“Yes.” He hides his smile. “As lovely as Miss Stevens is, do you think you could concentrate on my lesson for the last ten minutes of class instead?”
Maddie looks at me and smiles. I wink at her.
“I'll try, Sir, but I'm not promising anything.”
Mr. Jessop shakes his head and turns back to the board.
I drop Maddie's hair, letting my forearm rest across the back of her chair. She glances at me, and I raise my eyebrows innocently.
“What?” I mouth.
She shakes her head, her lips curving upwards, and bites her pen. Her plump lips seal around the pen cap, and she spins it in her mouth, her lips puckered. Fucking tease.
I move my hand to her shoulder and begin to trace light circles on her bare skin, eliciting a shiver from her. Bingo.
I face forward, pretending to concentrate on the lesson but in actuality, I'm focusing on the way Maddie's lips are around that pen. I'm jealous of that pen. Really f**kin' jealous.
I shift in my seat slightly. This girl is turning me into a walking hard-on, and it's all because my dick isn't used to waiting for what it wants. I'm not used to waiting for what I want. Is class over yet? No? Fuck.
Maddie looks at me out of the corner of her eye, the green in it brighter from her amusement at the situation. Her eyes bore into mine as I turn my head slightly. My finger trails up to her neck, her hairline, and back down. She shivers again, stronger this time.
“Stop it,” she hisses at me quietly.
“Why?” I whisper back. “I thought you liked that.”
“Braden, we're in class!”
“And?” I grin cockily at her. “Maybe I'm having a fantasy about taking you on my desk, and this class isn't helping that thought.”
Her mouth opens, and her pen falls out. Blood rises in her cheeks, flushing them.
“Oh my god,” she mutters.
“What?” I chuckle silently.
“I can't believe you just said that.”
“Why? It's true. I am imagining having sex with you on my desk.”
The bell rings, and she gathers all her stuff up, shaking her head with her still-flushed cheeks. I shove my stuff into my backpack and join her round the front of the desk. I slip my arm round her waist and cup her hip as we leave the classroom.
“I don't get it,” she says as we make our way outside.
“Get what, Angel?”
“How you managed to think of that in the middle of studying Moby.... Y'know what? Never mind.”
I laugh out loud. “Yep, I was pretty sure I heard the word 'dick' at some point at the beginning of class, and you just confirmed it.”
“But how did you get from a whale to... Yeah.”
“Maddie, if someone says 'pussy cat' I instantly think of sex. Same with Moby Dick, whale or otherwise.”
“Say if you go into a restaurant, what if someone ordered something to do with sausages? Would that make you think of sex?”
“Yeah, probably.”
She giggles and sits at the base of a tree. The sun is glinting off her hair, making the copper hues even shinier. I sink to the ground next to her and dig my hand into my backpack.
“What are - oh!” She exclaims, seeing the blueberry muffin I produce. “When did you get that?”
“I ran by before class. Thought I'd surprise you.” I grin at her genuinely delighted face. I'm actually happy she's happy - that I've managed to make her happy. Yep, I'm starting to care about this girl and how she feels. Shit.
“Oh!” She touches my cheek. “Thank you. That was thoughtful.”
I put my hand on top of hers and gently turn my face into it, pressing a kiss to the pulse on her wrist. She takes the muffin from me and begins to eat it in her normal way. I've discovered it's not just a muffin thing. She actually picks most of her food apart as she eats it.
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?” She puts some more muffin in her mouth.
“Pick it apart. You do it with all your food.”
“Oh.” Her voice is so quiet I barely hear it. “I didn't eat much after Mom died, and what I did eat, I picked at. I guess it's become a kind of habit. I never realized.”
My foot is so far in my mouth it's probably about to come out my ass.
“I'm sorry, Angel, I didn't realize.” I put my arm around her, and she lays her head on my shoulder.
“Why would you?” she asks softly. “Actually, you're the first person that's noticed it. Well, the first person that's ever mentioned it, anyway.”
Have I really watched her that much in the last two weeks that I'm picking up on her habits? Yeah, I have.
Fuck.
The game, Braden. The game.
“Come stay with me tonight?”
She leans her head back, sad eyes meeting mine. “Why?”
I kiss her. “Because I want you to.”
“I'll be at the house anyway. For the party.”
“Fuck the party.” I shake my head. “Don't go. We'll grab a movie and some junk food. We'll spend the night upstairs in my room, then tomorrow we'll go out and get breakfast.”
She blinks a couple of times. “Really?”
“Really.” I smile. “You sound surprised.”
“I am, a little.” She smiles back shyly. “Okay.”
“You'll stay?”
She nods once and moves her face into my neck. “I'll stay.”
“Good.” I rest my cheek on top of hers, and I'm happier than I should be.
~
“She's staying, here?” Ryan's eyes bug out of his head.
“You deaf? That's what I said, isn't it?”
“You're skipping the party for a f**king sleepover?” Aston raises his eyebrows and sits back, laughing. “Fuckin' hell. You want in her pants, bad.”
“So what if I do? That's the whole reason for this, isn't it?”
“That it is,” Ryan agrees, taking the Xbox controller off Aston.
“Then don't sound so f**kin' surprised.”
“This gonna be over tomorrow then, Braden?”
“Chances are, no,” I answer. “I'm not forcing her into anything.”
“Since when did you give a f**k?” Aston half-glares at me.
“Since Maddie isn't like the girls I usually f**k around with, all right?” I drop my controller on the floor.
“Don't tell me you're starting to fall for her.”
“Fuck off, Aston.” I shake my head. “You know as well as I do I have to be careful with Maddie. Mess her around too much and Meggy will kick my ass.”
“You can handle Megan.” Aston smirks. “Never thought I'd see the day Braden Carter was controlled by a girl.”