Maddie: Yet here you are, coming to me for help.
Liam: It’s not “help” when I’m asking you to let your sister enjoy a couple of days away without you or anyone else intervening. You’re not that selfish, are you?
Maddie: Jesus. You had to go there, didn’t ya? FINE. Consider me on board then.
I send her a thumbs-up emoji, and she replies with the middle finger one. Setting my phone on my nightstand, I jump in the shower. Just thinking about Maddie makes me consider taking a cold one. She has my heart rapidly beating and knows how to push my buttons, but that’s Maddie. She’s under my skin at all times, living there to torture the fuck out of me. I try to push the dirty thoughts of her away, but they come fast and unexpected until I’m hard as a goddamn rock. I’ve shamelessly jerked off to the thought of her more times than I want to admit over the past few years, and right now is no different. The thought of her tight ass, soft moans, and dancer’s body posed in different positions has me groaning and grunting as I stroke myself with fervor. The orgasm quickly builds and rips through me until I’m whispering her name. Thank fuck I’m home alone.
Leaning my forehead against the wall, I keep my eyes closed and allow the water to fall over my body, trying to find the control I’ve lost. Knowing she’s a virgin—that she’d give herself to me if I wanted—makes her nothing more than forbidden fruit dangling from a tree. I can look from a distance, but I can’t touch. And it has to stay that way.
After I’m dressed, I decide to go out for a few drinks. I text Hunter, but he’s too busy being the perfect family man, so that leaves me with no wingman, which means nothing but trouble.
The next morning, I wake up with a naked woman in my bed, but I can’t remember her name. She knows everything about me, though, and wants to make small talk in the morning, but I’m not having it. Thankfully, we both have somewhere to be, so she gets dressed, and I escort her down the stairs without running into Mason or Sophie. It’s a small miracle since I can hear them in the kitchen cooking for their dinner later today. I really don’t wanna hear them talk shit about my hookup’s walk of shame or the fact that I don’t know her name because they would have.
Once she’s gone, I go upstairs and climb back in bed to sleep a few more hours before I need to leave to go to my dad’s. I drank too much, stayed up too late, and it’s quickly caught up with me. When the alarm on my phone goes off, I get dressed, then head downstairs. I can hear everyone in the kitchen having a good time and walk toward them. Sophie and Mason smile, and Lennon waves as they eat appetizers while they wait for the turkey to finish cooking.
“You sure you can’t stay?” Lennon asks before eating a mini quiche.
I walk farther into the kitchen, look at the spread, and somehow force myself away. “Wish I could. I’m sure you’ll have a good time. Happy Thanksgiving,” I say, grabbing my keys, then heading toward the door. While I want to hang out, I force myself to leave since I promised my dad I’d visit.
It takes me thirty minutes to drive over due to all the holiday traffic, and he’s beaming when I arrive. I’m a man of my word, if not anything else. We chat and catch up as we eat turkey with all the fixings until our stomachs hurt and finish off with pumpkin pie.
After thanking my stepmother for a delicious meal, I come home and watch football with the guys. Maddie shoots me smoldering looks from across the room, but I try to ignore her, regardless of how damn pretty and tempting she is. Lennon and Sophie chat about work, not paying attention to the TV.
My phone goes off with a few last-minute job offers from a bonds company, but I decided to take the rest of the weekend off since I’m swamped next week. After the game ends, Hunter and Lennon take Maddie home, leaving just the three of us.
Sophie and Mason stand and yawn. “You two have fun this weekend,” I tell them. I try not to make eye contact with Mason, though I pop an eyebrow at Sophie.
“Oh, we’re going to have all the fun,” she says with a snicker.
“That’s code for tons of sex, right?” I chuckle, and she rolls her eyes.
“Good night, Liam,” Sophie singsongs, and Mason shoots me a wink before taking her hand and leading her upstairs. I turn off all the lights, then go to my room and lie in bed.
Before I fall asleep, all I can think about is heading back to Vegas and playing poker. Since I have the next few days off and more frequent flier miles than I know what to do with, I consider booking a flight. Before I even look at prices, considering it’s a holiday weekend, I know it’s a bad idea. The airports will be more crowded than usual, which I hate, but damn, I love the bright lights of the city. There’s something about the thrill of winning that gets me every time. Playing gives me an adrenaline rush like bounty hunting but without all the life-threatening danger.
By Friday, I’m bored as hell being home alone, so I decide to look up flights and see if it’s possible to book one without selling my kidney or using all my banked miles. Just as I find an airline that has one seat available for later tonight, I remember I told Maddie I was on call this weekend. Shit.
Maddie might text Sophie just to pry, and I don’t doubt she’d text Mason if she didn’t get an answer. I can ask her all day not to do something, but she doesn’t listen to anyone, especially not me. And I wonder if she’s suspicious. Apparently, she’s been sending Mason pictures of wedding rings she thinks Sophie would like for the past few months to help speed up the process a bit. She’s the annoying little sister whose approval of them getting married has been laid on real thick. It’s obvious how much Mason and Sophie are meant for each other. It took Mason years to find someone after losing his girlfriend, but the moment he met Sophie, everything changed. So I get it. But Maddie’s relentless. And Mason found it helpful because he had tons of ideas for a ring thanks to her.
A month ago, Mason told me what his plans were for Thanksgiving weekend, and I swore on my life I wouldn’t say a word. He didn’t want to tell her sisters in case they got too excited and ruined the surprise. Hunter doesn’t know either because Lennon has him by the balls, and he can’t keep anything from her. The only person to worry about is Maddie because she has no filter whatsoever, and she’s not stupid. Considering she’s blatantly told him to propose already, I don’t think she’d be too surprised, but still.
Knowing I can’t go to Vegas now, I decide to get out of the house instead of being lazy all day. I change into workout clothes and drive to the gym. My back hurts from lounging, and I need to get my blood pumping. I stretch before deciding to lift some weight. Just as I finish my reps, I get a phone call from Maddie, and I wonder if she’s just trying to get a rise out of me since Sophie and Mason are already on their way to Tahoe City. I’m half-tempted to give her a few choice words, especially if she’s just calling to agitate me. I decide to answer it anyway.
“Liam?” She sounds as if she’s been crying, which causes me to pause and change my attitude.
“I’m here. Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine, just a little shaken up. The apartment next to mine caught on fire, and I had just enough time to pack a bag before I was evacuated. We don’t know when we’ll be allowed back in. Liam, I don’t know what to do. Soph’s out of town, and I don’t want to bug Lennon because she doesn’t have room.”