m🤍

“Yeah,” Kelce adds, “As in, she’s everywhere. Out every night, every club on the strip. Unsupervised.”

“She’s not a child, you morons.” Rafe takes another sip of his drink, and it takes everything in him not to down the whole damn thing in one go. You were younger than him, sure. But that didn’t mean he had to personally hold your hand every time you went out.

“No. But if word spreads that you can’t keep her in check? Won’t be good.”

“Yeah, man. Especially those old school investors you’re always having meetings with. They won’t wanna do business with you if they know you can’t discipline your girl.”

“I discipline her just fine,” Rafe snaps, but they’ve got to him. And he hates it. His stupid clown ass fucking friends who couldn’t even dream of having a girl as hot as you in their beds. Talking to him about not knowing how to discipline his own girl. “Trust me, I have things under control more than you’d know.”

They leave it at that and change the subject. But Rafe’s pissed the fuck off. Wants to shatter his glass on the goddamned coffee table type of pissed off.

He’d show them.

***

“Baby, look! That new dress I bought finally came!”

You’re like a ray of sunshine inside his dark, desolate house. Always so excited, always up to something. Trouble, but in the most intoxicating sense. It’s what had attracted him to you in the first place.

But Rafe’s still seething from earlier, and all he does is grunt, tugging his tie off and throwing it on his bed along with his suit jacket. You jump into his arms, your legs wrapping around his waist.

“Daddy, I missed you. Do you like my new dress?”

“Sure.” He mutters, gently prying you off him and not giving the dress you’re wearing a second glance. He knows it’s the one from some high end designer label’s new resort collection or some shit like that. It wasn’t even out in stores yet, but you’d made him pull some strings to get it for you. The exact one that had been worn on the runway. Nothing less for his princess. And all you’d had to do was bat your eyes and mention that you’d wanted it.

Maybe he was too lenient…

“Well, okay Mister Grumpy,” you giggle, skipping off back to your place in front of the vanity which is littered with your expensive makeup, skincare and hair oils. The ornate, vintage vanity you’d made him buy for you when he’d moved you into his house. “Well, I’m gonna wear it out tonight. Don’t wait up, by the way. I’m not sure when I’ll be home.”

He frowns, sitting down on the edge of his bed, “What?”

You pout, but it’s only to put your sparkly, candy pink lipgloss on. He loved it on you, it made you taste so extra sweet and made your lips look so fucking sexy and kissable.

“My friend Sierra’s party, silly! It’s at this new VIP club called Absynthe. And then there’s an after party back at—”

“You’re not going.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

There’s a few beats of silence before you put your makeup brush down and cross the room. Perch yourself on his lap all pretty, looking so tiny and delicious, yet taken aback at the same time. You grab his hand, pressing it down on your bare thigh.

“Daddy,” you breathe in that sexy voice of yours that gets him weak in the knees, “Is this ‘cause you’ll miss me in bed tonight? ‘Cause we can make up for that right now, if you want…”

You press his hand between your thighs and he sucks in his breath sharply. Fuck, you were so hot. He doesn’t pull it away, instead feeling the warmth of your bare skin which glows with whatever glittery body oil you’ve massaged on. And inhaling that sweet perfume of yours that you’ve spritzed liberally all over your body.

“This dress is too short.”

The realisation snaps Rafe out of whatever spell you were about to put him under. He takes a closer look, unable to stop the poisonous thoughts that invade his mind. The dress barely reaches mid thigh, barely covers your fucking ass. And it’s tight like a second skin, makes your body look insane. Too insane to be seen by any pair of eyes that weren’t his own.

You giggle, “I like short dresses. You said you like me in them.”

“Yes. I like you in them. Doesn’t mean the entire male population of Kildare gets to see you in them too.”

You huff, standing up abruptly, “Fine. Then I’ll change into something else.”

Rafe knows you too well. Knows you’ll change back into the slutty dress the moment you leave the house. You’re trouble with a capital T, and he’s always found it enamouring, cute, sexy, exciting. Except now.

“Change into whatever you want, you’re still not stepping foot outside this house tonight.”

Your hands land on your hips, perfectly groomed eyebrows raised and an indignant look on your face, “You can’t be serious…”

“I am. And spare the dramatics, I’m not in the mood.”

“Just because you’re in a bad mood doesn’t mean you have to take it out on me, Rafe!”

He frowns, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Don’t be a spoiled brat just because I won’t allow you to go clubbing till the early hours of the morning in a dress with your tits practically spilling out.”

Your jaw drops, and now you cross your arms below your chest, and it makes your cleavage look even more incredible. Despite everything, he can feel himself getting hard.

“You’re being mean,” you look at him venomously, but your lower lip quivers. That’s when he realises just how much he let you get away with in the past. But you were just so sweet, so charming. Such a sexy little thing, and you were his weakness.

He couldn’t be weak anymore.

“Trust me, you haven’t seen mean yet.” Rafe mutters, “No more clubbing for the foreseeable future. I won’t have my girl doing that shit anymore.”

“You can’t tell me what I can or can’t do.” You breathe.

“No? Do you want me to cut your allowance? Change my credit card details?” He waits, but you remain silent. “That’s what I thought.”

Now you’re glaring at him with daggers in your eyes, meticulously manicured hands curling into fists by your sides. You’ve always been a brat, and right now you look like a petulant child about to throw a tantrum. You’ve done it before, and he’s always given in. Happy wife, happy life, that kind of thing. Not this time, though.

“Go fuck yourself.”

Rafe snorts, standing up and running a hand through his buzzed hair, “Why? When I’ve got you for that.” He smirks when you gasp lightly, “Now if you actually want to make yourself useful, then make me a drink how you know I like it, and bring it to me in my study.”

He leaves, but not before tapping your ass on his way out. You huff angrily, but he doesn’t look back. Not this time. Who said he couldn’t discipline you? Hell, you’re lucky he didn’t take you over his knee the moment he saw that fucking sorry excuse for a dress.

No, this time you’ll learn.

***

Predictably, you don’t bring him his drink. Instead, he leans back against his leather chair in his study, watching as his phone pings with multiple rapid notifications from his bank.

You were using his credit card right at this very moment, spending his money on a bunch of different shit. Several thousand dollars at Van Cleef, Guiseppe Zanotti, Chanel. It was your way of getting back at him, but you spending his money only served to turn him on.

The corner of Rafe’s mouth twitches upwards. He could block his credit card from your phone, or change his details. But he’s never had a problem with you spending his money. In fact, he found it to be the hottest fucking thing: the confidence with which you spent his money on the most extravagant shit possible. And he loved that he could show you off, his girl who was always dripping head to toe in diamonds and designer labels. Well taken care of. And all his.

Now if only you could just be a good girl and stop going out partying so much.

It’s not that Rafe cared much about you going out clubbing before today. He himself felt too old for that shit, but he never had a problem with you going. He liked to see you have fun, and you always came home to him all drunk and giggly. Snuggled up to him and let him take care of you. He liked that. Because he trusted you and knew you were a good girl who knew who she belonged to. But what he didn’t like was other people thinking he was some pussy-whipped little bitch.

It takes him upwards of an hour to get through the remaining work he has. By the time it’s all done, Rafe’s itching to get in bed with you. Hopefully you were done being dramatic and he could have a quiet night.

Instead, he walks back into the bedroom to see your suitcase open wide on the bed, and your shit strewn everywhere.

“The fuck is this?”

You sniffle, dramatically folding an article of clothing, “I’m leaving you.”

He rolls his eyes, “Can you leave me tomorrow? I’d like to sleep right now.”

You toss your hair over your shoulder in frustration, shooting him a glare but all he can focus on is how hot you look. You’ve changed into a pair of tiny pink silk pyjama shorts and a matching vest top. Hardly the kind of attire you’d wear when you were about to leave someone.

“You’re such a jerk, Rafe. A mean, horrible, unfair jerk. Fuck you.”

Rafe yawns, leaning against the doorframe and watching you in amusement, “A mean, horrible, unfair jerk, huh? For setting boundaries that you clearly need?”

You scowl, “I’m not your child, Rafe. And you’ve never had a problem with me going out before.”

He shrugs, “Yeah, well that’s going to change from now on going forward. I can’t have people thinking I don’t know how to control my girl.” He makes his way over to you and shuts your suitcase with a finality, pushing it onto the floor, “Now get in bed, I’m tired.”

“Of course you’re tired. You’re old and boring and you don’t understand that you’re smothering me and I hate you!” You’re growing more hysterical by the second, but it’s not something Rafe isn’t used to. This isn’t the first temper tantrum from you he’s had to deal with, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

“Baby,” he wraps his arms around you, not budging even when you fight against him with your feeble, ineffective little punches that only make him chuckle, “C’mon, don’t be like this. You know I’m only trying to protect you.”

“No. You’re just trying to control me. Because you hate me.”

“If I hated you, you’d be dead,” he laughs, pressing a kiss to the nape of your neck while you’re still trying to push him away, “Now come on, there’s worse things to pout about than not being allowed to go clubbing.”

“It’s supposed to be the biggest party of the summer! And my outfit was soo good!”

“Why don’t you act like all the other girlfriends? Plan a brunch or go to the country club?” He continues pressing kisses down your neck.

“Because I’m not a brain dead tradwife, Rafe!”

That makes him laugh, and he can sense you holding back a smile too.

“No, baby, you’re just a brat.”

He kisses you, claiming your mouth while his hand reaches down to palm your ass. He grabs a handful, giving it a squeeze through the silky material of your shorts. You gasp into his mouth and he smirks, ignoring how you pound at his chest.

“Let go of me! I told you I’m leaving!”

But you let him push you down on the bed, let him climb on top of you and kiss you some more. Sure, you have a lot to say, cursing and whining and crying about your stupid club all while he kisses you everywhere. Your face, your neck, your collarbones, pushes your top down to kiss your breasts. And he can taste the chocolatey coco of your shimmery body oil, and he’s so fucking hard.

“I wanna go to the Bahamas.” You say while he’s between your legs, eating your cunt like he’s starved. It’s his favourite type of food, and he loves pressing your thighs so far apart he’s sure he’ll leave bruises.

He looks up at you indulgently, “Sure, baby. Anything else?”

A trip to the Bahamas with him was better than you going clubbing by yourself.

“I’d like a car. Like a cute pink convertible.”

“Of course you would.”

The truth is, he’d buy you just about anything you wanted. All the dresses, cars, jewellery, makeup, trips, all of it. If it meant you’d be happy in your gilded cage, satisfied enough that you’d give up your frivolous clubbing and wild ways that made him look bad.

Now, you thrash above him, grabbing at the sheets and at his head as you come undone. Arching your back so pretty, pressing your wet pussy right on his face as he laps you up. He knows he was hard on you today, and you need the extra attention.

“Mmmm, dada… I-I…”

Rafe makes you orgasm three times before coming up for air, kissing you possessively so you can taste yourself on him. And you’re more docile now, you always are after he’s tamed you and gotten you off. Like you’ve orgasmed the brattiness out of you. Except it never lasts long, but he’d take what he could get.

“Go to sleep now,” he orders you, pecking your face a couple more times. “It’s late.”

“For you it’s late.”

“Shhhh,” he kisses you again till he can feel you smiling against his lips.

“Fine.” You yawn, letting him tuck you by his side and pull the covers up as he turns the lamp off.

He knows it’s anything but fine, and the battle is far from over. But he’s got you tamed for now, which was a victory in itself.

Fuck his dumb fucking friends. Who said Rafe Cameron didn’t know exactly how to control his girl?

Steve had flirted with girls before with no problem. He was a little bit of a player during his high school days. But the thought of going up to what seemed to be the most perfect girl in the world was terrifying. 

Steve pushed through his fears and eventually asked her out on a date. That’s how the pair ended up here, six months later. Her head was tucked into his side and she was sound asleep. 

Steve had saved up for an apartment without his parent’s help. It was only a two-bedroom apartment, but it was something that was just his. He shared it with the perfect angel asleep next to him of course. 

This was how most of their nights ended. She came home from her job at the library before Steve and typically she had dinner on the table. Steve would loosen his tie and eat, then they would go to bed. Simple. Perfect. Exactly what Steve had wanted his entire life. 

The knock on his door was very unwelcomed. It was ten p.m., no one on Earth could possibly need him right now.

He opened the door to find four people he hadn’t seen in eight months. Four people he honestly never thought he would see again. 

Jonathan, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie all stood in front of him, clearly disheveled. Steve had half a mind to just slam a door in their face and go back to cuddling with his girl. 

“Why the fuck on are you on my doorstep,” Steve deadpanned. 

“Well, we needed some help and you’re the first person we thought of. Surprise!” Robin smiled nervously while adding jazz hands around the word ‘surprise’.

“No. Absolutely not. I thought I was clear the last time I saw you. I’m done with all the supernatural shit. I’m ready to be a normal person and settle down.”

“Wait!” Nancy put her mary jane’s between the door and the wall before Steve could slam it in their faces, “We just need a place to stay tonight. The cops are after us. We aren’t asking for you to do anything other than that. Please.” 

Before Steve had a chance to say no he turned his head towards the stairs where he heard faint footsteps making their way down. 

Shit

He did not want his petal to have to deal with his past right now. She knew some of what happened to him, but not all of it. He also did not want any of his old friends corrupting his sweet angel. 

She walked next to him and tugged on his shirt while rubbing her sleepy eyes, “Where did you go?” 

Her pout melted Steve’s heart and momentarily took his focus away from the problem standing on his front porch, “I’m sorry, baby. Go back to bed and I’ll be right up. I just have to deal with this really quickly.” 

His girl nodded her head and retreated back up the stairs, ever the obedient angel. 

Steve turned his attention back to the four people begging to sleep in his house, “I really don’t have time to deal with this.” 

“You won’t even know we’re here. We promise we won’t bother you or your really hot girlfriend,” Eddie joked flirtatiously. 

“Calling my girlfriend hot is definitely not the way to sleep in my fucking house,” Steve all but growled out. 

Eddie put his hands up as if to say he was innocent. Steve tried his hardest not to make eye contact with Robin. She was probably the one person that could break his resolve. He loved her and they were best friends once upon a time. 

“It’s just one night, Steve. We’re in trouble, if you don’t help us we don’t know what could happen,” Robin pleaded. 

He knew as soon as she opened her mouth and asked him for help he wouldn’t be able to say no. Just because they stopped hanging out didn’t mean he loved her and the friendship they once had any less. 

Steve sighed and opened the door wide enough for them to step inside, “Fine. But if my girl isn’t okay with it, you can’t stay.” 

They nodded in agreement as he led the four of them to his couch. Steve jogged up the stairs to go to his angel. 

He opened the door to find her sitting up on their bed in fuzzy socks and one of his sweatshirts. He had to resist the urge to coo at how adorable she was. 

“Hey, doll,” he stated, “Some of my old friends are downstairs and I was wondering if you were okay with them staying here tonight? If you aren’t comfortable with that I can tell them to leave.” 

“No, they can stay,” she said softly, “It’s just our spare room isn’t set up so they’ll all have to sleep on the pullout.” 

Steve was relieved that his girlfriend was okay with his friends and their intrusion, “I’ll go tell them they can stay.”

His petal followed him down the stairs. Steve felt her small hand wrap around the back of his shirt as she found her place behind him. His petal was never good at meeting new people, he could especially understand her anxiety now seeing as it was late at night in her own home and random people were occupying her living room. 

He could tell his old friends were curious about the pretty girl hiding behind Steve but chose not to introduce them to one another. 

“Our guest room isn’t ready for the company so you’re all going to have to sleep on the pullout. Also, we only have two extra blankets so you’ll have to share those too.”

Petal almost gasped at how unaccommodating her boyfriend was to his friends. She lightly slapped his back and gave him a scolding look when he turned around to glance at her. Steve stifled a smile at how cute his bossy little girlfriend was. 

“Does anyone need anything before bed? Some water? Maybe a hot shower? I’m sorry we aren’t more prepared,” Petal apologized shyly. 

“It’s fine. We’re just grateful to have a place to sleep tonight,” Jonathan said honestly with a smile on his face. 

“How about some tea before bed? I have peppermint, chamomile, and green tea if anyone would like some,” Petal offered, trying to make her guests feel more comfortable since Steve didn’t. 

“I’ll take some chamomile,” Nancy smiled and everyone else chimed in with what they wanted. 

Steve’s girlfriend walked into the kitchen to go prepare everyone’s tea. Once she was comfortable out of earshot the gang started interrogating Steve.

‘What’s her name?’

“How long have you two been together?”

“Where did you meet?’ 

“You know she’s way out of your league, right?” 

The last one came from Eddie which earned him a thump on the forehead from Steve. 

“Her name is y/n, we’ve been together for six months, we met at the library, and she’s much more out of your league than mine, Munson,” Steve answered all of their questions rapid-fire. 

“She seems nice,” Nancy commented while leaning back into the couch cushion. 

“She is nice. She’s actually perfect,” Steve rambled about his gorgeous girlfriend. 

“Okay, loverboy,” Robin stopped him, “We get it you’re in love with her.” 

The goofy smile never left Steve’s face when he was talking about y/n.

“So,” Steve started after finishing his rant about his gorgeous girlfriend, “Are you guys gonna tell me why you all demanded to sleep in my house tonight?” 

“We’re all being framed for the murder of Chrissy Cunningham. We were all in Eddie’s trailer where she died the same day she was found dead,” Nancy explained. 

“Well, did you kill her?” 

“What the hell! Obviously, we didn’t kill her,” Robin whisper-shouted at him. 

“I have to make sure. I never know with you assholes,” Steve rolled his eyes. 

Petal comes in with a tray of snacks and tea as the group is arguing with one another. Her presence snaps them all out of their fighting. 

“Thank you, angel,” Steve says while pulling her frame down on top of his lap and kissing her temple, “Did you make yourself some peppermint tea?” he asked while eyeing the array of food on the tray she brought in. 

She simply nodded her head and leaned in to grab one of the floral mugs. 

“Thank you so much,” Robin smiled at y/n while eating a piece of fruit that was sat out.

“I’m sorry I don’t have more, I wish I could’ve been a bit more prepared,” She pouted while pressing her head against Steve’s chest. 

“No, this is perfect,” Eddie said through a mouth full of cheese, “You have no idea how hungry we were on the road.”

They sat like that for a bit. Steve caught up with his friends and petal just listened intently while they reminisced on their old adventures. 

Steve felt his angel yawn against his chest and decided to call it a night with his friends. He pulled the couch out and supplied them with all the blankets and pillows he could find. 

Steve took his petal upstairs and they listened to the quiet murmurs of the people downstairs.

Somehow, Steve and his girl went from making small conversation to his body being on top of her own. 

He kissed down her neck, “You have to be quiet for me, baby. You don’t want my friends to hear how much of a slut you are, do you?” 

She whimpered out and shook her head as his fingers snaked between her legs. She ground against his hand and he tsked at her, “So fucking desperate.” 

When the headboard started to bang against the wall rhythmically all thoughts of being quiet disappeared from both of them. 

Her mewls and Steve’s breathy ‘good girl’ and ‘cockdrunk slut’ were the only things either of them could focus on. 

Unfortunately for the group downstairs, they weren’t as oblivious as Steve and his girlfriend. They all groaned in misery when the girl’s small squeals could be heard. Nancy put a pillow over her head.

“Christ, do they have to be that loud?” Robin complained. 

“There’s no way Harrington’s dick is good enough for a girl to call him ‘daddy’”, Eddie rolled his eyes and continued eating the cheese from the tray left out. 

“He was nice enough to let us stay at his house. We really aren’t in the position to complain,” Jonathan pointed out while snuggling further into the pullout couch. 

Just as he said that they all could hear an animalistic growl and the headboard banging slow to a stop. 

“Thank fucking Christ,” Eddie mumbled out. 

He was leaned against the wall watching her do the makeup of some of the women that were going on tonight.

As far as he knew she was the head makeup artist for the company and did her job pretty damn good, always in a pair of heels with her hair perfectly done too.

The outfit she had on today was a little more revealing than what he was used to but he definitely didn’t mind. The baby pink skirt and matching top made her body look out of this fucking world.

Tyler had never needed to go to the makeup chair before so they had never officially crossed paths. However, he’s been watching her since the first time Cody brought his wrestling class to their first TV taping.

She’s always there, and she’s always working. Currently, she was talking to Britt while doing some crazy eyeshadow look on her that seemed impossibly difficult to him.

Ty could hear her giggle from where he was standing and he wanted nothing more than to go over there and drag her back to his private lockeroom and have his way with her.

“Again, man? You gotta leave her alone,” Dante Martin put a hand on his shoulder which Tyler immediately shrugged off.

He knew he was joking but it still hit a little too close to him. Tyler always wondered if she noticed him and the close eye he kept on her. 

“Shut up. Don’t you have a top rope or something to jump off?” Tyler rolled his eyes.

“Why don’t you just go talk to her,” Dante ignored his previous comment.

“What would I even say? ‘Oh hey, I’ve been staring at you for the past year and I want to do you in my hotel room?’”

Dante laughed, “You don’t obsess over a girl for an entire year and only want to fuck her. We both know you actually like her.”

Ty had never had a serious relationship before and didn’t desire it. He was very focused on his career and didn’t have time for any distractions, even ones with impossibly long legs and high cheek bones.

“That’s exactly why I can’t talk to her. I’m way too busy. I don’t have time to treat her like she deserves,” he grumbled back in response.

His friend grinned, “How can you say shit like that and not see it?”

“See what, asshole,” he hissed back.

“That you’re not going to be able to just stop thinking about her.”

“I could totally stop thinking about her if I wanted to. She’s like, like a side hobby,” Tyler responded a bit flustered.

“A side hobby?” Dante was hysterically laughing at this point.

“If she’s such a side hobby, let’s make a bet,” Dante said to him.

“Oh yeah? What kind of bet?” Tyler was intrigued at this point. He was never one to turn down a challenge. He stopped leaning on the wall and stood up straight.

“If you can leave her alone for the rest of the show - that means no looking at her, no standing by the makeup chairs, and no scaring off the rookies who try and flirt with her - I’ll pay for you to finish the rest of your sleeve,” Dante said slyly.

Tyler’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Dude, my tattoo artist is charging me $2500 in cash for that.”

“I know. But I’m almost positive you won’t win,” he laughed.

“What happens if I lose?” Ty inquired.

“I get your private lockeroom for 5 more Dynamites,” Dante responded matter of factly.

“Bro, my dad rents that out for me.”

“Yeah and everyone fucking hates you for it,” Dante added.

“Call me daddy’s money all you want but I get to do my pre-match ritual in silence, without you assholes screaming in my ear.”

“And that’s what I want.”

“Fine. You have a deal,” Tyler stuck his hand out and Dante shook it.

“There’s no way you’re winning,” Dante cackled while walking away from him.

Tyler walked to catering and tried not to think about her there without him. It was stupid really. She had been working there longer than he had and he was scared for her well-being.

He sighed and stabbed the chicken on his plate with a fork. It was going to be a long ass night.

-

Dynamite had started a couple of hours later and he had a match tonight, but for some reason he couldn’t focus.

Well, not some reason. He knew the exact reason, and she was most likely sucking on hard candy and playing on her phone in the backstage area.

Tyler tried hard to shake it off, he really did. But he couldn’t jepordize his match for some stupid bet.

His phone dinged and it was a text message from Dante.

Are you cracking yet, lover boy?

Tyler wanted to hurl his phone at the wall. He felt like he was going absolutely insane. He wanted to slap himself for allowing his attraction to her for getting this far.

Ty hated to admit it to himself, but he did actually like her. He liked her much more than a one night stand or a casual hookup.

He had been going backing forth between the pros and cons of just going to find her when the Bucks walked into his dressing room.

Tyler immediately stood up from his seated position when they walked in. He pulled himself together so he could talk to his bosses.

He stuck his hand out to shake theirs, “What can I do for you guys?”

After they finished shaking hands with each other Matt started talking, “It’s about your match tonight. Tony made a last minute decision for you to go over.”

Tyler’s face was one of surprise, “Like, win the TNT title?”

“Yeah,” Matt brushed over this news, “Sorry it’s on such short notice, kid.”

“No, don’t sweat it. I’m psyched,” Tyler tried to keep his cool.

“We figured you would be. Go change the finish with Sammy and you’ll be set. We watched you guys practice this morning and the match you have planned should stay the same. The only change we want is for you to tap him out,” Nick instructed the young talent.

“Of course. Thank you so much. This means a lot to me,” Tyler was very grateful for this opportunity but also incredibly nervous.

The group exchanged pleasantries for a while longer until they left the room. Ty could feel his heart speeding up. There was no way he could go out to win a title feeling like this.

His palms were sweating and despite the news he had his focus was still somewhere else. He checked his watch to see he had an hour and thirty minutes until he was gonna go out.

Fuck the bet.

There was no way in hell Ty was going to fuck up the biggest match of his career over a bet.

He threw a hoodie and sweats over his gear and stepped out of dressing room, already feeling the clouds clear out of his head.

Ty booked it to the makeup chairs like he was being chased.

He stopped just a few steps behind where she was lounging.

She was perched on one of the chairs with her legs swinging. She was on her phone with a cherry red sucker in her mouth, just as he suspected.

She was a sight for sore eyes and he felt relief wash over him knowing she was perfectly fine.

“Hey,” he said suddenly making her look up from her phone. His voice was a surprise to his own ears. He had never spoken to her and now was probably not the best time to start.

She looked up at him from her chair and took the sucker out of her mouth, “Hey.”

The way she was smiling at his made his chest ache, “I was wondering if you could fix my hair before my match. I totally slept on it wrong.”

She looked skeptical. Tyler knew he sounded stupid. His hair was probably the easiest in the world to manage. All he did was run a brush through it and call it a day.

“Of course. Hook, right?” She called him by his in ring name.

He chuckled as he sat down in her chair, “Yeah, but you can call me Tyler.”

