Crazy Beautiful Love (2 page)

“Where do you
live, Maddie?”

“I don’t want to
go home,” she said softly.

“Where do you want
to go?”

“To your place.”

“I don’t have my
own place.”

“Where do you
live?” she asked.

“With my dad and
two brothers.”

“Do you have your
own room?”

“Yeah,” I replied.

“So let’s go.”

“Why?”

“Do I have to tell
you why?” She laughed. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“How old are you,
Maddie?”

“Twenty.”

“Let me take you
home.” I gritted my teeth and ignored the stirrings of lust in my pants. It
would not be a good idea to take Maddie home. She was trouble, I could sense it
in my bones. They didn’t come any crazier than Maddie. Yes, she was beautiful,
and yes, she was fearless, but she was not someone I needed in my life.

“Come on, Logan
Martelli
, take me home.”

My breath caught
as she said my whole name and I looked at her with suspicion. Had she known who
I was the whole time? “How did you know who I was?”

“Who doesn’t know
the
Martelli
family in River Valley?” She spoke
matter-of-factly. “I mean, I only just figured it out a few minutes ago. You
don’t look like I pictured.”

“How did you
picture me? Like the big, bad wolf?”

“Something like
that.” She nodded. “You’re younger than I thought. How old are you?”

“Twenty-five.” I
paused. “So, what’s your address so I can take you home?”

“I don’t know if I
should give you my address. What if you come back to steal from my house?”

“I wouldn’t—” My face
flushed as I responded to her angrily.

“I’m joking, Log.”
She touched my arm again. “Can I call you Log?”

“No.”

“I’m joking. I
want to go home with you.” She shifted in her seat and moved even closer to me.
“Please.”

“No.” My voice was
resolute, and I was saying that “no” to her and myself.

“Please.”

“You don’t even
know me.” I shook my head. “You shouldn’t go home with strange guys.”

“You shouldn’t let
strange girls into your car.”

“I can take care
of myself.”

“So can I. Please.”
Her voice broke. “I don’t want to go home tonight. I don’t want to answer any
questions.”

“I can’t take you
back to my place.” I shook my head. There was no way I was taking this girl
back to my house. Not only would my dad and brothers wonder what was going on,
it would go against my own rules. I never brought women back to our place. It
was something I had never done. And I wasn’t about to start with her.

“You think I’m
pitiful, don’t you?” Her voice cracked and I could barely hear her as her face
was pressed against the window. “You think I’m just this beautiful girl, with
nothing better to do than just steal cars for fun. And now I’m practically
begging you to be with me, and you’re disgusted with me. Do you think I’m
crazy?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t believe
you said that.” She turned towards me, laughing. “I guess the pity act doesn’t
work on you, does it?”

“What do you want,
Maddie?” I turned to look at her again. “I’m tired and…”

“
Shhh
.” She leaned over to me and kissed my cheek. Her hand
reached up to my face. She twisted my face towards hers and I felt her lips
press down on mine. Her lips were soft and firm as she kissed me, and I felt a
warm surge of electricity run through me. She pulled back after a few seconds,
and I sat there immobile. She sat back in her seat and smiled to herself. “I
live on Manor Road. You can take me there, or we can go somewhere else. Your
choice.”

I stared ahead and
didn’t answer her. My mind was spinning with questions. She lived on Manor
Road? That meant she was rich, really rich. The sort of rich that made the
Forbes’ Richest People in the World list. What was she doing trying to steal a
cop car? And what was she doing with the likes of me? And how brazen was she to
kiss me? I grinned to myself as I thought about the kiss; I could still taste
her on my lips. She was trouble, plain and simple. The only possible outcome to
this evening was to take her home. Take her home and never see her again. I’d
warn her that a life of crime wasn’t the way to get attention from her rich
parents. Obviously, she was crying out for attention. Maybe her daddy worked
too many hours and her mom was too busy servicing the pool boy and getting her
hair done. Maddie was lost and crying out for help. I couldn’t do anything to
help her. Not a damn thing. She didn’t need to get messed up with a
Martelli
.

