Chapter Sixteen - Braden

 

I learned three things last night.

One, Maddie Stevens fits in my arms perfectly. Two, I want to fuck her, badly. Like, really fuckin' badly. And three, her hair smells like apples.

It's been nine days since Ryan and Aston challenged me to make Maddie fall in love with me, giving the limit of a month to do it. I won't need a damn month at this rate. She's falling – and she's falling hard and fast. I give it ten days, and I'll prove to them I can do it and then I'll walk away from her.

Because, let's face it, if I was a falling in love kinda guy, I'd fall in love with someone like her. Under that curvy body, fiery hair, and behind those pretty green eyes is a girl unlike anyone I know. I'm also pretty damn sure I won't meet anyone like her either.

And that's the problem. When she smiles at me, really smiles, I can see her turning me into a falling in love kinda guy. That makes her dangerous, too fuckin' dangerous, and I gotta get her in bed and walk away before it's too late.

She's tapping a message out on her cell with her brow furrowed as she walks around the corner towards me. Her hair is swept to one side, hiding her face from the rest of the world. I step out from where I was waiting in the stairwell and grab her hand, twirling her into me.

She looks up at me with wide eyes and leans against my chest. “Dammit, Braden! You have to stop doing that to me.”

“Doing what?” I grin down at her.

“Scaring me,” she huffs, pocketing her phone.

“Everything okay?” I push her hair back from her face.

“Yeah, just my brother.” She frowns again and shakes her head. “Doesn't matter. He's just being his usual stupid self.”

“Sure?” I smooth the frown lines out with my thumb.

“Yep,” she says brightly. A little too brightly. She smiles but there's no light in it, not like there was last night. And I'll be damned if I wanna find out what's going on instead of wanting to fuck her in every possible way right now.

It's because she's Megan's friend. That explains the whole caring thing that's starting to go on here. Of course.

I kiss her forehead and link our fingers. We leave the stairwell and head towards the campus cafeteria. It's not the best food in the world, but I know she has a class in half hour. I swear she takes every damn class possible.

We follow the line through and find a small table in the corner. I've already noticed she hates being the center of attention.

She's picking at her food and barely eating any of it. I want to talk to her, but I haven't got a clue what to say. I must be the most insensitive guy ever, but feelings have never mattered much to me. To me, the only feelings that mean anything and are real are in the bedroom.

Until I look into Maddie's sad eyes. Then her feelings are very, very real.

Instead of talking, I settle for sliding my hand across the table and taking hers in mine. I've seen guys do it in those stupid movies Meggy's made me watch. Maddie looks up and gives me a sad, worried smile and I figure it's comforted her some.

What the fuck do I know?

“Hey, Braden.” A girl with long, blonde hair approaches me. The perfect distraction.

If I wasn't in this fucking fake relationship.

“Hi?” I reply. I'm pretty sure I should know her name, but I'm drawing a blank.

“So I was wondering if you were free tonight. We could, y'know, pick up where we left off last time?” She twirls some hair round her finger and juts out a hip.

Fuck. Why does this shit keep happening?

“No, sorry.” I say, feeling Maddie's eyes on me. “I'm not available anymore.”

“What do you mean, not available?” Blonde girl looks between us. Are all the girls I sleep with blonde? Shit.

“As in, I have a girlfriend.”

“Who happens to be sitting right across from him,” Maddie mumbles. There isn't enough 'shits' for how I feel right in this moment. Why is it always chicks that can mess up my carefully laid plan?

“Oh, yes. I didn't notice you there.” Blonde girl turns to Maddie. “I mean, you're not his usual type, honey.”

“Maybe that's why I'm his girlfriend, and you're a discarded weekend fuck whose name he can't even remember, honey.”

Did Maddie just cuss? Holy fuck. She did. Did she get abducted by aliens overnight?

I look between the two girls. Blonde girl is staring daggers at the side of Maddie's head, while she carries on casually picking at her food as if she hadn't just said something completely out of character.

“Maybe you should go.” I nod towards the blonde girl. She gives Maddie one last evil glare and turns back to me, a sweet smile on her face.

“When you're done with her, call me, okay?” She turns and walks away, exaggerating the sway of her hips.

“You have a really bad taste in girls,” Maddie says when blonde girl has disappeared.

Apparently so. “Are you included in that?”

She looks up at her, her previously sad eyes now as cold as ice. This look would freeze hell, I'm sure of it.

“Don't fuck with me, Braden. Not today. I'm not gonna sit here and deal with a bunch of fake-boobed whores coming up to me and telling me how I'm not your 'usual type'.” She snatches her hand from mine and gets up, storming past me.

I lean my head back, sigh, and get up to follow her. Why, oh why, is this so fucking hard?

I follow her out the doors to an area shaded by trees. She's standing there, sunlight glinting off the top of her head where she's not fully under the cover of trees. Her arms are folded over a heaving chest, and she leans against a tree trunk, resting her head back against the rough bark of the trunk.

“Now, Angel,” I say, approaching her. “Why don't you tell me what that was all about?”

“I'm not in the mood to discuss your previous bed-mates, Braden,” she replies, her eyes closed.

“I'm not talking about that.” I move closer to her. “Why don't you tell me where those cuss words came from, because I'm pretty sure I haven't heard you cuss. Ever.”

“A bad day. A slip up. Ignore it.”

“Why would I ignore it?”

“Because I said to.”

“If you're having a bad day, talk to me. It's what I'm here for, right?” I pause. “I said I wanted to be there for you, so let me.”

She laughs bitterly and shakes her head. Her eyes open and that hardened, guarded look is glossing over the bright green I'm getting so accustomed to.

“My life before Berkeley and yours were very, very different. You can't even imagine it, so there's no point in talking. You wouldn't understand.”

“Then help me to.” I put a hand against the trunk, standing in front of her. Her eyes meet mine. “Help me understand. Help me help you.”

She bites her top lip. “Not today,” she whispers. “I just, can't talk right now.”

I slide my hand behind her neck and tug her to me, pressing her body against me. She flattens her hands against my stomach and pushes back.

“No,” I say into her ear. “If you won't talk to me, Maddie, let me hold you. I can do that, at least.”

She freezes, stuck in a state of indecision, before relaxing into me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

“I'm sorry,” she murmurs. “For being a raging bitch.”

“Don't be,” I reply, stroking the back of her head. I saw that in a movie too. “I'm sorry.”

And I am. I just don't know what the hell I'm sorry for.