“I don’t need the foreplay.”

“You sound like you’re enjoying it.” His hand moves faster.

Struggling, I find his button and pull it open before taking his zipper down. When I begin working his pants, he has to pull back, his hand and his mouth suddenly gone, making me wonder what I was thinking. My body craves his touch again.

Unfortunately, Maddox does what I made him think I want, and stands up. He pushes his pants down, his shirt right after, making me change that to fortunately.

He is so, so sexy—all tanned skin and defined muscles. Suddenly I really wonder what he would look like with that piercing we were talking about.

Before my imagination can run too wildly, he’s grabbing a condom from his wallet and sliding it down his length. It’s not nearly enough time to admire, but then he’s leaning over me, pushing inside, and my nails are digging into his back and the feeling is so much better than admiring.

“Oh God,” I say again, wondering why that seems to be my phrase of choice when I’m with him.

“You don’t have to keep calling me that.”

His joke springs out of nowhere and I can’t stop myself from laughing. “This is no time for jokes.” I fight to take control and then we’re both quiet as we move together.

The heat is back, blazing into an inferno and I know I’m going to take that leap over the edge at any second.

Maddox’s movements come quicker and his breathing more hurried and when I can’t hold it back any longer, I’m spiraling into oblivion with Maddox right behind me.

His body collapses on top of mine. I can tell he’s not resting his full weight on me. Still his weight and this slick, hard body feels… almost comforting? I don’t know, but it freaks me out and makes me try to wiggle out from under him.

“Don’t worry,” Maddox mumbles. “I’m not trying to cuddle. I just can’t move yet.”

Well, that’s putting things into perspective.

Then he shifts, taking care of the condom before tossing it into the can by the couch. “I’ll take the trash out in a minute.”

He relaxes on me again. I almost put my hand on his head, but stop at the last second. It feels too strange, though now I’m not sure what to do with it, so I have one arm on the back of the couch and the other hanging over the edge.

We lie there for a few minutes, no sound in the room except for the mixing of our breaths. Most of the time I feel suffocated when people are too close like this, but as I lie here waiting for that sensation, it doesn’t come. He’s just here and I’m just here, nothing threatening to take me over and freak me out. He gets what I feel, so he doesn’t want to change me and for a few seconds, I want to live in that.

Without warning, Maddox pushes off the couch and stands up. He doesn’t hide his body, not that he would have a reason to, but it’s almost as if it’s normal to walk around naked in front of me. Or not me, I guess, but any woman? A heaviness settles into my gut.

Bending over, he grabs my shirt and tosses it to me before picking up his boxer-briefs. “I’m going to the bathroom to clean up.”

“What happened to ladies first?”

“Really? I would have thought you’d give me shit if I tried to pull that one.”

Eh, I guess he’s right. I can’t have it both ways and want him to act like a gentleman only when it fits me. “You’re right.” Then, on instinct, I reach out and flick his nipple. “So you going to let me do it?” I ask.

“Nope. Not changing my mind either.” Maddox picks up the rest of my clothes and hands them to me. “You got your clothes first. Guess that means you get the bathroom first too.”

He hardly looks at me as he speaks. It isn’t like the tone of his voice changed or he got all flirty when he said the words either, but my heart does this sort of stutter. It’s a little piece of niceness that I didn’t expect from him. Something small and simple. Those are the best kinds of nice things, aren’t they?

Rex and Melody used to say the small things matter more than the big. I didn’t get it when I was younger. I definitely do now.

And it makes me take a step backward. Then another one.

“Hey,” he says right before I step into the restroom. “Is Bee your real name?”

That question somehow reminds me of who I am. Of more of my earlier call.

“Your sister’s boyfriend proposed. I wasn’t surprised when she told me. He’s such a sweet boy. They’ll finish school first, of course. They both know it’s the most important thing.”

What she didn’t say is that’s what Malones do. They’re responsible and proper. They don’t change their names and then fuck some guy because they’re upset about not being who they were born to be. Not that Mom would have ever said that. She’s too kind and loving for that. “No.”

“What is it?”

“If I wanted people to know, I wouldn’t go by Bee.”

He gets this strange look on his face that I can only explain as disconnected. That he’s unplugging or hitting the power button, a look I only recognize because I do it as well. Now I also feel like a bitch. I’m taking my internal shit out on him, which almost feels like opening up. Like being honest. “I’ll tell you when you let me pierce your nipple,” slips out of my mouth, without my planning on it, but it’s perfect.

Maddox doesn’t smile or step closer to me, though now that I think about it, he doesn’t smile often at all. But he suddenly doesn’t seem so far away either.

“You play dirty, Bee.”

“You better believe it, Scratch.”

It’s Maddox’s turn in the bathroom when I hear knocking coming from the front of Masquerade. The second I hear it, I remember I had an appointment set up for today. Holy shit. I totally would have forgotten. Not a real cool way to start my business, but when I let myself get upset, that’s what happens. I sort of shut down, like I did after my phone call with Mom.

Jogging down the hall, I turn into the main area of Masquerade before twisting the lock and opening the door. “Sorry. Something came up,” I tell the guy standing outside the door. I met him the other day when he came in to look at my portfolio. He’s about my age, reddish hair, and already has a little ink on him.

“No problem,” he tells me. About then Maddox comes down the hall, his hair all messed up and looking like he just did exactly what we were doing.

“What’s up?” Maddox nods at him.

“What was your name again?” I ask.

“Dustin.”

“Maddox, Dustin. Dustin this is Maddox. He’s working with me, so he’ll be sitting in.”

Dustin nods as I head to my desk. “I’ll show you what I drew up for you.”

He wants a tree. All black, but he wants it to look old and sort of creepy. It’s going on his bicep.

Both Maddox and Dustin follow me over. I open one of the drawers and pull out the sketch.

“Nice,” Dustin says as he looks at the detailed drawing. The branches have an aged look that I can’t really explain, each of them bent and twisted into different directions. When I look at it, I think it has a story to tell and I’m suddenly upset that the piece is for someone else. It’s experienced and worldly, which probably doesn’t make sense to most people.

“Thanks,” I reply as Maddox says, “Who is it?”

His words make me snap my head toward him, my heart beating faster all of a sudden.

“What do you mean, who is it?”

“There’s a face in the trunk.” He points.

“Oh shit. That’s bad-ass. I didn’t even notice that.” This from Dustin.

Maddox is right. There is, but I say, “It’s not anyone specific. It’s a tree. He wanted it to look scary, and unique. This is how it came out.” And honestly, I didn’t think anyone would notice it.

He gazes down at me as though he doesn’t believe me. I turn away, unable to continue looking at him.

“You did awesome. It’s perfect,” Dustin says, excitement bouncing around in his voice.

“It’s not right…” I shake my head, looking down at it. “It’s missing something.”