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  She heard him mutter something about annoying women but had a hard time getting over the fact that he liked the way she looked. He always called her hot or pretty or beautiful, words she’d been hearing her entire life. But when he said it, she actually believed it.

  She returned moments later in clean panties, her favorite flannel pants, her comfy bra, a sweatshirt, and her fuzzy socks. Her relaxing and totally unappealing clothes. A pitiful defense, but if she felt unattractive, she prayed she could stop herself from jumping the man.

  Maggie didn’t want to be another notch on his bedpost. And right now, aroused and excited, she feared she’d look without leaping. The notion of having an orgasm with Mac—no longer Jameson—had indeed become an obsession.

  “Well? I’m here. Talk.” She glared at Mac sitting on her loveseat. He’d started a fire, and the place looked way too cozy not to get closer.

  He patted the spot next to him. “Sit by me.”

  She snorted. “My house. My rules.” She deliberately took a seat in the chair opposite the loveseat.

  He sighed, rose to his formidable height, and crossed the room to loom over her.

  “Did I stutter?” she mocked, repeating him from earlier.

  He lifted her into his arms in one felled swoop.

  “Mac.”

  “You weigh a lot more than you look.” He laughed at her, then sat with her on the loveseat before dumping her next to him.

  When she scrambled to back away and off the loveseat, he took her foot in his hand. “Uh uh. Sit. Stay.”

  “I’m not a damn dog,” she snapped.

  “You know, you saying that just makes me want to collar you.”

  She froze. Collar? Had he looked through her private journals?

  “I was just kidding, Maggie.” Mac chuckled. “I can just imagine a collar and leash on you. Kinky, but I doubt you’d go for that.” He winked at her.

  If the man only knew how often she’d imagined being dominated.

  “Look, I just want to talk,” he continued.

  “Yeah, right.”

  He squeezed her foot, and to her surprise, it felt good. “Do that again.”

  “If I rub your feet, will you shut up and listen?”

  She moaned when he started massaging her arches. “Man, that’s good. Okay, you can talk.”

  He coughed and shifted under her. “Much as I look forward to you making those sounds when I’m coming inside you, I kind of wanted to say something first.”

  She jerked her foot back. “What?”

  He pulled it back. Then he rubbed her toes and she forgot to be angry. “Talk, Jameson.”

  “No. Mac. Say, talk, Mac.”

  “Keep rubbing my feet and I’ll call you whatever you like.”

  He chuckled. “Good to know.” He soothed her tired pads and hit her heels hard. The man was a wonder. “Look. This is awkward. You work for me. Only because you want to, I know. We’ve known each other for months. Your best friend is dating my best friend, and you’re probably freaked out that if you fall in love with me, you’ll make things awkward when we get together for parties and shit.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I want you. You want me. We’re two attractive people. Why shouldn’t we hit it?”

  She wanted to laugh. This was the Mac she knew. Honest. Sometimes to a fault. It made her feel better that he didn’t try to soften her up or seduce her with lies. “Everything you said makes sense. If we did go out and it turned sour, maybe because you fell in love with me, and I left your sorry ass behind, it would make it tough to hang out with Shane and Shelby. Though we don’t do that much with them together as it is.”

  “Only because you go out of your way to avoid me.”

  There was that. “I’m busy. I’m working two jobs, you know.”

  “I don’t know. You never talk to me. Tell me about your art stuff.”

  She took a hard look at him. He seemed so earnest. “Why?”

  “Because I’d like to know more than that I’m fucking the hot blond from the gym. I want a date, Maggie. Wherever we go from there will be up to you.”

  Astonished, she sat up straighter. “Hold on. You think you can get me into bed after one date?”

  He grinned. “Honey, I could have your ankles on my shoulders in about three seconds if I tried. Let’s not embarrass you. I’m a sexy guy. I know it, you know it. I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

  “You aren’t serious?” She drew her foot back, aware he let her. “Think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?” Yet that was part of his charm. Mac was handsome, and he knew it. He treated all women with politeness and charm—except for her, it seemed. Those lucky few who received his special attention had nothing but good things to say about him.

  “Think?” Mac snorted. “I know I’m damn good. Let me show you what you’ve been missing.”

  And then the conceited hunk did what she’d been dreaming about for months.

  He kissed her.

  Chapter Four

  Maggie didn’t have time to catch her breath before Mac was on top of her, pressing her down into the cushions. He caged her with his strong arms, but he also put space between their bodies, bearing down with his mouth more than his frame.

  She wasn’t penned in. If she wanted to break the kiss, she could. Not that she wanted to. Maggie concentrated on the drugging warmth of his mouth.