When her fingers began to comb through his hair he wanted to groan.

“I’m Ariane, but everyone around her calls me Ari.”

He finally knew her name and it fit her perfectly. He could feel all of his nerves slipping from his body as she touched him. It was like she had some sort of magnetic aura that dissipated all of his anxiety.

He stayed quiet as she moved his hair every which way. Her long pink acrylics were perfectly scratching his scalp. Ty fought the urge to shiver and lean into her touch.

“What gear are you wearing tonight?” Ari asked.

“I’ve got the orange on tonight.”

“You always wear those,” she teased, “What about the chain?”

He pulled his gold chain out of his hoodie and showed her. He was impressed she knew he always wore a chain to the ring. It made Ty smile that Ari watched him maybe as much as he watched her.

She moved from behind him to get a better look at the chain.

Ari leaned in and touched the chain around his neck. Her tan fingers brushed against the pulse point on his neck. He closed his eyes and took in a breath. Her long dark extensions created a curtain between them and the outside world. Tyler wanted to feel her hands on him forever.

Their eyes locked for a second and she smiled at him in a way that made him want to bend her over his lap and make her start fucking counting.

He tried not to lose control of the situation. It felt like she was holding him in the palm of her hand.

“This is really nice. It’s different than the ones you usually wear,” Ariane said finally and stepping away from him.

His mouth twitched into a small smile, “You pay a lot of attention to my chains?”

“You’re the only guy on the roster who doesn’t ask for my advice on gear. I like to see what you’re wearing.”

“Well, this one was my dad’s in the 90’s. He wore it when he proposed to my mom,” Ty couldn’t figure out why he was volunteering this information. He kept most of his personal life to himself but she made him spill his guts with only a few words.

“And you’re wearing it to win your first title,” she must’ve noticed the look he gave her, “You tend to hear a lot when you’re doing an entire roster’s makeup and hair.”

“The chain is a good luck charm. It made my mom say yes, maybe it’ll keep me from fucking up any spots,” he joked.

“I’ve never seen you mess up a spot before,” Ari rolled her eyes adorably.

Tyler really wanted to grab her and kiss her. Actually, he wanted to do more than that, he wanted to take her back to his dressing room and flip up that impossibly tiny skirt and fuck her. He had to get himself back under control.

He took a deep breath and stood up. He was standing almost chest to chest with her. Ty had a few inches on her, even with her heels. He looked down at her parted lips and smiled.

“Next time you have any advice on my gear, you can come find me in my dressing room,” his words dripped with sexual innuendo that made her noticeably flustered.

He walked away from the makeup area and to gorilla. Ty stripped down into his gear and waited for the women’s match to end.

He felt way more confident than he had in his lockeroom. Tyler was calm, satiated even. He talked to Ari for the first time ever and even flirted with her. He could comfortably take her off of his mind for now.

He was ready to go out there and have the best match of his life.

Even though he felt on top of the world, he still felt anxiety pooled in his belly. Any person in their right mind would.

This is going to be his first title run and he wants it to be amazing.

“Hey,” Sammy grabbed his shoulder, “The Bucks wanted me to come talk about the match with you.”

His calm attitude didn’t last long when he heard Sammy’s voice. Sammy Guevera was not an easy person to be around. Almost everyone on the roster hated him, besides his equally annoying wife, Tay.

“Yeah. All we have to do is keep the same combinations until the last three minutes. They want a submission victory so I was thinking you try for a frog splash and I catch you midair. I’ll give you a couple of suplexes and then put you in the redrum.”

“Whatever,” sammy rolled his eyes like the asshole he is, “I’m still pissed they sprung this on me last minute.”

“Maybe it’s because you called one of the most experienced veterans in the back a jobber,” Ty spit back at him.

Just because they had a match did not mean they had to like each other.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Sammy grumbled while walking away.

As the semi-main event ended with Britt holding her championship with a confident smirk on her face. He felt like his chest was on fire the closer it got to his match.

Tyler stood up and took a deep breath. He had seven minutes until his entire life would be changed.

He knew he had to go out first and stood at the curtain.

-

The match went off without a hitch. Tyler was surprised considering Sammy kept giving him stiff punches and slapping him in the face.

Ty kept it professional, though and managed to finish the match without actually beating the shit out of him.

He walked to the back with the TNT titled draped over his shoulder as the backstage personnel and Tony Khan gave him a standing ovation.

His dad was the first person to hug him and tell him how proud he was. Tyler fought tears when they embraced.

He thanked everyone profusely and spoke to Tony privately about how grateful he was.

Ty was in the middle of picking up his sweats and hoodie when Dante came into view. He mentally groaned, he was going to get so much shit from him.

Dante wrapped gave Tyler a hug and when he pulled away he smiled, “Couldn’t do it could ya, champ?”

“Fuck off,” Tyler groaned, “It was the only way that match wasn’t gonna be shit. It was impossible to focus with her on my mind.”

“You sound like a fucking love sick puppy,” Dante laughed at him.

“Yeah yeah. What are we doing to celebrate?” Ty smirked at his friend.

“I’ve got some of the boys together and we can go grab drinks downtown. This is my first time in Nashville so I think Bowens is picking.”

“Sounds great. Let me go take a quick shower,” he replied walking away.

“Enjoy that private shower while it lasts!” Dante called from behind him.

Tyler just flipped him off and kept walking to his dressing room. He really was dreading giving it away for five weeks.

Just before he made it to his lockeroom he saw Ari leaning against the wall next to the his dressing room door texting on her phone.

“Hey,” he smiled at her.

She looked up at him, “Hey, champ. That was a great match. Congratulations.”

Her smiled was so genuine and happy it made his heart flutter a little bit, “Thanks. Hey, some of the guys are going out to celebrate. Wanna come with?”

Tyler watched as her green eyes lit up at the prospect of going out with him.

“I’d love to, but before I think you told me I should come into your lockeroom when I had any thoughts about your gear,” she gave him a sultry look through her false eyelashes.

His mouth quirked into a smile, “Yeah, and what is it you wanna say about my gear, doll?”

“I think it would look much better off,” she had an innocent look in her eyes despite the words she was saying.

This turned him onto no end. He didn’t even bother to say anything else, he just opened the door and pulled her inside.

He quickly locked the door and pressed her against it. Their lips touched and it felt like his skin was buzzing against her own.

He kissed a trail down her neck. He sucked and nipped at the delicate skin until there was a distinct hickey.

“Such a fucking tease all the time, hm? All those tiny little outfits” He said against her neck.

Tyler could hear her shaky breathing and the occasional whimper.

He smiled against her skin and finally pulled away, “If you want to stop, just say so.”

With that he tugged her over to the couch and pulled her onto his lap.

Their mouths were on one another’s in an instant. Their lips moved in a feverish manner, as if they couldn’t get enough of each other.

Ari was the first to pull away, “Let me properly congratulate you on your win, champ.”

She slinked down to her knees in front of him and put her hands on his bare thighs.

Tyler’s hand ran through her hair and Ari spoke again, “It’s a wonder it’s taken you this long to say something.”

He looked down at her in confusion as she started to palm him through his shorts, “I’ve seen you stand at my makeup station for months and stare at my ass. That’s why I’m dressed like this tonight.”

She kissed his thigh and whispered, “Just for you.”

Tyler finally said something, “Dressing like a whore at work just to impress me? I’m honored, baby.”

Ari rested her head against his thigh and stared at his hard on still confined in his pants.

Ty wrapped a hand in her and forced her to sit up properly, “Are you gonna let the champ fuck your face doll?”

She nodded eagerly, “Please fuck my face Tyler.”

He didn’t have to hear anymore, he pulled his cock out, “Stick your tongue out.”

Ariane shivered at his dominant voice and did what she was told.

He used his hand that was wrapped in her hair to guide her down his cock. Ty slowly sunk his cock in her mouth and groaned out when she made it to the base.

She began gagging a little bit and he let her pull off, “You’re so big,” she whimpered.

Ty thought she looked so cute like this, almost frustrated she couldn’t take him all the way down her throat, “You’ll make it work, baby.”

She wrapped her lips around his tip and looked up at him to signal that she was ready for him to continue

He started bobbing her head up and down his cock. His groans made her even wetter than she was.

Ty kept cursing in his deep voice and watched as he fingers snaked in between her legs and underneath her skirt.

“Cant even handle sucking cock without something inside you? Fucking hell,” he chastised her while moving her head faster.

He threw his head back when she started swirling her tongue around his length.

“Fuck,” Ty said aloud, “I’m gonna cum down that pretty throat.”

She nodded her head around him to assure him it was okay. Somehow he forced her to choke his cock down even faster.

Ari sucked impossibly hard and his hips bucked up into her mouth right before he came. She felt his hot seed shoot down her throat in long spurts and whimpered around him.

When he was finished with her he took her off of him.

They both stopped for a moment, him breathless and her with spit around her mouth and tears in her eyes.

“Come here,” he said while putting his shorts back on properly.

Ari obediently sat in the couch next to him before he grabbed her waist and sat her on his lap.

His arms wrapped around her, “We don’t have to go out with them tonight. We can go back to my hotel room and talk or something. I don’t want you to think I wanted this as a one time thing.”

Her voice was hoarse when she first started talking, “Today is a big day for you. You deserve to go out and celebrate.”

“Did you drive here?” He asked, ignoring her last comment.

“No, I ubered, why?”

“I’ll drive you back to the hotel then. Or the bar, it whatever you want, baby,” he smiled at her warmly.

She whined, “I can’t let you not celebrate you’re first title win. I’ll come with you to the bar and we can talk about all of this later.”

Tyler kissed the crown of Ari’s, “You know this wasn’t a one time thing for me, right? I want to have something real for you.”

Riley stretched back in her stiff plastic chair, stifling a yawn and scrubbing her hands over her eyes.

“Coffee.” Katherine, her best friend and co-star swung around into the seat beside her. Riley puffed out a sigh and reached out for the cup she’d placed in front of her with a grateful look.

“You’re a lifesaver.” She spoke between hurried sips. “These early morning cons are not agreeing with me.” The warmth was an immediate relief to her system.

“That or last night’s tequila shots.” Katherine snickered and Riley slumped forward, laying her face flat on the table.

“That too.”

The table was cool against her cheek and she wondered briefly if she couldn’t sneak in a quick nap before their first meet and greet. Heaving a sigh but not summoning the energy to move her head, Riley reopened her eyes to see an eerily familiar blonde head of hair passing sideways through her field of vision. Her head shot up and she narrowed her eyes, attempting to see across the large convention floor. And sure enough, heading to a spot just a few tables away, was a face she hadn’t seen in years, apart from a few choice dreams. Even through his expensive suit, she could tell he was more muscular than she remembered and he was sporting the worst tan she had ever seen but there was no doubt it was him. She swallowed hard.

“Hello, are you in there?” Katherine waved a hand in front of her face before tilting her head and following her gaze over to his table. “You got a thing for wrestlers now?” Her lips curled up with a breath of a laugh.

“Wrestlers…” Riley mumbled the word as the pieces clicked together in her head. She felt like an idiot - how could she have forgotten? Granted, the last time she talked to him, he was wrestling in gymnasiums, he certainly wasn’t doing meet and greets at conventions, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t tuned in from time to time to see him on tv.

He was arguing with the guy at the table next to him when his eyes caught hers. She could hear his voice stop abruptly but averted her eyes hoping he hadn’t really noticed her, focusing on her coffee.

“Oh, babe, I think you caught his attention.” Katherine elbowed her with a grin.

“Stop looking at him!” She hissed, smacking Katherine in the gut.

“Okay but I think that’s gonna be tough because he’s headed this way.”

Shit. The pit in her stomach grew right alongside the unmistakable sound of his shoes getting closer. Her eyes peeled slowly up to take him in fully.

“Well, well. As I live and breathe.” He took his time on each word, savoring it. His voice was different, deeper and more pompous, but that stupid, arrogant smirk was the same. “Riley Masterson, in the flesh.” The way her name on his tongue sent adrenaline shooting down her spine proved to be the same too. “Long time no see, sweetheart.”

“Maxwell.” Her lips curled up involuntarily. “You…uh…you look good.” Her eyes traveled down his figure, despite her best efforts, fully taking in the way he filled out his suit. He raised a brow, his smirk only growing.

“Oh, I bet I do.” He didn’t hide the way his eyes were appraising her, tongue tracing across the edge of his teeth. She squirmed in her seat. “I was starting to think I was never going to see you again.” She shrugged with a coy smile.

“I guess it has been a while.”

“Four years.” He answered with a certainty she didn’t expect. It didn’t take long for Katherine to put the timing of Riley's last relationship together and, in her periphery, she saw Katherine's head snap to her.

“Yeah, that sounds about right…” Riley pointedly avoided meeting anyone's eyes. It didn’t take a genius to put together that she hadn’t spoken to Max since shortly after her and Lucas, her on screen love interest and newly ex-boyfriend, got together.

“It’s been a busy four years for you.” He motioned at the sign hung behind her that displayed the title of the show she had been a mainstay on since around that same time.

“And for you too from the looks of your gaudy new belt.” She raised a brow with a tilted smile, her gaze falling pointedly to the championship belt fit snugly around his waist. The logo was different but it wasn’t too dissimilar to the replica belt she’d seen sitting on the shelf in his room all those years ago. It looked much better on his waist.

“Hey now, sweetheart, jealousy is not a good shade on you.” He shook his head disapprovingly with a thinly veiled grin. “If only you’d taken me up on those wrestling lessons, you could have had one of these beauties for yourself.” He patted the belt and she clutched her chest with a puff of breath.

“Oh, the weight of my bad decision making is overwhelming. Would that have earned me the bad tan job, too?” She teased, biting back a smile and he opened his mouth to feign insult but was interrupted.

A cracked and muffled voice over the intercom announced that doors would be opening in five minutes. Her eyes drew up and then back onto Maxwell, leaning against her table with an easy, charming smile. It shouldn’t have surprised her how quickly they fell back into their rhythm but after the way they left things, she really was caught off guard.

His fingers tapped along the wooden surface and she tried not to let them snag her attention the way they always used to. If she let herself remember the way the pads of his calloused fingers always felt so rough against her skin, or notice how much more prominent the veins on the back of his hands were, or think about how good he was at curling those thick digits into just the right spot….

“Are you around the rest of the weekend?” His voice snapped her back to attention. She didn’t miss the smug look on his face as he caught her staring and, no doubt, knew exactly where her mind had wandered.

“Unfortunately, no. I'm only scheduled today so I fly out tomorrow morning. You too?”

“God, I wish but I've got another full day of this shit. Believe me, I'll be catching the first flight I can out of this dump and getting my ass back home.” He leaned back on his heel. “We should catch up over drinks tonight if you aren’t busy.”

She hesitated, the response stuck in her throat but Katherine interjected.

“She’s not. She’ll be there.” She was unfazed by the disbelieving look Riley gave her. Max’s brow furrowed for a moment as he glanced between Katherine and Riley before giving a final confident nod.

“Good. I’ll find you when this crap is over.” He toed the line of asking and telling her. Riley struggled to put up an argument.

This had been the longest they had ever gone without seeing each other and she had already come to terms with the fact that she would probably never see him again. At times, she had even been sure it was for the best. But she would be lying if she said that, here, face to face, she didn’t want to see more of him. That thrill that went up her spine when he looked at her didn’t help.

“It really is so good to see you again.” His eyes scaled up her body, drinking her in once last time before heading back to his table.

Oh, she was in trouble.

———

“So are you going to jump straight to explaining the hot new asshole in your life or are you going to make me pry it out of you by force?” Katherine asked and Riley snorted, face down, focused heavily on her lunch.

“Maxwell? Please.” But it didn’t assuage her. “Oh I don’t know. Max- Max is an old…” She paused, eyes roving around the makeshift dining area.

“Fling?” Katherine suggested but Riley scoffed so she raised a brow. “Flame?”

“Friend.” Riley corrected and Katherine rolled her eyes.

“Please don’t insult my intelligence.” She cut off Riley's objections before she could even get started. “There’s no way you’ve never slept with him. Not with the ‘fuck me’ eyes you were giving him. Not even Lucas got ‘fuck me’ eyes like that.” She didn’t think she had been that transparent. She hoped he didn’t think she had been that obvious. She was certain he thought they were going to sleep together tonight but she didn’t need to be reinforcing that thought. “So what’s the scoop on Blondie?”

“Fine, we’ve slept together a few times.” Few might have been an understatement.

“A few??” Katherine stopped with her food halfway to her mouth. “How do I not know about him? Must not have been any good if you’ve never bothered to mention him.”

“Max is probably…” She hummed, wincing after a moment of thought. “No. Definitely the best sex I’ve ever had.” Katherine gaped at her with narrowed, disbelieving eyes.

“You’re kidding me. Pretty boy?” She leaned into her conspiratorially. Riley nodded, eyes on her salad. “The guy that looks like he couldn’t find the clitoris if it smacked him in the face? The guy that looks like he’s probably won three consecutive awards for ‘worlds most selfish lover’?” Riley choked a laugh but nodded again.

“Don’t know what to tell you. It’s just always so intense with him, I don’t know that anybody could touch that.” As if that even began to describe what it was like to be with Max.

“And when, exactly did you manage to fit in a few times with this intense, mystery guy? I swear we’ve traced your uninterrupted string of long term boyfriends all the way back to seventh grade. I don’t remember that name.” She didn’t take her eyes off her but Riley just offered a shrug.

“Because he wasn’t my boyfriend.” She answered simply, as if he wasn’t the only exception, but Katherine was already melodramatically clutching at her chest. Boy, was he an outlier if there ever was one, though.

“What?! Miss Monogamy had a dirty little hook up? How did this happen?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Riley groaned a response, running a hand through her hair. She had no idea where to even beginning with Max. “I’ve known him forever. When my dad left, my mom and I moved to a new house, two doors down from Max. We grew up together, I guess, and we ended up decently good friends by high school.” Twenty years that they had known each other now. A lifetime.

“Don’t tell me he was actually your first.” Katherine groaned, pretending to gag, and Riley rolled her eyes at her.

“He wasn’t. It’s nothing that dire.” She waved her off. Katherine waited for her to elaborate and she sighed, placing her fork down and leaning back in her chair. She glanced around the backstage area to be sure he hadn’t snuck in while she wasn’t looking. “Like I said, we were pretty close in high school. And I’m not sure if you remember the story about how things ended with the guy I actually lost my virginity to, but- ”

“Oh believe me, I remember. With him kissing Savannah Morgansen at the end of the year pool party? Literally classless.” Katherine interrupted her, shaking her head, and Riley swallowed a laugh.

“Right. Anyway, the break up was messy and loud and very public. But Max was there to…comfort me.” Riley glanced away but she didn’t need to see Katherine to know the dirty smile on her face.

“Oh, I bet he comforted you real good.”

“Shut up.” She chuckled and shoved her shoulder. “I was emotional and possibly the angriest I’d ever been in my life and we were both so drunk.” She paused, the memories of that night swirling in her mind. “And he was uncharacteristically complimentary and I dove mouth-first into him.”

“As one does when angry, drunk, and complimented.” She gave an exaggerated, understanding nod. “I assume Blondie didn’t mind that, though.” Riley snorted.

“No, definitely not.” She worried her lip between her teeth. “He had me pinned to a wall with my top off in approximately 8 seconds flat.”

“While drunk? Impressive.”

“It was. But nothing serious really came of it.” Boy did that feel like a lie coming out of her mouth. “The summer after that party, we fooled around from time to time and it was fantastic but he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend and I wasn’t looking to rush into a new relationship.” She paused before wincing. “But then Paul moved to town from Oregon at the start of the school year and that just kind of happened really quickly, and Max and I just went back to being friends like nothing ever happened.”

“Nothing? Really?” Katherine raised a dubious brow. “I’m supposed to believe that you, Queen of Serious Relationships, managed to play this totally cool and never brought it up again? Just seamlessly moved back to being his friend without even discussing it?”

“You know, this may come as a surprise to you, but, as a the lead actress in a tv show, I’m actually capable of doing a little bit of acting when it suits me.”

“Babe, our show was on the CW, that’s not always a given.” Katherine bit back a cheeky grin and Riley smacked her shoulder with the back of her hand. “Okay, well then you’re trying to tell me that you got all flustered back there over a guy you slept with a decade ago?” She demanded, savoring the last bite of yogurt on her spoon. Riley scoffed.

“First of all, I was not flustered. I just…didn’t expect to see him today, that’s all.”

“Mm almost like his sudden appearance caught you off guard and you were…” She waved her spoon from side to side with her cadence, leaving space for Riley to fill in the word ‘flustered’ herself but she just rolled her eyes.

“I wasn’t flustered. And besides, I’ve slept with him more recently than a decade ago.” Her tight, restrained smile had Katherine leaning in closer for more details. “I mean, Paul and I didn’t last forever, and Max is just…so good at comforting people.” She could feel the color rising to her cheeks and tried to will it back down.

“Against all laws of the universe.”

“But that turned into kind of a pattern for us." Riley's tone shifted, the reality of her relationship with Max now laid out clearly in her mind. "I would date a guy, then when we broke up, I’d always end up back in Max’s bed. It didn’t take more than a couple of times before he started knowing to expect me." She winced, wetting her lips with a sigh. "It stopped being something he pretended didn’t happen and started being something to tease me about when it looked like my current relationship was running its course." And by the end, something he actively encouraged, but that was a can of worms she couldn’t stand to open. "But every time was always better than the last. Like he was rebooting my internal settings.”

“Ohhhh.” Katherine tsked as if she had figured her out. “He was your palate cleanser.”

“Excuse me?” Riley raised an exasperated brow.

“Your palate cleanser. You know, the guy that’s fantastic in bed but undateable - perfect for a good screw between relationships. Clears the lingering bad taste of your last relationship out and gets you ready to move on to the next guy!”

“Isn’t that just a rebound?” She rolled her eyes and Katherine pointed a spoon in her direction, accusingly.

“Not if you use the same guy every time!”

“Now you’re just making this up.”

“Don’t I wish, babe! But you’d know that if you ever looked at the newsletters I send you.” But Katherine was already laughing. Riley tried to bury her face in her salad. It felt a little rude to Max but it did hit the nail on the head. He had been more than that, though, hadn’t he? “You know, you’re probably due for a good palate cleansing right about now, aren’t you?” Riley recoiled at the implication.

“Absolutely not.”

“Come on, babe, you broke up with Lucas three months ago. It’s time to move on; you know he has.” Her expression was sympathetic but it had Riley's face burning red. The split from Lucas was nasty and she honestly hadn’t finished mourning it. Four years was a long time to be with someone - especially when it ends like that.

“It’s not that easy.” She protested but she could see Katherine's objection playing on her lips. “Besides, you don’t understand. Getting involved with Max again…that’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous how? You’re not ‘getting involved’ with him. You’re having one night of shameless sex.” She looked bored and Riley spluttered for an explanation that made sense of the jumbled feelings in her gut.

“He’s got this pull over me.” She knew that sounded melodramatic but it was out her mouth before she could stop it. “You don’t know what it was like before we stopped talking a few years ago.” Shaking her head, she leaned back in the uncomfortable folding chair. “I can’t control myself when he’s involved. I honestly probably shouldn’t even go with him for a drink tonight.”

“What, exactly, is the worst that could happen? You have one fun-filled night that helps you forget about your sorry excuse for an ex boyfriend, then don’t see him for another five years?" Katherine offered but Riley was just shaking her head. "You’re both so busy now - I mean you didn’t run into him in all these years without even trying to avoid him. I think you’ll be okay.”

But she was wrong about that. It was no coincidence that they hadn't seen each other in four years. Riley had put a decent effort into avoiding him. For four years, any time she was back home, it was peering around corners at the grocery store, and cutting short her runs through her parents' neighborhood at the sight of a car his color. When she cut ties it was a hard cut, and it was meant to be for good.

“I make bad decisions when he’s involved. Do things that I shouldn’t and normally wouldn't ever consider.”

“Oh," Katherine grimaced, "like anal? Been there. Good dick will do that to you.”

“No, like cheating on Jonah.” Riley winced.

“Oh, my god!” Her eyes bulged and she dropped her spoon onto the table with a clatter. “Is that why you and Jonah broke up?" She shoved Riley's shoulder hard and she swayed back in her chair. Jonah was her boyfriend before Lucas and was, as most of her family and friends would attest, a rotten son-of-a-bitch. Much like the majority of the boys she had dated. "You never told me that! You can be a bad girl!”

“Don’t sound so proud of me." Her scowl was not intimidating but Katherine tried valiantly not to laugh. "Its probably the single thing on this planet that I feel the most guilty about.” Tightly contested by her decision to cut Max out of her life, but she couldn’t verbalize that even if she wanted to. “I didn’t make it more than 24 hours without breaking down, confessing to him.”

“Please don’t lose sleep over it. Jonah earned that. Not like he was exactly the best boyfriend.” She was putting it mildly, mostly because she knew it wasn't worth the argument with Riley.

“But he didn’t deserve that. I should know. And I should’ve known better, but I wasn’t thinking straight because I can’t think straight when Max is around! Which is why I really shouldn’t be around him anymore. It’s too dangerous.” She was working herself up now and could hear it in her own voice. Spinning out about Max was her specialty, though; yet another reason to add to the list.

“Well I don’t think you’re in any danger of cheating on your boyfriend right now, so what exactly are you afraid of?” Katherine demanded, leaning her chin on her hand, propped up on the table. Riley shuttered a sigh, rolling her head back in an attempt to find the words. She was a jumbled mess and her feelings about her friendship with Max were a tangled web right in the center of it all.