I stared straight
ahead and pressed my foot on the gas, ignoring the thumping of my heart and the
heat in my face and pants. Maddie was not the girl for me. I wanted nothing to
do with some rich girl who was looking for a joy ride. I could sense the exact
moment the grin spread on Maddie’s face. As I passed Manor Road and kept
driving, I wondered what I was doing. But I ignored the niggling thoughts in my
mind. I’d worry about everything tomorrow. Tonight was special, it was crazy,
it was beautiful,
it
was full of wonder. Tonight, I
was going to just be with Maddie, and tomorrow, I’d worry about all the other
shit.

Chapter 2

Logan

“I can take you
back home if you want.” I looked at Maddie as we walked across the grass. “It
won’t be comfortable.”

“I see a blanket
in your hand. Where did you even get a blanket from?” She laughed and pointed
at the Disney Princess blanket in my hand. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She paused
and said casually, “Do you bring a lot of girls here then?”

“No, and I got the
blanket from the backseat.” I shook my head and turned away from her. The truth
was, I had never brought another girl here. It was my special place, the place
I came to when I wanted to think and be away from my brothers and my dad.

“The stars look so
close,” she whispered in hushed tones. “I didn’t think the sky could look any
prettier than it does down by the pier, but it is gorgeous here.”

“I think we’re
closer to the sky.” I nodded in agreement.

“Really?” She
looked surprised. “I didn’t think the altitude was any higher here.”

“I don’t know if
that’s a fact, scientifically or anything,” I increased my pace. “I just think
we’re closer.”

“You may be right.”
She reached out and linked her arm through mine. “It’s pretty here. Where are
we going?”

“There’s an old shack
further down this path.” I pointed in front of us.

She giggled. “Oh,
it looks grand.”

 
“You can see it?” I frowned. It was extremely
dark, and while the stars and moon illuminated the field we were walking
through, it wasn’t so bright that I could see the shack.

“No, silly.” She
leaned her head into my arm and I tensed up. “I was joking.”

“Oh.”

“I’m glad you
decided not to take me home.”

“I figured you may
as well continue your night of crime and debauchery.” I tried to make a joke,
but my voice sounded too serious.

“We’re a regular
Bonnie and Clyde, aren’t we?”

“No, no, we’re
not. I had nothing to do with you and the cop car.”

“I’m joking,
Logan.” Her voice was suddenly serious. “I’m sorry if you think I forced you to
bring me here tonight. You can take me home, if you’re scared I’m going to get
you in trouble.”

The irony of the
situation hit me once again. She was worried she was going to get me in
trouble? “Let’s not talk about our crimes of the evening,” I said lightly.

“Sounds good to
me.” She stumbled and I grabbed hold of her to make sure she didn’t fall. My
hands slid around her waist, and I brought her in close to me to steady her.
She looked up at me in thanks, and I was overcome with an emotion that I was
unfamiliar with.

“Be careful,” I
spoke gruffly as I let go of her. “I don’t want you to get a twisted ankle.”

“I’ll be okay.”
She spoke lightly and ran ahead slightly. I felt slightly disappointed that she
was no longer holding on to my arm. I missed the feel of her hand on my body.

“Where are you
running to?”

“The shack.”

“But you don’t
know where it is.”

“I’m sure you’ll
tell me when to stop.” She started running faster, and I watched as her long
legs sprinted in front of me, and her hair flew behind her. Her strides were
long and she had perfect form as she ran; I realized that she must have run
track at some point in her life.

“Hold on.” I ran
behind her and tried to catch up. She paused for a second and looked back at
me. I saw the same twinkle in her eye that I had seen earlier that evening.

“Catch me if you
can!” She laughed and started running again. She increased her pace and I
doubled up my efforts to catch her. It took about a minute of running for me to
finally catch up with her. I grabbed hold of her waist and we both went
crashing down to the ground, as I couldn’t stop my momentum.

“
Ow
,” she laughed into my face as we rolled around in the
grass. “That hurt.”

“Sure it did.” I
laughed into her face, panting. “You can sure run fast.”

“Thank God! The
police would have caught me if I wasn’t as fast as a rocket.”

“As fast as a
rocket, huh?”

“That’s what my
dad says.” She smiled into my face, and she rolled over on top of me. “You
really do look like James Dean.”

“Is that why you
wanted to spend the night with me?” I said, only half joking. A part of me was
sad at the thought.

“Nah.” She leaned
down, her hair framing her face and brushing against the sides of my cheeks.

