Dare to Love by Lylah James
Maddox
The hotel’s bar was packed tonight. There were a bunch of men who attempted to look expensive and proper with their high-end suits and a drink in hand, as they surveyed the dim-lit bar. Supposed ‘Gentlemen’ but they were leering at the women, and it was clear as day, there was nothing proper about their thoughts.
There was another crowd of people who were too drunk to give a shit.
And lastly, we had the opportunists, the women and men who were here to catch the attention of someone who was probably as wealthy as the President of the United States – for a night of luxury and passion. Or, well… more than one night.
This was Paris’ finest hotel, and daddy dearest probably paid a shit-ton for mine and Lila’s stay here. My birthday present.
He threw money at me, in my face, even though, all I ever wanted was for him to acknowledge my existence with a simple “Happy Birthday.”
I guessed he was too busy for that.
Yeah, fuck you, Dad.
Conversations swirled in a dirty cloud of smoke and the stench of cigarettes. My nose tingled at the strong smell of perfume surrounding me, and I downed my drink in one gulp. The alcohol burned my throat, but damn it, it was almost soothing.
“If you keep drinking like that, you’ll be drunk soon enough. And here I thought, you were taking me out on a date.”
Lila’s sweet voice whispered next to my ear, her breath fanning over the back of my neck. My lips quirked up as her fingers slowly trailed up my forearms and biceps, feeling every indent and curve of my muscles. Yeah, my girl loved exploring my muscles.
Years of vigorously spending my time in the gym, throwing all my aggression into working out and into the punching bags, had served me well.
I saw the way girls – younger and older – looked at me at the gym. Sure, my ego didn’t need any more boosting; my dick was big enough for that.
But Lila was the only woman I wanted to look at me with hunger in her dark-brown eyes.
I swiveled around in my stool, and my arm snaked around her waist, pulling her to stand between my legs. Lila pouted, her red lips shimmering in the dim light of the bar. “The bathroom line was too long, and our room is too far away.”
“Your hair looks fine,” I said, once again. Tucking a stray strand behind her ear, my finger lingered below it, brushing against the column of her throat. “You look beautiful.”
“Beautiful, huh?” There was a teasing look in her eyes, as she nudged her chin up, almost haughtily.
She was wearing a black sequin mini-skirt, with a small slit in the hem. The skirt wrapped around her ass like a second skin, and I almost growled at the sight. The black lace crop top hung on her curves, bringing my attention to her tits. This outfit should have been illegal.
“Sexy,” I rasped, bringing our faces closer. “Ravishing. I’d throw you on the bar and fuck you into tomorrow,” my voice lowered, whispering our dirty secrets into her ears, “until you beg me to stop because your cunt is too sore.”
Lila flushed, and her breath stuttered.
“But then again, I don’t want any other man to see your bare body or hear your desperate whimpers or… to see you come.”
That was for my eyes only.
Mine.
For a week.
Until I could convince her to stay… for longer.
Lila was stubborn, too goddamn stubborn for her own good. I had to play this game right, or I risked losing her forever.
Four years ago, I played a vicious game – to break Lila.
Today, I started a dangerous one – to win her over.
“You have a one-track mind, Coulter.”
“Yeah. You, Garcia.”
She rolled her eyes, before brushing her lips against mine, a teasing touch. “I… have a feeling you’ve said this line to a lot more girls than me. Is this your strategy?”
If she only fucking knew…
Lila had no idea that I was doing everything the exact opposite I had ever done. I never chased after a woman, never had to win anyone over, never had to be romantic and never had to seduce.
I smirked, and girls fell all over me. My last name and my dick were seductive enough.
Until her.
My best friend: the pain in my ass and my favorite hellion.
“I dare you…” she murmured against my lips.
“Now?” My fingers clenched around her hips. It was her turn to give a dare. I used mine this morning, when I asked – dared her to stay.
“Quite ironic, isn’t it? This is the same place you dared me to sleep with Lucien two nights ago.”
I didn’t want to remember that. The mere idea of Lila sleeping with that Frenchman had rage coursing through my veins. How? How did I think it would be okay for me to give Lila that stupid dare? How did I think it’d help me get over her?
Instead, I hated myself.