“I just can’t go through it again." She said finally. "Not long after I started dating Lucas, he found out about what happened with Max while I was with Jonah. He told me he wasn’t comfortable with me being friends with Max anymore…and it sucked but I understood. If the tables had been turned, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable either." It was a very large simplification of a long, disaster of a night but that story was just going to unravel a whole yarn she didn’t have the heart to spin. But her brain was nagging her to admit the not-so-insignificant factor that weighed in her decision. "Plus, I was starting to feel a little out of control when it came to Max. I never wanted to say no when it came to him and that was a dangerous game to play. So I told him we couldn’t talk anymore." She glanced down at the table, pushing food around on her plate. "It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I couldn’t talk to Lucas about it but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I am just finally reaching a point where I don’t think about him constantly; it took me four years to stop thinking about him all the time. If I dip my toe back in there now, I might drown.”

Daring a glimpse at Katherine, she braced for the worse. She hadn't intended to divulge that much of the inner monologue of hundreds of sleepless nights spent thinking about him. They hadn't even touched on the layers of guilt that had built up over time, or the time she drunk dialed him and left a horrible voicemail that she only remembered pieces of. But the look on Katherine's face was much worse than she expected - it was sympathy and concern and much gentler than she'd been a few minutes ago.

“Babe, no one’s dick is that magical." She shook her head softly, brows drawn. "It...kind of sounds like you were in love with him.” Riley's wild scoff did nothing to assuage her.

“That’s insane.” Riley spluttered through a laugh that was distinctly outside of her vocal register. “I definitely wasn’t in love with him. If you knew him better, you’d understand why that’s just not possible.” She shook her head with another alien laugh, and she could see the way it was making Katherine look at her but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “Like… he was my best friend, but he was insufferable. Like one of the most annoying people that most people have ever met. I definitely wasn’t in love with him.”

“Riley, I knew he was insufferable the moment he started talking." Katherine stressed and Riley's face fell slightly, her firm wall of denial crumbling before her eyes. "And yet, you couldn’t stop thinking about him for four years? Sounds like more than just a palate cleanser to me.”

“No, I mean we were friends! I cared about him. Like I care about you!" Her voice was veering on manic as she pointed to Katherine. "So, I guess, I mean, maybe you could make the stretch that I loved him. Like I love you. But I definitely wasn’t in love with him. That’s just not possible.” Oh, she did not like the way Katherine was looking at her. That concern and sympathy only growing with every passing minute. “I just missed my friend. That’s all.” She said finally, like it would undo all the word vomiting she just did.

“You know, I’m starting to think maybe you shouldn’t go for that drink with him tonight.” Katherine sat back in her seat, pursing her lips.

“What? Why would you say that? I thought you said I needed my palate cleansed!” Riley's stomach turned anxiously and she tried to mentally tamp down whatever emotion had made that happen. It was the same thing she had been trying to convince Katherine of just a few minutes ago but the way she was presenting it now was setting off pins and needles throughout Riley’s skin.

“Yeah but this guy isn’t a good palate cleanser." She shook her head and Riley let out an indignant puff of breath. "A palate cleanser needs to be undateable. Otherwise things get messy. Clearly that was the problem here.”

“Aren’t you listening? Max is undateable!”

“No,” Katherine clarified, slowing down, “Max didn’t want a girlfriend when he was 15. Max is now a grown ass man and you don’t know what he wants.”

“I mean, first of all, he isn’t just undateable because he doesn’t want a girlfriend. He’s undateable because of the whole…insufferable thing." She waved her hand in the air in front of them. "And second, it wasn’t just when he was 15; Max just isn’t the dating type. I’ve never seen him with a girlfriend. Not since high school. The second he realized he could hook up with girls without dating them, he never looked back.” But Katherine’s lips were pressed into a thin line, brows drawn as she studied her. She looked long and hard and Riley swallowed back the nerves gathering in her throat. Finally, she held her hands up in defeat, though Riley wasn’t sure what exactly had convinced her.

“Alright, fair enough. You would know better than I would, right?” Her voice didn’t sound all that convinced but Riley nodded steadfastly, brows still drawn slightly in confusion. This was fine, right? She wasn’t planning to sleep with him anyway, but, even if she did, she wasn’t in love with him so she should be fine. Right? Those were the rules…

“Trust me, he’s not a problem.” Now, if nothing else, she needed to go to convince herself. But, really, what was the worst that could happen?

———————

Max traced the pad of his thumb around the mostly empty glass of beer in front of him. He glanced around the room, then back down at his watch, foot tapping on the metallic rod along the bottom of the bar. He tossed back the remainder of his drink, desperate to silence the voice in the back of his head that told him she wasn’t coming. A finger waved in the air brought the bartender over for a refill.

He knew he was pushing his luck by trying to get her to come out. She had been plenty clear a few years ago but that look on her face when he said her name earlier boosted his ego enough to push. Now, though, he was wondering if it had been a mistake to give her this much time to reconsider. She hadn’t exactly jumped at the chance anyway.

He took another sip of the beer. It was 25 minutes past when she said she would meet him and it was getting harder to argue with that voice in his head. But then the door jingled and his head snapped to her, shaking the rain from her hair in the doorway. There were nerves visibly dancing across her face but she was here and that was all he could bring himself to care about. That, and the fact that her damp dress was bordering on sheer now as it clung to her body. It hadn’t been raining when he came in but, shit, was he glad it had started now.

Doing his best attempt at looking like he wasn’t just desperately watching the door, waiting for her, he turned back to the bar. The bartender was watching him, amused, eyes flicking back to her.

“Don’t you say a fucking thing about how long I’ve been here.” Max hissed under his breath. The bartender pursed his lips with a knowing nod. Waiting another few seconds, Max dared a glance back to see her searching around for him.

“Hey! Over here!” The bartender shouted over the noise. Turning in a swivel, Max glared at him as he waved an exaggerated hand overhead. “Your little buddy has been waiting around for you all night like some sad puppy.” The vein in Max’s head bulged. He sucked at his teeth, trying to tamp his irritation before turning back to her.

“Shit, I’m sorry! I am late, aren’t I? I hope you weren’t waiting too long.” Riley ignored the wild, tangling knot that was growing in her stomach.

“No! I literally just got here.” He lied through his teeth. “This guy is just screwing with me because I didn’t want to try the shitty homemade beer he made in his moms basement.” She gave him a dubious look but he waved her off before she could question it. “Come sit down.”

She hesitated for a moment, just like she did before stepping through the door a minutes ago. Her brain was shooting out warning signs left and right but her feet brought her up onto the bar stool beside him without regard. She gave the bartender an apologetic look for enduring what was probably not Max on his best behavior, then ordered a tequila sunrise.

“Tequila? Still? Are we 17?” Max teased her and she stifled a smile.

“I’ll need at least three more of these if I’m going to put up with you all night.” But she was all smiles and he had missed that attitude. He had missed her. A lot more than he wanted to admit.

“Oh, you’re spending the whole night with me, are you? All this time and you still just want me for one thing.” He grinned his Cheshire grin and she scoffed, ignoring the pangs in her chest.

“That is not what I meant!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure.” He watched her sip at her drink. She was too good to be true, right here in front of him again. Her cheeks were dotted with color, a few strands of wet hair clinging to her face, and it took all his restraint not to reach over and brush them aside.

“You’re all too pleased that I need a full bottle of tequila to sleep with you.”

“Hey, no shame in my game, baby.” He winked and savored the way color flooded across her cheeks before she laughed, shaking her head.

“Lots of shame, actually. Like, an astounding amount of shame.” She shook her head, unable to wipe the smile off her face. Why was it that she never could stop smiling when he was around? God, she wished she could stop.

“Please, like you’re one to talk, Captain Clarissa of the Star Cadets.” He referenced her long running character, trying to match his tone to the show's narrator with a condescending smirk and she flipped him off.

“Excuse you! Captain Clarissa is an inspiration! She is the youngest captain to ever land on Gorkula!”

“First of all, gross. Why would anyone want to land on a planet that sounds like the epicenter of venereal diseases?" He pretended to gag and she rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her drink. "Second of all, you crash landed there after flying head on into an asteroid." He paused, rolling his hands out in example. "Shame.” She tried not to acknowledge the well of warmth that grew in her chest, knowing he had been watching enough to know that.

“Coming from the guy that puts sweaty balls in his face for a living!” She shot back and Max sprung forward in his seat, mouth gaping.

“Hey! I am the youngest world champion in this company’s history!” He pointed wildly at her and she took an unimpressed sip of her drink.

“Wow, the world champion of sweaty balls. Your parents must be so proud that their boy was the youngest guy to ever get all the sweaty balls in his face.” She delighted in the way his face turned almost purple, veins threatening to burst any moment.

“I have not put all their balls-" He stopped short, smoothing a hand over his hair and taking a breath, "I mean I haven’t even wrestled most of the guys in the locker room.” Riley stifled a laugh, training her face into a sympathetic frown.

“So…you mean…you don’t even really deserve to be the Sweaty Balls Champion?" She pouted slightly, brows knit. "Jeez, Maxie, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize things were so dire.”

“God, you are such a little punk.” He muttered, tongue pressed to his cheek, and her expression melted into a fond smile that he got trapped in.

“That’s what you always told me.”

“You haven’t changed.” There was a tender charge in the air, his knee bumping hers with an electric fizzle. Her gaze drifted momentarily to his lips before she caught herself, finishing off her drink in an attempt to right herself. She gave herself a desperate, pleading reminder that this was just nostalgia but it slid down the walls of her brain without a bit of it sticking.

“You don’t think Hollywood has corrupted me yet?” She tilted her head indulgently, trying to redirect their energy elsewhere.

“Oh sweetheart, what you do isn’t Hollywood.” He teased, placing a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and they both pretended they didn't feel the rush it caused. She scoffed, catching the bartender’s eye, and he nodded.

“Man, Max, I can always count on you to be my biggest cheerleader.”

“Oh shit, my bad, babe. You wanted cheerleader Max? You got it.” He faced her head on, gripping both her shoulders more sturdily. “Riley, from the bottom of my heart," His head dipped down so his eyes were on her level, "your tits are fantastic.”

“Shut up!” She coughed a laugh as she pulled out of his grip to face the bar again.

“I really genuinely mean it, Ry. Just looking at them would make any guy wanna-“ He stopped to mime a vulgar, exaggerated version of motorboating her. Stifling a laugh, she smacked his shoulder, but it didn’t stop him. She took a sip of the newly refilled drink in front of her.

“I really can’t stand you.” She said as if he couldn’t hear her laughing. As he finally stopped, she shook her head with a smile that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Teeth scraping across her lip, she relaxed back in her chair, and into the familiar rhythm they had. He wet his lips, taking a sip from his beer, not taking his eyes off her.

“But lets be real," Max’s voice dropped to that low gravel that he knew frazzled her brain, and her eyes flashed up to him, "We both know I corrupted you way before Hollywood ever had a chance.”

She had forgotten just how heady it could be to be around him - the air heavy with bad decisions waiting to be made. Taking a breath, she focused on her drink, steadying herself with a stern reminder of the thousand reasons she shouldn't go there again. But, god, something about that insufferable asshole...

"You know, I thought that honor was reserved for the guy that took my virginity." She took a pointed sip of her drink and he snorted so loud it drew attention from the people in the corner table.

"Please, that right is forfeit if the guy has a micropenis."

"He did not have a micropenis!" Riley gaped.

"I was on the football team with him, babe. The guy was microscopic!" He held his fingers up, squinting between the small space between them.

"He was a grower, not a show-er!" She said a little too loud and he snickered. The bartender shot her a look and she shrank back in her seat.

Max's smug expression fell when she kicked his shin hard. In an instant, a familiar heat blared behind his eyes. His tongue smoothed across the front of his teeth, fingers twitching at his side, begging to be buried in her hair, gripping just hard enough for her to tip her head back with that spacey, wide-eyed look. He shook that image out of his head, smoothing a hand over his thigh to release the pent up energy.

"Okay, fine, then he doesn't count because he's a dickhead." He said with finality but she raised her brows at him, holding her tongue, waiting for him to draw his own conclusion from her silence. "Oh, shut up. He's a way bigger dickhead than me."

"Very close call but, yeah, he was pretty bad." She said, lips drawn into a tight smile.

"I mean, he cheated on you. Who cheats on you?" He gestured handily at her and her cheeks burned. "Like other girls, for sure, whatever, go to town. But you? Nah, that's clown behavior." Max watched with a grin as she spluttered into her drink, laughing. "See, I can be a cheerleader." She breathed a chuckle and cocked her head to the side.

"But haven't you heard? Cheating asshole is my type, apparently." She meant it as a joke but winced at the way it came out much more self-pitying. Max's smile melted away into a more serious expression, a real anger tinged just behind his eyes now.

"Yeah, I heard about Lucas and the intern..." He wasn't sure what to say. There were a million jumbled thoughts racing through his mind. Most of them wrapped in at least one layer of anger.

"Interns." She corrected. "Three of them. And two recurring guest stars, 1 extra, and the producer." Oh, pathetic didn't begin to cover the way she felt. Stupid and pathetic and oblivious.

TMZ didn't pull any punches when they splashed her face across the internet; along with a leaked audio clip of a moment that was meant to be private, hidden behind the sound stage, recorded and posted for every stranger in the world to see. Every sordid detail laid out plain as day, along with Lucas' stinging remarks about her after he'd been caught red handed. The humiliation had piled up higher than she could see.

"Most of them weren't even hot." He braced for a smack on the shoulder but she only laughed, almost relieved that she didn’t have to withstand his pity. Taking a long sip from her cocktail, she leaned across the space between them to lay her head on his shoulder. It was firmer than she remembered but just as electric as ever.

"Redhead intern?" She suggested and his lips curled up, past where she could see.

"Man, see, you even have good taste in women. Who cheats on a girl with good taste in women when the option for a threesome is right there?" He said and she chuckled, reaching up to blindly smack at his chest. Smoothing his free hand over her hair, he craned his neck to kiss the top of her head. "I really am sorry, Ry. He's a piece of shit and I swear I really almost tracked him down to beat his ass when I heard what happened." He murmured the words into her hair, the vibration settling deep in her chest. "You were always too good for him anyway." She hummed, quiet as that familiar gnawing burrowed its way back to the surface. Finally, she pulled back and Max cursed the way it left him feeling cold. Even more so when he saw the expression she had, guilt etched into every line of her face.

"Max, I'm really sorry about what happened a few years ago. I never should have let him make decisions about our friendship."

He recoiled slightly. He probably should have seen this coming but he felt blindsided none-the-less. It took everything in him to stop thinking about that last conversation they had. Took months before that hollow feeling even started to fade. There was a noticeable falter in his expression but he hid behind his beer until it was contained. He had been wanting to confront her about this for so many years now but they were finally enjoying themselves and he didn't want emotions he had been trying to keep buried to stop that.

"It's fine. I wasn't losing sleep over it." His tone was clipped but she knew him better than that.

"It's not fine. It was shitty and I'm sorry." Her face was so genuine, it made his stomach hurt. Dragging a hand through his hair and disrupting the style that his 15-hour old gel had kept it in, he blew out a breath.

"Fine, if you won't drop this, can I just ask..." He hesitated, trying to speak carefully but the word just tumbled out of his mouth regardless. "Why?"

"Why won't I drop it? I mean - "

"No, why did you choose him over me?" The silence that fell between them was physically painful but the face she made was even worse - the guilt and pity was too much for Max to stomach. "I swear to god, if you don't stop with the fucking puppy dog face, I will walk out of here." They both knew he was full of crap but it was enough to wipe the expression from her face.

"That's not...I didn't mean for it to feel like I chose him over you."

"Well I'm not sure how else you thought it would feel. Mr. Thespian said 'its me or him' and you didn't hesitate, Riley." He was doing a poor job at masking that bitter tone that desperately wanted to take hold. She shrank back a little.

"I thought he was the one..." Quiet and sheepish and still feeling so, so stupid. But they both know it was more complicated than that. "I really thought I was going to marry him, Max." He scoffed, though, and caught her off guard. Those emotions were bubbling over in his gut and his ability to reign it back was slipping away.

"Look, I'm not stupid, Ry. I knew one day you were gonna meet someone that stuck and we would have to stop fooling around. I knew I was never going to be the guy but for fucks sake, I thought our friendship was a non-negotiable."

"I...I..." She stammered but came up empty. That night was so heated and she was so angry with him for so many things that clouded her judgement.

"I always figured that you would think any guy that wanted me out of your life wasn't worth being with in the first place." He knew it wasn’t entirely fair. He knew she was lending him a good amount of grace by not mentioning that it was his fault that Lucas even found out about what happened with Jonah in the first place. It was complicated and the look on her face was making his stomach turn as emotion bled into her eyes. But fuck, she had always been his first choice and finding out that he wasn’t hers snapped a little piece of his soul.

"How was any guy supposed to be okay with that, Max?" Her voice was pleading for understanding. "It was one thing when we were just out of high school, fooling around when I was single, but we crossed a line with Jonah. How were we supposed to come back from that?”

"Jonah was a piece of shit." He spat the name with the venom it deserved. Never in his life had he met a more arrogant, steamrolling, belittling asshole, and that was saying something. He knew that she knew that he had been the perfect way out of a relationship she felt stuck in.

"You think every guy I ever date is a piece of shit!"

"Have you ever considered that is because you only ever date pieces of shit?" He was gesturing with his hands, voice rising again.

"That's not fair or true." She took an irritated swig of her drink, the light burn on the way down not helping matters. Finishing it off, she offered the bartender an apologetic smile and asked for another, against her better judgement.

"Okay, fine. So, what? You cut me out of your life for 'unfairly' thinking these scumbags weren't good enough for you?" His voice took a hard turn into mocking territory and he held his hands up in a faux-concession. "Sorry, my bad for giving a shit about you, I guess." His eyebrows rose and fell with his punctuation in that way that always drove her crazy. He could feel his sarcasm slipping to a cartoon-ish level but couldn't pull himself back.

"No, Max, I cut you out of my life because you actively tried to sabotage at least the last three relationships I've been in and I couldn't promise myself that I wasn't going to let it happen again!" That was the truth she had been avoiding, said loud enough for most of the thinning crowd at the bar to hear. That was what it really came down to. She couldn't trust herself with him anymore and that meant she couldn't be around him. But he rolled right past that point,

"Sabotage? Really? That's a little dramatic, even for you." He rolled his eyes and her stomach rolled with them.

A boiling anger spouted inside her at the unmitigated gall that he had to even try to pretend he hadn't done everything he could to end nearly every relationship she'd had in the last decade. From the laundry list of complaints about each and every boyfriend that got lodged in her head; to outright goading her to break up with them; to the suggestive texts he'd send her late at night; right down to that dangerous game that led to the dissolution of her relationship with Jonah. He could be relentless and he only got more brazen with each new failed relationship.

"Maybe Hollywood really is rubbing off on you." He sneered with that judgmental stare that he was so good at but always spared her from. It made her skin prickle and pushed her past the edge. If he wanted to sit here and pretend that his fight with Lucas wasn’t just the last in a long line of attempts to chase off her boyfriends, she didn’t need to stick around for it. This wasn’t in her head.

"Fuck you, Maxwell." She spat and but he wasn't finished digging.

"Yeah, why don't you, then? Lets get on with it so you can move on to finding the next scumbag to cheat on you." He saw the hurt register behind her eyes and a gnawing guilt ripped through his stomach, despite his best efforts to tamp it down. He didn't want to feel bad. He wanted to feel satisfied - if they weren't going to have a good time, at least he could win. He deserved to win after everything they had been through. But it didn't feel like he'd won.

Her eyes narrowed an almost imperceptible amount and she shook her head, brows raised. Snatching her purse from the seat back, she dug out some cash and left it on the bar top with most of her drink.

"I knew coming here was a mistake."

She hopped down from her stool and breezed out the door, into the unwelcome chill of the evening. Tucking into the narrow, scarcely lit alley beside the bar, she inhaled a shaky breath as her back melted against the brick exterior of the bar, skin buzzing from head to toe. Her chest was warm, a tingling mixture of cocktails and simmering anger. She scrubbed her hands over her face and up into her hair, closing her eyes and letting her head rest against the wall. He always knew how to shoot straight for the sore spot. Never fucking missed.

Inside the bar, Max slumped in his stool, eyes stuck on the pile of bills left on the table. Crumpled and pathetic, a sterling example of everything he had created for himself. Because he never could stop himself from digging a hole. Never could stop from pushing away anyone that threatened to make him feel something. But fuck her, she had always been the exception to the rule - the one person that was allowed past his walls - and she fucking decimated him for it.

But she wasn't wrong when she said he had sabotaged her relationships. And he knew that if he let himself actually come up with a reason why, it wouldn't take long to figure out that its because she was supposed to be his. The way they fit together - there was no way they weren't supposed to be together. That wasn't realistic, though, and he knew that more than anything.

That didn't stop her crumpled up money from staring at him, though. Reminding him that she had just walked out of his life for what was likely to be the last time. Leaving a hole that never really heals right.

Outside, she was finally starting to feel the effect of the cold's bite. The warmth of her drinks was fading away and the tips of her fingers were paying the price. She rubbed her palms up and down her legs to warm them, keeping her eyes clamped shut. She knew she should call an Uber. Just go back to the hotel and feel sorry for herself in the privacy of her own room until they were in different states and she didn't have to think about him anymore.

“You would think that someone in Hollywood would have explained to you the purpose of a jacket.” There was no mistaking that voice. Her stomach clenched, eyes fluttered open, spotting Max standing a few feet from her by the corner of the building.

“Some habits die hard.” She replied, her neutral expression not giving away a thing as it drifted off toward a spot in the distance - anywhere but to him.

“Some harder than others.” He caught her with that, her eyes blinking back to him, flickers of the street lamp overhead casting light across his face. Shrugging out of his jacket, he passed it to her but she held her hand up in protest. He ignored her protests, closing the space between them to wrap his jacket around her shoulders. She wanted to fight it but the sudden warmth, combined with way she was now flooded by his smell was too much. “I thought you left.”

“Still waiting on my Uber.” She neglected to mention she hadn’t ordered it yet. Her eyes tracked him as he came to stand in front of her.

“Ah, see, that’s why I always the follow the golden rule,” he said, “always pick a hotel that’s walking distance from the bar.” A laugh slipped out of her and the edge of his lips curled up.

“That’s a smart rule, I should really remember that.” There was a ghost of a wry smile on her face but it didn’t last. She pulled the jacket tighter around her front. “Were you waiting for me to leave?”

“Nah, I figured you were off on one of your angry power walks. I was hoping I’d catch you on the second lap.” He circled his finger in the air before tilting his head down with a sheepish smile, waiting for her to crack. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, tongue pressed against her cheek, trying not to let him do what he always did. “That was no way to say goodbye.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Her lips pursed in an almost-shrug. “Let me try again." She cleared her throat, brows furrowed in serious. "Good bye, Maxwell. Coming here was a huge mistake and I should have known better!” Her venom from earlier was gone, ending with a biting sweetness. He heaved a sigh, rolling his head back.

"Come on, we were having a good time like...a few minutes ago." His arms crossed in front of his chest and she watched the way his muscles moved under his shirt, desperate not to meet his eye. It was easier this way. Better. Her lips pressed into a tight line, hoping if she didn't argue, he would run himself out of steam. "Look, alright fine. I wasn't always very supportive of your stupid boyfriends." She crooked a brow. "Maybe, some might say, I could be a little bit of a hindrance from time to time."

“A little bit?” She clarified and he held up two fingers, squeezing them close together. "What was the text you sent me while you knew I was getting ready for my valentine's day date with Kevin a few years ago?" She watched his brows knit together before the memory dawned on him and he slowly sucked his lips into his mouth. Clearing her throat, she held out an exemplary hand. "'Hope you're excited for your date with the data analyst. Bet you can't wait for him to get you in his Toyota Camry so he can bring you back to his mom's basement for some clothes-on, lights-off sex before he turns on Jeopardy for the night.'" She carried out her best impression of him and he tried unsuccessfully to mask his amusement. She continued with a more urgent tone. "'Try not to think about that night after the concert out in Manhattan. You know, with that crowded train back to your place and my hand sliding up your skirt? If you think about the shaking orgasm you had, sitting on my lap, in front of a bunch of strangers, you might end up feeling a little dissatisfied tonight!"

"Wow, you really had that one well memorized." Was all he could manage. That one really was one of his prouder moments - it didn't take more than two weeks before she broke up with Kevin after that. And boy, did that only stroke his ego.

"Yeah, that's cause it played on repeat in my head for the entirety of my date!" She glared at him but his fond smile ensured it didn't last.

"That really was a fun night. The one and only time I've ever enjoyed public transportation."

He had nearly forgotten about that night on the train. It really felt like a turning point, when he looked back - when they stopped wanting each other and started needing each other. The point where every relationship she had after just started to feel like it was biding time until she was his again.

Max watched, in the dim light of the alleyway, as a flush rose up her chest. Her eyes met his with the hazy look he'd missed so much and he took a step closer without even realizing it; her breathing shallowed.

"Tucked in that back corner of the train car with you on my lap..." His eyes raked over her frame, covered by his bulky jacket, and she warmed head to toe. "...grinding that perfect little ass into me." Riley shifted her weight again, swallowing hard. She should have known better than to bring up that night.

"Max..." Her voice came out breathy and needy, glancing around, almost hoping there was someone else around as she felt her self control slipping away. He took a small step closer and she stepped back, against the brick wall, damp with the sporadic rain this evening.

"And you spread those legs so nice and easy for me so you could ride my thigh." His voice was low, smooth and hypnotic, she hardly even noticed as he took another step closer, his heat searing through her. Her lips, slightly swollen from the way she'd dug her teeth in, parted with a breath and his voice dropped to a gritty whisper. "Do you remember how the vibration of the train felt on your pussy? I barely had to touch you to make you fall apart for me."

He wasn't really sure what he was doing anymore but he fell back into it like it was second nature. Because it was. There was no space for him to consider his actions, there was only her and this moment and the way she was looking up at him. That look turned his brain off every time.

