And that’s how I held her as she came.

Reaching climax, she stopped kissing me, her mouth open, letting out little groans and whimpers. Tasting her breath, her lips touching mine, her body gently bouncing with each shock of pleasure that went through her body.

It was fucking beautiful, just like she was.

I kept her there, against the door, my fingers working with the warm pulse of her body.

Hazel exhaled with a groan and gasped. Her breathing was wild, even long after she came. We kissed again. Wildly. Like we were teenagers just figuring out what kissing felt like.

That was what Hazel did to me. She drove me fucking crazy like that. She made me want to stand there and kiss her. She made me forget about everything surrounding me. She made me understand the power of the moment, and not just through a goddamn picture. I didn’t need a picture of this. I had the proof on my tongue. The taste of her tongue. Her lips. Her skin. I had the proof on my fingers, her sweet honey I’d drawn out of her.

When I finally broke away from her, she just stood there for a few more seconds.

I gently fixed her pants, then touched her wrist.

Her right wrist.

I ran the fingertips that had brought her to orgasm against her own skin.

“I have an idea for you,” I whispered. “A tattoo.”

“A tattoo?”

“Think about it, sugar. I won’t tell you what it is. You’ll have to trust me.”

“Maddox, I need you to know that I-”

There was a thundering boom against the door.

Hazel jumped and yelled.

“Meeting!” I heard Tate’s voice yell. “Now!”

“I guess I have to go,” I whispered. “You better go, too. Unless there’s anything you want to tell me.”

I saw the look on her face again. The look that she knew something that I was going to find out.

I approached her. I put my hands to her waist. I kissed her again, just because you never knew when there was going to be a last kiss.

I then moved her and pulled the door open.

I backtracked to my chair and grabbed Hazel’s camera.

I handed it to her, and she put it around her neck.

Then she reached for my hand. “Maddox. I…call me when you’re done here. Please.”

I nodded. “Of course, sugar.”

She smiled and walked away.

I watched her as she went.

My eyes stared at her ass rocking back and forth, her hips like the pendulum of a clock that controlled the time remaining in my heart. Tick-fucking-tock, sugar.

I met Tate’s eyes, and he motioned for me.

Whatever was about to happen wasn’t going to be good.

I licked my lips, tasting Hazel’s lips and skin.

I wished I had just one more last kiss with her…just like before…