It made me want to fuck her, claim her even more.
The need to ruin her for any other man had been all-consuming.
Yeah, that dare didn’t work out as well as I expected.
But it gave me something else instead. It gave me Lila, all of her: all of what I didn’t have before but now I did.
“Go ahead, give me your dare.” Minx.
Lila pulled away enough to stare into my eyes. Her gaze drifted to my lips, before she speared me with an unreadable look. “Remember the girl who tried to hit on you when we walked into the bar?”
Suspicious with where she was going with this, I refrained from answering. Lila was sweet like an angel and as devious as a she-devil. I didn’t trust the glint in her chocolate eyes.
She nodded to my left, and I quickly glanced in that direction. Miss Blondie was staring at me with rapt attention. When she noticed me looking, her ruby lips spread into a full smile.
“Lila,” I started.
She cut me off. “I dare you to dance with her.”
My hold tightened on her. Lila was playing with fire. “Why?”
She lifted a shoulder, half-shrugging. “Because. We don’t get to ask the reason behind a dare, Coulter.”
What was going on in that pretty head of hers? Her expression didn’t give anything away, but I didn’t dare trust the nonchalant look on her face. Her body was tight as a bow string, and her hands were fisted at her sides.
Yeah, she didn’t want me to dance with Blondie.
But then why… give me the dare?
I stared at her for a second longer, waiting for a reaction, but she didn’t give any. Fine, a dare was a dare. Neither of us played to lose.
Lila’s fingers twitched against my chest, as if she wanted to grab me and not let go. But, instead, she stepped from between my thighs and stood beside my stool, ordering herself a drink. Goddamn stubborn, she was.
I lounged back into my stool, gliding my tongue over my lips. My head cocked to the side, I crooked my finger at Blondie, indicating for her to come over to me. Her smile widened, and she scurried over, quick to please. She spared Lila a quick dirty look, before taking her spot between my legs.
“Hello, Handsome,” she said in a thick accent I couldn’t place. Blondie wore a tight red dress that molded to every thick curve of hers. Her face glimmered under the light, and she smelled of lilac and maybe…chamomile, but her scent wasn’t more tempting than Lila.
Lila’s was… intoxicating. I’d get drunk on her scent.
Addictive.
Crazy.
Mine.
“Parlez-vous Français?” I asked Blondie. Do you speak French?
Lila tensed beside me. Hmm, interesting.
“Un peu,” she responded with a giggle. “How do you speak French? You’re American. I can tell by the accent.”
All thanks to mommy and daddy dearest. They made sure I was fluent in at least three languages from an early age. English, French and German. Brad, my father, said it was good for when I was older, when it’d be time for me to take over his empire. I have been trained, like a good fucking dog, since I was a kid.
“Comment est-ce que tu t’appelles, Blondie?” What’s your name?
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lila clenching her glass. Her knuckles turned white, and her lips were pursed in a hard line. She stared straight ahead of her, ignoring me and the woman in my arms.
“Serena. Et vous?”
“Maddox,” I introduced myself, bringing her hand up to my lips and kissing the back of it.
“Oh.” She blushed, biting her lip. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Maddox.” My name rolled off her tongue like she was tasting it, fucking it.
“Tout le plaisir est pour moi, chérie.” My pleasure, sweetheart.
Serena let out a small breathy laugh. “Charming, I see.”
I curled a finger around her blonde locks, tugging her toward me. Her tits pressed against my chest. She wasn’t wearing any bra, and I could feel her puckered nipples through our thin layers of clothing. “Do you… want to dance?”
Lila slammed her empty glass on the bar, and Serena flinched. My lips twitched, smirking. Oh yeah, my girl was incensed.
“Another drink. Strong,” she practically snarled at the bartender.
Grinning, I let my hand wander to Serena’s hips. My fingers tightened around her curves, thick and lush in the palms of my hands, and she gasped, her lips parting. A tempting sight, but it did nothing to my dick.
Sure, she was attractive.
A few months ago, I would have been all up in her pussy, probably banging her against the bathroom stalls. But not tonight.
I wasn’t the least bit interested in Blondie, but if Lila wanted to play…
She needed to learn the rules, and then she had to play it better than me. She could turn this into a little game of hers, and I’d show her how it’s really played.