Then she was nodding without meaning to, and his hand cleared the little distance between them, skating up her hip, feather-light but setting fire throughout her body.

"My lips were on your neck, listening for every little whine you tried so hard to keep quiet while I helped you rock against me." His hand skimmed along the curve of her waist, helping rock her into him, just like he did back then. "Do you think anybody heard that sweet little noise you made when I reached under your skirt, pushed your panties aside, and sank two fingers into your cunt?"

The shuttered breath Riley released came out closer to a whimper and Max's eyes fluttered closed, resting his forehead against hers for just a few moments. God, those noises did something to him. His fingers found purchase around her hip, the other hand cradling her jaw. Eyes locking with hers, he smoothed his thumb across her cheek, brushing her lips. Without a thought, she took his finger into her mouth, not breaking his eye contact as she ran her tongue over it like she had a million times. Max groaned, the noise vibrating through her, and his eyes blazed with a scarcely contained lust.

"Riley..." It was a rumble of a warning. He dragged his thumb out of her mouth, across her bottom lip, trailing it down her chin, then back up across her lips before finally pulling it away. She watched a war rage behind his eyes, fingers digging into her side so tight she thought it might bruise. In an instant, her brain came slamming back into her head and she jerked away from him.

"Shit." She muttered, running a shaky hand through her hair. "Fucking shit, you see?" She took several skittering steps away from him. "How do you do that to me? I came out here to leave but instead, I take one look at you and become some brain-dead whore."

"Wait, Riley..." He took a step in her direction but quickly stopped himself, watching as she steered herself in circles. She stopped as abruptly as she started and snapped toward him.

“No, I really shouldn’t be here. I need to go.” She was looking a bit like a caged animal so Max took a big step back, holding his hands up in front of him.

“Your Uber is bound to be here soon. Just-“

“I never ordered it. I’m just gonna walk I think. I could use the air.” She breezed past him out of the alleyway. He sat back on his heel, stunned for a moment before jogging after her.

“I’m not just gonna let you walk back alone.” He said, catching up to her without much trouble. She didn’t look at him.

“I’m fine, it’s only like a thirty minute walk. I’ll be fine.” She powered ahead, trying to get some distance but his legs moved him a lot faster than she could outpace. He just rolled his eyes.

“Alone and slightly drunk? At midnight? In a town that’s currently flooded with your fanboys? Please. That’s literal suicide.” He circled around in front of her. She tried to step around him but he stepped in her path, then again in the other direction. Finally, she stopped, rolling her eyes.

“You’re the one most likely to try to have sex with me out here.” She put a hand on her hip and Max shook his head, tongue pressed against his teeth. Always a fight with her.

“Stop being ridiculous. I swear-” he crossed two fingers over his heart, “-I will be on my best behavior. But I am not letting you walk back alone.” She hesitated, arms crossed over her chest, looking around at the dimly-lit, hotel lined street they were on. It was at least thirty straight minutes of bars and booked-solid convention hotels between here and her hotel. One she’d chosen specifically because she wanted to stay away from the action.

“Fine but I want you to stay six feet away from me at all times.” She shooed him back with her hands. He sat back on his heel, narrowing his brows at her with an irritated purse of his lips.

“You can’t be be serious.”

“Deadly. I am trying to get some space from you and you’re following me. So if you want to stick around, get back.” She jut her chin out and Max swiped his tongue across the inside of his lip with irritation.

“You’re such a pain in my ass. I should just let the mouth breathers at you.”

“At least they’d have respect for Captain Clarissa.” She said, mostly because she enjoyed being a pain in his ass, and started the long walk, past him, to her hotel. He just rolled his eyes, following after her at the agreed upon distance.

“Yeah, that’s the quality to look for in the strange, sweaty man that finds you wandering the streets alone.” It came out huffy and irritated but she didn’t so much as acknowledge him. “So you never ordered an Uber, hmm?” He knew that smug tone would get a reaction out of her and it did, her face snapping back to him for just a second. “You just stormed out of the bar all upset and then waited for me to come find you?”

Her face burned red and she was glad he couldn’t see her. She wasn’t entirely sure why she didn’t call the Uber. She knew it needed to happen. She wanted to go home but her fingers just didn’t want to move. Paralyzed by the way their conversation in the bar had gone.

“Even when I took over five minutes to come out? You just sat there, still not ordering the Uber?” He taunted and she kept her head trained forward. “How long were you gonna wait for me? If I stayed until close, would you still have been sitting there, waiting to put my fingers in your mouth?” He heard her sharp intake of breath and counted that as a victory. “God, you must have really missed me to sit out in the cold with no jacket, hoping I’d chase after you.”

“Jesus Christ,” she groaned. “I forgot how much you like to hear yourself talk.” But he continued like she hadn’t said a thing. He wasn’t hearing a refute and that was causing a pang of excitement in his gut.

“You know, I feel like this really starts to call into question everything you’ve said tonight.” He kept poking because he couldn’t help himself and she considered flinging herself into traffic to escape him. “Like, maybe I’m the one that’s really in danger, being out here alone with you. Who knows what you could do to my precious body?”

“I thought you said you were going to be on your best behavior.” She tried to remind him, knowing it was ultimately useless.

“That was before I realized just how dangerous you were. Laying in wait for me, making up stories about Ubers that don’t exist. Were you even really a guest at that convention? How do I know this wasn’t some elaborate ruse to stage your little meet cute with me?”

“I’m pretty sure a meet cute requires us to be ‘meeting’, Max. And, as you’ll remember, we’ve met before.” She really was trying not to give in to his teasing. Because that was a slippery slope. But it was a slope she was already on.

“Maybe we haven’t! Maybe you’re not even Riley, just some hot clone looking to steal my perfect organs. Do you even really work for the CW or is that a lie too?” He gestured in the air behind her. Her steps faltered, though, quiet ringing out into the night around them.

“I don’t, actually. Not as of next week.” Her voice was strained but she put her focus back into moving forward.

“What are you talking about?” Max didn’t miss that shift in her tone. She’d been bordering on playful before but this was different. It was the tone she’d used when she told him they couldn’t talk anymore.

“They cancelled my show.”

“What?” His heart dropped out of his chest and, without realizing, he upped his pace until he fell in line with her. She didn’t stop him, though - even when his fingers grazed hers, the frizzle of lightning shooting up her arm.

“Yup. They had to fire Lucas because of…well because of the interns.” She gestured at nothing, still trying to come to grips with the reality herself, “And according to the network executives, the inspiring Captain Clarissa is - and I quote - ‘fundamentally unlikable without her boyfriend’.” There was no amount of venom that could come close to touching the level of anger she was feeling.

It had been weeks since she learned the show was being cancelled but that burning, sweltering rage hadn’t ebbed. She knew the show couldn’t last forever - hell, she didn’t want it to! But having it be cancelled like this - over him. It was more than she could stand.

“Are you fucking kidding? That’s bullshit!” He didn’t think it was possible for him to hate Lucas more but this did it.

“Not kidding at all. Apparently, it wasn’t enough that I had to lose my boyfriend in the most embarrassing scandal of the year, I also needed to lose my job. Karma decided to punch me square in the throat.” She had been using karma as an excuse for nearly every bad thing that happened to her since she cut ties with Max, though. It didn’t seem possible for the scales to tip back in her favor at this point. It was all earned. “They said it was better to cut their losses now than to waste money on a full season flop.” She hadn't been able to chase those words out of her head. Every second of that phone call with her team was seared into her brain.

“Please, Ry, that’s not karma at work, that’s a bunch of old, out-of-touch morons, actively steering a bankrupt network into the ground. Fuck those dudes.” He insisted but she just kicked a rock along the road, unable to look at him. “How have I not heard about this?”

“They wanted to wait until after the convention to make the announcement. Wouldn’t want to risk losing out on wringing me out for every last penny.” Yeah, she was feeling a little bitter about it. That wasn’t something she could hide anymore. This convention today just felt like salt in the wound.

“God, that’s such horseshit.” There was nothing he could say to lessen this, though. “I’m so sorry, Ry.”

“It’s just so dumb because like…I really thought I was doing something here, you know?” She sighed, raking her fingers through her hair. After weeks of staying quiet, the rockslide of feelings was already barely restrained. “Like sure, the writing was cheesy and the plots could be convoluted but I was doing something that meant something. I was creating a character for little girls to look up to. But god, I was so stupid and naive. Just like I was with Lucas. Because I was never the independent, ass kicking, trail blazer I thought I was. I was apparently just the stuffy bitch to his maverick.” She dared a glance at Max, his face drawn and serious. She didn’t mean to say that much; she never could stop from spilling everything around him, though.

“You were literally the only watchable part of that show.” He cut off her pity fest as if it was an indisputable fact. “The dude was a pathetic, Han Solo wannabe when it was fucking obvious that you were meant to be the Solo of the show.” It pained him to make a Star Wars reference but that look on her face was totally worth it. Her feet almost skittered to a stop before she caught herself.

“God, see?” She groaned. “Where were you when I tried to explain that to my producers?”

"Look, if those assholes didn't get what you were doing with that character then they don't deserve either of you. This show might have been your big break but I can seriously promise you that it's not your peak. You're just gettin' started." Max bumped her shoulder lightly and the smile that crept up her face was involuntary.

"So just like you then, right?" She raised a brow in his direction and he hummed. "AEW is just your launch pad, so i've heard." He smoothed his tongue over his lip, curious as to just how much she had been paying attention to his career. "For the - let me see if I've got this right - 'bidding war of 2024'?" A warmth bloomed in rippling tides low in his stomach at hearing his words parroted back.

"You know it, baby. Nowhere to go but up." He pointed to the sky and she rolled her eyes with a smile. "Didn't realize you watched much wrestling these days." He did his best to sound like he was teasing her but she could hear the hope in his voice. Tilting her head, she scrunched her nose and shrugged.

"From time to time." She said. "You know, if there's someone cool scheduled to be on." Holding his gaze for a charged moment, she finally dropped it back to the sidewalk, the rolling wave of nerves making its way up to her brain. She cleared her throat, trying to shake off that feeling. "And boy, I just can't wait for my boy, Ricky Starks, to get that world title off the current Jabroni that's got it- what a star!" She choked a laugh at the guffawing noise Max made.

"Riley, there are some levels of disrespect that are just unacceptable." He deadpanned and she tried to keep a straight face.

"I'm sorry, Max, but Ricky is so obviously the best professional wrestler on God's green Earth. How could I not root for him to get the title?" Her tongue poked out between her teeth and the muscles in his face twitched.

"God, you are such a brat." Worried he would end up relegated to six feet away again, he tried not to verbalize the way he wanted to take her back to his room and remind her what he did with brats. But the way she beamed back at him only made him want to say it more, knowing exactly how quickly that smile would fade into that lust-addled gape - that kind he had convinced himself she only got for him.

"You love it." The response rolled off her tongue as easily as it always did and it wasn't until she recognized that look he was giving her that she realized she was feeding the monster. A small breath hissed through her teeth.

The world around them was quiet, the street largely emptied out as more bars began to close. Their pace had slowed to an amble, stealing glances at each other, daring themselves not to drift closer. She tried not to dwell on the way Max didn't respond - or on the way his expression did plenty of responding all on its own. It had been a long time since she'd been looked at like that - like she was the center of the universe and he'd never be able to fight the pull of her gravity.

"For whatever it’s worth, I’m really proud of you, Max.” It was worth a lot. So much so that he had to look away. His mouth was dry and he was a little nauseous - fuck he hated that she was still capable of making him feel like this. He wasn't the bumbling kid trying to make his best friend really see him anymore. At least, he wasn't supposed to be.

"Ahh, shut up, ya softie." He scoffed after a beat too long. Long enough for her to catch that glint in his eyes. She raised her brows for an unspoken emphasis and he rolled his eyes but let slip a reluctant smile that told her everything she needed to know.

"I know, I know, my credibility as an uncaring hardass is in shambles." She bit back the huge grin that tried to surface at his genuine laugh. "But I'm serious. You really did the damn thing and not many people can say that."

"You can." He held her gaze steadily and she toyed with her lip between her teeth. Blinking hard, she finally shook her head with a breathy laugh.

"Hmm, you're right. Guess it's just Long Island that's special, not you." She tilted her head with an indulgent smile and he waved her off.

"Hey, screw you, we can both be special!"

"Yeah, are you Long Island's special-est boy, Maxie?" She poked the beast with a little pout. He groaned, his entire head rolling right along with his eyes. He'd swear she was a brat on purpose, knowing he couldn't do a damn thing about it, but she was starting to give him whiplash.

"Oh, you are so asking for it." He grumbled under his breath but that twinkle of mischief in her eye told him she'd heard.

"Asking for what, Prince Maxie?" She teasingly bit the tip of her tongue.

Max's restraint snapped, unable to physically stop himself from reaching back to swat her ass. Riley squeaked, jumping slightly, letting out an offended huff of breath and coming to a full stop on the sidewalk. She smacked his chest, brows drawn in a laughable excuse for anger. He lowered his head a little, raising a brow, mildly amused.

"You can't do that!" It came out sounding a lot more petulant than she intended. But the wake up call that smack had given her wasn't the one she'd hoped for - it had only stoked the flames she was so desperately trying to keep at bay.

"You know the rules - calling me 'Maxie' is automatic grounds for a spanking." He shrugged as if to say he didn't make the rules that he had, in fact, very much made.

"Those rules don't apply anymore!" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hey, don't be a brat if you can't handle the consequences." He said with finality, starting back on their walk towards the hotel. "I'm trying to behave but you know what you're doing!"

She couldn't even deny it. She couldn't stop falling back into their rhythm. It might not have been intentional but there was no use in pretending she wasn't doing the same things she always knew could rile him up. With a groan, she jogged to catch up with him but her foot snagged on a crack in the sidewalk and she stumbled, arms flying out to keep herself upright. Max turned back with a snicker but offered her a shoulder to steady herself on.

"You know, I'm starting to think your definition of 'walkable' is different from mine." She groaned, pulling off her shoe and snatching the heel that had snapped off from the ground, holding them up to him.

"Hey, my hotel is only another two blocks. You're the one that wants to keep walking another ten beyond that to your hotel." He reminded her and she shivered, that reality settling in with her. The thought alone made her feet throb and she thought she felt a raindrop hit her head. Max knew that look and recognized it well from a few too many times she'd overestimated her ability to get around in heels. And she was starting to become acutely aware of how much Max's jacket did not help keep her legs warm under her dress.

Oh, how she didn't want to have to ask him for help. But she needed help. She couldn't walk ten blocks in a broken heel in the middle of the night by herself. That was insane - she knew that. And she should have just called an uber. She knew she should just call an uber. But for the second time that night, she couldn't will herself to reach for her phone.

"Come back to my room with me." Max said and heat raced through her veins. "I have a pair of sneakers up there you can take. I'll even walk you to your hotel after." She wanted to hit herself over the pang of disappointment she felt when she realized he wasn't inviting her to stay with him. Doubly so over the way she suddenly missed the feeling of falling asleep in his arms. Warm and content and secure and...

"I..."

"Come on, you can't walk back like that. I swear, I'll keep my hands to myself." He locked eyes with her and she nodded; it was all she could manage. "Good, hop on." He turned away from her and patted his back. She froze and he twisted to look back at her. "What are you waiting for? We got two more blocks to my hotel and I'd like to get back before sunrise."

Wetting her lips, she weighed the option of walking back on her broken heel before reluctantly climbing onto his back. Her dress rode up her legs and Max's hands found purchase, curled around the underside of her thighs, supporting her, heat searing through his fingertips, straight to her core.

"So much for hands to yourself." She muttered.

"I'm sorry, would you rather I drop your ass?" He tried to crane his head back to look at her.

"You wouldn't dare." She knew the second it left her mouth that it was a bad idea. He didn't hesitate before letting her legs go and she clung hard around his neck, nails digging into skin and feet scrambling to get hold around his waist.

"Ow, shit!" He swatted hard at her thigh before resuming his hold on it. His other hand pried her nails from his chest. "You fucking gremlin. Why am I even doing this?" She rested her chin in the curve of his neck.

"Cause you're my big, strong knight in shining armor." She heaved a dreamy sigh that tickled his neck. He tried not to think about how perfectly she fit into him or how overwhelming it was to have her scent filling his senses - how familiar and dizzying.

“Yeah, that’s what they call me.” His voice was strained. “World’s biggest gentleman.” He glanced from side to side before jogging through the crosswalk, pretending he couldn’t feel her body bouncing against him with every step. A drop of rain slid down the side of his face.

“Ohhh,” she draped herself more heavily over his shoulders. “That’s what they were saying! I always thought they were saying ‘worlds biggest jackass’.” She craned her neck to try to catch his expression, cheeky smile on her face.

Max arched a brow, angling his head enough to be sure she saw him, lips just barely resisting the urge to smile at her transparently goading him.

“You’re gettin’ awfully brave up there, punk.”

He dug his fingers into her thighs as a reminder, and they restricted around his torso. A heat crept up her chest, so strong that he could feel it, permeating through their clothes. She straightened up slightly, intent on appearing unfazed but a flash of lightning in the distance sufficiently distracted her, just before the crack of thunder followed. With it, the slow trickle of raindrops took a hard turn toward downpour. She squealed, trying in vain to cover her head with her arms, leaning heavy on Max's shoulders for support. He gripped harder at her legs and tried to ignore the water that had just rolled down his sock.

"Come onnn, you're so slow!" She pointed up at his hotel's awning just up ahead. "Lets move move move!" He hiked her up, readjusting his grip on her thighs, before he jogged toward the lobby. She clung around his neck while using her other hand to mimic cracking a whip. "Wuh-psh! Wuh-psh!" He bounded the last few steps, ducking under the awning and out of the rain.

"Yeah? You want to introduce a whip into this dynamic, huh?" Max set her down as they finally arrived at his hotel, his low rumble of a voice crashing through her plans to seem unaffected now that he could see her face. She swallowed hard, blinking back at him, dress soaked through and clinging high up on her thighs, and cheeks dusted with color. Her hair was wet and sticking to her face and he desperately wanted to tangle his fingers up in it. And the way she was looking at him, he really didn't think that she would object.

"Where's your room?" Her voice came out a hoarse whisper and he swallowed hard, forgetting for a moment why they came here in the first place. Clearing his throat, he tried to wrangle some coherent thoughts out of his brain.

"7th floor." He came to, finally.

"Lucky number 7." God, he was starting to hope so.

He led her to the elevator, her arm draped around his shoulder for support. They waited for the elevator to come in a stilted silence, both suddenly struck by the memory of their last time together in an elevator; the bending of wills and the crossing of lines. How far had either of them come? Years had passed and nothing had changed. Except that everything had changed.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open for them. He helped her inside and she leaned against the rail on the far end of the enclosed box it sometimes felt like they lived in. Max pressed the button for his floor and turned to watch her from across the elevator, the few feet between them felt mountainous. Every inch of him was itching to touch her; he wasn't sure how much longer he’d be able to hold off but he was worried he would spook her if he made the wrong move.

She stayed anchored to the railing, unsure she could stop herself from drifting toward him if left untethered. Just like her entire life. But he was looking at her in that way that set her whole body on fire - like he was the only one in the world that really saw her and he never wanted to look away.

"I might have an extra set of sweats you can borrow, too." He offered, and she wet her lips, nodding. Inching towards her, he let his eyes sweep over every inch of her body and he didn't miss the way that she shivered. "You always did look good in my clothes." The elevator chugged along and she could feel her heart in her throat.

"Better than you?" She cooed and Max stepped in closer to her, the air around them warming in an instant.

"Better than anyone." He said with a finality that sent a warmth pooling in her belly. She cursed the blush she knew was visibly creeping up her cheeks.

"Such a flatterer." She tried to come off casual but missed by a mile. He let out a low rumble of a laugh that she felt all the way down to her toes.

"Try telling that to literally anyone else that has ever met me." Max stepped into her space, hands clasping the railing on either side of her hips, and she swallowed hard. "I'm not a flatterer. You're just special." He brushed a wet piece of hair from her face like he had been dying to all night, and she was paralyzed, breathing unsteadily and clutching the railing behind her for all she was worth. It was all she could do to keep from reaching out to touch him. He wound the hair around his finger, eyes so intent before they finally crawled up to meet hers. "God, I fucking missed you."

The ding of the elevator sent her skittering away from him, desperate to catch her breath. She breezed out the doors, into the hallway before realizing she didn't know where she was going. Stopping in her tracks, she reluctantly turned back to him. He was sauntering out of the elevator, watching her with amusement.

"Sorry, I..." She trailed off but he just shook his head with a smirk.

"Just wanted to get into some dry clothes, I'm sure." He offered and she enthusiastically nodded in agreement.

He'd spooked her. He knew it was a possibility but now he was more sure than ever that she wanted to give in. And he wasn't out of time yet.

Waving her after him, he headed for his room, at the far end of the hallway. She limped after him on her broken heel but he let her keep her space for now. Her head was spinning away and she was grateful for the chance to stop her hands from trembling. Two decades now and there was still no one else on the planet that made her shake without even touching her. And it was addictive - she wanted to chase that frenetic, electrifying feeling off a cliff. One taste was all it ever took to remind her that she needed that feeling more than oxygen. And that scared her more than anything.

He finally stopped at his door and she had no choice but to catch up with him. Sliding his key in, he pushed past the door and she followed him inside, ignoring the familiar, gnawing sensation of being helpless to her own bad decision making. The click of the door closing behind her echoed through her veins.

Max made his way over to his suitcase as Riley stood in the center of the room, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Arms crossed over her chest, she watched him rifle through his clothes, hair dripping into his face. He made a little 'tch' noise as he pulled out a precisely folded white dress shirt, tossing aside a belt that had been tucked into the collar. Reaching back, he tossed it to her and she caught it on instinct, her brow furrowed. Glancing from the shirt, back up to him, she moved to hold it up.

"What is this?" She demanded and he only shrugged, pulling out a pair of socks that he lobbed at her.

"A shirt." He answered plainly and she rolled her eyes, holding up the pair of boxers that were tucked beneath the shirt. "I only have one pair of sweatpants so I thought I'd let you have my shirt for tomorrow. I'd be happy to switch but I figured you'd prefer to get the top and have me take the bottoms. Especially since that shirt will be a dress on you." She paused, considering the options.

"What about your pants for tomorrow? Can't I wear those? I can rock business casual." She tried to peer into his bag and he shook his head with a rueful laugh.

"Unfortunately for us both, these are my pants for tomorrow." He gestured at the sopping pants that were clinging to his thighs. "Some jackass spilled coffee all down my other pair. You can take the suit jacket, though, if you think looking like a ten year old on take-your-daughter-to-work-day is your new look." She rolled her eyes, scoffing, but he was unfazed, peeling the damp shirt off his body. Her gaze lingered, wandering up and down his frame.

He was in much better shape than she remembered. She barely even registered the few steps she took in his direction, but he sure did. Getting close enough to touch, she finally snapped out of the trance, stopping short. Max chuckled to himself, loving watching how she squirmed for him.

"How am I supposed to walk ten more blocks with no pants?" She put a fist on her hip, boxers clutched between her fingers. He tilted his head with an exasperated sigh.

"You seriously still want to walk back to your hotel now? Riley, its pouring!"

"What's my alternative?" She asked as if it wasn't obvious.

"You're really gonna make me ask?" He let his head hang to the side but she was wide-eyed and he heaved a sigh. He had really hoped it was obvious. "Stay with me." A hiss escaped between her teeth and he held up his hands like he was taming a wild horse. "At least until the rain stops."

She lingered where she was for a few moments, glancing out the window behind him as another flash of lightning illuminated the city, then down at the nice, dry shirt in her hands. Her feet throbbed beneath her and she finally nodded.

"Just until the rain stops. Then, I need to go back to my hotel." She pointed an accusatory finger at him and he held his hands up in concession.

-

It didn't take long for her to come out of the bathroom, dressed in his clothes, the first few buttons undone, and Max had to physically restrain himself from falling to his knees. Fuck, he'd missed the sight of her like that. What he wouldn't give to get her like that, curled up on his couch every Sunday afternoon. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He kicked himself for the thought. This wasn't what this was and he knew it. This was the best he could get and he needed to be okay with that.

She gravitated toward him, eyes roaming across his bare chest, and down to where his sweats were hanging low on his hips. Wetting her lips, she attempted to swallow back the ball of nerves that was lodged in the back of her throat. He offered up a glass from the minibar, filled with a shot of amber liquid. She didn't hesitate before tilting it back into her mouth. It burned on the way down but the warmth that bloomed in her stomach was worth it, dulling the edges of her nerves.

"Whiskey." She hissed and he tilted the handle toward her in acknowledgement.

"You're so going to hate yourself tomorrow." He was right; she was certain of it. Holding his gaze, she took the bottle from him, filling her glass halfway up, and shooting the whole thing back.

“I’d better make it worth it, then.” She sank down into the chair beside the mini bar, crossing her legs. Max shot back his glass, trying to keep eyes on her, worried she might disappear if he looked away. Pouring them each another shot, he took his, leaning against the edge of the desk. She knew, somewhere deep in the back of her brain, that adding more alcohol to this situation was playing with fire, but she was wound so tight right now, she thought she might snap.

“Well, if you’re looking to double down, maybe we should go for a drinking game to help pass the time until the rain stops.” He suggested, a devilish glint in his eye, but she just laughed.

“And you made fun of me for drinking tequila? We aren’t teenagers, sneaking out to drink under your parents dock.” She tried not to think about all the other things they’d done under that dock.

“Come on, for old times sake.” His toothy grin should have been sending out warning signals to her brain but she couldn’t focus on them with his abs on display.

“Fine, one quick game.” She conceded. “What do you want to play?”

“Never have I ever?” He gave a crooked grin and she waved him off.

“Please. You know everything I’ve ever done.”

“Alright, fine, then how about fast facts? Let’s see how well you still know me.” And that was a challenge he knew she couldn’t resist.

“Oh, you’re on.”

They settled in on the couch in the corner and she tried to keep as much distance between them as she could but their knees met in a fizzing graze despite her effort.

“Alright, you know the rules: we do rapid-fire. If you take longer than three seconds or respond with anything other than a true fact about the other person, you drink.” He reviewed and she nodded an acceptance. “Ladies first, sweetheart.” She didn’t hesitate. Her wealth of Max knowledge knew no bounds.

“You ended up in the hospital when you were ten because you got your grandma’s knitting needle stuck up your nose.”

“You dared me to do that!” He defended, still managing to sneak in under the games’ rules. That twinkle of mischief was right there in her eyes still as she held back her laugh.

“You once ate a Babybel cheese wheel with the wax still on!" She shot back and he gaped at her.

"You told me I was supposed to!" He narrowed his eyes at her but she merely shrugged, scrunching her nose.

"When you were thirteen, your grandma walked in on you french kissing a poster of Stacy Keibler."

"Wrong!" He mimicked the sound of a buzzer. "I was fourteen. Drink up." He looked smug but she only laughed at him as she tipped back her drink.

"That is not better." She shook her head but he was unashamed, lounging back into the corner of the couch, arms spread across the tops of the cushions. "Alright, your turn. Why don't you try to come up with an actual fact about me this time instead of just skimming off my answers, hmm? I'm starting to think you don't know me at all." Max considered for a moment, eyeing her up and down. That was a challenge he couldn't leave unanswered.

"You're allergic to sesame seeds; the taste of cinnamon toothpaste makes you gag; you make the greatest lemon bars of any human on earth; and you think there aren't enough yellow houses in the world." He rattled off his short list, not moving from his position in the corner. Riley wet her lips, ghost of a smile begging to bleed through. "Do any of those count as actual facts?" Her fingers tightened around her glass and she nodded. "Perfect, your turn."

"You broke the nose off the school statue."

"You failed your drivers test five times." He grinned, watching the irritation ticked above her brow, her mouth gaping in a desperate urge to protest.

"You had a wet dream in Mr. Sampson's world lit class!"

"Shut up!" He broke. "That is not what happened!" But she just tutted, signaling for him to take a drink; they both knew it was close enough to the truth. Glaring at her, he tossed back a shot before refilling both their glasses. "I told you about that in confidence, not so it could be used against me." She pouted, legs curled under her, laying her head down onto her forearm, dangling across the top of the couch, dangerously close to Max's, just daring a spark to catch.

"Sorry, baby, that's showbiz."

"Alright, fine, then i'm upping the ante." He sat upright, causing their arms to bump, sending goosebumps rising all across her skin. Max was starting to feel the effects of his last few shots take hold but there was no way he was stopping now. "Your first kiss was cut short by having the guy sneeze directly into your mouth!" She gasped, smacking the couch arm to show her displeasure.

"You lost your virginity to a horse girl!" She pointed at him.

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did - Molly McClannaugh!"

"I never slept with Molly! She never let me get past second base." He scoffed and Riley stilled, brows furrowing. A lump the size of Jupiter plummeted from his throat to the pit of his stomach.

"Who did you lose your virginity to, then?" She sipped absent mindedly at her drink now, trying to rack her brain for the other girls he had been with in high school. Max froze, too buzzed to properly guard the reaction from seeping into his face. "Wait..."

"I don't...uh."

"That night of the pool party, after I caught Mike with Savannah...our first..." She tried to capture his gaze but he was focusing on taking down more of his drink. "Was that your first time?' His eyes scaled back up to her, the answer clear as day on his face, and Riley blinked back her surprise. A bizarre warmth bloomed in her chest at the thought, turning that night over in her mind. "Why didn’t you say anything?" She had been so certain that he lost his virginity way before she ever lost hers.

"Was I supposed to formally announce it as I was taking your panties off?" He shrugged like he hadn't purposefully avoided telling her. She had been so cute when she came up to his room that next day to nervously assure him that she knew he didn't do the 'girlfriend' thing and that she understood the previous night had been casual. And when she oh-so-politely asked him if he would be interested in doing it again from time to time - as friends, of course - what else was he supposed to say? He certainly wasn't going to say no.

"No, but maybe sometime in the following decade?" She suggested, trying to duck into his line of sight that he had been strategically keeping away from her.

He truthfully couldn't believe it took this long for the truth to come out. It had almost slipped out on a dozen different late nights together. But he knew that if he brought it up, he would have a hard time holding back the deluge of hidden thoughts that were kept behind that dam. He spent years being just a nudge away from telling her to stop screwing around with dirt bags that didn't deserve her, and see what was right in front of her. He'd probably end up waxing on about how they were meant for each other. His feelings for her were so messy and entwined with that first night together; he couldn't promise he wouldn't end up letting her know that he wanted her to be his first and his last. So instead, he coasted, over and over, letting them go in the same circle until he thought he'd be sick. Maybe this time he'd say something, maybe next time, maybe, maybe, maybe.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I had such natural skill that you couldn't tell it was my first time." He waved her off, worried she would keep digging and trap him into admitting more things he had painstakingly kept to himself over the years. "Now drink up." She conceded, holding her glass up in a toast to no one before shooting it back.

"I can't believe you never told me that."

"Aht, aht!" He stopped her before she could drag this conversation out a second longer. "Drink again. That's not a fact about me."

"You're just trying to get me drunk now." She scowled, pouring another drink to sip at, the warmth swimming in her veins now palpable.

"I am not! Maybe you just don't know me as well as you thought you did.” He nudged her, knowing she couldn't resist fighting that accusation.

"Oh, I know you Maxwell. Better than anybody else in the world." Even after all these years apart, she was probably still right.

"Prove it then." And he knew that would seal it. Her brows furrowed with determination and he let out a subtle breath of relief knowing he had diverted her for now.

"Fine. When you went away to college, you started smoking cigarettes for some girl in your theater class, but it didn't last past Thanksgiving because your mom refused to let you in the house smelling like that." She raised a brow and Max nodded his approval. Though, technically she was wrong on the second point. He only ever even started smoking cigarettes because she wouldn’t shut up about how hot she thought it was that her new boyfriend smoked. But when he saw her at Thanksgiving, she mentioned that she was already tired of the taste when she kissed the guy. And she looked at him like what she really missed was the taste of him. He stopped on the spot.

“You are the only person I know that thinks that Billy Joel has a flawless discography.” He wagged an accusatory finger in her direction. Her face and her hands went through a journey of animated expressions before she finally shook her head, holding up a finger right back at him.

"Okay, first of all, I'm right. Please have some respect for the King of Long Island, the King of Music, the King of My Heart - William Martin Joel." She pressed her hand over her heart with a hurt expression. "The man doesn't miss." Max rolled his eyes, using his free hand to mime a mouth blabbing. "Second of all, drink up because I can tell you for a firm fact that your mother agrees with me." He gawked at her.

"Since when are you talking to my mother about Billy Joel?"

"Since always; I love Nina!" She shifted more in his direction, crossing her legs. "We have a long standing game of online Scrabble going." Max pushed his tongue into his cheek, eyes wide.

"Unbelievable. You haven't spoken to me in four god damn years but you're still playing Words with Friends with my mom?" He demanded, shaking his head in disbelief before finally taking his drink.

Placing his glass on the table, he readjusted himself, pulling one leg up onto the couch, knee bent and nestled right against her thigh, heat searing through him. His eyes finally snagged on the small glimpse of his boxers that was peaking out from under the massively oversized shirt she had on. Suddenly, he was all too aware of his hands and their desire to roam. He squeezed them both shut - one on top of the couch, the other on his thigh - in an attempt to displace some of that energy.

But she was watching, finger daintily gliding over the rim of her glass, eyes drawn to the way the muscles in his forearm flexed each time he did. Her gaze crawled up his forearms to his chest, watching the way it rose and fell before finally returning to his face. They had drifted closer to each other than she'd realized.

Breaking eye contact, she glanced down at the table, busying herself with pouring him another shot. The air suddenly felt much thinner and she needed a few seconds to catch her breath. Steadying herself, she shook the feeling out and handed him his refill, his hand lingering on hers for a beat.

"You like to sing songs from musicals in the shower." She took a hard left turn, steering them back to the game before he could suck her in. Max breathed a laugh, shaking his head; she was so predictable.

"You make a great duet partner." His eyes raked down her frame, memories flooding in of some of their showers together, from the wildly sexy to the silly to the unbearably tender and intimate. They'd had a lot of good showers.

"You make a surprisingly good pot roast." She missed when he would cook for her. Before she started dating Jonah, it was the longest she had ever been single since her and Max first got together. They both had their own places and, even if they were living hours from each other, they spent a lot of weekends together. Watching movies, cooking meals together, sleeping in the same bed, pretending this was really their lives. She missed those weekends more than she wanted to admit.

"You made my first apartment feel like home." It slipped out before he could stop it, his brain having escaped to the same place as hers. Riley's lips parted with a breath, eyes locking with his.

"Yeah..." She hummed, unwittingly letting herself settle even more snugly into him until his arm was essentially around her, resting on the top of the couch, their bodies side by side, straddling the line she was trying so hard not to cross. "You were the best roommate I never had." His chest ached, looking down at her, fitting together with him as perfectly as she always had.

"God, I miss watching you dance around that kitchen in just my shirt." He sighed the thought into existence, brushing her hair behind her ear, sending sparks straight down her spine. Her smile was involuntary as the memories floated through her mind.

"Distracting you while you made me pancakes that inevitably burned because you'd end up bending me over the countertop instead." Her cheeks burned at the way his eyes darkened. His finger delicately trailed along her shirt collar, down her sternum to the first button, eyes greedily drinking in every inch of her, exactly as she was.

"Using that spatula for much more important things than pancakes." His tongue swiped across his lips, mouth suddenly very dry. She was looking up at him from under her lashes, her feet propped up on the table in front of her putting those smooth, bare legs out on display for him.

"Leaving welts that I'd feel every minute of the drive home." Warmth pooled low in her stomach, their game long forgotten.

“Good,” his lips curled in a devilish grin, shifting so he loomed over her, “that’s what you get for being a punk.”

“Oh, is that right?” her knuckles ghosted across the toned skin of his stomach in an electrifying tease.

"Mmm, completely deserved." He hummed, toying with the button of her shirt, daring her to stop him. "You knew what you were doing and you got exactly what you were looking for." The tip of his finger skimmed down the length of the shirt, tantalizingly slow, and she swallowed hard, eyes drifting up to meet his.

"Well, now, I'm sure I don't know what you mean." That silky tone in her voice lit a fire in Max's belly. She was lighting matches she wouldn't be able to contain.

"You don't, hmm?" His finger swirled circles around her stomach. She shook her head, batting her lashes, and Max pressed his tongue to his cheek before letting out a low rumble of a laugh. "So you don't remember that little show you put on for me? Swaying your hips," his finger swept from side to side, leaving a faint impression in the fabric of the shirt, "showing off that perfect little ass."

Riley shifted in place, legs pressed together and her breathing jagged. Her knuckles still held firmly in place on his abdomen, quickly becoming the only stopper between their bodies. Her brain was a fog of scarcely contained desires, clouding every logical thought that was trying to claw it's way to the surface.

"So my crime was dancing?" She raised a brow, thumb absently grazing over his skin.

"No," Max's finger trailed down, off the shirt and onto her bare thighs. Riley shivered. "your crime was traipsing over to me, wrapping your arms around me from behind, and stroking my dick through my pants."

"I thought you liked that." She pouted, head lolling back dramatically onto his chest, eyes still angled up to him.

"Oh, I do." He traced his finger up to her knee, then oh-so-slowly dragged it back down the inside of her thigh like a trail of gasoline, ready to ignite. Blaring alarm bells sounded in her head as his fingers toyed with the edge of the shirt, but it didn't stop her knees from drifting apart just enough to give him clearance. Hand dipping beneath the shirt, he gingerly crept up that soft skin that he missed so much. He reached the apex of her thighs, using the pad of his thumb to brush against her core through the thin fabric of the boxers, sending shockwaves reverberating through her body, temporarily obliterating every sane thought she'd ever had. Her back arched as he circled his thumb over her clit, the fabric of his boxers a welcome friction. "I just don't like when little teases," he curled his free arm around her shoulders, fingers settling in her hair, "get me all wound up and then waltz away." He pulled his hand out from under her shirt and she let out an involuntary whimper. Max smirked, watching her melt right into the palm of his hand. "And when I very politely asked you to get your ass back over here, you turned around and said 'make me'. What else was I supposed to do with you once I caught you?"

In one smooth motion, he wrapped a strong hand around her thigh, yanking it up over his legs, leaving her spread wide for him. She squeaked, skin blazing beneath his fingers. He used his fingers in her hair to guide her eyes up to his. Thick digits dug into the sensitive skin of her thighs, sliding a possessive grip up to her center. Stopping just short of her core, he gave a sharp slap that echoed around the room. She couldn't stop the desperate whine that escaped her lips. Max dug his nails into the stinging flesh of her thigh.

"What am I supposed to do with you now that I've caught you?" He thrummed his fingers along her thigh, predator taunting his prey. She bit her lip hard, hips rocking up toward him involuntarily, and Max chuckled, low in his throat. "Do you miss the way I filled this perfect pussy, sweetheart?" His hand cupped her mound through the boxers and she let out a sharp breath, body stiffening. "Did your actor-boy ever touch you the way I do?" He curled his middle finger, teasing her lips, and she mewled. "Did he stretch your little cunt like he was made for it?" All she could manage was rutting her hips against his hand. "Did he make you cum until you cried - until you were shaking and exhausted and begging for mercy?" He throbbed in his pants; she was so fucking close he could practically taste her. Bringing his fingers up to his face, he smelled that familiar sweet scent of her, and his final bit of restraint snapped. "God, I fucking missed you."

There was no room to think when he pulled her face to his. They collided in a frenzied rush that she couldn't begin to resist. She melted into him, letting his tongue sweep into her mouth. He didn't hesitate to yank the boxers down her legs, fingers diving between her soaked folds. Her head tipped back, a strangled cry erupting from her chest, into the space between them, and Max grinned, burying his face into her neck. He sank one, then two fingers inside her and she keened, bucking against his hand.

"That's my fucking girl. Such a needy little pussy." He nipped at her neck, pumping his fingers in and out, his thumb working tight circles around her clit. Arm wrapped tight around her, he pulled her up to straddle his lap, keeping his fingers buried inside her. His other hand wound up in the hair at the base of her head, dragging her back into a hungry, desperate kiss. Her arms snaked around his neck, steadying herself as she ground down against his fingers. "That's right, ride my fingers, beautiful; ride 'em like they were my cock. Always such a good girl for me."

Her brain whirled in a million different directions, clouded by a haze of unrelenting need, left unchecked for years. She met his gaze, a white hot fire burning in his eyes. This didn't feel real, her brain tried desperately to make sense of how she ended up here, hips stuttering, but Max's fingers were curling into just the right spot and she struggled to keep up with her thoughts.

"God, so fucking wet for me, Riley."

But her name was so very real. Real enough to jump start her brain like a live wire and send her skittering off his lap. Fuck, this couldn't keep happening. How did this always happen? And now he was looking at her with all that confusion and hurt and decades of push and pull, shining clear as day on his face.

She smoothed the shirt down over her hips, covering up as much as she could without pants. Max was clearly waiting for an explanation, arms sagging down into the couch, empty of all the things that had been so close to his reach for the first time in so long.

"I...I'm sorry. I really don't know what is wrong with me."

"Riley, come on." He protested, holding out a hand to encourage her to come back to him but she just wrapped her arms around herself. She glanced out the window behind them and made a desperate attempt to hide from the reality of tonight.

"The rains stopped. I should go, its really late." She stumbled back a few steps, clearing the coffee table and Max stood up after her.

“You can’t walk back with no pants on, drunk, at two in the morning, Riley. Be reasonable.”

“I am. I’ll just throw my dress back on and finally call a damn Uber like I should have done hours ago.” She rolled the sleeves up on the shirt and started hunting around for her dress. Max followed after her but she refused to look at him.

“Stop it. You can't just leave like that." He said, plucking the dress off the chair she'd left it on earlier. She crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at him before jutting a hand out, demanding the dress.

"Watch me." She snatched the fabric from his hands, spinning on her heel, but Max caught her wrist, still sending sparks all up her arm.

"How fucking long are you going to keep running?" He watched her face falter, then harden, and irritation ticked up in him.

"I'm not running. This is just a bad idea - a really bad idea. So I need to walk away now - not run! Just make a completely rational and sane decision to walk away."

"How is this rational?" His irritation was biting through. "You have been running away from me for years. You're running away now just like you did four years ago and just like you did when you started dating Jonah. What are you so fucking scared of, huh?" Her brow twitched and she finally yanked her hand away from him.

“I’m scared because being around you makes me want to do irrational things!”

“Like what?” He demanded. “What have I ever made you do that was so monstrous?” She put a hand on her hip, glowering at him, but he only scoffed. “You can’t be serious. Still about Jonah? When are you gonna forgive yourself? It’s been five years!”

“We hurt him!”

“So what?” He practically bellowed. “He’s probably already forgotten it even happened; he’s an idiot! Let yourself off the hook.”

“I can’t!” She shot back, finally putting years of thoughts kept to herself into words. “I can’t because it doesn’t matter who I’m with, I can’t control myself around you.” She shook her head and Max cocked his head, hardly seeing the problem. “Given the slightest nudge, I’m going to end up making the exact same choices over and over again.”

“What’s so wrong with that? What is so wrong with choosing us?”

“It’s not fair to everyone else around us, Max!”

“Who gives a shit?” He snapped, increasingly annoyed he needed to spell it out. “It’s not about them! It’s about us,” he gestured between them, “me and you, Riley, just like it always has been. Just like it always will be.” She was frozen, goosebumps rising over every inch of her skin. “At the end of the fucking world, it’s still just gonna be you and me.”

“Max…” She breathed his name into the space between them, heart twisting in her chest. Her face was stricken and his stomach lurched. “I can’t do this dance forever.”

“Why not?” He was earnest, painfully so, that same bumbling teenager still taking his toll. Gravity was pulling him toward her but he fought it with all his strength, not sure he could take it if she backed away from him.

“Because it hurts too much.” And her voice trembled just enough for him to catch it, crumbling something inside him that he didn’t know existed. “Every relationship I have ever been in has been a battle against my instincts to cancel plans in case you decide to call; against my instinct to end things with a guy after the first date because he doesn’t compare to you; against my instinct to doom every single relationship I'm ever in, all for a guy that will never want to give me what I need.”

“You can’t be serious.” He balked and it knocked her off balance. “When have I literally ever said no to you? You are the only person on the entire godforsaken planet that I will bend over backwards to make happy.” He was bordering on angry now, heat creeping up the back of his neck. He would have bent time and space to keep her from leaving. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I would’ve given you everything you ever asked for?” The soft, devastated features of her face were pleading him to stop but he couldn’t.

“Of course it did.” She scrubbed a hand over her face, body sagging. “But even on the days that I thought you might agree to a relationship that you didn’t really want - ”

“What makes you so sure I wouldn’t want it?” He crossed his arm over his chest and she rolled her eyes. Scoffing, he took a step toward her.

“Be serious.”

“I am! What gave you the impression I wouldn’t really want a relationship with you?” He held out an expectant hand for an answer and she searched the ceiling for an answer, shaking her head incredulously.

“How about the hundred different times over the years that you explicitly told me you could never see yourself settling down and that - quote - relationships are for suckers?” She held a sarcastic hand back at him, raising her brows with a sneer.

“Oh, come on, Riley!” He pleaded, genuinely surprised it wasn’t obvious to her. “You are the exception to every rule.” He shook his head, taking a step closer but she didn’t budge. “I didn’t see myself ever settling down with anyone but you.” He pressed his luck, taking another step. “I’d be a sucker if I got into a relationship with anyone but you.” She heaved a sigh, shaking her head. It’s not like there weren’t days she thought he might want a life with her. Hell, there were days where it felt like they had a life together - glimpses at a different lifetime where puzzle pieces fit together and the boy next door is the love of your life - but that wasn’t this lifetime. Or maybe it was but that didn’t make her the love of his.

“It doesn’t even matter.” She finally took a step back, suddenly acutely aware of how close he’d gotten and the way it was clouding her brain. “Even if you had agreed, even if you had really thought it was what you wanted, how long was that gonna last? How long until the thrill wore off and you finally got bored of me like you did with every other girl you’ve ever met?”

“Oh good fucking god, Riley!” He fumed, charging toward her and taking her face forcefully between his hands. “I could fucking shake you. What is it going to take to get it through your head that you aren’t any other girl to me?” His touch scorched her skin and short circuited her brain. Fuck, she couldn’t think straight when he was this close. “This isn’t some stupid high school crush anymore. It’s been twenty goddamn years of wanting to be near you so badly it hurts.” He let his hands fall to his sides but he didn’t budge from his spot. “I’ve been as close as it gets more times than I can count and it’s never close enough.” Her brain whirred, confusion, disbelief, and anger cycling through in rapid succession.

“Well you never said that, Max!” She finally shot back. “How was I supposed to know I was some unspoken exception to a rule! All I knew was that every time I thought we might be headed somewhere, I’d test the waters only to be told you would sooner fake your own death than commit to one woman. What was I supposed to think?” She smoothed her palms down her thighs to silence the way her hands were trembling. “I couldn’t risk it.” His face hardened, brows drawn into a harsh line.

“Right, better to cut me out of your life all together.” The venom in his voice was hardly contained but she was nearing her wits end. A long, emotional day combined with the tail end of half a dozen shots meant that her filter was wearing down to nothing.

“Fine. I’m a coward - is that what you want to hear?” She used her foot to push off the wall she was trapped against, forcibly moving past Max, and bumping his shoulder. It bought her a few valuable seconds to breath and forget the way his eyes boared into her. Getting her space didn’t mend her weary filter, though. “I didn’t think I’d survive it if we made a real go of it and you got bored of me.” Her body turned back to him on instinct alone, a hurt she had fictionalized over and over again playing out on her face. “I’ve been cheated on by a lot of guys but you…? I’d never recover from that.” The hurt in his chest only read as anger. Her stomach dropped.

“Cheat on you? For fucks sake, have a little faith in me.” He scoffed but his eyes softened as they grazed over her. He might have been a little subtle over the years about just how snugly he was wrapped around her finger but he really thought she understood. “You really think, after everything you’ve been through, that I could do that to you?”

“I didn’t." She conceded, worrying her lip between her teeth, wondering if she could back her way out of this conversation now that it had started. But he was waiting expectantly for more. "I used to think that the worst thing that could happen was our friendship would end - that was already plenty to stop me from pursuing it.” She sank back against the arm of the couch, raking her fingers through her hair. “But then after things ended with Jonah, things with us were so hot and heavy. I saw you almost every day, I woke up next to you more mornings than not, hell, we spent Valentines Day curled up on your couch with a meal you made me from scratch. It almost felt like…” Her eyes met his, the weight of her unspoken words sucking the air out of the room. There was no arguing that point; it hadn’t just felt like they were together - they were together. He just never had the chance to call it what it was.

“Riley…” He didn't have the words. He was the man of a million words but somehow, with her, they always seemed to allude him.

“But I guess that must have all been in my head, cause you had no trouble taking home that girl that worked the merch stand at your shows.” She clung desperately to the thread of dignity that kept her voice from breaking, blinking away the sting behind her eyes. He floated toward her but she held up a hand that stopped him in his tracks.

“It wasn’t like that, Ry, I swear to god.” He insisted but she was just waving him off.

“Please, Max, her tits were on full display in your kitchen.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him anymore, embarrassed heat creeping up her neck, and it was making his stomach twist. It was hard to argue with that, even if he knew it wasn’t the reality of the situation. But even if his sex with Valerie, the exceptionally hot new merch girl at MLW, wasn’t real, the look on Riley’s face when she walked into his apartment with a bottle of his favorite whiskey, only to find a topless Valerie sitting on his kitchen counter was very very real. “It’s fine, that’s how we had always operated; I was stupid for thinking anything had changed.”

That devastated look when she saw them only lasted for a second but it was plenty to haunt his dreams for years. He wasn’t supposed to be the one that made her look like that and he didn’t even know how it happened. Valerie just lived nearby and wanted to walk back with him and he didn’t stop to think when she asked to see his replica belt collection. And yeah, maybe he’d flirted a little because he didn’t know how not to, but not so much that it warranted her taking her top off while he went to find the belt she asked to see.

But she was nothing; she was less than nothing. She was so insignificant in his story with Riley, she didn't deserve to mentioned. She didn't get to be the thing that stood between them getting together.

“It wasn’t in your head.” He finally conceded, minutes too late, trying to forcibly shift them back to what really mattered. Her eyes pleaded with him to stop. She didn’t need to complicate her feelings here, they were already jumbled enough as it was. But Max wasn't finished - he had come this far. “Everyone in the locker room referred to you as my girlfriend. My dad referred to you as my girlfriend. The fucking mailman referred to you as my girlfriend. It wasn’t in your head.” Hearing it out loud had her heart clawing it’s way out of her chest; this was too much. She didn’t realize just how badly she’d wanted to hear him call her that until he’d gotten this close.

“But I wasn’t your girlfriend, Max. So you were fully within your right to invite naked girls back to your place.” She maintained her position, knowing if she let herself falter, there would be no stopping her from crying in front of him and there was nothing in this world that she wanted less than to cry right now.

“I am telling you, nothing happened!” He gestured a desperate hand out at her. “It was a complete misunderstanding. I know that sounds like bullshit but I swear to fucking god I wasn’t responsible for the tits in the kitchen.” She rolled her eyes with a lofty breath.

