Borrowed Warmth

Hadley

I shut my bedroom door, letting the satisfying click echo in the quiet space. Tonight was the most important night of my life, and I was leaving zero room for hesitation. I walked straight to my closet and pulled out the short floral dress I had picked out specifically for this exact occasion. The dark fabric clung to my curves, scattered with tiny white flowers that caught the bedroom light. It was meant to send a specific message to Trevor. I sat in front of my vanity mirror, curling my golden hair until it fell in soft, loose waves down my bare back. I applied just enough blush to highlight my cheekbones and enough mascara to make my eyes pop. I sprayed my signature perfume on my wrists and behind my ears.

I opened my nightstand drawer. My fingers brushed against the smooth cardboard box before I pulled out a handful of condoms. I tucked the silver foil packets into my small black purse. I had held onto my virginity for so long, guarding that part of myself from everyone. Tonight, I was ready to give it to Trevor. He was my boyfriend, I trusted him, and this was my choice. I zipped the purse shut, took one last deep breath to steady my racing heart, and headed downstairs.

But my soaring confidence crashed straight into a brick wall the second I walked into the foyer. My father stood near the front door, talking to Maddox Hayes.

"Maddox will drive you to the party." My father delivered the dictate without looking up from his tablet.

I forced a tight smile, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. "Great."

The car ride was dead silent. The dark leather interior of Maddox’s car felt like a tight vacuum. It sucked all the oxygen straight out of the enclosed space. I kept my gaze fixed on the passenger window, watching the streetlights blur past. The heater was barely running, and the freezing night air seeped through the glass, chilling my skin. I had chosen not to wear a bra with the delicate thin straps of my dress. Now, the frigid temperature was making that decision too obvious. My bare breasts felt tight, my nipples hardening against the thin floral fabric. I crossed my arms over my chest, praying Maddox would keep his eyes on the road.

A heavy piece of fabric smacked right into my lap.

I flinched, looking down. It was his oversized hoodie.

"Put the damn jacket on. You are shivering." Maddox kept his gaze locked on the windshield, his jaw clenched tight.

I hated that he was right. I hated my body for giving me away. But mostly, as I pulled the thick material over my head, I hated the smell. The hoodie swallowed my frame, surrounding me in a deep, intoxicating wave of cedar, sharp soap, and pure Maddox. It was warm, heavy, and frustrating but comforting. I crossed my arms again, refusing to say thank you.

Maddox pulled up to the curb outside Tate's house. The bass from the party was already thudding through the soles of my shoes. I grabbed the door handle before the car even shifted into park, desperate to escape his scent.

"I won't need a ride home. Trevor and Nadia are taking me back." I snapped the words defensively, glaring at his sharp profile.

"I have no intention of babysitting you." Maddox shot back. His tone was like ice, indifferent and sharp.

I slammed the car door shut, marching up the lawn. Nadia was waiting for me on the front porch. She grabbed my hand, dragging me straight into the chaotic living room. The floorboards vibrated under our feet, pulsing with the heavy bass of the hip-hop track blasting from the massive speakers. Sweat, cheap beer, and cheap perfume hung thick in the warm air.

Nadia leaned in close to my ear to be heard over the noise. "You look incredible! I bet Maddox is going to lose his mind."

"Are you insane? Why would you even bring him up?" I rolled my eyes, grabbing a red plastic cup from a passing tray.

"Oh, please. You cannot tell me you don't have a massive, delusional crush on the guy. He is walking sin." Nadia laughed, bumping her hip against mine.

"He is the bane of my existence. I would rather date a brick wall." I took a sip of the bitter drink, shaking my head to clear the thought of him.

We pushed our way onto the makeshift dance floor in the center of the room. I let the music take over, swaying my hips and shaking out my golden hair. But a few songs in, a strange, magnetic pull tugged at the back of my neck. My instincts flared. I stopped dancing and scanned the crowded room, searching through the sea of moving bodies.

My eyes landed directly on Maddox.

He was leaning casually against the far wall. A stunning brunette in a low-cut top was standing right in front of him, trying hard to flirt. She touched his arm, leaning in close with a bright laugh. Maddox ignored her. His dark hazel eyes were locked straight onto me across the room. He didn't blink. He didn't look away when he caught me staring back. His gaze carried a heavy, intense weight that twisted my stomach into a hundred nervous knots. The air between us felt thick, electric, and unnerving. It was a look that stripped me bare.

Before I could figure out why he was staring at me like that, a pair of warm hands clamped firmly onto my waist.

Trevor.

