Page 9 of Adore Her
This is happening. This is definitely happening.
“I getreallyinto the holidays,” I blurt out.
Maddox gives me a questioning look.
“I’m mildly allergic to dogs,” I continue. “I’m close to both of my parents. I’m a terrible cook. I watch the same movies over and over. I have a scar on my leg from trying to skateboard when I was eight. I’ve always wanted to go to New Zealand. I’ve never been in love. I—”
Whatever words I’m about to say next disappear from my mind as Maddox closes the remaining space between us and captures my mouth with his. His lips are smooth and thick and warm. His kiss is hungry. Sensual. Possessive.
His lips part, and I part mine too, letting his tongue in and tasting him with my own.
I thought his smile was panty-melting, but this kiss—well, fuck. My panties are soaked.
But that’s as far as it goes. Because as we’re kissing, the guys barge into the cabin, laughing and talking loudly. They can’t see us from the door they came in through, but I immediately pull away from Maddox and scramble up from the couch. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Maddox adjust his pants.
Stop looking at him.
Stop thinking about him.
Stop wishing you were still kissing him.
I grab all the tea stuff off the coffee table and busy myself with bringing it into the kitchen. In my haste, I almost crash into the guys in the hallway.
“Hey!” I say, my cheerfulness sounding way too enthusiastic. “How were the jet skis?”
“Great, except for the part where Kurt almost died,” says my brother, slinging an arm around Kurt’s shoulder. “Maddox in here with you?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Saying anything that isn’t an admission of what Maddox and I just did feels like an enormous lie.
“Uh…Cor?” Jude says, giving me a weird look.
“He’s in the living room,” I spit out, and then because I can’t stand to look my brother in the eye any longer, I rush off to the kitchen.
6MADDOX
“Hey, man,” says Jude, coming into the living room. “There you are.”
I’m still on the couch, too tormented to move. I no longer have a massive hard-on, but now it feels like my whole damn body is being ripped apart. That kiss with Cora confirmed what I already knew: she’s my destiny. I need her. I’ll have her. Not just once, or for a brief fling, but for the rest of our lives.
“Hey,” I say, giving Jude a nod.
“You okay, dude?” Jude asks, frowning as he takes a seat in one of the leather armchairs across from the couch. “Looks like that swim really took it out of you.”
It would be easy to take the excuse he’s unwittingly offered me. But a real man doesn’t lie to his best friend.
“It’s not that,” I say. Christ, I can still taste his sister on my tongue. “Listen. I need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay,” Jude says slowly.
Time to rip the fucking bandaid off.
“It’s Cora,” I say. “I like her. A lot. Awholelot.”
Jude bursts out laughing, like I’ve just told him a goddamn joke. I just sit there, waiting for him to take a good look at my face and see how serious I am.
It takes another few seconds, but it finally seems to hit him.
“You’re into mysister?” Jude says. “What the hell, Maddox? No. Not happening.”