“It doesn’t even matter.” She kicked off the arm of the couch, restless. “It really wasn’t about her. Like I said, even if you had, it’s really not my place to get mad about it.”

“But I’m telling you it was your place. You should have torn a hole clean through me.”

If it hadn’t been for that millisecond of devastation on her face, he might not have even known she was upset by it. She just apologized for walking in without knocking, as if him giving her a key wasn't an open invitation to do so, and excused herself to the bathroom. When he got back from escorting Valerie out of his apartment building, she was on his couch and refused to talk about it. But he knew. He didn’t have to be told that she had been crying in the bathroom while he was gone. Even if her face didn’t show it, she was stilted the whole night and eventually went home to sleep in her own bed. It wasn’t more than a few weeks before she had her first date with Lucas.

“I didn’t want to tear a hole through you. I was mad at myself, not at you. All you did was remind me that there was more at stake than just our friendship.” So she hid out in the arms of another cheating bastard. And she got humiliated on a national stage. And she lost the show she had poured her soul into. But all of that pain was manageable; the pain of having her heart broken by Max, though, that would have swallowed her whole. She needed to get out of here. His jaw ticked with irritation as she began floating toward the sparse kitchen space of the suite, searching for her shoes, but he dutifully followed after her.

"And so, what? You just gave up on the entire idea of us because of a misunderstanding that you refused to let me clear up?" It came out a little indignant and his face twitched in a strain to control his temper. She slowed, head lolling back to see him.

"Because it didn't matter." She wandered into the tiny galley kitchen and turned around, only to find herself blocked in by Max. Her pulse picked up.

"Stop saying that, it obviously did matter." He stood at the entrance to the kitchen, allowing her a few feet between them.

"No, it didn't! We kept on doing what we always did. Same old cycle, wash and repeat."

"Except that you cut me out of your life six months later!" He shot back, inadvertently taking a step into the kitchen. "Is that why? Still just punishing me for some stupid mistake?"

"No, I cut you out of my life because you got into a fist fight with my boyfriend at my mom's Holiday Party and announced to the entire room that I had cheated on Jonah with you. Huge surprise that Lucas told me I needed to make a decision."

"And so you just decided for the both of us, then? Years of friendship down the drain because your cheating, piece of shit boyfriend was worried you'd beat him to the punch?" He was past the point of feeling sheepish - none of that mattered in comparison. Another couple steps toward her and she was beginning to feel the heat of his body. He was getting harder to block out.

"What was I supposed to do, Max?" She demanded, plastering herself against the counter on the far side of the kitchen, buying as much space as she could get.

"You were supposed to choose me!" He practically shouted, hands clenching in an attempt to resist shaking her. "You were supposed to stop being a coward and be with me!" She swallowed hard, the smell of him mixed with the aftermath of their evening was seeping into her brain. She shook her head, brow furrowed.

"Yeah, and what about you, huh? When were you supposed to stop being a coward?" She spit back and he glared at her. "It's not like you ever manned up and said something! You only ever hammered on about how you 'never wanted to be tied down'." Her impression of him was tempered by the edge of emotion that was seeping into her voice. "How was I supposed to choose you when you never even hinted at wanting anything more with me? You could have said something at literally any time in last decade and I would have dropped everything in my life to be with you. But you didn't. Not once." Fire burned beneath his fingertips, grinding his teeth hard enough to chip them.

"Fine, you want me to say something?" He finally snapped, crowding into her space, hand on the cabinets behind her head. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat, eyes deadlocked with his. Reaching up with his free hand, he tangled his fist in the back of her hair, and her head tipped back in a breathless gasp. "You've been my girl since day one and nothing is ever gonna change that.” He was close enough to feel her warm breath fanning across his face. Her fingers curled around the edge of the counters. “I didn't need to say it, Riley. Its just a given - you’re mine. I know it, you know, every guy you've ever been with knows it.” He sandwiched her against the counter, their legs slotting together just right, and her skin buzzed head to toe. “So you can walk away as many times as you want. Cause our roots are tangled up tight, sweetheart; you are always gonna find your way right back here." Her breath came out in shallow gasps for air, and his lips curled into a smug smirk. Using his grip on her hair, he tilted her head, nosing along the curve of her neck until his lips brushed her earlobe. "Your body is screaming it, practically vibrating over finally being back where it belongs." Her eyes fluttered closed; her brain was going a hundred and fifty down an empty highway, wind rattling the sides so hard she couldn't hear a cohesive thought. His lips ghosted across her neck, raising goosebumps all down her spine.

"Max..." She whimpered, and he strained against the soft material of his sweats. He needed that sound more than he needed oxygen.

Loosening his grip on her hair, his hand slipped down until settling firmly along her jaw. Fingers dug into her skin, he nipped at the delicate skin of her neck, and her breathing hitched.

"I'm done sharing you, Riley." His thumb slid down her jaw, across the column of her neck, ripples of electricity spilling out beneath it. He adjusted his fingers with a trial squeeze around her throat, coming face to face with her. Her eyes blinked open, wide and hazy, dragging her teeth across her bottom lip. "Now, are you my girl or not?”

Riley’s tongue dabbed over her trembling lip and she swallowed hard. There were a million reasons racing through her head that all told her to say no but she was already nodding.

“Yeah?” His brow quirked, fingers thrumming against her throat. She nodded more firmly. Slowly, he leaned into her, guiding her up to him. Their breaths mingled and her eyes drifted shut. He nudged his nose along hers and she stood on her toes, her lips aching for his, but he pulled back. “Let me hear it.” Eyes flying open, she hesitated, but Max’s fingers constricted around her throat and the whine that slipped out was damning.

“I’m your girl.” She finally conceded. It was just above a whisper but Max scarcely let her finish anyway.

“I fuckin’ know it.”

In an instant, his hands flew down to desperately grip her face, crushing his lips into hers so hard it knocked the breath from her lungs. And just like that, she was tripping headfirst into his quicksand.

Their mouths collided in a furious gnashing of tongues and teeth and deep seated need. Her nails dragged across his lower back and he groaned into her mouth. They were messy and frantic, his hands roaming into her hair and down her collarbone, slipping beneath the splayed fabric of her shirt, hungry for every inch of skin they had been deprived of for so long. His fingers wandered to her bare thigh, electricity blooming in a line beneath his touch. He shivered, hand stuttering when she smoothed her palm up his chest, roping it around his neck.

His lips made a messy trail to her chin, then up along the line of her jaw. Calloused fingers curled around her thigh, guiding it up around his hip, and he yanked her hips flush against him. She let out an airy sigh as he laid open mouth kisses along her neck, making him throb beneath his sweatpants.

"Feel good to be back where you belong, sweetheart?" He nipped at her earlobe, rocking his hips in smooth thrusts against her core, completely exposed to him. She whimpered, body doused in gasoline and ready to ignite at a moment's notice. His fingers tightened in her hair, tugging it back, and laving his tongue over the curve of her neck before sucking at the sensitive skin.

His other hand crept up her thigh, curled around from the outside but edging up closer and closer to the apex. As he reached the top, he let his nails drag back down her thigh, and he hummed against her skin.

She urged a hurried hand just inside his hip, pawing at the top of his sweats in an attempt to push them down. Max snatched her hand, pinning it to the cabinet above her head. Her eyes shot open, wildly flitting across his face, watching helplessly as he captured her other hand, holding them both high above her head with one hand, her shirt riding up over her hips. She tugged at his grip to no avail and a thrill ran through her veins.

Grinding her hips against his stiff cock, she whined, the friction just a delicious tease. Max chuckled, low and breathy, into the crook of her neck.

“Awww, what's wrong, pretty girl?” His hand skated down, over her chest and stomach, curling his fingers around the bottom of the shirt. Knuckles dragged along the electrified skin of her hip and she squirmed. “You need something?" Her brain was too hazy for a coherent response, though, scarcely even registering his fingers nimbly undoing the bottom button. He dragged his teeth along her skin before his tongue soothed over it. She whined his name, knees suddenly feeling a little insufficient as she tried to grind against him but he pinned her hips to the counter with his own. “Use your words, Riley." But she couldn’t focus with the way his knuckles were dragging against her lower belly. He undid another button and she shook.

As quickly as his hand disappeared from her stomach, it reappeared, harshly squeezing her bare ass before delivering a sharp smack. Heat seared through her, a sharp contrast to his gentle touch, rising up her torso.

"Pleeease..." Her voice was raked over, barely recognizable under the strain of her need.

"Please what?" He delivered another, lighter smack to her ass, fingers just grazing over her center. Enough to make her entire body tremble and get his fingers dewy with her slick. Twitching beneath his sweats, his lips curled into a smug smile. He raised two fingers between them, sliding them past his lips, eyes closing as he savored the taste of her arousal. Riley's lips parted in a ragged breath, pupils blown, and his eyes snapped back to her, smirking before pressing the fingers to her lips. She obliged, letting them sink into her mouth, the taste of her still faint, and Max's other hand tightened around her wrists, trying to keep his composure. "Look at you." He worked his fingers in and out of her mouth a couple of times. "All worked up and I've barely even touched you."

An embarrassment flashed through her body and she squirmed as if it would change the truth. But when his fingers withdrew from her mouth, she had to swallow back her whine - she was already in the deep end.

His fingers, wet with their mixed saliva, trailed down her chin, over her throat, and down the center of her chest. Just barely grazing the soft skin of her breasts before landing on the top button. She couldn’t stop herself from pushing her chest out. His eyes flicked back up to meet hers, lips curling devilishly as he undid the button without looking, fingers skimming right down to the final button still fastened. Wasting no time, he popped the final obstacle and let his thumb drag torturously down over her exposed stomach. He pushed past the draped fabric, clamping around her waist with both hands, inadvertently releasing her arms. His face nestled into the crook of her neck, breathing her in, trying to commit every detail of this to memory before real life caught up to them. If he could stop time, he would have spent an eternity in that moment, her fingers curling in his hair to keep him close, their bare chests pressed against each other, heat between them threatening to burn down the entire city block.

"Fuck, I've missed you so much." The words were a rasp against her skin that he couldn't control for the third time that night. He was practically throbbing, brain just a fog of needy thoughts, his ability to keep his composure was hanging by a thread.

He gave no warning before he lifted her up onto the countertop, his lips not skipping a beat as they trailed down to the hollow of her throat. His hands slid up her figure, keeping her tight to him as he sucked dark, possessive marks into her skin. Her head tipped back, steadying herself on the countertop with one hand while the other gripped tight in his hair, as if it would lend her any real control. He left a trail of hickies in a line along her clavicle and her legs curled around his waist when he nudged the shirt over her shoulder, leaving it gaping wide. His eyes raked sinfully over every inch of her on display for him now, fingers tweaking her peaked nipple, and her breath caught in her throat.

"So damn perfect." His palm kneaded over her breast, greedy and rough, squeezing hard enough it might bruise all on its own. Free hand stabilizing on her upper thigh, he pinched her nipple between his fingers as his mouth made its way down to her chest. “And all fuckin’ mine.” He accentuated his point by leaving a particularly dark mark on her chest. He would’ve laid his claim over every last inch if he had to. “Should carve my name into your skin so everyone knows exactly who you belong to.” But god, his tongue was doing that plenty well on its own, tracing his initials over the mark he’d just made.

She sank back onto her elbow, shirt slipping off the other shoulder and giving him the full access he needed. He didn't hesitate, leaning into her and grazing his teeth over her nipple, delighting in the sharp breath of air she took in. His tongue flicked over the bud and her eyes fluttered shut, teeth raking over her lip. When he blew a cool breath across the slick, sensitive skin, her entire body bowed into him, clung around his neck.

"Fuck me, Max, pleeease." Her voice didn't feel like her own, strained and desperate.

Legs wrapped around him, she fumbled to push his sweats down with her feet. She needed more, faster, worrying her body would be reduced to ash before she got to feel him again. And even if his brain had been whirring fast enough to form a rational thought, he wouldn't have been able to resist. His entire body was electrified now and there was no slowing down. She managed to get his sweats down just enough to free his erection and there was no way to stop him to from immediately delving between her folds. Her breath escaped in a puff as he ground the tip of his cock over her clit.

"Does this pretty little pussy need some attention?" He yanked her hips so hard toward him that they practically came off the counter. One hand held her hips in place as the other skated up into her hair. "Been neglected for so long." Dragging his cock through her folds again, he could feel the precum dripping from his tip, mixing with her slick, and his eyes rolled back for just a moment. Pulling her to him by the hair, he met her in a needy kiss, frantic and overdue, as he notched his crown against her entrance. "Don't worry, baby, i'm gonna take care of you. Remind you what its like to come until you cry."

And with that, he speared through her center, to the hilt - he couldn't handle anything less than being completely buried inside her right now. She screeched, nails digging into his scalp as he made strong, purposeful thrusts up into her. Every inch of her stretched to accommodate him, squeezing a chokehold around his dick. He bit hard on her bottom lip, dragging it back as he hammered into her, her body lifting on and off of the counter with their frenzied pace.

"Ohhh fuck! Max!" She cried out, hands roaming aimlessly, pleasure blanking out her mind. If she had reservations about being with him, they were long gone, replaced by a rampaging snowball of need that was quickly filling her past her breaking point.

"You feel so fucking good, squeezing this cock like it was made for you." He growled against her jaw, fingers wrapped deep into her hair. He had meant to take this so much slower - to savor her - but fuck if his patience was that strong.

He hooked her leg up over his arm, burying both hands in her hair, keeping her spread wide for him, and forehead to forehead. Groaning, his fingers twitched as she constricted around him, trying desperately to hold it together. Her body slipping down, lower back against the counter as he rocked up into the perfect spot inside her over and over.

"My pretty little slut gonna come for me already? Missed my cock so much you couldn't even take thirty seconds before falling apart?" He watched her struggle to hold his eye contact, breathy moans following one after the other. She was too far gone to feel the shame that was percolating in her cheeks, though, just holding on for dear life as her entire body bloomed open. "Good girl, fucking milk this cock, baby." He just prayed desperately he could withstand it, his thumb reaching over to rub rough circles over her clit and she screamed, arching up and toes curling. But he didn't stop to let her breath, her screams devolving to whines.

Her back slammed, deliciously painful, against the edge of the counter each time he drove into her, and her skin was buzzing from top to bottom. She felt his hand, frantically roaming to her face, hair, stuck with sweat, getting raked between them as he gripped her jaw. He pulled her in for a messy, possessive kiss, free hand slapping her tit, fingers grazing her nipple and making her cry out. Her hand flew up to grab the cabinets to steady herself, her body trying to match his movements, careening out of control.

"Who else knows your body like this? Who else fucks you this good?" He demanded, punctuating each word with a brutal thrust. She was teetering dangerously close to the edge, his words, snarled against her ear making every inch of her skin burn. "Tell me who this beautiful body belongs to." But her orgasm was closing in quick and halting all coherent thought, color dotting her vision. His palm collided full power with her ass and the red hot sting reverberated through her veins, kicking the ground out from under her. "I said who owns this body?"

"You, you do! Fuck, Max, please!" She desperately rutted against him, chasing the finish line that was tantalizingly close if she could just wade through the foggy flashing lights.

"God damn fuckin' right I do." His voice was dangerously low, growled into the skin of her throat. Any plans for taking things slow were pummeled through, his body running on full instinct now. "Now let me feel you soak this cock."

Yanking her up more solidly onto the counter, he pushed her flat onto her back, legs spread clear apart as he rocked up into her core. Pushing down on her hips, he strummed three fingers across her clit as rapidly as he could move them, his hips falling into rhythm. Her hands desperately raked across the counters, blindly searching for a hold to keep her from floating straight out of her body. He didn't relent and her body jerked, a seismic tremble stretching over her legs. Pulling out to the tip, he slammed back in, bottoming out as he pinched her clit and she unraveled, squirting over his fingers with a scream they must have heard down in the lobby, and her back rose off the counters like she'd been electrified.

His arm wound tight around her back, plastering her to him as he bounced her up and down on his dick, his balls tightening as her walls pulsed around him, overstimulated but begging for more. Her body twitched as she stumbled through aftershocks and she clung to him for all she was worth, mouth hung open in a series of silent screams. It didn't take more than a few jerky thrusts before his hips stuttered, burying himself as deep as he could go. He spilled his warmth into her with a roar, sinking his teeth hard into her neck.

They writhed and jerked, bodies pressed tight as they could get, trying to ride out every last second. Slowing, he peppered kisses over her skin, helping her settle back down on the countertop. His hands slid up into her hair, pulling her in for a languorous kiss, getting lost in her haze, unwilling to budge from his spot deep inside her.

"That's my fuckin' girl." He cooed, hands skating down to her hips, and she melted into him, every ounce of energy fully spent, her arms draped lazily around his shoulders. "God, I've fucking missed you, Ry."

And as the fog of her orgasm ebbed, reality settled in, harsh as ever, with a million unanswered questions. The pull of the crook of his neck was too much to resist, though, so she buried her face instead of addressing any of the nagging thoughts that swirled in her head. But they couldn't stay like that forever, and when he finally pulled back, he could see the uncertainty clouding her expression. That wasn't exactly what he was hoping for.

"Max..." She breathed out his name with a tiny disbelieving shake of her head, and he straightened his spine. "What are we doing?" He wet his lips, mulling over the options in his head before he swept forward and picked her up. She yelped but he didn't stop on his path out of the kitchen and she didn't have the energy to fight him.

"We're going to bed." He bounced her down onto the mattress and crawled after her.

"But -"

"No." He cut her off, yanking the blankets out from under them. She skittered up to the top of the bed, bones suddenly feeling much heavier. Max maneuvered up her body, pressing her down into the mattress, pulling the blanket up over them. Meeting his eyes, she went to protest but he pressed his lips to hers in a silencing kiss. "It's been a long ass day and I've got to get up in less than four hours for another day of talking to sweaty nerds." She bit the inside of her lips, cutting off the rest of her protests. "And I fully intend to wake you up in the middle of the night with my tongue on your clit so let's get some sleep and maybe in the morning you'll feel less like arguing." Her lips curled into a reluctant smile before she scrunched her nose.

"Not likely."

Max snorted a laugh before rolling off of her. He roped her in with an arm and she curled against him the way she always had. Maybe sleep was exactly what she needed to make sense of this night. And this bed was so comfortable. And Max was so warm...

___

Sunlight peaked through the edge of the hotel blinds, right across Riley's eyes and she stretched, quickly finding she didn’t have the space, strong arms wrapped tight around her middle. Memories of last night flashed across her mind, a lazy smile stretching across her face. Max's lips dusted over the curve of her shoulder and a flittering of electricity rolled through her skin.

"Good morning, beautiful." He whispered into the crook of her neck and she settled back into him as heavily as she could. She was going to enjoy every second of this until reality came calling. God, she had missed waking up next to him.

"Mmm morning." Rolling onto her back, she met his hazy eyes, still heavy from sleep but soft and mildly incredulous. He had half expected to wake up and find out this had been a horribly detailed and unfair dream. But here she still was, hair mussed and dreamy smile directed right up at him. "Can we just blow off real life and stay here?" She knew they needed a more serious conversation about things they admitted in the heat of the moment last night but, she was pretty sure, as long as they stayed in this bed, nothing else mattered.

"Ugh, you read my mind." He leaned over her, fingers sliding up into her hair as he leaned in to press a lingering kiss to her lips that left them tingling in his wake. "Unfortunately, I am contractually obligated to be at this convention in..." His gaze flicked over to the alarm clock on the bedside table and he groaned. "...45 minutes. Fuck, I really need to get up and get in the shower."

Riley stretched her legs out under the covers, nestling down into the mattress.

"Oh, that's sad for you. Have fun with that, I'll be right here." She closed her eyes pointedly, missing the scowl the Max leveled at her. But there was no missing his fingers tazing her sides, making her jump. "Ah! Hey!" She objected but he rolled on top of her, pressing her into the mattress before tickling up her waist. Squirming and squealing beneath him, she begged him to stop between laughs. "Please, please, I surrender, please!" He didn't let up, though, just creeping up then down until finally settling on her hips.

"Let me try that again." He said, his bare body pressing deliciously into hers. "Come get in the shower with me, brat." She bat her lashes with a coy smile.

"Now, see, my flight doesn't come for a few more hours so I don't see why I -." She stopped short when his fingers grazed back over her sides. "No, please!" She giggled, squirming under him and he grinned down at her.

"I can't shower alone knowing my duet partner is laying right over here." He licked his lips, tracing feather-light over her skin until goosebumps raised all down her spine. Tilting her head from side to side, she scrunched her nose.

"I don't know, I saw that musical number you did with Chris Jericho. Pretty sure I've been replaced. Maybe I should go get him for you?" She teased, tongue peaking out, trapped between her teeth, and he breathed a laugh.

"Oh so you've been watching me for a while, then, huh? Didn't realize you were basically a groupie now."

"Only if you count as my groupie, too. Don't think I didn't pick up on you knowing exactly what happened in the episode where we fly to Gorkula. Are you a SpaceHead, Max?" She ran her tongue over her teeth, trying to keep back a grin, and Max gaped at her, brows knitting together.

"I don't appreciate being called a slur, Riley. Incredibly disrespectful that you would lump me in with the rest of your soap-phobic fan base." He dug his fingers into her and she squirmed with a breathless laugh. "Now get this pretty little ass in the shower before I hoist you over my shoulder and haul you in there myself."

She bit down on her lip, gearing up to tease him but stopped short at the sound of the doorknob jiggling. She tried to push herself up to sit but was stuck. When the door swung open, she smacked blindly at Max's back and he hurried to roll off of her.

"Surprise!" A petite girl, wrapped in a stylish but tight office dress, burst through the opened door and Riley snatched the blanket up to her chest, looking to Max, who had jumped to his feet.

"K-Kelsey?" He stammered, his skin suddenly excruciatingly hot, desperately clambering for a sheet to cover himself. "What are you doing here?"

Watching helplessly as Kelsey took in the scene before her, steam quickly beginning to billow out her ears, Max took a nervous step back. And understanding washed through Riley crystal clear, salt water flooding her veins, poisoned and sluggish, cementing her to her spot. She glanced back at 'Kelsey', shell shocked, and watched as she launched her purse directly at Max's head.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" She demanded, storming toward him, and Riley sat numbly as the woman smacked his chest. "I can't believe you!"

"Baby, please.." He held his hands up in front of him in defense but Kelsey kept swinging.

Riley jolted from her spot, taking the blanket with her as she backed up. She couldn't feel her skin anymore, a monstrous pit of nausea roiling in her gut. Baby. She was going to be sick.

"How could you do this to me? I came out here to surprise you after how shitty you said your day was yesterday and this..." Kelsey glanced back in Riley's direction and gave her a good look at the potent mix of anger and heartbreak on her face for just a second before she whirled back on Max. "You're unbelievable."

Max's gaze finally drifted back to Riley and she never wanted to disappear so badly in her life. She tore away from his gaze forcefully, skittering toward her dress that was laying on the floor by the door. Slipping away before his eyes.

"Kels, I'm sorry, I never meant-" He tried to defend but she stomped her heel hard into his foot. Riley shimmied into her dress on the other side of the room, fighting against the way her hands shook. "Fuck, can everybody just -" Holding his hands out as if he could still control this situation, Kelsey swatted them away.

"I'm going to go home, put your shit out on the curb, and change the lock. Go fuck yourself, Max." She snatched her purse off the floor by him before turning on her heel. Slowing to a stop when she caught sight of Riley by the door, she shook her head. "You can fucking keep him."

The door rattled shut behind her and plunged the room into a nuclear silence. Riley's eyes pinned to Max and the sting behind them finally made itself known, her chest aching so bad she thought it might cave in. She sucked in a breath, frozen to the ground.

"Riley, I can explain."

"Don't." She begged. "Please."

Sweeping up her purse from the couch, she backed toward the door and Max finally started after her.

"Please, stop, I know how this looks..."

"It looks like you have a live-in girlfriend, Max." She whirled on him with a devastated expression that she had tried so valiantly to control.

"Well...had, from the sounds of it." He mumbled but she glared daggers through him. Holding up his hands in a peace offering, he tried to get a step closer to her. "I'm sorry, I know. Fuck, I'm sorry."

"This was a mistake. I need to go." She tried to turn back toward the door but Max caught her hand. The shock it sent through her body knocked her off balance.

"Please don't go, Ry." He reeled her closer by the hand but she snatched it away from him. Darting around her, he stepped into her path toward the door. She tried to side step him but he kept in her way. "Please, I can't go back to life without you. I meant everything I said last night!" He pleaded and she sat back on her heel, stunned, the boiling guilt in her stomach turning over into simmering anger.

"Yeah, you meant it when you said you couldn't see yourself settling down with anyone but me?" Her entire body was trembling and she had stunned him into silence. "Looks like I was just never worth making the effort for. I mean, after all, I'm just a given, right." Her voice was cold as she tried to shoulder past him but he blocked her.

"C'mon, you're twisting my words!" He begged. "You know that's not what I meant. I am crazy about you, Riley, please, this doesn't change anything for me."

“It changes things for me.” She spat and he swayed back like she’d hit him. His pulse was threatening to spike him into the carpet. How had everything gone so wrong? “We make each other worse, Max. And I can’t do it anymore.” Finally managing to get past him, she made a break for the door.

Breezing through, she let it slam behind her, taking off as quickly as possible down the hallway, shoes be damned, she couldn't force herself to care. She picked up her pace at the sound of his door opening behind her, hustling toward the elevator. Maybe she was running away but she couldn't take any more, she needed to fly as many miles away from him as she could get and let her heart break in private.

"Riley!" He shouted after her, having slung his sweats on so quickly he nearly face planted. He couldn't let her get away, not this time, not when he knew he might never see her again if he let her slip away now. But she was jamming on the elevator button as if it would make it come faster, nervously glancing back. "Stop, Riley, come on!"

He didn’t take long to catch up to her, blocking the still-closed doors of the elevator with his body.