When our eyes met, something sparked in hers, before she blinked it away. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was a little psychotic. Ah, life was never boring, when you had Lila Garcia in your life.
“This is a good song,” Serena breathed in my ear. “Shall we?”
She grasped my hand in hers and dragged us to the middle of the room. We snaked through the warm and sweaty bodies, finding an empty spot on the dance floor.
Serena was biting on her lip, giving me the fuck-me-now look. Her hands landed on my chest, and she caressed me through my shirt. Her thumb brushed over my nipple, and I grasped her wrists, pulling her arms around my neck. This was safe. Blondie pouted but, otherwise, went with the flow.
My eyes found Lila, and she was glowering. Hmm. I see you, Garcia.
As if she could read my mind, her face went hard, devoid of any emotions.
Nicely played.
Gripping Serena’s hips, I pulled her closer to me, and we moved to the rhythm of the song. The bodies around us were practically dry humping each other on the dance floor. The bar was dark enough that nobody seemed to care.
Keeping my eyes on Lila, I pressed a knee between Blondie’s thighs, and she was practically grinding against me. I jerked her hard into my body, and she took that as an invitation. Her arms unfurled around my neck, and her hands inched down to my abs.
We were close enough to where Lila was standing that I saw her expression go from emotionless to sour and pained.
I was just about to drop Blondie, enough of the stupid games both Lila and I were playing, when my gaze zeroed on…
Goddamn it!
What was he doing here?
Lucien stepped closer to Lila, her attention snapping to him. He grinned down at her and said something in her ear, causing her to smile. I nearly knocked both Serena and I over at the sight of my Lila smiling up at him. He got her another drink, and I watched as his hands trailed up her bare arms, with her still smiling.
Lucien nodded toward the dance floor, and Lila’s gaze met mine, briefly, before she put her hand in his. Heat prickled the back of my neck, and I grew tense.
Lila wrapped her arms around Lucien’s neck, and his hands were on her lower back, too low… his fingers were teasing the top curve of her ass.
An ass that belonged to me.
I could tell Lila was in tune to me and my attention on her, but she was purposely avoiding looking my way. Serena said something to me, but I wasn’t listening. The bastard was holding Lila too close, and I swore she fucking fluttered her lashes at him. Where the hell had her reserve gone?
When Lucien leaned down, as if to kiss her… I was done.
Snapping forward, I let Serena go. She squeaked, protesting, but I was already stalking toward Lucien who was still holding my girl way too close.
Bitter jealousy raged through my veins as I cut through their intimate dance, separating them. “Sorry. You might want to find a new dance partner, Lucien. This one is taken.”
Lila gasped as I gripped her wrist and started pulling her away. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
“We’re leaving,” I deadpanned, my heart hammering in my chest.
“You’re causing a scene!”
Me? Causing a scene… when she started this stupid game of hers? For what? WHY?
I dragged her to the empty corridor, away from everyone and their prying eyes, pushing her back into the wall. I pressed against her body, caging her in.
“What is wrong with you? Maddox,” she whisper-yelled. “Maddox!”
Her tiny fists thumped against my chest, her face red and her eyes darkening in anger.
“What were you doing, Lila?” I asked, deceptively quiet.
Her lips curled in a smile, although there was nothing warm about it. “Dancing. Like you were. Do you have a problem with that?”
She loved pushing my buttons.
“Careful,” I warned.
Her eyes flared at the challenge. “Or what?”
My thumb rubbed over the vein in her throat, feeling it throb under my touch. “You won’t like what I do to you, Baby.”
“You don’t scare me, Coulter.”
“I know,” I said. “But I should.”
“You won’t hurt me.”
“But I will hurt him.”
Her smile dropped. “Maddox–”
I leaned forward, bringing our faces closer. She caught her lip between her teeth, her eyes flashing with uncertainty now. “Scared for lover boy, your Frenchman?” I taunted.
Her hands landed on my chest, as if to pacify me. “It was just a dance, Maddox. You can’t fight him because I danced with him!”
With a humorless smirk, I trailed my finger down the column of her throat and along the length of her collarbone. Her breathing pattern changed, a sharp inhale… a shuddering exhale.
