“Nothing is ever impossible,” I said.
“Your optimism is admiring but not suitable for the situation since we are thoroughly fucked!”
“I’ll find a dance partner,” I announced with conviction. There was no giving up after we’d come this far. The event was happening. Owen was hurt, but we had to find a way to make it work.
And I knew exactly who was going to help me.
Even if I was about to hear him grumble about it for the rest of our lives.
“Lila–”
“I know someone.”
“Who?” she asked suspiciously.
My corner of my lips curled up. “Maddox.”
I had struck Bea into silence, only her breathing could be heard over the phone.
“You’re serious?” she whispered, as if we were sharing a secret.
“Yup.”
“Holy shit. You mean, The Maddox, right?”
“Yup.” I grinned harder.
“Holy shit,” she said again.
We said our goodbyes, and I walked back inside the club. Maddox was going to hate it, but I knew he’d never say no to me.
Back at our booth, I saw that Bianca was nowhere to be seen, and Maddox was nursing a beer. “Where’d she go?”
“I handled her,” he said, not giving me any more details. “What’s up?” Maddox seemed to have sobered up a bit.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
His eyes narrowed on me. “Is it bad?”
I half-shrugged. “Not exactly. Do you want to go home?”
Maddox stood up without saying a word, and I guessed I had my answer.
***
Maddox
“No,” I calmly stated. “Not happening.”
“But Maddox,” she dragged out my name, pleading with her eyes. When I shook my head firmly, she stomped her foot.
She peeked at me through her lashes. “This is really important to me.”
Then Lila got a look on her face, a look that should have warned me of what was coming.
“Lila–”
“I dare you.”
Jesus Christ, this woman!
“Take that back,” I warned, my voice low.
Lila smirked. “No.” She crossed her arms over her pert tits, pulling my attention to her chest.
I was a goddamn weak man.
Weak to my fucking knees for Lila Garcia because she was the one temptation I couldn’t have.
She was wearing a crop top that should’ve been illegal. Her dreamcatcher necklace hung around her neck; Lila never took it off after I put it on her three years ago. Her stomach was taunt, and her belly button looked cute, and as fucked up as it was, a brief image of me licking her belly button and her giggling flashed through my mind. My mouth watered at the thought.
I shook my head and cursed myself. No, I couldn’t.
This was… not happening.
Never, fucking ever.
Even though it grew harder every year to remind myself that we could only ever be friends and nothing more.
Every time she smiled at me, it became harder not to kiss her.
Though, I had refused to admit that even to myself. I refused to even entertain the idea of touching Lila in a manner other than ‘friendly.’
But fucking hell, I was little drunk, and I couldn’t get the image out of my head. She was standing in front of me with a crop top and shorts that hugged her curvaceous ass like a second skin, her pink lips glistening and her black hair falling over her shoulders.
Lila looked like a Rated-R Snow White. I wanted to slide between her thighs and make us both forget that we were best friends.
No. FUUUCCCK. NO!
That was drunk me thinking of that shit. Sober Maddox would never think of fucking his best friend, I told myself.
“Maddox, are you listening to me?” Her voice broke through my burning thoughts.
I swallowed and forced myself to look away.
“Yeah,” I said, my voice deeper, hoping she didn’t notice the way I strategically adjusted the pillow over my lap.
“Do you dare?” she asked cheekily.
I sighed, running my fingers through my short hair and pulling on the strands. “This isn’t going to be fun, Lila.”
She was asking me to be her dance partner. I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I wouldn’t say I completely sucked. This was important to her; I was well aware of that fact.
It was the fact that I was going to be too close to Lila for a whole week, especially since it had started to become harder for me to control my urges–my dick–around her. That bothered me. After the incident with Landon… there had been an unmistakable tension between Lila and I.
We both refused to acknowledge it, going on with our lives, but it was there, and it was becoming harder to ignore.
I didn’t know why… I was feeling this way.
And I didn’t understand what it was.
Angry at myself, I held back a growl, and my eyes snapped to Lila’s. She was waiting for an answer, oblivious to my inner turmoil.
Lila Garcia was my best friend, and the last thing I wanted to do was lose her because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants.