Page 8 of Adore Her
“Just did what I had to do,” he says, and smiles.
Ugh. Why does he have to have such a panty-dropping smile?
I divert my eyes to the plate of shortbread cookies sitting on the coffee table and lean forward to grab one. The buttery cookie practically melts in my mouth. I can’t fully enjoy it, though, with Maddox watching me eat it.
His gaze is so…palpable.
“I know Kurt hasn’t made the best impression on you,” Maddox says. “But he’s not always like this.”
I crook an eyebrow. “So, what, he’s normally a soft-spoken gentleman?”
Maddox chuckles. “No. Wouldn’t say that. But he’s usually more chilled out. I think he’s just blowing off steam this weekend. He’s got a pretty high-stress job. Been dealing with some family stuff, too.”
“Oh.” I feel a little pang of empathy for Kurt. “I see.”
“You probably won’t believe this, but he can actually be a pretty sensitive guy.”
It is, in fact, pretty difficult to imagine Kurt as a sensitive guy. But not impossible. Because people aren’t just one thing. They’re multilayered. Complex. Surprising.
“I believe you,” I tell Maddox.
A beat of silence follows—not an awkward silence, or an empty silence, but one that feels comfortable. Intimate, even.
“So, Cora,” says Maddox. “Tell me what you do for fun.”
“You mean, aside from crashing guys’ weekends?” I say. “Oh, well, you know…I crash a lot of weddings, too. And a decent number of birthday parties. A baby shower now and then, too, to mix things up.”
Maddox laughs. “Uh huh.”
“I’m also really into Swedish death metal,” I go on, maintaining as much of a straight face as I can. “Oh, and tattoos. I’m thinking of getting my entire face tatted up.”
Now it’s Maddox’s turn to crook an eyebrow. “And cover up that beautiful face? Don’t you dare.”
Heat rushes up into my cheeks. I snatch another shortbread cookie from the plate. With averted eyes, I say, “That’s the second time you’ve called me that.”
“Won’t be the last.” Maddox keeps talking before I can think of a way to respond. “Seriously, though. I know you meditate. I know you dream of opening a yoga studio. But there’s still way too fucking much I don’t know about you.”
I risk a glance at him. “Why do you want to get to know me?”
“Why? Because I’m mesmerized by you, Cora.”
“I…um…”Is this really happening?“I don’t think my brother is going to be very happy about that.”
Maddox studies me, controlled heat in his eyes. “That your way of telling me to back off?”
“No,” I say, the word jolting out of my mouth. The thought of him backing off makes a weird feeling rise up in my throat. But then Maddox shifts toward me on the couch, making the feeling in my throat dissolve.
“I’m just pointing out why it’s problematic,” I say.
“Sure. It’s an issue. But we’ll figure it out.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Maddox shrugs. “I’ll tell Jude I’m interested in you. He’ll be pissed for a few days. Then he’ll get over it.”
“You sound so confident.”
Maddox reaches over and tucks one of my wayward curls behind my ear. My ear, of course, goes hot at his touch. I swallow, wanting him to keep touching me. I don’t know if Maddox can see it in my eyes or if he already had his mind made up, but his fingers linger, then slide under my chin and tilt it up toward him.