“Get out of the way.” She demanded, a hand on her hip.

“No. You can’t go like this. Not after last night.” His eyes pleaded with her, arms spread wide to barricade her path. Her gaze on him lingered but broke the second the elevator dinged above his head.

“Last night wasn’t real, Max.” She replied plainly as if it wasn’t another dagger through her chest. His shoulders slumped but he still didn’t move out of the open door. “Move.”

“Last night was as real as it gets, Riley, and you know it.” He insisted but she shook her head, eyes narrowed. “It was the most real night we’ve ever had.” The elevator doors attempted to close but he held them open forcefully.

“Well isn’t that sad for us?” She frowned, eyes drawn and dark, and Max’s arm fell. The sting behind her eyes was starting to eat away at her; she needed to get some distance now. She used the opportunity to slip past him, into the elevator.

“Riley, I need you…” He pleaded, but she clung to the back wall, just like she had the night before - she needed it now more than ever. Look at what a mess she made when she let herself off that tether.

“And I loved you." She confessed, sending his heart through his chest. " But I never want to see you again."

Max stumbled back a step, stricken, his eyes crawling over her, wide and desperate. The elevator slid closed between them and left them each in a suffocating silence, swallowing up all the oxygen around them.

Riley finally slumped down to the floor of the elevator, face falling in her hands. Her chest ached in a new and unbearable way that made her whole body shake. The pain radiated down to her toes, engulfing her.

Last night played on a loop in her mind. She was his, all his, every inch - that was what he said right? Her fingers traced delicately over the bruised skin he had left behind. All his. But never hers.

Her head fell back against the hard wall of the elevator, drawing in a shaky breath. Some palate cleanser, she thought bitterly. Eyes drifting shut, she wondered if every relationship she had ever been in hadn’t just been cleansing her palate of him.

He was leaned against the wall watching her do the makeup of some of the women that were going on tonight.

As far as he knew she was the head makeup artist for the company and did her job pretty damn good, always in a pair of heels with her hair perfectly done too.

The outfit she had on today was a little more revealing than what he was used to but he definitely didn’t mind. The baby pink skirt and matching top made her body look out of this fucking world.

Tyler had never needed to go to the makeup chair before so they had never officially crossed paths. However, he’s been watching her since the first time Cody brought his wrestling class to their first TV taping.

She’s always there, and she’s always working. Currently, she was talking to Britt while doing some crazy eyeshadow look on her that seemed impossibly difficult to him.

Ty could hear her giggle from where he was standing and he wanted nothing more than to go over there and drag her back to his private lockeroom and have his way with her.

“Again, man? You gotta leave her alone,” Dante Martin put a hand on his shoulder which Tyler immediately shrugged off.

He knew he was joking but it still hit a little too close to him. Tyler always wondered if she noticed him and the close eye he kept on her. 

“Shut up. Don’t you have a top rope or something to jump off?” Tyler rolled his eyes.

“Why don’t you just go talk to her,” Dante ignored his previous comment.

“What would I even say? ‘Oh hey, I’ve been staring at you for the past year and I want to do you in my hotel room?’”

Dante laughed, “You don’t obsess over a girl for an entire year and only want to fuck her. We both know you actually like her.”

Ty had never had a serious relationship before and didn’t desire it. He was very focused on his career and didn’t have time for any distractions, even ones with impossibly long legs and high cheek bones.

“That’s exactly why I can’t talk to her. I’m way too busy. I don’t have time to treat her like she deserves,” he grumbled back in response.

His friend grinned, “How can you say shit like that and not see it?”

“See what, asshole,” he hissed back.

“That you’re not going to be able to just stop thinking about her.”

“I could totally stop thinking about her if I wanted to. She’s like, like a side hobby,” Tyler responded a bit flustered.

“A side hobby?” Dante was hysterically laughing at this point.

“If she’s such a side hobby, let’s make a bet,” Dante said to him.

“Oh yeah? What kind of bet?” Tyler was intrigued at this point. He was never one to turn down a challenge. He stopped leaning on the wall and stood up straight.

“If you can leave her alone for the rest of the show - that means no looking at her, no standing by the makeup chairs, and no scaring off the rookies who try and flirt with her - I’ll pay for you to finish the rest of your sleeve,” Dante said slyly.

Tyler’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Dude, my tattoo artist is charging me $2500 in cash for that.”

“I know. But I’m almost positive you won’t win,” he laughed.

“What happens if I lose?” Ty inquired.

“I get your private lockeroom for 5 more Dynamites,” Dante responded matter of factly.

“Bro, my dad rents that out for me.”

“Yeah and everyone fucking hates you for it,” Dante added.

“Call me daddy’s money all you want but I get to do my pre-match ritual in silence, without you assholes screaming in my ear.”

“And that’s what I want.”

“Fine. You have a deal,” Tyler stuck his hand out and Dante shook it.

“There’s no way you’re winning,” Dante cackled while walking away from him.

Tyler walked to catering and tried not to think about her there without him. It was stupid really. She had been working there longer than he had and he was scared for her well-being.

He sighed and stabbed the chicken on his plate with a fork. It was going to be a long ass night.

-

Dynamite had started a couple of hours later and he had a match tonight, but for some reason he couldn’t focus.

Well, not some reason. He knew the exact reason, and she was most likely sucking on hard candy and playing on her phone in the backstage area.

Tyler tried hard to shake it off, he really did. But he couldn’t jepordize his match for some stupid bet.

His phone dinged and it was a text message from Dante.

Are you cracking yet, lover boy?

Tyler wanted to hurl his phone at the wall. He felt like he was going absolutely insane. He wanted to slap himself for allowing his attraction to her for getting this far.

Ty hated to admit it to himself, but he did actually like her. He liked her much more than a one night stand or a casual hookup.

He had been going backing forth between the pros and cons of just going to find her when the Bucks walked into his dressing room.

Tyler immediately stood up from his seated position when they walked in. He pulled himself together so he could talk to his bosses.

He stuck his hand out to shake theirs, “What can I do for you guys?”

After they finished shaking hands with each other Matt started talking, “It’s about your match tonight. Tony made a last minute decision for you to go over.”

Tyler’s face was one of surprise, “Like, win the TNT title?”

“Yeah,” Matt brushed over this news, “Sorry it’s on such short notice, kid.”

“No, don’t sweat it. I’m psyched,” Tyler tried to keep his cool.

“We figured you would be. Go change the finish with Sammy and you’ll be set. We watched you guys practice this morning and the match you have planned should stay the same. The only change we want is for you to tap him out,” Nick instructed the young talent.

“Of course. Thank you so much. This means a lot to me,” Tyler was very grateful for this opportunity but also incredibly nervous.

The group exchanged pleasantries for a while longer until they left the room. Ty could feel his heart speeding up. There was no way he could go out to win a title feeling like this.

His palms were sweating and despite the news he had his focus was still somewhere else. He checked his watch to see he had an hour and thirty minutes until he was gonna go out.

Fuck the bet.

There was no way in hell Ty was going to fuck up the biggest match of his career over a bet.

He threw a hoodie and sweats over his gear and stepped out of dressing room, already feeling the clouds clear out of his head.

Ty booked it to the makeup chairs like he was being chased.

He stopped just a few steps behind where she was lounging.

She was perched on one of the chairs with her legs swinging. She was on her phone with a cherry red sucker in her mouth, just as he suspected.

She was a sight for sore eyes and he felt relief wash over him knowing she was perfectly fine.

“Hey,” he said suddenly making her look up from her phone. His voice was a surprise to his own ears. He had never spoken to her and now was probably not the best time to start.

She looked up at him from her chair and took the sucker out of her mouth, “Hey.”

The way she was smiling at his made his chest ache, “I was wondering if you could fix my hair before my match. I totally slept on it wrong.”

She looked skeptical. Tyler knew he sounded stupid. His hair was probably the easiest in the world to manage. All he did was run a brush through it and call it a day.

“Of course. Hook, right?” She called him by his in ring name.

He chuckled as he sat down in her chair, “Yeah, but you can call me Tyler.”

When her fingers began to comb through his hair he wanted to groan.

“I’m Ariane, but everyone around her calls me Ari.”

He finally knew her name and it fit her perfectly. He could feel all of his nerves slipping from his body as she touched him. It was like she had some sort of magnetic aura that dissipated all of his anxiety.

He stayed quiet as she moved his hair every which way. Her long pink acrylics were perfectly scratching his scalp. Ty fought the urge to shiver and lean into her touch.

“What gear are you wearing tonight?” Ari asked.

“I’ve got the orange on tonight.”

“You always wear those,” she teased, “What about the chain?”

He pulled his gold chain out of his hoodie and showed her. He was impressed she knew he always wore a chain to the ring. It made Ty smile that Ari watched him maybe as much as he watched her.

She moved from behind him to get a better look at the chain.

Ari leaned in and touched the chain around his neck. Her tan fingers brushed against the pulse point on his neck. He closed his eyes and took in a breath. Her long dark extensions created a curtain between them and the outside world. Tyler wanted to feel her hands on him forever.

Their eyes locked for a second and she smiled at him in a way that made him want to bend her over his lap and make her start fucking counting.

He tried not to lose control of the situation. It felt like she was holding him in the palm of her hand.

“This is really nice. It’s different than the ones you usually wear,” Ariane said finally and stepping away from him.

His mouth twitched into a small smile, “You pay a lot of attention to my chains?”

“You’re the only guy on the roster who doesn’t ask for my advice on gear. I like to see what you’re wearing.”

“Well, this one was my dad’s in the 90’s. He wore it when he proposed to my mom,” Ty couldn’t figure out why he was volunteering this information. He kept most of his personal life to himself but she made him spill his guts with only a few words.

“And you’re wearing it to win your first title,” she must’ve noticed the look he gave her, “You tend to hear a lot when you’re doing an entire roster’s makeup and hair.”

“The chain is a good luck charm. It made my mom say yes, maybe it’ll keep me from fucking up any spots,” he joked.

“I’ve never seen you mess up a spot before,” Ari rolled her eyes adorably.

Tyler really wanted to grab her and kiss her. Actually, he wanted to do more than that, he wanted to take her back to his dressing room and flip up that impossibly tiny skirt and fuck her. He had to get himself back under control.

He took a deep breath and stood up. He was standing almost chest to chest with her. Ty had a few inches on her, even with her heels. He looked down at her parted lips and smiled.

“Next time you have any advice on my gear, you can come find me in my dressing room,” his words dripped with sexual innuendo that made her noticeably flustered.

He walked away from the makeup area and to gorilla. Ty stripped down into his gear and waited for the women’s match to end.

He felt way more confident than he had in his lockeroom. Tyler was calm, satiated even. He talked to Ari for the first time ever and even flirted with her. He could comfortably take her off of his mind for now.

He was ready to go out there and have the best match of his life.

Even though he felt on top of the world, he still felt anxiety pooled in his belly. Any person in their right mind would.

This is going to be his first title run and he wants it to be amazing.

“Hey,” Sammy grabbed his shoulder, “The Bucks wanted me to come talk about the match with you.”

His calm attitude didn’t last long when he heard Sammy’s voice. Sammy Guevera was not an easy person to be around. Almost everyone on the roster hated him, besides his equally annoying wife, Tay.

“Yeah. All we have to do is keep the same combinations until the last three minutes. They want a submission victory so I was thinking you try for a frog splash and I catch you midair. I’ll give you a couple of suplexes and then put you in the redrum.”

“Whatever,” sammy rolled his eyes like the asshole he is, “I’m still pissed they sprung this on me last minute.”

“Maybe it’s because you called one of the most experienced veterans in the back a jobber,” Ty spit back at him.

Just because they had a match did not mean they had to like each other.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Sammy grumbled while walking away.

As the semi-main event ended with Britt holding her championship with a confident smirk on her face. He felt like his chest was on fire the closer it got to his match.

Tyler stood up and took a deep breath. He had seven minutes until his entire life would be changed.

He knew he had to go out first and stood at the curtain.

-

The match went off without a hitch. Tyler was surprised considering Sammy kept giving him stiff punches and slapping him in the face.

Ty kept it professional, though and managed to finish the match without actually beating the shit out of him.

He walked to the back with the TNT titled draped over his shoulder as the backstage personnel and Tony Khan gave him a standing ovation.

His dad was the first person to hug him and tell him how proud he was. Tyler fought tears when they embraced.

He thanked everyone profusely and spoke to Tony privately about how grateful he was.

Ty was in the middle of picking up his sweats and hoodie when Dante came into view. He mentally groaned, he was going to get so much shit from him.

Dante wrapped gave Tyler a hug and when he pulled away he smiled, “Couldn’t do it could ya, champ?”

“Fuck off,” Tyler groaned, “It was the only way that match wasn’t gonna be shit. It was impossible to focus with her on my mind.”

“You sound like a fucking love sick puppy,” Dante laughed at him.

“Yeah yeah. What are we doing to celebrate?” Ty smirked at his friend.

“I’ve got some of the boys together and we can go grab drinks downtown. This is my first time in Nashville so I think Bowens is picking.”

“Sounds great. Let me go take a quick shower,” he replied walking away.

“Enjoy that private shower while it lasts!” Dante called from behind him.

Tyler just flipped him off and kept walking to his dressing room. He really was dreading giving it away for five weeks.

Just before he made it to his lockeroom he saw Ari leaning against the wall next to the his dressing room door texting on her phone.

“Hey,” he smiled at her.

She looked up at him, “Hey, champ. That was a great match. Congratulations.”

Her smiled was so genuine and happy it made his heart flutter a little bit, “Thanks. Hey, some of the guys are going out to celebrate. Wanna come with?”

Tyler watched as her green eyes lit up at the prospect of going out with him.

“I’d love to, but before I think you told me I should come into your lockeroom when I had any thoughts about your gear,” she gave him a sultry look through her false eyelashes.

His mouth quirked into a smile, “Yeah, and what is it you wanna say about my gear, doll?”

“I think it would look much better off,” she had an innocent look in her eyes despite the words she was saying.

This turned him onto no end. He didn’t even bother to say anything else, he just opened the door and pulled her inside.

He quickly locked the door and pressed her against it. Their lips touched and it felt like his skin was buzzing against her own.

He kissed a trail down her neck. He sucked and nipped at the delicate skin until there was a distinct hickey.

“Such a fucking tease all the time, hm? All those tiny little outfits” He said against her neck.

Tyler could hear her shaky breathing and the occasional whimper.

He smiled against her skin and finally pulled away, “If you want to stop, just say so.”

With that he tugged her over to the couch and pulled her onto his lap.

Their mouths were on one another’s in an instant. Their lips moved in a feverish manner, as if they couldn’t get enough of each other.

Ari was the first to pull away, “Let me properly congratulate you on your win, champ.”

She slinked down to her knees in front of him and put her hands on his bare thighs.

Tyler’s hand ran through her hair and Ari spoke again, “It’s a wonder it’s taken you this long to say something.”

He looked down at her in confusion as she started to palm him through his shorts, “I’ve seen you stand at my makeup station for months and stare at my ass. That’s why I’m dressed like this tonight.”

She kissed his thigh and whispered, “Just for you.”

Tyler finally said something, “Dressing like a whore at work just to impress me? I’m honored, baby.”

Ari rested her head against his thigh and stared at his hard on still confined in his pants.

Ty wrapped a hand in her and forced her to sit up properly, “Are you gonna let the champ fuck your face doll?”

She nodded eagerly, “Please fuck my face Tyler.”

He didn’t have to hear anymore, he pulled his cock out, “Stick your tongue out.”

Ariane shivered at his dominant voice and did what she was told.

He used his hand that was wrapped in her hair to guide her down his cock. Ty slowly sunk his cock in her mouth and groaned out when she made it to the base.

She began gagging a little bit and he let her pull off, “You’re so big,” she whimpered.

Ty thought she looked so cute like this, almost frustrated she couldn’t take him all the way down her throat, “You’ll make it work, baby.”

She wrapped her lips around his tip and looked up at him to signal that she was ready for him to continue

He started bobbing her head up and down his cock. His groans made her even wetter than she was.

Ty kept cursing in his deep voice and watched as he fingers snaked in between her legs and underneath her skirt.

“Cant even handle sucking cock without something inside you? Fucking hell,” he chastised her while moving her head faster.

He threw his head back when she started swirling her tongue around his length.

“Fuck,” Ty said aloud, “I’m gonna cum down that pretty throat.”

She nodded her head around him to assure him it was okay. Somehow he forced her to choke his cock down even faster.

Ari sucked impossibly hard and his hips bucked up into her mouth right before he came. She felt his hot seed shoot down her throat in long spurts and whimpered around him.

When he was finished with her he took her off of him.

They both stopped for a moment, him breathless and her with spit around her mouth and tears in her eyes.

“Come here,” he said while putting his shorts back on properly.

Ari obediently sat in the couch next to him before he grabbed her waist and sat her on his lap.

His arms wrapped around her, “We don’t have to go out with them tonight. We can go back to my hotel room and talk or something. I don’t want you to think I wanted this as a one time thing.”

Her voice was hoarse when she first started talking, “Today is a big day for you. You deserve to go out and celebrate.”

“Did you drive here?” He asked, ignoring her last comment.

“No, I ubered, why?”

“I’ll drive you back to the hotel then. Or the bar, it whatever you want, baby,” he smiled at her warmly.

She whined, “I can’t let you not celebrate you’re first title win. I’ll come with you to the bar and we can talk about all of this later.”

Tyler kissed the crown of Ari’s, “You know this wasn’t a one time thing for me, right? I want to have something real for you.”

All of Steve’s actions were solely for the purpose of others, never himself.

Seeing her, all he wanted to do was indulge into his own desires.

She was clearly one of Banner’s students. Every once in a while Steve would visit his college classes for the students to learn about the serum that pumped through his veins.

He had never seen her before though. She was the first one to walk into the classroom. She also sat in the front row, right in Steve’s eyeline.

She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Dark purple circles sat underneath her honey brown eyes. Eyeliner and mascara were swept across her eyes in a way that made her so alluring Steve was almost sirened to her.

“What’s her name?” Steve interrupted Bruce’s rant about what he was teaching today and tilted his head towards her.

She already had her textbook open and a few highlighters littered on her desk.

“Oh, that’s Violet. She’s my best student, always here early so she can look over our lesson for the day,” Bruce continued to talk but Steve stopped listening after he told her his name.

He rolled her name around in his mind.

Violet

He stared at her and took in her appearance for the second time since she’d walked in. Her legs were covered with black socks that went past her knees and a pleated black skirt. Her top half adorned a dark green sweater and a black headband.

Steve could feel that familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach - want. He never gave into it, ever. That feeling represented a loss of control he wasn’t willing to submit to yet.

He took a deep breath and flexed his fingers. He turned his attention back to Bruce, who was still talking despite Steve not really listening.

Students started filtering into the room at a slow pace.

“You can just sit in the front row until I need you,” Bruce stated.

Steve thought back to the past times he had done this favor for Bruce and realized that’s where he always sat.

Steve tried not to make a big deal about it or let his face give anything he was thinking away.

He felt like he was a giant compared to all of the normal sized people in this classroom. He tried to make his steps gentle when he walked to the front row.

Steve sat next to Violet, obviously. He had a lot of self control, but not enough to stay away from her.

She turned her head towards him and gave him a small smile before returning back to her work.

Steve felt like she was drowning in her. It was like she was on all sides of him, her scent suffocating him in the beige classroom.

The problem was, he reveled in it. It was like his heart was beating for the first time. Almost like coming up from air after being stuck underneath freezing water for his entire life.

Bruce started talking about Steve and the super soldier serum, “Erskine spent years perfecting the Super Soldier Serum. There were several notable failed attempts such as Johann Schmidt, a man you all may know as Red Skull…”

Bruce continued but Steve ignored him in favor of the human embodiment of temptation that sat next to him. Violet listened intently and wrote down notes with a pen when needed.

Steve was fascinated with her, he wanted to step inside her mind and understand what she was thinking about when she heard the story, his story.

Eventually, Bruce called Steve up in front of the class, “Mr. Steve Rogers was only 5’4 and 95 pounds before the serum. He had several ailments such as asthma, heart palpitations, scarlet fever, exposure to tuberculosis, sinusitis, the list goes on and on. Now, as you can all see, Steve Rogers is a 6’4, 230 pound mountain of a soldier.”

Steve chuckled at his friend’s description of him. He looked at Violet and their eyes caught one another. Steve’s heart thrummed against his chest and he sent a cocky smile her way.

Acting like an asshole was probably the only way he was going to get out of this classroom without taking her home.

Violet’s golden brown eyes widened in fear and she looked back down at her notes quickly, almost as if Steve was going to snatch her.

He couldn’t blame her, truly it took a lot for him not to grab her and selfishly keep her to himself for the rest of both of their days.

Steve tried to focus on the lecture Bruce was giving but couldn’t shake his thoughts of her away. He wondered if she was struggling in the same way.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the desk he was leaning on harshly. It infuriated him to end that there was nothing he could do, he just had to stand there and accept that she was a weakness he couldn’t afford to take on right now.

Finally, the class ended. It felt like Steve had been taken over by his thoughts. He had never felt this out of control in his life.

Usually after being in a class with Banner, Steve would stay behind and talk with him for a while, but today all he wanted to do was get the hell out of there.

However, the one thing he was running away from came skipping over to him. Violet seemed much less nervous than before when he had sat next to her.

She stood in front of the two men and looked to Bruce, “Dr. Banner, I have some questions about the lecture, I was wondering if you could help me out with the schematics of Mr. Roger’s genetics. Would the serum be passed down to his kids? Would he give them the genes he had before the serum or the genetically modified genes he has now?”

I want to fuck a baby into her.

The crude thought crossed his mind quickly and nearly made him sick. That’s not the kind of man Steve Rogers is. He doesn’t think that way.

His grasp on his restraint was slipping.

“Excellent question, in my opinion-“

Steve cut Bruce off and mumbled, “I have to go.”

He walked out of the room quickly and took a deep gulp of air that wasn’t pumped full of Violet. Steve needed to get a grip, he knew he was about to lose control.

Steve hadn’t felt this way in so long. Not since before Bucky had passed.

It was almost animalistic, primal.

He sat down on the bench outside of the lecture hall. He dropped his head into his head and tried to calm down. Steve was a pro at talking himself down from a ledge now that Nat and Bucky were both dead. All he could do is rely on himself.

“Captain?” A silky voice called out through the hallway.

Steve’s head snapped up and caught her eyes, “What?”

Violet hesitated at his harsh tone but still sat down on the bench next to him, “Did I say something to upset you?”

Violet crossed her sock legs and fiddled with the hem of it that rested just above her knee. She frowned at him and he felt his resolve slipping more and more, “No, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

His statement made her scrunch her nose in the most adorable way, “Then why did you leave?”

“I didn’t feel well,” he said flippantly.

She tilted her head, “I thought you couldn’t get sick?”

“I didn’t want to be in the classroom any longer than I had to.”

“Was it because I asked about your offspring? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come off as nosy.”

Violet was treating him with kindness and even apologizing to him despite the standoffish way Steve had been treating her.

“God, don’t apologize,” he rolled his eyes almost as if he was annoyed.

Violet was even more confused now, she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what she was doing wrong.

She went to apologize for her previous apologies but stopped herself before she could anger the super soldier any more, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Steve sighed. He could tell Violet was a people pleaser and that she wanted nothing more than to make him like her.

A dark thought popped into his head. A thought so sinister he had to push it away as soon as it came. But he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried.

“Oh I’m not upset darling,” his voice was sickly sweet, “You just have to watch how you act from now on, yeah?”

He felt a rush of power through his body. Steve knew it was wrong to manipulate her like this, but couldn’t seem to find it in himself to stop.

Violet nodded her head quickly, “Are you still angry with me, Captain?”

Hearing her call him by his title made a dark shiver run down his spine, “Of course not.”

“Thank goodness,” she sighed in relief, placing her hands on her lap.

“Why don’t you come with me to get a coffee? I think that’s a good way to make it up to me.” He stood up and held his arm out for her.

“Oh, I’ve already had a coffee this morning,” her tone wasn’t argumentative or combative, she just sounded like she wasn’t interested.

“Don’t be so rude, Violet,” he said harshly, “You’ve already been incredibly impolite today.”

Steve almost flinched at his own words. He was falling into his desires and he couldn’t stop himself.

Her breath hitched, “I could have another.”

Violet looked a bit scared but stood up anyway, linking her arm with his without question, “I’ve never been to this coffee place before. What are you getting?”

Her small talk was cute, he could tell she was nervous. Why wouldn’t she be? She had never met Steve in her life and he was whisking her off to a place she had never been to all alone.

“Just a black coffee. I’ll get you a muffin or something, since you don’t want a coffee,” he seemed dissatisfied, Violet hated that.

“No! I’ll have a coffee,” she was so desperate to please him, it was almost sad.

He stifled a smile, “I’ll order you a vanilla latte.”

Steve didn’t leave any room for her to tell him what she wanted.

The pair stepped out into the misty weather. It wasn’t raining yet, but Violet was still shivering in the cold air. Steve wordless shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her smaller frame.

He didn’t acknowledge the kind act but she noticed it. His jacket smelled like him - aftershave and bergamot.

Steve watched her swoon and tried not to enjoy it as much as he did.

They only walked for a few minutes before they made it inside the coffee shop. There were bookshelves littered throughout the store, as well as the comforting scent of coffee wafting through the air.

Warmth enveloped the pair, but it did nothing to stop the gnawing feeling of shame in his stomach.

As promised, Steve had ordered for the both of them and brought it back to the table he had left Violet at.

“Thank you,” she smiled sweetly at him.

“Do you like it?” He asked as she took a sip.

Violet nodded feverently, though truthfully she preferred sweeter coffee.

Steve took a long drink of his plain black coffee, “Are you not cold in that skirt?”

