Liar (Madison Kate #2)(57)

Rein it in, MK. You're not a fucking succubus.

Clearing my throat, I shifted back on the bed to create a little physical space between us. Steele seemed to follow my train of thought and stretched out on the mattress with his head on the pillows. Now that he was lying down and shirtless, I could recognize the stiff way he was holding his left arm and the hard lines of pain in his tense neck.

"Okay, so I'm gathering you don't necessarily have a problem with me and Kody?" I shifted around until I was lying beside him, my head on his pillow despite the multiple other options. He was like a magnet, and I was made of metal. I just couldn't stay away, no matter how sensible the distance might be.

Steele released a long breath, his hooded eyes glued to me. "That's not a straightforward answer, Hellcat. Do I wish Kody had totally fucked things up with you and I had you all to myself? Absolutely. I'd love nothing more than to claim full ownership of your time... and your body... twenty-four seven. But I'm not afraid of a little competition. So long as Kody doesn't break your heart..." He gave a slight shrug, then winced. "I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

My eyes widened. "Uh, what does that mean?"

Steele's smile turned pure evil. "Let's just say it's a good thing we've got winter break coming up. Kody and I don't share our toys well... unless, of course, we're sharing."

Heat flooded through my body, and I clenched my thighs together at the mental images he’d conjured. There was no mistaking what he meant by that, and I was all for it.

But still... I held up my finger in a warning gesture. "For one thing, Max Steele," I chastised him, "I'm not your toy, you're mine."

His grin flashed wider, and he inclined his head. "Fair correction. And the other thing?"

I raised a second finger. "How long are these grazing wounds going to take to heal? Because I'm very interested in seeing how well you and Kody can share."

Steele's eyes lit up, but he rolled his eyes to the ceiling like he was praying for patience.

"As badly as I want to tell you a day," he groaned, "it's probably more like a week. At least."

I pouted a bit. In a perfect world I would have had a sassy, flirtatious comeback, but pouting was what I was feeling, so it's what I did.

"Well, then I need to get the fuck out of your bed before I'm tempted to test that timeline," I muttered, mostly to myself, but Steele laughed anyway. When I tried to get off the bed, he grabbed my hand and hauled me back to lie beside him.

"Just because my range of motion is limited," he told me in a conspiratorial whisper, "doesn't mean I'm totally broken." He demonstrated that point by grinding his erection into my thigh and catching my mouth in a determined, possessive kiss. His tongue stud teased me, and I groaned into his kiss like a horny teenager.

Goddamn. My hormones were all over the fucking place around these boys.

"Mmm, nope." I wrenched myself away with way more willpower that I even knew I possessed. "Nope, it's my fault you're even hurt in the first place. I'm not risking you ending up in more pain thanks to my impulsiveness. We can revisit this in a week."

The whimper of protest that left Steele as I pulled away and climbed out of his bed was adorable, and I bit back a laugh at his expense.

"Hellcat, you're killing me," he complained. "You have no idea how wound up I've been all morning after hearing you with Kody. Please don't make me wait a whole week." His puppy dog eyes were really playing dirty, and I groaned.

He had a point, though; that was a bit unfair. "Fine, he can wait too. That's fair, right?"

Crap, wait. This was a terrible idea; I was punishing myself.

Steele gave me a shrewd look. "One day. I heal amazingly fast."

I rolled my eyes at his bargaining. "Five days, and only if you really are healing up."

He stared back at me, but I just folded my arms and hardened my eyes. It was for his own damn good, something they pulled on me all the freaking time.

"Fine," he eventually agreed with a heavy sigh. "But if Kody convinces you otherwise, deal’s off."

I shook my head with a smile. Fucking hell, here I was trying to save him further injuries, and he was acting like I'd just made him agree to run naked through the snow. "Fine. But he's not going to convince me. I don't want to be the reason you need a skin graft or something."

Steele tried to reply, but his words cut off with a heavy yawn.

"Just chill," I told him in my best stern voice. "Seriously. It's a snow day, so exams are all cancelled. We don't need to go anywhere or do anything. Just sleep. I promise I won't wake you up with a screaming orgasm again."

Steele gave me a flirtatious grin, even as his lips drooped so heavily his eyes were almost closed. "Unless I'm the one giving it to you, right, Hellcat?"

I rolled my eyes. Of fucking course I'd gotten myself involved with two of the biggest Lotharios I'd ever met. "Go to sleep, Steele," I ordered him.

His flirty smile slipped, and he raised one eyelid enough to meet my gaze. "You're not leaving, though, right?"

Warmth flooded through me at the edge of vulnerability in his voice. It spoke to that damaged corner of my own dark soul, the part that gave me violent nightmares but calmed when I had company.