MADDOX POV

I can't say I'm not afraid. Lora follows me inside my house and I watch her out of the corner of my eye, defiant and stubborn and fiery. I shake my head. Why am I thinking these things about a girl I don't even know?

And yet I invited her into my house and promised to spill all of my secrets from that night.

Lora grins sardonically at me and I almost flinch. This girl. What is she doing to me?

"So... let's start the interrogation," she begins. I sigh. This is what she wants and considering it's supposed to be her memory, I should at least help her fill in the blanks. It's what any gentleman would do.

I almost laugh out loud. As if I could ever be called a gentleman by anybody out there. I know I'm bad for girls like Lora. I know I wreak havoc left and right. I know who I am. I'm a player, a cheater, and a bad boy. 

Man. I'm a man.

"Where was I when you took me home? Was I still at the party?" she asks suddenly, breaking my train of thought.

I answer quickly. This one's easy. "Nope. You were walking home on the side of the road with your thumb stuck out like you were hitchhiking. So I, being a gentleman," again, I have a strong urge to laugh, "stopped next to you and picked you up."

She narrows her eyes. "If you don't even know who I am, why did you pick me up?"

I smirk. "Again, sweetheart, you looked like you were hitchhiking. Drunk. And I'm no angel but I'm not going to let a drunk innocent girl walk alone on the side of the road looking like you did."

She looks confused. "What did I look like? Oh, God, was I naked? Did I strip at the party and forget to put my clothes on? But then how was I dressed the next morning—"

I want to laugh. "Sweetheart, you weren't naked. But you weren't completely covered, if you know what I mean."

Her face reddens and I can't help but feel my heart skip a beat. Blushes are my weak spot. If a girl blushes in front of me out of utter embarrassment, it's a turn on for sure. Not that anybody knows that. 

"Dammit, Lacey. I knew I shouldn't have let her pick my outfit."

I wiggle my eyebrows. "Actually, you definitely should. I liked it."

She blushes again and I almost groan out loud. Thankfully, I contain myself. That would be embarrassing, not to mention awful for my reputation if she ever told anybody that she has that power over me. Which she doesn't. Obviously.

"Why did you take me to your house?"

"Well, I don't know your parents so I didn't want to take you home drunk just in case you got in trouble. And I also didn't want to deal with a potential overprotective older brother or overly curious little sister. But I might have taken your phone after we got home and texted them that you were staying at a friend's house?" I grinned and she looks appalled.

"How dare you?" She reaches out to hit me but pulls back at the last second. "That's my phone. It has all of my private stuff on there. What did you do?"

I shrug. "I didn't go through it, if that's what you think." She looks visibly relieved and I smirk. "Though I did add my number. Under 'sexy beast.' And if I ever find out you changed it, I will hunt you down." 

She looks shocked and her eyes widen. I almost laugh though everything I said was true. I couldn't resist. She doesn't seem to be able to speak and I motion for her to go on. She shakes her head and asks her next question. I smirk, the corner of my lips turning up. Guess she agrees with the name.

"How did I end up in your bed?" She looks away and her hand reaches for her other arm in a generic nervous-shy-girl look. "We didn't... do anything, right?" she whispers.

This time I do laugh out loud. She looks surprised at my laugh and I grin and reach out to brush a piece of hair to behind her ear. I watch as her breaths become shallow and I want to close the distance between us more than anything.

I shake my head. This is just lust... nothing more. I haven't got any in weeks and it's killing me. That's why I'm having these thoughts about good-girl Lora. 

I grab her and lean in close, smiling as I feel her heartbeat quicken. "Sweetheart, if we had done anything, you would know," I whisper in her ear. I pull back and her face is red as a tomato. It takes everything for me to keep it together as I give her a once-over and roll my eyes. "Not that I would ever go for somebody like you."

Shit. The words came out before I could stop them. They're not true, not true at all. Her eyes cloud over in hurt and she looks away. I'm an asshole and I feel it. 

She clears her throat, her eyes still trained on my floor. "Okay, that's good. Because I don't want anything to do with you either." She looks up suddenly, hate-filled in her eyes as she trains them on me. "I don't need to be one of your sluts." She covers her mouth and I think she's about to apologize when she adds, "Not that I ever want to slut-shame. I meant one of your groupies."

My heart sinks. I've made her hate me in the span of three minutes. 

She pivots and opens my front door. I immediately race after her and before she can leave, I close the door and spin her against it so that her back collides with it. She doesn't seem pained though as she stares up at me in shock, her face turning red again. 

God.

"I'm sorry," I say harshly. I can't have her leave hating me, like she does. I lean in close and I feel her breaths quicken. 

We're too close and I'm the one who put us here. I can't breathe. I say as normally as I can, though my voice comes out rough and deep, something that I can't seem to control, "I think you're beautiful, sweetheart."

Her face stares up at mine in shock, her eyes widening and her lips parting. Dammit. My eyes are focused on her lips as she stares up at me. 

I lean in closer, slowly closing the distance between us. Just as our lips meet she pulls out from under me before I can react. I watch in shock and complete bodily torment as she doesn't look back while she opens my front door and sashays her way out. She leaves the door open for me to watch her get in the car of some guy that she must have called and drives away. 

I close the door and fall against it and put my head in my hands.

What is wrong with me?

*unedited*

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