“Well, I want to hear it from you. I don't like to speculate.”
Oh really? I didn’t think he was ready for this, but I humored him anyway.
Fighting another shiver from the cold, I hugged my waist and turned slightly toward Maddox. The ripped jeans were a bad idea since my legs were numb now. But I refused to show any sign of being frozen to death, least of all in front of him. “First. You still haven't apologized for bumping into me in the coffee shop.”
He let out a mocked gasp, filled with disbelief. “What? You’re still pissed about that day? It's been two months!”
I locked my jaw, silently bristling. “I don't care how long it's been. I appreciate it when people take responsibility for their mistakes and apologize when they’re wrong.”
“I’m sorry.”
My jaw went slack, and my eyes snapped to his. Wait...did...Maddox Coulter just apologize to me? Was something wrong with my ears? Maybe I was dreaming. Yup, that must have been it. “What did you just say?”
He threw the rest of his cigarette on the ground, squashing it with his leather boot. He kept his eyes on me, his face devoid of any mischief. He looked… serious. What a confusing man. I couldn’t tell which side of him was real anymore. “I said I was sorry,” he rumbled, the expression on his face genuine.
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Apologies don't count when they’re not sincere.”
“You confuse me, woman. First, you want me to apologize. Then when I do, you tell me not to. Pick one, Garcia.”
“When someone says he's sorry, he should mean it. Apologies need to be sincere or else it's useless and, frankly, a waste of time. Mean it or don't say it at all. I don't accept half-assed apologies.”
Maddox brought a hand up, holding it over his chest. “Jesus. You’re harsh, Sweet Cheeks.”
“Second, you've been annoying me non-stop, always following me around, and you find every reason to irritate me! Whether it's in class, at lunch or outside of school. You do know that personal space exists, right?”
He looked thoughtful for a second, and I thought he really was considering my words. But then he opened his mouth, and I wanted to smack him. “Girls love it when I'm in their personal space,” he admitted as if it was the most obvious thing.
“Full of yourself and absolutely cocky. The list is growing at an accelerating rate."
“So, you hate me because I give you attention?” Maddox took a pack of gum out of his pocket, popped one in his mouth before offering me one.
Against my better judgement, I took it. He was offering; I needed something to keep me distracted. “I despise you because I don't want the attention you give me.”
“Anything else?” The corner of his lips tilted up, a small grin on his face. There was nothing taunting about it. In fact, he looked pleased.
“You keep calling me Sweet Cheeks even though I have told you a thousand times to stop. And you keep using vulgar language. You’re rude and immature and inconsiderate to other people,” I whisper-yelled.
“But you call me Poodle.” Was that all he got from my rant?
“I call you Poodle because you call me Sweet Cheeks. I believe everything is fair in love and war.”
He stood closer, bending his head, so he could whisper in my ear. “And what do we have between us? Love? Or war?”
“War,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I approve,” he said too quickly, popping his gum. “Anything else?”
“Yes,” I practically screamed now, “You. Kissed. Me.”
“Ah. So, you hate me because I stole your first kiss?”
Was that what he thought? That little shit.
A sigh escaped me, and I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to chase away the cold. “That wasn't my first kiss, Maddox. And I despise you because you did it without my permission. That... was unacceptable.”
He rubbed his cheek with his thumb and shook his head, still grinning. “Goddamn it. You've got a lot of rules.”
My lips curled. “And I guess, you’re one who hates rules?”
Maddox flashed me a wicked smile. “I break 'em, Lila. I love to break rules.”
“It makes you feel extra manly?” I taunted.
“No. It makes me feel alive.” His confession made me still, and I stared up at him, watching his expression for any lies, but all I saw was sincerity.
For a moment, Maddox’s pained face flashed through my brain: outside in the cold, sitting on that bench, looking so lost. I didn’t want to admit it before, but there was something about Maddox that really intrigued me.
I couldn’t forget that look on his face, it was tattooed in my memories. Maddox Coulter was more than Berkshire’s star quarterback. He was a complicated puzzle, and I wanted to tear him apart, layer by layer, so I could study him, delve into his soul and learn all his secrets.
A gust of wind breezed past us, and I quickly patted my hair down. This time, I couldn’t hold back the involuntarily shudder that racked through me. Maddox took notice, and he frowned, his eyebrows pinching together. “Why don't you have a proper jacket on?”
I hugged myself, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. “I didn't think it was going to be this cold. I thought the sweater would be enough.”
Before I could finish my sentence, and before I knew what was happening, he shrugged off his jacket and pushed it toward me.
I eyed the jacket, suspiciously. “What are you doing?”
Maddox circled my wrist with his finger and dragged me closer. He placed the jacket over my shoulders and gave me a pointed look, his face hard, until I succumbed and placed my arms through the sleeves. “Keeping you warm. I'm a man, Lila. I know you don't like me and think I'm an absolute asshole.”
His lips twitched when I scoffed. “Fine, I'm an asshole sometimes."
I gave him the look. Are you serious?
"Okay, all the time. But I still know how to treat a lady right.”
Treat a lady right? What a joke.
But still… my heart warmed. His scent was still heavy on the jacket, and I chewed on my lip when I noticed how good the smell of him was.
Maddox buttoned up the jacket for me and tugged the collar higher and closer, so my neck was covered. “There. Cozy enough?”
My lips parted, but I didn’t know how to answer, so I only gave him a tiny nod.
He pulled back and looked me up and down, a frown appearing on his face. “Jesus Christ. You’re so tiny.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks.”
I expected another joke coming from his lips. Instead, he looked tense and his brows were curled with a frown. “Are you sure it's safe for you to be out here like this, so late?”
Huffing in response, I rolled my eyes again. As if he cared. “I don't need a knight in shining armor. I can take care of myself.”
His blue eyes were so bright and vivid under the moonlight. It was tempting to get lost in them. But when he opened his mouth, he squashed down all the effects he had on me. “I'm not going to be your Knight because I know you aren't a damsel in distress. You’re more like the dragon in the fairy tale.”
My lips curled and against my better judgement, I found myself smirking. “If I could fry you right now, I would.”