Page 5 of Adore Her
“What, like punch him in the face?” I ask, smirking.
“Sure, if it’s warranted.”
Holy shit. He’s actually serious.
“Right…um, please don’t go around punching anyone on my behalf. I really don’t want that. Actually, for my peace of mind, can you promise me that you won’t?”
Maddox scrubs a hand over his face. Reluctantly, he says, “Fine. I won’t punch anyone.”
“Or doanythingelse physically violent?”
“Yeah, yeah. I promise.”
“Thank you.”
I almost reach out and give his arm a squeeze, the way I would if I was having a conversation like this with my brother, but I stop myself. Something deep inside me knows that if I make physical contact with Maddox, it’s only going to make my dumb little crush on him even worse.
“You should get back to the guys,” I say.
Maddox’s eyes stay focused on me. “Only if you promise to join us later.”
I know that goes against my plan, but if three out of four of the guys truly don’t mind me being around…
“Fine,” I say. “A promise for a promise.”
4MADDOX
Don’t get me wrong. It’s great to catch up with the guys. With all of our lives as busy as they are, we hardly ever get to hang out like this anymore. I’m grateful we were all able to make this weekend work, and I’m grateful for the friendship the four of us have maintained.
But it’s impossible to give the guys my full attention. With Cora here, it’s just not gonna happen.
My yearning for her is driving me nuts. It’s at its worst when she’s not in the same room as me. The only thing that keeps me sane is knowing that she’s in the same house, no further than a few rooms away. I’ve never been like this with anyone, never felt so obsessed or protective.
She’s the one I’ve been waiting for.
There’s not a doubt in my mind.
Fortunately—thank fuck—she’s kept her promise to not keep her distance from us. An hour ago, when we sat down to have lunch, she sat down to eat with us, and she didn’t hesitate to join in on the conversation. Hell, I think she’s even starting to win over Kurt, because when he brought up the topic of a recent scandal that was in the news, she made a witty remark that made him genuinely laugh.
Now the five of us are down at the lake with the afternoon sun shining down on us. We’ve got a private rocky beach all to ourselves. Jude, Graham, and Kurt are out on the dock checking out the jet skis at our disposal, and Cora is sitting on a boulder near the water’s edge, gazing out across the glittering blue lake. Strands of her honey blonde hair keep dancing in the light breeze.
Meanwhile, I can’t stop myself from imagining her in a wedding dress. Lace kissing her ample curves. Flowers in her hair.
“Yo!” Kurt calls from the dock. “We’re going out on the lake!”
I give the guys a salute as they mount the jet skis. The water ripples behind them as they tear away from the dock.
As I make my way to the boulder where Cora is sitting, she remains perfectly still, as if she can’t hear my approaching footsteps. She doesn’t even look over at me when I slide up onto the rock and sit next to her.
Ah, shit. Her eyes are closed. She’s obviously in the middle of something.
“Hi,” she says softly, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth as her eyes remain shut.
“Am I interrupting?”
“No. I’m done.” Her eyelids flutter open, and the blue of her eyes is even more dazzling. She looks over at me with a smile still on her face. “Just meditating a little.”
“Can you do that anywhere?”