My heart is hammering against my chest, and I find myself gripping Braden's hands, my fingers slipping between his.
“It's not that bad.” He laughs into my ear.
“That depends on which side you're on,” I reply, my back going stiff. “Braden, I want to stop.”
“No.” He slides one of his arms around me and pulls me to him so my back is flush against his chest, both of our arms wrapping my stomach. “See? I've got you. It's fine, beautiful.”
“This is crazy. Never again is Megan organizing a date.”
“Yeah, she got a good one with this.” He laughs again, and I shake my head.
“No, no, she didn't. This is terrible.”
“Really? I would have thought that being up against me would be a good thing.”
“Maybe it would be if I could actually focus on the fact I'm pressed against your body.”
“Well, then.” He spins so he's in front of me, skating backwards.
“Braden, you can't see where we're going!”
“That's your job.”
“Oh my god.” I try looking over his shoulder, but I can't. He's too tall, dammit. “You're too tall!”
“Then you just have to trust me.” His lips take mine in a searing kiss, and I gasp inwardly, grabbing hold of him tightly. His hands find my waist and pull my hips against him, our speed slowing slightly. He goes to deepen the kiss, his tongue tracing between my lips, and I nip his bottom lip before I open to him. My fingers tangle in his hair as our tongues meet, starting an intricate dance of want.
For a second, I forget the game. I forget the fake relationship. I forget the fact I'm on rollerskates and Braden isn't-
“Oomph!” Braden grunts, hitting the grass. I laugh, rolling off him.
“I told you we didn't know where we were going!” I say through my laughter, blades of grass tickling my ears.
“Hey.” He rolls towards me, propping himself up on his elbow. His hair flops down towards my face, casting little shadows over my face. “I totally knew where we were going until you distracted me.”
“I distracted you? Oh no, mister. You kissed me, not the other way around.”
“And I didn't hear any complaints about that.”
“Maybe that's because there weren't any.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let's try again.”
I arch into him as he presses himself against me, his tongue slipping straight between my lips. I grip his hair again, holding his mouth against mine. He runs a hand down my side, igniting a blazing trail of goose-pimples beneath my clothing. My leg bends, leaning against his hip, and his hand finds my thigh, holding it underneath. His fingers stroke and probe the bare skin gently, and I press myself closer to him, on fire everywhere he's touched me.
He pushes his hips into me and I can feel him against my other thigh, hard and ready. I whimper deep in my throat, want for the guy I hate overtaking any other feelings in my body. It builds up, climbing higher and higher, and I know if we weren't in public there's no way I wouldn't end what he started.
I'm half considering it, and we're in the middle of a park.
His teeth graze my bottom lip as he pulls away. My eyes open to a mass of cloudy, electric blue need in his. He breathes out heavily, his eyes fixated on mine.
“Maddie, I-”
“There you are! Oh, shit!” Lila calls. “I didn't see anything. I promise. Carry on. I'm leaving now.”
I giggle and rest my forehead against Braden's shoulder, the moment between us broken.
“There's nothing to see, Lila,” Braden calls to her. “Just a kiss.”
“Oh. Get up then!”
We both laugh, and Braden stands up, offering me his hands to help me up. I wrap my fingers around his, and he tugs me up, surprising me with another kiss before pulling me along after him through the park.
I swallow and let him guide me. The game is quickly reaching levels I'm not ready for.
Chapter Twenty - Braden
There are too many levels in this game, and I'm not ready for the one it's climbing to. That level has a big fat f**kin' neon sign declaring the game over, and reality starting. Reality, with Maddie?
Reality, with anyone?
When I was six, I assumed I'd grow up and marry Meggy, like all little kids do. You marry your favorite person, and at six that's your best friend, right? Yeah. What a laugh.
Now, Meggy is my little sister. She's the one person I'd go to hell for. I'd take a bullet for her, I'd kill for her, and I will protect her until she doesn't need it anymore – and I'll probably do it even then.
Saturday marks two weeks since this game started, and with every day that passes I get to know Maddie a little more. She's guarded. There are a lot of secrets behind those pretty green eyes, despite how revealing they are for her emotions. I want to know what those secrets are, because despite it all, I'm starting to f**king care about her.
I'm starting to care about the sadness that appears and the wall she puts up whenever her brother is mentioned. Ever since we spoke about him two days ago, she's been more and more fidgety. She keeps checking her phone, the clock, her phone, the clock. It's a repeated cycle that is driving me f**king insane because I have no idea what's going on.
“Update?” Ryan sticks his head in my door.
“Getting there.” I don't look up from the TV where I'm playing – but not focusing on – the Xbox.
“How close is getting there? Two weeks left.”
“Just over.”
“What?”
“Just over two weeks.” I take off a zombie's head. “Don't sweat it, man. I'm fine.”
“I could tell that from the show you two put on in the park.”
“Fuck off,” I reply, a protective streak suddenly sparking in my body. “It's gotta be done, you know that.”
“Alright. Whatever, Braden.”
My door clicks shut, and I shake my head. Megan's words come back to me. Decide if Maddie is something with a pulse or something more than that.
I shoot several zombies in a row. Eh. What the f**k does she know anyway?
I die. I drop the controller on the floor and huff, lying back on my bed. Stupid game. Stupid challenge.
I hear a light knock at my door. “Come in.” I raise my head from the pillow, and Maddie pushes the door open, her arms full of books. I jump up and take them from her, letting her shut the door.
“Afternoon.” She smiles and takes her books back.
“Good afternoon, Angel.” I smile back at her, bending for a quick kiss. “I didn't realize you were bringing the library with you. If I knew, I would have met you there instead.”