Liar (Madison Kate, #2)

by Tate James

"I mean it, Madison Kate. They went through a lot growing up, and it makes them a bit difficult to be around. But whoever is trying to hurt you... they'll take care of it."

"Uh, okay," I replied, beyond creeped out. "Thanks?"

"Come on, MK, you can't seriously tell me you haven't dreamed about a reverse harem relationship with them all. It's the perfect setup. Just you and them, all alone in that big old house..."

"I've thought about plenty of things, girl. Doesn't mean I'm going to act on any of them. Besides, could you imagine Archer actually trying to share a woman?"

"Pretty sure he would struggle to share a burrito, let alone a taco... if you catch my drift."

"I want us to be okay again. I hate all the anger and resentment and silent treatment... It’s fucking killing me."

"I miss you,"

"It's his story and his secrets, babe. I can't betray his trust before he's ready."

"It's never okay to betray your trust. Ever. It's something I think the three of us will spend a long time making up to you... but I owe Archer my life. When he asks me to keep his confidence, I can't—"

"Is this the song you were working on last time you played for me?"

"It's the first thing I've written since Rachel died,"

"But that night, while you were lying here in my bed... it just came to me. It's been tugging at my brain for weeks, but I couldn't... I couldn't work on it when you weren't here. It just wouldn't come to me."

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm your muse, Max Steele?"

"I guess so."

"You're crazy talented, Max Steele. But you already know that."

"Yeah, but did you like it? I only wrote it for you."

"I don't find any inspiration in writing for myself anymore. Or writing for... any other reason. I think I'm pretty much done with this phase of my life, but then something about you inspired me so... yeah. I wrote that for you. And I'll probably write something else for you too. If you're cool with that?"

"Um, yeah, dude. Pretty sure this is the most flattering thing anyone has ever done for me. Ever. I'm not going to lie, I'm all kinds of girly for you right now. Have I turned into one of those heart-eyes emojis? Because that's what I feel like."

I kissed him with all the emotions that his music had filled me with, climbing into his lap as our kiss deepened.

"That's more like what I was aiming for,"

"No underwear, Hellcat?" I smirked. "You're a bad influence on me, Max Steele."

"Fuck, Steele. Please tell me you have condoms? I need to feel you inside me."

"Come for me, Hellcat," he grunted, his fingertips biting into the flesh of my ass.

"Fuck, okay!" Steele shouted. "Calm your tits, Kody. I'm sure she's just downstairs getting coffee." He shot me a curious look as he rolled off me, and I propped my head up with my hand. "Unless she's in my room?" he whispered, "Naked and freshly fucked and looking more gorgeous than I've ever seen her?"

By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, I'd only drawn one logical conclusion. Those fuckers had planted a tracker on me somehow.

"You could have woken me up,"

"Uh, babe, you were sound asleep with your face in my crotch. I wasn't going fucking anywhere in a hurry."

"Might I also point out the extreme restraint I displayed in not getting a boner under your cheek?"

"What do you want from me, D'Ath?"

"I want all kinds of things from you, Kate. Ask me again, and I'll fucking show you."

"What do you want from me, Archer?"

Archer's ice-blue eyes flared with heat just moments before his lips crashed into mine.

I gasped into his kiss, and he claimed my mouth with raw need and hungry desperation—then all of a sudden, wrenched himself away.

"What I want from you, Kate, is more than you'd be willing to give."

folded butterfly knife. It was predominantly purple, but as the light glinted off it, a holographic shine showed off blues, greens, and even some golden-yellow tones.

"Still... Arch has never given out one of Phillip's knives before. He must be feeling pretty guilty this morning."

"I'm not high-fiving that, Kody. God damn, how do you ever get laid?" Kody's grin was pure arrogance. "Dude, have you seen me? I'm like walking sex." Steele laughed, and I groaned. He wasn't wrong, though.

"Oh, and for the record? That girl with Steele was having a lot of fun." I leaned into Steele more, placing a kiss on his neck tattoo before meeting Archer’s eyes again. "Double orgasm fun, some might say."

Reaching up, I pulled his face down to me and kissed him. It wasn't a frenzied, passionate, let's-fuck-right-here kind of kiss, but it was definitely one to bank in my mental memory box as one of the most meaningful kisses ever. "You're kind of amazing, Kodiak Jones,"

"I thought you would never notice."

"Hellcat," he said on a sigh so soft I wouldn't have heard it if the room weren't totally silent. "Don't leave me."

"Shh," I breathed, pressing a gentle kiss to his bare shoulder. "I'm here, Steele. I'm sorry."

"You're vicious. No wonder Steele calls you Hellcat. Never

heard a more appropriate pet name in my life." I scoffed, grinning. "Nonsense, you hear me call Archer 'asshole' all the freaking time."

Humans have infinite, untapped possibilities, and I fully believe we're capable of equally strong emotions for more than one person."

"I'm also not so insecure I need him out of the picture. I know full well you want me just as badly as I want you."

"Pretend to hate me all you fucking want, Madison Kate," he continued, stepping closer and crowding my personal space once more, "but don't even try to pretend you don't feel this magnetic pull between us. Don't fucking act like you're not basically crawling out of your own skin to fuck me right now."

The raw shock on Archer's handsome face was better than I could have hoped for.

"Don't you dare stop," I ordered him with a clear threat in my tone.

Archer's eyes were on me. I could feel them like a physical touch as he raked his gaze all over my naked body, yet I wasn't running and hiding. Damn my messed-up, bad-boy complex, I liked him watching. Watching and knowing I was never, ever, not until hell froze over, going to ride his cock like this.