“So then why?”

“Because you taste
like sin.” She winked at me and pressed her lips against mine softly. I reached
up and pulled her head down and crushed her lips against mine. I rolled her
over onto her back and straddled her, pushing my tongue into her mouth as I
pinned her arms back so she couldn’t move. Her eyes widened at the pressure of
me against her I grinned against her lips. She had no idea who she was dealing
with. My tongue explored her mouth as she wiggled beneath me, and I kissed her
harder, sucking on her tongue as she struggled to move her arms. I winked at
her and finally released them, and she ran her fingers through my hair and down
my back, allowing her fingernails to dig into my skin.

I ran my hand
through her hair and down the side of her face, before removing my tongue from
her mouth and licking down her chin to her neck. I allowed my tongue to trail
down her neck to her chest and she stilled beneath me as my fingers ran up her
stomach and settled on her right breast. I paused and moved my mouth over to
her left breast. I bit down on her hard nipple through her tank top as my
fingers played with her other breast. I could hear her panting beneath me, and
she moved underneath me. I ran my fingers down from her breast to her stomach
and then to her thighs. Running them lightly up her inner thigh, I then stopped
and sat up.

I looked down at
her, panting in the grass, staring up at me with eyes full of lust, and it took
everything I had in me to not rip her jeans off and take her then and there.

I jumped up and
reached down and pulled her up to join me.

“What just
happened?” She looked at me with dazed and innocent eyes. “Why did you stop?”

“I’m not going to
take you in the grass, in the middle of some field. And I don’t have
protection.”

“Oh.” She nibbled
on her lower lip. “I would have thought someone like you would have protection
at all times.”

“Someone like me?”
My heart beat rapidly at her words. I tried to ignore the hurt that coursed
through my veins.

“Yeah, I figured a
guy as hot as you would have hundreds of women throwing themselves at him.”

“Oh.” I laughed,
trying not to fall under the spell her eyes were casting up at me. “I don’t
generally get many girls throwing themselves at me.”

“I’m the only one
who has wanted you?”

“You’re the only
girl I know who has told me to take her in a field.”

“Then you should
do it,” she grinned at me impishly. “I’m on the pill.”

“I don’t know.” I
shook my head, ignoring the urge to pull her towards me and take her then and
there. She was one of the sexiest and most confident girls I had ever met and I
was having a hard time resisting her. And it was about more than the hot lust I
felt for her, there was something about her smile that was tugging on my
heartstrings. And frankly, it was that emotion that had me scared and holding
back.

“Why not?” She
pouted.

“You don’t even
know me.” I shook my head. “You’re not very smart, are you?”

“I want to have
sex with you.”

“Me, or any guy?”
I stared at her pointedly. As much as I wanted to take her, I knew that I
couldn’t. She didn’t seem like the sort of girl who knew the score. And as much
as I didn’t care if she got hurt, I just couldn’t go forward. I didn’t bother
asking myself why; I didn’t want to know.

“I’m not a whore,
you know.” She stared at me with pleading eyes. “I don’t just go around having
one-night stands.”

“So you want to
use me for a one-night stand?”

“No, well, you
know.” She blushed and looked down. “You’re different from most guys I’ve
dated.”

“You wanted to
know what it was like to be with a bad boy?” I ran my hands through my hair.
“Time to experiment with a bit of rough?”

“No, no.” She
shook her head angrily. “What’s your problem anyway?”

“I don’t have a
problem.” I started walking.

“Are you mad at
me, Logan?”

“No, why would I
be mad at you?”

“I don’t know.”
She sighed. “You’re not how I imagined, you know?”

“Yeah, you told me
earlier.”

“Earlier, I was
talking about your looks.” She reached out and stopped me. “Now, I’m talking
about personality. You say you’re a bad boy, but a bad boy would have fucked me
with no hesitation just now.”

“Is that what you
want me to do?” I looked at her through narrow eyes. “Do you want me to bend
you over and fuck you and take you home?”

“Yes… no,” she
mumbled, and I laughed as I saw the hope and eagerness in her eyes, followed by
the shock. “I mean, yes, I want to sleep with you, but I don’t want you to take
my home afterwards.”

