𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ✓

35

I'm feeling both happy and tired after swimming with Maddox. He was so sweet and fun this afternoon, and I hope that he stays that way. I change into the clothes that I was wearing before we went swimming, knowing that we won't be leaving the house again for the night.

"Look what I found on top of the fridge!" I hear Lexi say and I walk towards the couch, seeing her approach with a white box in her hands and a big smile on her face. "This is the game I was telling you about Aurora, let's set it up." She rushes to open the box and lays out a big mat covered in colored circles in the middle of the room, pushing the coffee table out of the way.

Maddox stomps over from his room and glares at Lexi. I choose to ignore him and smile at Lexi, excited to play the game. She explains the rules to me and hands the spinner to Maddox who doesn't want to play. "I brought the 'ultimate' kind so that we can play with more people," Lexi says and everyone but Maddox agrees to play, seeing as it is apparently more fun with more people. We stand around the mat in a circle and I volunteer to go first, looking at Maddox to start the game. He grumbles to himself but hits the spinner anyway.

"Right foot red." He says unenthusiastically and I roll my eyes and place my right foot on a red circle. He continues this, eventually losing the attitude and joining in our laughter whenever someone is forced into an uncomfortable position.

I am currently in a plank position with my arms crossed over one another and with Chase underneath my stomach, everybody else has already quit or fallen down at this point. My arms start to shake and Maddox tells me to move my left leg up one spot which makes it even more uncomfortable, putting me in a sort of a lunge position. He tries to change his answer, saying that he misread it but we all complain simultaneously and he lets it go.

I put some of my weight against Chase and he complains. On his next turn, he is able to move back a bit and I lose my support, falling onto my stomach on the mat. I'm not the first one to fall but I didn't win so I pout. Chase cheers at his victory and we all laugh.

When I look up, Maddox is glaring at me and I reel back in surprise. What did I do? His glare softens and he sighs, gesturing for me to join him on the couch. He sets up a movie with the remote and I sit beside him, cuddling into his warmth and ignoring his mood swings. "I didn't mean to be rude, but watching you in those positions isn't easy for me," Maddox says lowly enough in my ear so that only I can hear him, and I shiver at the deep sound of his voice and the words that he speaks against my skin. He wraps an arm around the front of my shoulders and lifts me slightly onto his lap. I look around at everyone but nobody notices, all of them facing the tv. The lights turn off with another button on the remote and I gasp.

"That's so cool!" I breathe and look at Maddox excitedly. He just laughs and squeezes me tighter, moving his arms around my waist and dragging me in between his legs. His hands rest on my bare thighs and goosebumps raise instantly on my skin. I don't have to look to know that he's smirking at my reaction.

I try to focus on the movie, but Maddox's fingers start drawing circles into my skin, leaving invisible burns across my legs. I sigh and lean back, turning my body to the side to wrap my arms around his narrow waist and snuggle in closer to his chest. He hums and plays with my hair, placing his other hand on my hip. I probably would have fallen asleep if my body wasn't thrumming with excitement from his touch.

"We're going to head off," Chase says, picking a groaning Lexi up and off the couch, and they walk together towards the stairs. Reece nods, carrying a sleeping Faye in his arms, and Kiki and Luke separately retire to bed as well, leaving the two of us alone downstairs.

"I guess we better head to bed too then," Maddox says and lifts me off of him only to throw me over his shoulder. I shriek quietly in surprise and don't pay much attention to where we're going until I look up and see that we are walking past the stairs. I'm confused until Maddox turns around and I hear the sound of a door closing. He pulls me off of his shoulder and slides me down his body but I wrap my legs around his waist, not wanting to be put down. This makes him raise his eyebrows and grip my thighs. My arms are wrapped around his neck, palms flat against his shoulders, enjoying the way they tense and pull as he carries my weight. My arms tighten as he crawls up the bed with me still hanging on his body and he lowers us down until my head touches the pillows. I relax my grip around him, returning my hands to his back this time to feel the muscles there.

"What do you want, Aurora?" He asks, his voice deep and sexy. I blush, losing my ability to speak. Maddox leans down to my lips and brushes his own against mine, teasing me. He drags my hands to the hem of his shirt and looks at me pointedly.

I try to tug his shirt up his body, wanting to feel what's underneath, but he stops me. "Tell me." He says and I pout. He's making me say it. I blush, but try not to overthink the whole situation and just go with it. 

"I want this off," I mumble shyly and he doesn't push it. He tears his shirt off over his head using one hand and exposes his fit upper body to my hungry eyes. Gulping, I sit up on my elbows to get a better look at him. Maddox leans over me, dragging his hands up my legs, over my hips, and squeezes my waist, making me draw in a sharp breath. His large tattooed hands brush over the soft skin of my stomach and raise higher. My breath hitches as his finger toys with the lace on the bottom of my bra. He pulls his hand away but I find myself wanting it to return.

His arms support his weight as he leans down over me to finally press his lips to mine. I kiss him back eagerly, getting lost in the feeling of his hands on my waist and stomach. Wanting him closer, I wrap my legs around him and push him to me, feeling his hardness press between my legs and I unwillingly let out a moan from the pressure. Maddox closes his eyes and freezes, but I continue pressing him to me. I try to kiss him again and he moves against me, grinding his hips against mine. I whimper. He starts to kiss me again passionately and I part my lips to grant him access. His tongue slides in and caresses my own, increasing the heat I feel spread throughout my body.

He breaks apart from my lips and looks down at me, breathing heavily. "Aurora you need to tell me to stop right now." Maddox groans and I answer him by squeezing my legs around him and pulling his hips back to meet mine.

"I don't want to tell you that." I bites my lip nervously and he tilts his head.