“Fractured,” Colton amended. “Not broken. She’s lucky I was next door and heard her cry out.”
“You shouldn’t have climbed up that ladder when you were home alone. It was never stable.” Lila’s forehead creased with worry as she fretted over her friend. “You could have been hurt worse!”
“She could have just called me, and I would have fixed the broken cabinet,” Colton mumbled under his breath.
Riley hissed, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “I had it all handled if it wasn’t for the cat jumping into my ladder. Rory asked me to cat-sit for her while she and Jaxon were away this weekend.” She faced her nemesis, glaring. “I didn’t… and don’t need your help, Colton.”
“Funny. I’m the one who drove you to the hospital in the middle of the night.”
Her shoulder straightened, and her lips curled up in distaste. “Because you insisted.”
“You were in pain.”
“Who cares? I was fine on my own and could have called 9-1-1!”
“I care,” Colton growled.
Riley opened her mouth to snap back at him, but then paused at Colton’s confession. She blinked, opened her mouth again, before finally shutting up. No smartass comeback? Huh, interesting.
“Whatever,” she mumbled under her breath. “How was your trip, Lila?”
Lila’s gaze found mine, as she turned red. She blinked away and sputtered out a half-ass response to her friend. “Oh, fine. It was fine. Everything was nice and fine.”
“She said fine three times,” Colton muttered to me, soft enough the girls didn’t catch it.
Riley never shut up, and she asked way too many questions all the time. Surprisingly, today, she seemed more thoughtful. I didn’t miss the way she kept glancing between Lila and I, almost suspiciously.
“Was Paris like everything you imagined?” Colton pushed, a cocky grin plastered on his face. The shithead caught on easily. Of course, he did.
Lila let out a choked laugh. “Oh, yeah. Everything was…”
“Fine,” I finished for her.
Her head snapped toward mine, and her dark eyes burned darker. “I was going to say, everything was magical.”
“Was the sex magical, too?” I grinned.
Lila gasped, absolutely outraged.
Riley stumbled back and almost fell flat on her ass, if it wasn’t for Colton grabbing her.
Colton let out a holler, before disguising it with a coughing fit. His shoulders shook with his silent laughter.
“WHAT?” Riley screeched.
“Maddox,” Lila hissed. Her hands fisted by her sides, and I was pretty sure she was contemplating decking me. Gotcha, little dragon. There was nowhere for her to run now.
I grinned harder. “My dick is magic, Babe. Don’t be embarrassed to admit it.”
I ignored my girl, who was glaring daggers at me, and turned to our friends with an announcement. “She’s my girlfriend, and she’s moving in with me.”
Riley blinked.
Colton smirked.
When Lila started to protest, I leaned down and claimed her lips, not giving a shit that we had an audience or that she was going to murder me in our sleep. I kissed her, fuck the consequences. “Shut up.”
She pulled away from the kiss, opened her mouth to tell me off, but then snapped it shut again. She chose to glower instead.
“Lila?” Riley questioned softly.
My girl was already taking a step back, like she was about to bolt. Not. Fucking. Happening. I lunged forward and drove my shoulders into her hips, lifting her off the ground, slinging her over my shoulder. One hand gripped her ass firmly, while I hooked my other arm behind her knees and pinned them against my chest.
Lila let out a shout and started struggling, but there was no use; I had my precious cargo over my shoulder.
Neither Riley nor Colton tried to stop me, as I marched to our building. I took the stairs to the third floor, careful not to jar her too much. My heart thudded hard in my chest, and I knew I was playing with fire.
But then again, I had a habit of loving dangerous things. They called me heartbreaker, thrill-seeker and danger-devil.
And Lila?
She was danger with a big, red sign. Damn it all to hell, I craved her.
Lila let out a string of curses and peppered my back with her tiny fists. Once she came to the realization there was no point in struggling, she let out a soft cry and went limp over my shoulder. That was better. I lived for her fiery attitude, but, sometimes, I preferred her docile.
I walked down the corridor. When we passed hers and Riley’s apartment, Lila snarled. “My apartment is next door.”
I walked through my apartment and shut the door behind us. “This is our apartment now.”
I smacked her ass once – because, why not, she was mine now – and she gasped, before I placed her back on her feet. Grinning, I raised an eyebrow.
She gaped at me, her mouth hanging open. “No,” she sputtered.
“Get undressed.”
“Excuse me?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “No. This is kidnapping, Maddox.”