Chapter 45

forty-five

ISLA

They lost. I shouldn't do it, I know I shouldn't, but I click on the comments of one of the team's social media posts from tonight's game. Some of them are encouraging—telling the guys that it was only the first game of the season and they'll play better in game two—but most post asshole-ish diatribes and express their disappointment. As if every player on the Rogues isn't disappointed too. I may not know all of them super well, but I'm familiar enough with the team to recognize that they're their own harshest critics.

And then there are the comments about me. I knew there'd be some. Mira and I texted throughout the whole game. At the end, she commanded me not to read the comments. But I'm a glutton for punishment. And the things people are saying are nasty.

When a knock on my apartment door startles me out of my stupor, I'm grateful. My heart is pounding in my chest and I've broken out in a cold sweat. On shaky legs, I head to the door to let Maddox in. I hated saying no when he asked me to go to the game, but it felt like too much without Mira after the last time. He said he understood, but I know he was disappointed. Our compromise was that he'd come spend the night afterward.

"Hey, beautiful," he says when I swing the door open. He looks tired and frustrated. Stress lines his forehead and jaw. But when he smiles at me, all of that melts away.

In two steps, Maddox is in my apartment. He drops his overnight bag on the floor. In two more, he wraps his arms around me, shuts the door with his foot, and lifts me off the ground. A squeak leaves my lips when he squeezes me tightly and presses his face in the crook of my neck.

"God, you smell good."

Some of my anxiety bleeds away. He's here. He's not mad at me. Maddox doesn't blame me for the team's loss like those randos on the internet. "So do you. Like soap and that spicy shampoo you use."

He chuckles against my neck. "You like that?"

"Mmhmm."

We stay like that for another few seconds. Maddox doesn't let me go, and I don't release him. I needed this. I didn't realize how much. A part of me has been worried that Maddox will come to the same conclusion Alex did. That I'm not good enough for him. And with thousands of strangers telling him just that online, I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But he's here. He's holding me like he doesn't want to let me go. That has to count for something .

"I'm sorry about the game," I tell him as he lets my body slide down his. With my feet on the floor, I look up at my boyfriend and study him. He looks tired.

"It's just a game." Maddox shrugs. He turns around to flip the locks on my door. "There'll be more. We won't let it define our whole season."

"Still, I'm sure it was disappointing to lose."

He brushes his knuckles softly over my cheek. "It always is. But losing's part of life, right?"

"Right." When Maddox drops his hand, I take it in my own. "You hungry?"

"I grabbed something on the way over. It's late, and I didn't want you to feel you had to stay up making me something."

"I wouldn't have minded. Can I get you some water at least? Some tea?"

"Water would be great, Short-Stack. Thank you."

He follows me into the kitchen. We're both silent as I fill two glasses with ice and water. We stare at each other as we drink. I hate seeing Maddox discouraged. I want to put that light I love so much back in his eyes. And, after a strange week with less contact and time together than normal, I want to connect with my boyfriend.

Holding out my hand, I give him a soft smile. "Come on, Ogre. Let's go cheer you up."

Maddox's eyebrows rise. "Cheer me up, huh?"

I nod.

"And what exactly did you have in mind?"

"Come with me, and I'll show you."

He chuckles, drops his palm in mine, and lets me lead him down the hall to my bedroom. He takes in the space and my waiting bed with a soft smile. Until his attention falls to my open laptop and the comments I'd been reading beneath an action shot of him during the game. I drop his hand and slam the laptop shut.

"Baby, were you reading the comments?" His brow pinches again, and I hate it.

I shake my head. "Nope."

He knows I'm lying. His long strides eat up the space between us, and he cups my cheeks. "Ignore those assholes, Isla. Their opinions don't matter. And they're wrong, anyway. You and me. That's all that matters."

"You and me," I murmur, nodding.

"I've missed you." He presses a kiss on my forehead. It's lingering and sweet. "This season is going to be so hard. Don't want to be away from you." He kisses my cheeks. First one and then the other.

I sigh, some of my tension dissipating with each new kiss he presses to my face. When I close my eyes, he kisses my eyelids. Then my jaw. Then my lips. When I open for him, his tongue sweeps inside my mouth. Heat pools in my belly and a soft moan escapes my lips, only to be swallowed by his.

We're wearing too many clothes. My fingers go to the hem of his tee and scrabble to tug it up his torso. With a chuckle, Maddox grabs the fabric and tugs it off. As soon as our kiss is broken, it's a race to get naked. Clothes puddle to the floor as our hands explore each other.

Once we're bare, I push Maddox back onto my bed. He falls with a startled laugh. Then his large hands grab me, and I fall on top of him.

"Fuck." He groans as our bodies connect skin to skin. "You feel so good, baby."

"Mm, you do too." My fingers trace the now-familiar planes of his body as he rocks his hips. The motion draws a gasp from my lips as arousal pools between my thighs. "Oh, god."

Maddox kisses me like he's desperate. His large, calloused hands roam my soft curves and we grow more frantic with every moment.

"Fuck me, Maddox. God, please fuck me."

He hurries to unwrap a condom, rolling it down over the silky skin of his shaft. Within moments, the head of his cock is pressing into me. I gasp at the delicious stretch.

"You feel so good," he praises. In two more thrusts, he's seated fully inside of me and he stills, letting me adjust to him. Until I wrap my legs around his hips and urge him to move. "Impatient?"

"Yes."

Maddox chuckles against my throat, but he obliges me. He feels so good. I can't get enough of him. Each snap of his hips makes me moan. Sweat beads on my skin as we rock together. I need more. I need him deeper.

"Maddox," I whine. "Harder. Deeper. Please."

"You need me deeper, baby?"

All I can do is nod. Then I'm squealing as he pulls out, grabs my hips, and flips me onto my belly.

"Ass in the air, Isla."

"Oh, god." I hurry to comply. I need him to fill me back up. My body is desperate for release, and my soul is desperate for the connection. "Please. Please, Maddox."

"I know, baby. I've got you."

I scream when he slams into me. His palm flattens on my back between my shoulder blades. It pushes my chest into the soft embrace of my mattress. The contrast between his forceful thrusts and the way the memory foam cradles me only pushes me closer to my release.

"That's it, love. You take me so well. Look at your pretty ass bounce when I fuck you."

Oh, god. His mouth.

My orgasm builds. Every muscle in my body tightens.

"I hope you're ready, Isla. Because we won't be done tonight until I've made you come at least four times." When I whimper in response, his deep chuckle vibrates through me. "That's right. We're working up to the five I told you I'd wring out of you that first night."

When his arm wraps around my hips and his fingers press against my clit, I scream. Wave after wave of bliss cause my body to tighten. I'm shaking and crying out his name as he pounds his hips against my ass. He's relentless. It's overwhelming.

It's everything.

"That's my girl," he murmurs against my shoulder as he kisses my feverish skin. His fingers don't stop their ministrations. "Now give me another one."

Ten minutes later, I do. And when he spills inside of me, I fall off that cliff of pleasure for a third time. We both collapse. We're a tangle of limbs and sweat and sated bliss.

My heart feels lighter than it has all week, and I vow that I'm done hiding away. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about me or Maddox or our relationship. I can step out of my comfort zones for this man. He's worth the risk. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him. And that's not something I'm willing to hide from the world because some strangers on the internet don't like me.

The words bubble up my throat as Maddox holds me. His fingers trail along my spine and our hearts beat in sync. I want to tell him. To take the risk. I want to be brave.

But as our breathing slows and my eyes grow heavy, I can't quite push the words past my lips.

There's no rush. We have time.