Maybe that was why he piqued my interest.
My grandma always said I was fixer. Since I was a kid, I’d always picked up the stray cats and the injured birds. Our house was a tiny zoo for all my little friends.
Too bad Maddox Coulter was not a friend.
He was my nemesis, and I didn’t want to fix him, I repeatedly told myself.
“What do you want?” he asked, his voice low and hard. A shiver ran down my spine, and I stood up straighter, hiding the obvious effect he had on me and my body.
“Just wondering if you need a tampon. Or, do you already have one stuffed up your ass? Is that why you’re so grumpy?”
“For fuck’s sake,” Maddox grumbled.
“Ah. Definitely shark week.” I waited for him to snap, but he only gritted his teeth together, so hard I wondered how his jaw didn’t crack under the pressure. “It’s okay, you’ll eventually get used to all the messy hormones. If you need any advice on how to deal with it, I can make a PowerPoint for you.”
“Not in the mood for your pranks, Garcia.”
“You love my pranks.”
My stomach dipped when his chest rumbled with a low growl. “Get out of my way.”
He tried to walk past me, but I was having none of that. Could be my curiosity or my stubbornness, but I wasn’t ready for him to leave.
I sidestepped into his path. Maddox squared his wide shoulders, standing taller, and his eyes narrowed on me. “Move.” There was a warning in his voice, but I chose to ignore it.
“Are you okay?” I asked before I could stop myself.
I told myself I wasn’t worried nor did I care, but still… the question popped out before I thought it over.
Maddox leaned down toward me, bringing our faces closer and crowding into me. I fidgeted with the straps of my school bag, holding myself in place and refusing to step back. He didn’t intimidate me.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you care, Garcia.” My breath caught in my throat when our eyes made contact. He held me there, in the moment, before he flashed me a sardonic smile. “What is it? Finally decided to sit on my dick? I might make an exception for you. I’ll tell you all about my day if you let me in your pus–”
“You know, two minutes ago, I actually cared. But never mind, I take it back now. You’re still a jerk, Coulter.”
Maddox pulled back, straightening to his full height again. “Always have been, always will be. Remember that, Sweet Cheeks. Ain’t no pussy gonna tame me and definitely not yours.”
Good. Lord.
The urge to smack him was strong, and the urge to slap me for being stupid enough to care was also strong.
I came to a very important conclusion: I preferred Maddox silent. Why did I even try to get him to talk? The moment he opened his mouth, I realized why I despised him. He was an asshole, through and through.
I shuffled through my bag and took out two very important items, shoving them in his hands. His dark eyebrows pulled together in confusion.
“Tampons and chocolate,” I explained with a fake smile. “You’re welcome. Have a good day, Maddox.”
I pushed past him, and just before I walked away, his lips twitched.
Did I just get Maddox Coulter to smile?
***
"Can you stop following me?" I paused and then turned on my heels quickly. Maddox caught himself in time, coming to a halt, so he wouldn't bump into me.
After our ‘conversation’ right before lunch, the rest of the day took a sudden turn. Maddox decided to follow me around; he was like a lost puppy – Riley’s words, although I only found him to be irritating, so maybe more like an annoying puppy.
I wished we could go back to ‘silent, brooding’ Maddox. That version of him was ten times better than this.
I looked up at his bruised face, making sure to harden my heart at the sight of him battered and bruised. “Stop. Following. Me.”
He shrugged, nonchalantly, and then stuffed his hands into the pockets of his beige slacks. "Can't do that. I’m having fun looking at your ass. By the way, do you mind if I warm my hands up?"
Exasperated, I let out a tiny growl from under my breath before I could stop myself. He was smiling now. As if pissing me off was his favorite fucking pastime.
"That's sexual harassment, Coulter."
"You looking at my dick print is sexual harassment too, Garcia."
My eyes widened at his words, and I felt the air being sucked out of me. "Wha-at? No…no I wasn't,” I sputtered. My gaze fleeted to his crotch before I could stop myself. Shit. Biting on my lip, I blinked and looked away – anywhere but at him.
Maddox let out a throaty chuckle, and my eyes snapped back to his. He gave me his signature smirk, his dimple popping, creating a sexy indent into his left cheek. "You were, Sweet Cheeks. You were probably calculating how thick and how long I am, too."