“Why did you dare me to dance with her?” I asked softly, but the threat in my voice couldn’t be mistaken.
“Because…” Lila whispered.
“Because,” I echoed.
She licked her lips, her eyes flickering with something fierce. Lila pushed against my chest. “You seemed to be enjoying yourself, so why do you care? Blondie was very much into it and oh, of course… your French was very charming, indeed.”
Ah, ah. Silly… jealous, Lila.
She grimaced once she realized her slip, and her red pouty lips pressed into a firm line.
“You like my French?”
“It’s mediocre,” she shot back. “Lucien has a better accent.”
I bit back a laugh. Lila really was testing my patience. Funny, I didn’t know if she was doing it on purpose or if she even realized she was walking on a risky path.
Bringing my face closer to hers, my lips ghosted along her ear, and I nipped her earlobe. “Let’s not play childish games, Lila. You and I both know it only has one ending.”
“And what is that?” she breathed.
“You’ll find yourself on your back with me, between yours legs.”
I kept my hand around her throat, lingering over her pulse, while still keeping a firm hold of her. My other hand traveled south, snaking into her mini-skirt.
Lila’s eyes widened, and she gasped, the sound barely audible. “Maddox…”
My fingers teased her slit through her panties. She looked frantically around us, as her fingers wrapped around my wrist, trying to stop me. “What… people… Maddox, someone could see!”
I traced the wet folds through the thin fabric, feeling her softness on the tips of my fingers. Her face flushed, and her lips parted, her breathing turning ragged.
“Are you feeling… hot?” I felt compelled to taunt her. My dick hardened and throbbed. My jeans were suddenly feeling very tight, and I hissed as her thigh brushed against my crotch.
Satisfaction coursed through me when I felt her wetness through her panties. “You don’t want anyone to see… but you seem to like the idea of being caught with my hand under your skirt.”
“No,” Lila stammered.
I nipped her earlobe again, and she responded with a sharp hiss. “Liar,” I breathed.
Slowly, I tugged her panties aside, feeling her bare pussy against my finger. My thumb circled around her clit, and she whimpered, her hand tightening around my wrist. In warning? Or, in desire… wanting more?
Her chest heaved, as she inhaled a ragged breath. Her hips bucked forward against my touch, seeking my fingers. Wanton need flashed through her dark eyes, as I rubbed her folds, using my two fingers to spread her lips apart.
Lila was all seven of the deadly sins, and I’d gladly be a sinner for her, for the rest of our lives.
There was no concealing what we were doing. Anyone who walked down this corridor would see us… my hand shoved deep inside her mini-skirt, her face flushed, lips parted with quiet whimpers, as she grinded against my hand.
Shoving a single digit inside her tight core, feeling her inner walls clench around it, I slowly fingered her. Lila tensed against me, as I curled my finger inside her, hitting her sensitive spot. Her reaction was instant. A choked moan escaped her lips, before she slapped a hand over her mouth, muffling the indecent sound.
My lips whispered over her, a gentle touch. She opened for me, and I kissed her. I fucking kissed her like I was a starved man, like she was the oxygen I needed to survive.
Lila gasped against our kiss when I pinched and tugged on her clit, feeling the little nub throb between my fingers.
“Such a beautiful liar,” I rasped against her lips. “Tell me, Lila. Why did you do it?”
Dazed, she seemed to have a hard time focusing on my words. I thrust my finger back inside her cunt, dragging another moan from her. “I… Maddox… do what?”
“Why did you give me that dare?” I hissed, my voice so gruff, even I barely recognized it.
Another whimper from her as I pulled out from her tight heat. “I… wanted to see… Oh God, Maddox, please.”
I teased her opening, feeling her clench – seeking out my fingers. “Tell me.”
“Wanted to see how I’d feel…” she choked out, her eyes glassy with pleasure.
I rewarded her with two fingers inside her. “Go on.”
Her heart pounded against my chest, feeling the vibration like it was my own heartbeat.
“If… I’d get jealous seeing you with another… woman. I wanted to see…”
“And?” I demanded, the word sounding harsh even to my own ears.
“I don’t like it,” she admitted, through her panting.
“Don’t like seeing me with another woman?”