The question came out of nowhere, Steve seemed almost disapproving of the way she was dressed.

“My socks cover most of my legs. I wasn’t really expecting it to be this cold today,” she held the leather jacket closer against her arms now feeling a little insecure.

“You should be more careful, do you not live with anyone who helps you out with this stuff?” The way he asked her was almost demeaning, as if she couldn’t do anything on her own.

“My roommate actually just moved out recently,” Violet answered with shame in her voice.

“You really shouldn’t be alone all the time,” he commented.

“I do miss having someone around,” she pondered.

“Of course you do,” Steve leaned closer to her, “You really need someone to take care of you.”

She frowned at his suggestion, “I thought I was doing alright…”

“Aww, sure you did, sweetheart,” his tone was patronizing.

She looked up at him with big brown eyes, “Do you really think that?”

He nodded his head in a way that made it seem that he felt sorry for her. Which, maybe he did a little bit.

“That’s okay though, I’m sure a pretty girl like you has a boyfriend to help her with all of this stuff,” Steve already knew she didn’t have anyone in her life other than her friends.

Violet looked at him sadly and shook her head, “No, my boyfriend broke up with me a few weeks ago. He said I was too needy.”

“He doesn’t know what he’s missing then,” Steve actually meant that statement.

Her eyes lit up at his praise, it was adorable how much statements like that meant to her.

“He was always saying I was too much work, I think he said I was high maintenance,” Violet explained further.

“Maybe you are, but there are plenty of people who don’t mind that.”

“You think I’m high maintenance?” She squeaked out in shame.

There she went again, begging for Steve to tell her who she was. He reveled in it, he loved that she needed him to tell her what to do and how to do it. It was sick, he knew that, but he slowly stopped feeling so bad about it.

“You are high maintenance, but that’s not a bad thing,” he brushed a stray piece of her brown hair behind her ear, “I think it’s cute that you need things from me.”

Steve added the ‘from me’ to remind her that she did in fact need him. Despite the fact that they had just meant, he could already feel her attachment to him coming off in waves and swimming around the pair.

They sat in the coffee shop until the sun went down at 6. Steve eased up on Violet a little bit, but not enough for her to stop craving his attention and gratification.

Eventually they migrated from their booth to the brown leather chairs in the corner of the room. Steve would lean close and whisper the things she wanted to hear in her ear. Violet would giggle shyly. That was how the rest of the ‘date’ (if you can call it that) went.

Steve stood up and Violet followed behind him. It was much colder than it was earlier today, and it was actually raining now.

She looked up at the sky, “I love this weather.”

Of course she would like this weather, she liked everything. Being around her was like hanging out with the human embodiment of a rainbow.

“Do you need a ride back to your dorm?” Steve asked her before they stepped out from underneath the awning.

“I can just walk to the subway,” she smiled back.

“In this weather? Cmon, I’ll take you home.”

Steve didn’t leave room for an argument and put his arm out to guide her to his vehicle. She held on to him tightly and practically wrapped herself around his body, she must not have realized she was doing it. It was cute how much she enjoyed his attention.

He opened the passenger door and she sat inside, shivering a bit from the weather.

Violet had never been in a fancy car before, she didn’t even own a car. She opted to walk everywhere or take public transport instead.

But being in Steve’s car was like being in a luxury apartment. The seats were heated and his radio was basically a small TV screen.

Steve looked over at her while she stared at the car in amazement. This car really wasn’t that fancy, Tony and Bruce both drove much fancier sports cars. To Steve, this was a much more sensible and less flashy option.

“Where do you live?” Steve opened his phone up to the GPS.

“I live in Williamsburg. My apartment doesn’t come up on a map. It’s a loft above a Chinese restaurant,” she explained.

Steve raised an eyebrow, “At least Williamsburg is on the way to Cobble Hill. You’ll just have to point to where I need to take you.”

Violet nodded her head and sat back in her seat. As they were driving, Steve glanced over at her and touched her knee.

“Your sock is falling,” he said and pulled it up a bit higher.

The feeling of his fingers on her skin created goosebumps down her thighs.

After he pulled up the sock, his hand rested there on her knee. She looked down at Steve’s large hand that dominated the expanse of her thigh.

Violet didn’t mind it, in fact maybe she liked it a little. She was only hesitant to return the affection because he was so much older than her, more experienced. He was also one of the most important men in the country, he probably didn’t want to be bothered by her.

“Turn right at this intersection,” she guided Steve.

When they stopped in front of the old restaurant Steve got out first and jogged over to the passenger side door to open it for Violet.

He had parked in an alley seeing as there is never any parking in New York.

“Thank you so much for the ride,” she smiled brightly at him.

He chuckled darkly. Steve was standing in front of Violet and slowly stepped closer until her back was against the car.

“What are you doing?” Violet practically whispered the question, her breathing uneven.

Steve hummed and leaned down near her ear, “Nothing, just enjoying your presence.”

Her heart sped up fast and she breathed heavily, Violet instinctually pressed herself against his chest.

Steve pressed his lips against her neck and she let out a shaky whimper, “You like that, doll?”

Violet nodded quickly. Steve found her thigh and hooked it around his waist. He ground his center against her and she practically melted in his hands. All that was between their body’s was Steve’s jeans and her lacy underwear.

“You sure you want to go in now? It’s awfully late for you to be all alone in that apartment,” Steve commented with his lips against her throat.

Violet stuttered, “Where else would I go?”

Steve finally pulled away and looked down at her blush stained face and big brown eyes, “My apartment is bigger, and you’ll be safer with me.”

Violet didn’t even think about her answer, she just nodded her head cutely, “Okay, I’ll go home with you.”

Steve worried about how easily it was to manipulate her, what had she done before she met him? Gone along with every man who said a kind word to her?

His heart was racing, he was so prepared for disappointment yet he was so hopeful. His heart could handle this juxtaposition of emotion and pumped harder. He kept his face stern and walked into the building and began walking to his unit, glancing at other workers on his way down. He saw Mallory stood amongst the other and narrowed his eyes when they held contact, she quickly averted her gaze and he continued his nerve wracking walk.

He stood outside the closed door and let out a sigh, he placed his hand on his chest and took a deep breathe in and out. He lowered his hand onto the handle and pushed it open. His face didn't change from the stoic looke yet his eyes brightened immeasurably. There you were, sat on the counter swinging your feet. A smile plastered on your glossed lips and 2 cups of coffee at your side. Mace didn't even think, he just kicked the door closed and walked to you hurriedly and wrapped his arms around your waist.

You never really noticed your height difference until now, but even as your were sat on the counter and Mace was hugging you, your face was buried in his wide chest. You winded your arms around his neck and pulled his head down into the crook of your neck. His hands pulled you closer with a strong grip. He pulled away and a silence swept over you. He glanced at your lips and looked back up and saw your eyes were closed. Savouring the hug in your memory. No he wouldn't make his first move yet. He would wait.

He was fine with waiting especially if it was for you. His sunshine and his princess. He looked down and saw how he stood between your thighs only an inch from being crotch to crotch. God his thoughts were already a train wreck. He walked away and grabbed his coffee staring at the new blue prints and said gruffly, "It's good to have you back princess." You smiled, letting it brighten up your whole face. You felt happier after you chose to see Mace.

You felt guilty after the misunderstanding and began plotting on ways to cheer him up. So you waited with his coffee and had prepared a speech but it seemed your presence cheered him up enough. You broke the silence with a questioning tone, "Hey nerd." He turned and raised a brow, "what?" You giggled at his curt answer used to him being tired of long conversations but liking to cut to the interesting part before any babbling could occur. But it never stopped you.

"What kinda music do you listen to? You seem like the kinda guy that would be into rap or the artic monkeys." He would have snorted at that, but he had already given you a hug and that was enough sweetness from him for the day. "Well princess if you must know I listen to Nirvana, The Misfits, Iron Maiden. Anything that's grungy, that's me dumbo." You hummed letting your brain sink this information in.

You then opened your mouth without thinking, "I've always heard of Nirvana but I've never really listened to them." Mace turned around and narrowed his eyes at you. "What do mean, Princess?" You stared at him and detected that he was offended at you. "Well I don't know they seem like they sing about sad things and I like cute things." Mace rolled his eyes at you and stalked towards you holding his hand out. "Give me your phone Dumbo, you're listen to some." You blinked at him and furrowed you're brows a deviant smirk crafting itself on your face.

"How about I listen to one of your songs and then you have to listen to one of mine." He sighed but reluctantly agreed before pulling up 'Come as you are.' You listened swaying your feet to the beat, you were snapped out of your concentrated listening by Mace singing along with the song. He was working and singing gently and it made you swoon. You could get used to this. You let YouTube automatically play the next suggested song by Nirvana, 'Lithium.' You once again listened to Mace sing gently to the song. When it was done, he turned and looked at you.

He stared at you pointedly to which you just returned his stare with a gaze so filled with love. He walked to you and looked down at you, you tilted your head up looking at him, still with the dreamy look in your eyes. He huffed and tapped your soft thigh with his strong calloused hand, snapping you out of your daydream. "What did you think Dumbo?" You stared up at him with wide eyes, being snapped from your imaginary world and plunged into one where Mace was asking for your opinion. "They're good! I like 'em."

Mace turned away, allowing a dopey smile to take over his face before he wiped it away and looked at you again. "It's your turn princess, play me some of your cutesy music." You excitedly began typing your eyes lighting up and the corners of you mouth twisting up. Mace began heading back to work when your music began playing. The twinkles form the intro of 'Training Wheels' echoed into the room.

Mace was listening to the song, he loves the chorus as it reminded him heavily of the 2 of you. He knew you definitely held a fondness for him calling you dumb after asking you loads of stupid questions. He turned and saw you with your eyes closed lip syncing the song. God he could walk up to you and kiss you, yet he refrained. He continued his new project and when the song finished he could tell you were impatiently waiting for his opinion. "It's cute dumbo. I like it. It's a very you song." You squealed happily.

Time passed by as you began talking to Mace, "So you know my dad and stuff, what's your family like nerd?" Mace glanced back at you before returning back to his rewiring task. "My family, we're all grumpy. We're a very military family. Eldest sister is married with a son, but she lives in Russia now. And my other sister lives in France. I'm the only one that stuck around but I don't visit my parents, they're always screaming at me about how I'm meant to do my job and bring something to the world or their stupid 'bring a wife home.' No wonder my sister's ran."

You stared at him slack jawed. You hopped off the counter and wrapped your arms around his torso. He tensed and huffed before turning around and eventually hugging you back. While you were in his arms, you stared up at him and he stared down at you. "Who needs family when you have me nerd? I won't ever leave you. I pinky promise." He smiled. You removed yourself from him but still stood close and offered your pinky, he then begrudgingly held his out and linked it with yours. "You've promised now dumbo, if you break it, you break the laws in some cute dimensions or some shit."

You giggled and allowed idle natter to fill the room, telling him about your own family and what Max has been getting up to recently. Eventually the time had come for you both to leave. You both began walking out the building side by side, you saw it was raining and huffed. Mace looked down at you and pulled his ear phones out and played 'Heart shaped box' and offered you the other ear bud. You accepted while waiting for your dad to pick you up. You turned to Mace and found him already staring at you, you saw his eyes flicker down your lips.

Your own travelled down to his, and he leaned forward, automatically locking his large hands on you. One resting comfortably on your hip and the other cradling the back of your head. He leaned down, closed his eyes and pressed his lips to your glossy ones. God it was like heaven. You kissed him back finally having the intimacy you craved from him. You moved your lips against each others and pulled away. He stared down at you, a smile lingering on his face. You giggled and he raised an eyebrow. "My lip gloss is on your lips. Maybe I should call you my gloss nerd." He chuckled, "You wish. My little gloss princess." A parking interrupted and you saw your dad.

"Better get going dumbo, go and have sweet dreams about me. I'll see you tomorrow." You turned and pressed 2 glossy kisses on his cheeks before pecking his lips. "See you tomorrow nerd!" And with that you skipped to your dad's car and went home thinking only of Mace.

All of Steve’s actions were solely for the purpose of others, never himself.

Seeing her, all he wanted to do was indulge into his own desires.

She was clearly one of Banner’s students. Every once in a while Steve would visit his college classes for the students to learn about the serum that pumped through his veins.

He had never seen her before though. She was the first one to walk into the classroom. She also sat in the front row, right in Steve’s eyeline.

She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Dark purple circles sat underneath her honey brown eyes. Eyeliner and mascara were swept across her eyes in a way that made her so alluring Steve was almost sirened to her.

“What’s her name?” Steve interrupted Bruce’s rant about what he was teaching today and tilted his head towards her.

She already had her textbook open and a few highlighters littered on her desk.

“Oh, that’s Violet. She’s my best student, always here early so she can look over our lesson for the day,” Bruce continued to talk but Steve stopped listening after he told her his name.

He rolled her name around in his mind.

Violet

He stared at her and took in her appearance for the second time since she’d walked in. Her legs were covered with black socks that went past her knees and a pleated black skirt. Her top half adorned a dark green sweater and a black headband.

Steve could feel that familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach - want. He never gave into it, ever. That feeling represented a loss of control he wasn’t willing to submit to yet.

He took a deep breath and flexed his fingers. He turned his attention back to Bruce, who was still talking despite Steve not really listening.

Students started filtering into the room at a slow pace.

“You can just sit in the front row until I need you,” Bruce stated.

Steve thought back to the past times he had done this favor for Bruce and realized that’s where he always sat.

Steve tried not to make a big deal about it or let his face give anything he was thinking away.

He felt like he was a giant compared to all of the normal sized people in this classroom. He tried to make his steps gentle when he walked to the front row.

Steve sat next to Violet, obviously. He had a lot of self control, but not enough to stay away from her.

She turned her head towards him and gave him a small smile before returning back to her work.

Steve felt like she was drowning in her. It was like she was on all sides of him, her scent suffocating him in the beige classroom.

The problem was, he reveled in it. It was like his heart was beating for the first time. Almost like coming up from air after being stuck underneath freezing water for his entire life.

Bruce started talking about Steve and the super soldier serum, “Erskine spent years perfecting the Super Soldier Serum. There were several notable failed attempts such as Johann Schmidt, a man you all may know as Red Skull…”

Bruce continued but Steve ignored him in favor of the human embodiment of temptation that sat next to him. Violet listened intently and wrote down notes with a pen when needed.

Steve was fascinated with her, he wanted to step inside her mind and understand what she was thinking about when she heard the story, his story.

Eventually, Bruce called Steve up in front of the class, “Mr. Steve Rogers was only 5’4 and 95 pounds before the serum. He had several ailments such as asthma, heart palpitations, scarlet fever, exposure to tuberculosis, sinusitis, the list goes on and on. Now, as you can all see, Steve Rogers is a 6’4, 230 pound mountain of a soldier.”

Steve chuckled at his friend’s description of him. He looked at Violet and their eyes caught one another. Steve’s heart thrummed against his chest and he sent a cocky smile her way.

Acting like an asshole was probably the only way he was going to get out of this classroom without taking her home.

Violet’s golden brown eyes widened in fear and she looked back down at her notes quickly, almost as if Steve was going to snatch her.

He couldn’t blame her, truly it took a lot for him not to grab her and selfishly keep her to himself for the rest of both of their days.

Steve tried to focus on the lecture Bruce was giving but couldn’t shake his thoughts of her away. He wondered if she was struggling in the same way.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the desk he was leaning on harshly. It infuriated him to end that there was nothing he could do, he just had to stand there and accept that she was a weakness he couldn’t afford to take on right now.

Finally, the class ended. It felt like Steve had been taken over by his thoughts. He had never felt this out of control in his life.

Usually after being in a class with Banner, Steve would stay behind and talk with him for a while, but today all he wanted to do was get the hell out of there.

However, the one thing he was running away from came skipping over to him. Violet seemed much less nervous than before when he had sat next to her.

She stood in front of the two men and looked to Bruce, “Dr. Banner, I have some questions about the lecture, I was wondering if you could help me out with the schematics of Mr. Roger’s genetics. Would the serum be passed down to his kids? Would he give them the genes he had before the serum or the genetically modified genes he has now?”

I want to fuck a baby into her.

The crude thought crossed his mind quickly and nearly made him sick. That’s not the kind of man Steve Rogers is. He doesn’t think that way.

His grasp on his restraint was slipping.

“Excellent question, in my opinion-“

Steve cut Bruce off and mumbled, “I have to go.”

He walked out of the room quickly and took a deep gulp of air that wasn’t pumped full of Violet. Steve needed to get a grip, he knew he was about to lose control.

Steve hadn’t felt this way in so long. Not since before Bucky had passed.

It was almost animalistic, primal.

He sat down on the bench outside of the lecture hall. He dropped his head into his head and tried to calm down. Steve was a pro at talking himself down from a ledge now that Nat and Bucky were both dead. All he could do is rely on himself.

“Captain?” A silky voice called out through the hallway.

Steve’s head snapped up and caught her eyes, “What?”

Violet hesitated at his harsh tone but still sat down on the bench next to him, “Did I say something to upset you?”

Violet crossed her sock legs and fiddled with the hem of it that rested just above her knee. She frowned at him and he felt his resolve slipping more and more, “No, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

His statement made her scrunch her nose in the most adorable way, “Then why did you leave?”

“I didn’t feel well,” he said flippantly.

She tilted her head, “I thought you couldn’t get sick?”

“I didn’t want to be in the classroom any longer than I had to.”

“Was it because I asked about your offspring? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come off as nosy.”

Violet was treating him with kindness and even apologizing to him despite the standoffish way Steve had been treating her.

“God, don’t apologize,” he rolled his eyes almost as if he was annoyed.

Violet was even more confused now, she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what she was doing wrong.

She went to apologize for her previous apologies but stopped herself before she could anger the super soldier any more, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Steve sighed. He could tell Violet was a people pleaser and that she wanted nothing more than to make him like her.

A dark thought popped into his head. A thought so sinister he had to push it away as soon as it came. But he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried.

“Oh I’m not upset darling,” his voice was sickly sweet, “You just have to watch how you act from now on, yeah?”

He felt a rush of power through his body. Steve knew it was wrong to manipulate her like this, but couldn’t seem to find it in himself to stop.

Violet nodded her head quickly, “Are you still angry with me, Captain?”

Hearing her call him by his title made a dark shiver run down his spine, “Of course not.”

“Thank goodness,” she sighed in relief, placing her hands on her lap.

“Why don’t you come with me to get a coffee? I think that’s a good way to make it up to me.” He stood up and held his arm out for her.

“Oh, I’ve already had a coffee this morning,” her tone wasn’t argumentative or combative, she just sounded like she wasn’t interested.

“Don’t be so rude, Violet,” he said harshly, “You’ve already been incredibly impolite today.”

Steve almost flinched at his own words. He was falling into his desires and he couldn’t stop himself.

Her breath hitched, “I could have another.”

Violet looked a bit scared but stood up anyway, linking her arm with his without question, “I’ve never been to this coffee place before. What are you getting?”

Her small talk was cute, he could tell she was nervous. Why wouldn’t she be? She had never met Steve in her life and he was whisking her off to a place she had never been to all alone.

“Just a black coffee. I’ll get you a muffin or something, since you don’t want a coffee,” he seemed dissatisfied, Violet hated that.

“No! I’ll have a coffee,” she was so desperate to please him, it was almost sad.

He stifled a smile, “I’ll order you a vanilla latte.”

Steve didn’t leave any room for her to tell him what she wanted.

The pair stepped out into the misty weather. It wasn’t raining yet, but Violet was still shivering in the cold air. Steve wordless shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her smaller frame.

He didn’t acknowledge the kind act but she noticed it. His jacket smelled like him - aftershave and bergamot.

Steve watched her swoon and tried not to enjoy it as much as he did.

They only walked for a few minutes before they made it inside the coffee shop. There were bookshelves littered throughout the store, as well as the comforting scent of coffee wafting through the air.

Warmth enveloped the pair, but it did nothing to stop the gnawing feeling of shame in his stomach.

As promised, Steve had ordered for the both of them and brought it back to the table he had left Violet at.

“Thank you,” she smiled sweetly at him.

“Do you like it?” He asked as she took a sip.

Violet nodded feverently, though truthfully she preferred sweeter coffee.

Steve took a long drink of his plain black coffee, “Are you not cold in that skirt?”

The question came out of nowhere, Steve seemed almost disapproving of the way she was dressed.

“My socks cover most of my legs. I wasn’t really expecting it to be this cold today,” she held the leather jacket closer against her arms now feeling a little insecure.

“You should be more careful, do you not live with anyone who helps you out with this stuff?” The way he asked her was almost demeaning, as if she couldn’t do anything on her own.

“My roommate actually just moved out recently,” Violet answered with shame in her voice.

“You really shouldn’t be alone all the time,” he commented.

“I do miss having someone around,” she pondered.

“Of course you do,” Steve leaned closer to her, “You really need someone to take care of you.”

She frowned at his suggestion, “I thought I was doing alright…”

“Aww, sure you did, sweetheart,” his tone was patronizing.

She looked up at him with big brown eyes, “Do you really think that?”

He nodded his head in a way that made it seem that he felt sorry for her. Which, maybe he did a little bit.

“That’s okay though, I’m sure a pretty girl like you has a boyfriend to help her with all of this stuff,” Steve already knew she didn’t have anyone in her life other than her friends.

Violet looked at him sadly and shook her head, “No, my boyfriend broke up with me a few weeks ago. He said I was too needy.”

“He doesn’t know what he’s missing then,” Steve actually meant that statement.

Her eyes lit up at his praise, it was adorable how much statements like that meant to her.

“He was always saying I was too much work, I think he said I was high maintenance,” Violet explained further.

“Maybe you are, but there are plenty of people who don’t mind that.”

“You think I’m high maintenance?” She squeaked out in shame.

There she went again, begging for Steve to tell her who she was. He reveled in it, he loved that she needed him to tell her what to do and how to do it. It was sick, he knew that, but he slowly stopped feeling so bad about it.

“You are high maintenance, but that’s not a bad thing,” he brushed a stray piece of her brown hair behind her ear, “I think it’s cute that you need things from me.”

Steve added the ‘from me’ to remind her that she did in fact need him. Despite the fact that they had just meant, he could already feel her attachment to him coming off in waves and swimming around the pair.

They sat in the coffee shop until the sun went down at 6. Steve eased up on Violet a little bit, but not enough for her to stop craving his attention and gratification.

Eventually they migrated from their booth to the brown leather chairs in the corner of the room. Steve would lean close and whisper the things she wanted to hear in her ear. Violet would giggle shyly. That was how the rest of the ‘date’ (if you can call it that) went.

Steve stood up and Violet followed behind him. It was much colder than it was earlier today, and it was actually raining now.

She looked up at the sky, “I love this weather.”

Of course she would like this weather, she liked everything. Being around her was like hanging out with the human embodiment of a rainbow.

“Do you need a ride back to your dorm?” Steve asked her before they stepped out from underneath the awning.

“I can just walk to the subway,” she smiled back.

“In this weather? Cmon, I’ll take you home.”

Steve didn’t leave room for an argument and put his arm out to guide her to his vehicle. She held on to him tightly and practically wrapped herself around his body, she must not have realized she was doing it. It was cute how much she enjoyed his attention.

He opened the passenger door and she sat inside, shivering a bit from the weather.

Violet had never been in a fancy car before, she didn’t even own a car. She opted to walk everywhere or take public transport instead.

But being in Steve’s car was like being in a luxury apartment. The seats were heated and his radio was basically a small TV screen.

Steve looked over at her while she stared at the car in amazement. This car really wasn’t that fancy, Tony and Bruce both drove much fancier sports cars. To Steve, this was a much more sensible and less flashy option.

“Where do you live?” Steve opened his phone up to the GPS.

“I live in Williamsburg. My apartment doesn’t come up on a map. It’s a loft above a Chinese restaurant,” she explained.

Steve raised an eyebrow, “At least Williamsburg is on the way to Cobble Hill. You’ll just have to point to where I need to take you.”

Violet nodded her head and sat back in her seat. As they were driving, Steve glanced over at her and touched her knee.

“Your sock is falling,” he said and pulled it up a bit higher.

The feeling of his fingers on her skin created goosebumps down her thighs.

After he pulled up the sock, his hand rested there on her knee. She looked down at Steve’s large hand that dominated the expanse of her thigh.

Violet didn’t mind it, in fact maybe she liked it a little. She was only hesitant to return the affection because he was so much older than her, more experienced. He was also one of the most important men in the country, he probably didn’t want to be bothered by her.

“Turn right at this intersection,” she guided Steve.

When they stopped in front of the old restaurant Steve got out first and jogged over to the passenger side door to open it for Violet.

He had parked in an alley seeing as there is never any parking in New York.

“Thank you so much for the ride,” she smiled brightly at him.

He chuckled darkly. Steve was standing in front of Violet and slowly stepped closer until her back was against the car.

“What are you doing?” Violet practically whispered the question, her breathing uneven.

Steve hummed and leaned down near her ear, “Nothing, just enjoying your presence.”

Her heart sped up fast and she breathed heavily, Violet instinctually pressed herself against his chest.

Steve pressed his lips against her neck and she let out a shaky whimper, “You like that, doll?”

Violet nodded quickly. Steve found her thigh and hooked it around his waist. He ground his center against her and she practically melted in his hands. All that was between their body’s was Steve’s jeans and her lacy underwear.

“You sure you want to go in now? It’s awfully late for you to be all alone in that apartment,” Steve commented with his lips against her throat.

Violet stuttered, “Where else would I go?”

Steve finally pulled away and looked down at her blush stained face and big brown eyes, “My apartment is bigger, and you’ll be safer with me.”

Violet didn’t even think about her answer, she just nodded her head cutely, “Okay, I’ll go home with you.”

Steve worried about how easily it was to manipulate her, what had she done before she met him? Gone along with every man who said a kind word to her?