Can't be Bought

Chapter 13 - Can I?

The girls don't seem to notice the moment Maddox and I share. He doesn't look away. Maddox spots me and licks his lips, letting a small smirk out afterward. He puts the towel down and starts to make his way towards me. I've slowly made my way to the glass door, by this point the girls have all giggled and screamed, running out to put their feet in the pool. I brush my hair behind my ear as Maddox and I get closer. He waits to meet me at the door.

Maddox leans against the doorway, blocking my way out to the pool. He looks so sexy with his arms crossed, muscles flexing and a smoldering look on his face. 

"Look who showed up." He jokes, shifting back to move out of my way. I put my hand on the doorway and step out, staring into his eyes while flashing a bit of a smile as if to say, here I am!  Our faces get close, but not too close. I feel the butterflies in my stomach go crazy.

I try to not focus on his body but he's shirtless which makes that a little hard to do. He has sculpted abs and perfectly tanned skin. His curls are wet, making them a bit more tame than usual. He's wearing black swim trunks and nothing else. I move my face back a bit as I start to move through the doorway. 

"I thought you might flake on me." Maddox adds. His voice makes him sound as though he is joking still, but his eyes show a bit of concern. Maybe he thought I wouldn't come because this date, if it's a date, isn't required anymore. 

I let out a small laugh and walk past him, walking over to a lounge chair to set my things on. I notice him follow me but he keeps his distance, not getting too close. 

"Well, no need to worry anymore." I joke. He flashes a closed mouth smile my way but doesn't say anything. Maddox and I look at each other again and we seem to both say, what now, with our eyes. We don't have much to talk about because I don't know him.

I look around at the pool to finally see how insane this house is. The pool is huge and looks like a resort. It's sort of like a lazy river with a pool attached. There are 2 bridges that lead to an island in the middle of the pool where the hot tub is. There are waterfalls everywhere, palm trees throughout and tiki torches lit on the island. To the right side of the pool, the LA skyline is in full view. It's gorgeous. In an effort to suppress my excitement, I dig through my bag to find some sunscreen. Meanwhile, Maddox has started chatting it up with some of his friends near the bar area by the door. 

Brooklyn, Meghan and Justice have all jumped in the pool and are swimming around, splashing each other. A few guys are in there too. Mary comes over to join me while Breanna is in the hot tub with a cute boy, he looks familiar but I can't remember his name. 

"I spotted some serious tension over here," Mary says, messing with me and bumping her shoulder into mine. I laugh and push her away lightly, blushing a bit. 

"I think he has a crush." She adds, looking over at Maddox and back to me, wiggling her eyebrows. I laugh.

"No comment," I say seriously, as though I'm the white house press secretary. I can't hold the seriousness in anymore and burst out laughing at her. She joins in, hugging me and pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.

Mary is already in her swimsuit which makes me a little self-conscious. She has the perfect body but I don't. Hesitantly, I untie my top, taking it off to reveal my swimsuit top. I shimmy my shorts off over my butt and step out of them, placing them back on my chair. I grab the sunscreen and begin to apply it all over my body, I don't want to get burnt!  As I finish rubbing it on my shoulders, Mary begins to have a huge smile. 

"What?" I ask, looking at my swimsuit top to see if it's showing something it shouldn't. Nope, I'm all covered, what is she smiling about?

Mary, still looking at me, lets out a giggle and covers her mouth. She looks behind me and then back to me, motioning with her eyes.