I asked the question at the same time I thrust my fingers inside, curling them in a way I knew would drive her wild. She pulsed around me, her wetness dripping and the sound of me fingering her was almost scandalous.
“Yes!” Lila hissed. “I hate it.”
“Don’t like me speaking French to another woman?”
Her eyes rolled back, as the heel of my palm pressed against her tender sex. “Maddox…”
“Answer me.”
She glowered, a vicious glint in her gaze. “You never spoke French to me,” she spat, before letting out a low moan. Her eyes widened, her face flushing even redder in embarrassment, and she bit on her lip, hard.
“Je veux te baiser.”
Lila inhaled sharply at my French, her nails digging into my wrist. They’d leave her marks behind, that I was sure. It stung, the pain making my cock harder. She was probably drawing blood right now. I’d gladly bleed for her.
“What?” she whispered.
Lila’s legs quaked, and her whole body trembled, on the precipice of her orgasm. She slapped her hand over her mouth again, muffling her desperate moans, as they kept spilling from her lips. My head lowered to her chest, my lips hovering over her tit.
“I want to fuck you. Right here, right now,” I said, my voice throaty and husky. Goddamn it, I was about to spill in my jeans. My dick throbbed, practically weeping for a slice of heaven… and hell.
Her nipples poked through her crop top. The outline of the tight, hardened tip was tempting. My teeth grazed over the tiny nub through the thin layer before I nipped her, a sharp bite, as I rolled and tugged her clit between my thumb and forefinger.
“You can’t,” she cried out, as I dragged her release from her.
Lila threw her head back, her eyes closed. Her orgasm hit her, at the same time, my gaze found Lucien.
Perfect timing.
His face paled, a mask of shock and anger. His lips curled as he took a threatening step toward us. I cocked an eyebrow at him.
Lila came down from her high, and she gasped in alarm at the sight of Lucien standing there, watching us.
Frantically, she tried to push away from me. Not so fast, little dragon.
Gently pulling my fingers from Lila’s skirt, I brought my hand up to my lips. “Oh God…” Lila whispered in horror, as if she knew what I was about to do.
Little does Lila know…
She ignited a possessive need inside of me. Something fierce, something dangerous, something… wild.
Her juices and her sweet, musky scent coated my fingers, as I licked them clean, keeping my eyes on Lucien.
He paused, his chest expanding and his face darkening dangerously. Lila’s skirt was still bunched up to her hips, her thighs spread open for me, her panties obscenely tugged to the side. Her pussy was visible enough to Lucien, red and swollen from my fucking.
Fuck, I was going mad.
I wanted to smear my cum all over her pussy and have Lucien take a look, showing him what was mine and what he couldn’t have.
Lila tugged her skirt back in place, quickly patting down her hair. Her eyes lowered to the ground in embarrassment. Her legs shook, still weak from her orgasm, and she stumbled forward, before I wrapped an arm around her waist, anchoring her to my body.
I licked my lips, tasting the remnant of her pussy juices. “My apologies, Lucien. My girl and I got a little carried away. We’ll be finishing what we started in our room. If you’ll excuse us.”
Lila avoided looking at Lucien as we walked past him, but the moment we were out of his vicinity, she turned on me.
Her fist thumped against my chest, the action catching me so off guard that I ended up stumbling back a step. Shocked, my lips quirked up. Feisty, just like I liked it.
“You… are an asshole!”
Lila stalked away, her red heels clicking over the marble floor. She took the elevator, and still grinning, I took the stairs to the fourth floor. She was already in our master suite when I got there, pacing the length of it.
Her wild eyes met mine the second I walked through the door.
“That was completely unnecessary! What is wrong with you? You knew he was standing there, didn’t you? Huh, for how long?” Gone was soft and pliant Lila in my arms as she orgasmed. In her place was my favorite hellion. In that moment, I realized… Lila wasn’t fragile like a flower. She was fragile like a ticking bomb, and I just poked her.
“Maddox! I’m speaking to you. You can’t treat me… treat me like a paid whore. I’m not someone you just throw against the wall–”
“…and fuck?”
Lila sputtered, her cheeks flushing red.
I tugged my shirt over my head and let it drop to the floor, stalking forward. “Let us get one thing clear. As long as you’re mine, I will take you wherever I want and however I want.”