“Oh, you’d rather
we talk about our dreams and goals after?” I cocked my head to the side and
looked at her in consideration. “Shall we talk about our plans for the future
after? Maybe about my goal to go to law school, and your goal to become
President? Hmm, yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

“You’re a real
asshole, you know that?” She glared at me.

“You don’t know
me.”

“I know of you.”

“Yeah, you know
what everyone in River Valley knows about me.” I shook my head, disappointed.

“You think I
believe everything that I hear?” Her eyes shot daggers at me.

“I don’t care.” My
voice was hard. “And you should believe it it’s true.”

 
“I don’t think it’s true at all,” she said
softly.

“You just hope
it’s not true.”

“I want to get to
know the real you.”

“Maddie, we’ve
barely just met tonight. You don’t want to get to know me. You want a hot fuck
in a field with the town’s bad boy so you can go and tell all your friends.”

“You think it
would be hot if we made love?” she whispered up at me, and moved closer to me.

“I said fucked.” I
took a step back. This girl was stubborn and brave. And stupid. “I don’t make
love.”

“That’s okay, we
don’t need to make love.”

“You’re crazy. You
know that, right?”

“Tell me you don’t
want me.” She grabbed my hand and moved even closer to me. “Tell me, you don’t
want to feel yourself inside of me.”

“You’ve been
watching too many pornos, Maddie.” I looked at her with a wry smile. “I’ve
never heard anyone use those phrases in real life.”

“I don’t watch
pornos.” She leaned up towards me. “But I do want to feel you inside of me.”

“Shouldn’t I be
the one saying that?” I could barely believe my ears. This girl was crazier than
I had given her credit for. “I wouldn’t go around saying that to every guy you
meet.”

“I don’t want to
sleep with every guy I meet.”

“So why me?” I
looked at her, and my heart skipped a beat. I knew I was falling under her
spell. And I didn’t want to. I wanted to be anywhere but here, with anyone but
her.

“Because you’re
Logan
Martelli
.” She smiled shyly.

“You say that like
it’s a good thing.” I rolled my eyes. “Haven’t you heard? Good girls like you
are meant to stay away from me.”

“I’m not a good
girl.” She licked her lips. “I’m a bad girl.”

“Why are you here,
Maddie?” I sighed as I stared at her lips. I wasn’t going to be able to resist
her much longer.

“I don’t know.”
She stepped back, and I was loath to lose her closeness. “I like you. I’m
attracted to you. I want to know the real you.”

“There is no real
me. The me you know about is the real me.”

“I’ve always
wanted to get to know you better.”

“You don’t even
know me.” I rolled my eyes.

“You’re famous in
this town.” She pushed me in the chest slightly. “And you know what? I don’t
care what people say about you.”

“It’s true what
they say about me.”

“Who cares?” She
shrugged nonchalantly.

“What do you do,
Maddie?” I changed the subject, not wanting to talk about my reputation any
more.

“I’m a college senior.
Well, I’m going to be a senior in the fall.”

“I see.” I nodded
and turned away. “Back home for the summer?”

“Yeah.” She
sighed. “I wanted to get a job, but my mother wasn’t having it.”

“She doesn’t want
you to work?”

“No.” She shook
her head. “But let’s not talk about her.”

“What are you
studying?”

“History.”

“Interesting.”

“No, it’s not.”
She laughed. “I know that many people aren’t as inspired by history as I am.
What did you study?”

“In college?”

“Yeah.” Then she
blushed. “Oh, sorry. I guess you didn’t go to college?”

“No. I shook my
head, annoyed. “I barely graduated from high school,” I lied, not wanting her
to know that I graduated with a 3.8 GPA and a number of college credits from
dual enrollment classes.

“School’s not all
that.”

“Yeah.” We walked
in uncomfortable silence. What was she doing with me here? What was I doing
with her?

“Do you enjoy
stealing cars?”

I looked over at
her, annoyed and suspicious. What sort of fool was she? “Is that all you think
I do?”

“No,” She looked
taken aback. “I was just curious, seeing as how we just met, you know.” Her
voice trailed off and I stifled a curse. Since when was she so sensitive?

“Look, Maddie, I
don’t know you and you don’t know me. Let’s just spend the night staring at the
stars and leave it at that. I’m not down for any deep conversations. I don’t
need to be analyzed by some college girl.”