He stepped up directly behind me, pulling my back flush against his chest. His lips brushed the side of my neck, warm and damp. We swayed together to the rhythm of the music. As he ground his hips forward, I could feel the hard, thick length of his erection pressing insistently against my lower back. The raw physical contact sent a jolt through my system.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Trevor murmured huskily against my skin.

I smiled, a rush of adrenaline flooding my veins. "Yes."

He laced our fingers together and led me through the sweaty crowd, making a beeline for the wooden staircase in the corner. My heart hammered against my ribs with every step we took toward the second floor.

We slipped into a secluded guest room at the end of the hallway. The second the heavy wooden door clicked shut, cutting off the noise of the party, Trevor moved. He grabbed my hips and tumbled me backward onto the mattress. I bounced against the springs as he crawled over me. He kissed me with a hungry eagerness, his tongue pressing past my lips, his hands roaming down my sides to grip my waist.

I broke the kiss, gasping for air as I pushed gently against his chest. "Are you sure Tate won't care about us using this room?"

"Tate doesn't give a shit. We are fine." Trevor dragged his lips down my jawline, kissing the sensitive skin of my neck.

I reached toward the edge of the bed where I had dropped my purse. I fumbled with the clasp, dug inside, and held up the square silver foil packet between my index and middle finger.

Trevor paused, looking down at the condom. A boyish grin spread across his face, and a low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "I see you came prepared."

"I told you tonight was the night." I whispered back, my heart pounding against my ribs.

The frantic rush shifted into something slower. Trevor sat back on his heels and pulled his own shirt over his head, tossing it onto the floor. He leaned forward again, his fingers reaching for the delicate fabric at my shoulders. Slowly and tenderly, he untied the thin straps of my floral dress.

I held my breath as he pulled the fabric down. The dress slipped past my collarbones, falling to my waist. The cool air of the guest room hit my skin. My bare breasts were exposed to his gaze, the pale skin flushed, my bare nipples tightening under his intense focus. I felt vulnerable, exposed, but ready.

"You are so beautiful." Trevor whispered, his voice thick with raw desire.

His breath hitched in his throat. He leaned down, his mouth parting as he moved to capture my bare chest with his lips. I arched my back, bracing my hands against the mattress, ready for the feeling of his mouth on my skin.

The bedroom door flew open with a brutal force.

The heavy wood slammed against the wall with a deafening crack. I gasped, jerking away from Trevor.

Maddox stood in the doorway, his massive frame filling the space. The hallway light cast harsh shadows across his face. His dark hazel eyes were storming, furious, and blazing with unhinged rage.

Before my brain could even process his presence, Maddox moved. He crossed the room in an aggressive blur. He snatched his oversized cedar-scented jacket off the corner chair and threw it hard directly over my bare chest. The thick fabric hit me, shielding my exposed breasts from view. In the exact same second, Maddox lunged forward. He planted both hands on Trevor's chest and physically shoved him backward. Trevor stumbled hard across the creaking bed, crashing against the headboard in a tangled mess of limbs.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I screamed in shock, clutching the edges of the jacket to my exposed skin.

"We are leaving. Immediately." Maddox delivered the command like a judge handing down a sentence. His voice left zero room for argument.

"You do not get to dictate what I do! Get out!" I shrieked, my pulse hammering in my ears.

Maddox stepped closer to the bed. His eyes burned into mine, dark and menacing. "I can just call your father right now. I am sure he would love to know exactly what his precious little golden locks is up to in a frat boy's guest room."

The threat hit me like a physical slap to the face. My jaw dropped. The adrenaline in my veins turned into something cold and toxic. I was trembling hard, vibrating with a chaotic mix of blinding rage and deep, crushing humiliation. He had just ruined the most intimate, vulnerable moment of my life, and now he was blackmailing me with my father.

I pulled the oversized hoodie tightly around my shoulders, securing the zipper with shaking fingers. The deep, heavy scent of his cedar and sharp soap clung to the fabric. It mocked my panic. I stood up from the mattress, glaring at him with pure venom burning in my chest.

I raised both of my hands and flipped him off. I held my middle fingers right in his face, making sure he saw every ounce of my disgust.

"Screw you." I spat the words with every ounce of poison I possessed.

I stormed past him, my shoulder clipping his chest as I marched out of the room. I sprinted down the hallway, ignoring the music, the crowd, and the staring eyes.

I believed I hated Maddox Hayes before tonight. But as I pushed through the front door and out into the freezing night air, a new realization settled deep in my bones. I despised him with every fiber of my being. He drew the line in the sand tonight. This meant war.