She stabbed me in the chest with her finger. Lila was a midget, but damn, she had a temper and the attitude of a fiery dragon. “You will treat me with respect, Maddox.”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “I will treat you with respect, yes. A perfect gentleman. I’ll open the doors for you, I’ll bring you your favorite mint-chocolate chip muffin, and I’ll even hold your hand. I might even give you some dead roses. See? Perfect gentleman.”
I bent down, my face hovering over hers. Her breath seized in her throat at my next words. “But I’ll also bend you over and fuck you however I want, because I love seeing you trying to deny how wet I make you. I’ll treat you like a princess, but I’ll fuck you like an animal and like the dirty pervert I am, because you like it.”
Her eyes narrowed with rage, but she kept her face deceptively calm. Taking a deep breath, she took a seat on the couch, crossing her lithe legs. I followed her, standing close, so she had to nudge her chin high to stare up at me through her thick lashes. What a perfect position. This put her mouth right over my crotch.
Lila’s eyes lingered over my torso for a second longer, before her gaze collided with mine once again. “Do you speak with all the girls like this? Do your conquests appreciate this… this crassness?”
“What do you think?” I asked, low and quiet.
“I think you’re absolutely despicable.”
“Oh yeah, I’ve been called that a few times.”
“Oh, when? After leaving a massive line of sobbing, heartbroken girls?”
I clucked my tongue at her, as she goaded me. My hand cupped her face, and I rubbed my thumb over her parted, wet lips, smudging her lipstick. “You know me so well.”
“This is why you never had a girlfriend! You obviously don’t know how to tone down your asshole-ness!” She hissed, exasperated.
“Keep talking, Garcia. It’s tempting me to throw you over my knee to show you exactly why they call me despicable.”
Lila blinked, her face paling in shock. “Did you just threaten to spank me…?”
“I promised to spank you and fuck you. Go ahead, keep being a mouthy little thing.” My hoarse voice seemed to drive her even more wild.
“Is this something you do with your other…fuck buddies, too?” she sneered.
Ah, so little Miss Lila was, in fact, territorial.
Jealousy didn’t only run through my veins, but it was very apparent in hers. I knew it, and I was goading her, waiting for her reaction.
When I only smirked, she was miffed.
“Asshole.”
My lips twitched. “Brat.”
Lila let out a shocked gasp, and I stifled a laugh. We’ve been best friends for four years; I knew exactly how to push all her buttons.
“Did you just call me a brat?” Yes, I did. Especially after that stunt she pulled at the bar. Daring me to dance with Blondie when she damn well knew she was the only woman I wanted in my arms.
“Would you rather I call you a bitch?”
Outraged, she jumped to her feet and leveled me with a glare that would have had anyone quaking in fear. Me? Angry Lila just made my dick hard.
I could think of sixty-nine ways to fuck the anger out of her system, until she was a pretty mess under me.
“Why are we doing this?” she growled, fire burning in her dark eyes. Goddamn it, she was a tempting goddess. So tempting. So beautiful. Mine.
And I wanted to put her over my knees and tan her ass red for being so goddamn stubborn.
Her fists clenched at her sides. “You're one very annoying person, Coulter. Why am I still here?” she muttered the last sentence to herself, but it was loud enough for me to hear.
I grinned. “Because you like how my dick feels inside of you.”
A heartbeat passed before she exploded. She threw the cushion at my head and narrowly missed.
I tsked, darkly. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Stalking forward, I hunted her down, as she tried to escape me. But she was too slow, and a predator never loses sight of his prey.
I caught her easily and threw her on the bed. Lila bounced on the mattress with a shocked gasp, and I pounced.
She made a sound at the back of her throat, something akin to irritation, but it lacked fire. And she didn’t push me away.
In fact, her fingers curled around my shoulders, as I pushed her thighs apart and lowered my head between them. Her skirt was bunched around her waist, and I snapped the strings of her panties, throwing the lace G-string over my shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Lila breathed.
Her wide, brown eyes were hazy and laced with wanton need.
“Speaking French between your legs,” I rumbled, my chest vibrating with the low growl. “Your pussy and I are about to get reacquainted on a… more personal level.”