  He tasted sweet, as if he’d had something minty. His mouth was firm, his tongue bold. Mac didn’t ask, he took. The kiss had her losing her will to resist in seconds. And the bastard no doubt knew it.

  This was what she’d feared. Their instant, physical attraction couldn’t be denied, not after this. She’d never been so in tune with a man, or so in lust. He moaned and deepened the kiss while keeping himself apart, not touching her with anything more than his mouth.

  Unable to resist, she reached up and pulled him down, wanting to feel him on top of her. She ran her hands over his thick neck and dense chest. All that muscle, so strong. And all hers.

  “Fuck, yeah. Touch me,” he whispered as he kissed his way down her jaw to her throat. He nipped under her ear while she eased her hands under his Henley shirt. The feel of his corded abs contracting under her fingers intrigued her. Mac might be king of the mountain, but she had queenly skills. She pinched his nipples and scratched her nails over his chest.

  His immediate reaction gratified. He let out a curse and slammed his mouth on hers again. Eating her up, sucking her desire to the forefront until nothing mattered but getting him inside her.

  And then he stopped. Stone cold still.

  He rested his forehead against hers, breathing hard.

  “Mac?”

  “Shh. Hold on.” He took big gulping breaths. “I’m two seconds away from fucking you raw. And I told you. I want a date first.”

  She tried to make sense of him. “So you don’t want to have sex.” Had she ever been turned down at this stage of play? A few old boyfriends had used her to get off. But they’d rejected her after the fact. Never in the middle of having sex.

  “What? No. Yes.” He swore again and lifted his head to stare down at her. “Your eyes are so damn pretty.” His gaze lowered to her mouth. “You have no idea how badly I want to see you swallow my cock. I want to shove hard up that pussy and come deep inside you.”

  Oh man. Now they were talking.

  “But I want that date first.”

  She didn’t get it.

  “Oh hell. I’m screwing this up.” He sat back, leaving her aching and tired and frustrated. “I want you. But I don’t want to just fuck and fly. I want us to get to know each other better.”

  “You do?”

  “I like you, okay?” he snapped. Then his gaze caught on her mouth again. “Hell.” He kissed her and didn’t stop there. No longer content to just touch her with his mouth, he put those big hands everywhere. Her shoulders, her arms, her breasts. He seemed fascinated with her chest as he kissed her.

  Before she kn
ew it, he had her straddling him on the loveseat while he kissed and fondled her into near-orgasm.

  “I want to see you come,” he growled as he nipped his way down her throat. He lifted her ratty sweatshirt and sucked her nipples right through her bra. At the same time, he shoved his hand under the waist of her panties, seeking the heat of her. His fingers slid over her slick clit and continued into her pussy. “You’re so wet. So tight.” He groaned and kissed her.

  Maggie didn’t know what to think. One minute she’d been having near sex, then he pulled back. Now he was sticking his fingers inside her and bringing her quickly to climax.

  He shoved his tongue in her mouth and echoed the penetration with his fingers. Hard and fast, he plunged them inside her while grazing her taut clit. Then he broke the kiss to nip her neck and shoved his fingers deeper.

  Between one breath and the next, she exploded.

  “Yeah, give it to me,” she dimly heard him say as she clenched around him.

  God, it had been so long, and it had never, ever, been like this. He felt so good. Hard and tough beneath her. He resumed kissing her neck then found her mouth again.

  She kissed him back, thanking him without words.

  When he withdrew his fingers, she felt the loss. And she realized the full import of what she’d just done and with whom. Notch number three hundred and four on Mac’s bedpost. Damn it.

  “You came hard for me.” His satisfaction was hard to miss, as was the bulge still solid beneath his jeans. “Now we’re going to have our date.”

  “Tonight?” she asked stupidly. He’d had her. Kind of. What was his fixation on a date? Or was that some kind of code for convincing her to get him off?

  “Not tonight. You had a long day. You’re tired.” He kissed her, and she felt exhausted all of a sudden.

  “But you didn’t…”

  “Nope. I’m saving that for you.”

  “I didn’t agree to have sex with you.” She felt like an idiot for saying that considering he’d just fingered her to orgasm. But still, his arrogance grated.

  Especially when he raised a brow and just looked at her.

  “You shouldn’t assume,” she persisted.

  He smiled, and the approval in his gaze warmed her. “That’s why I like you. Even when you look so soft and tired, you’re a ball buster.” He fitted her limp hand over his crotch, where she felt a very large, solid erection. “You’re going to take care of this for me at some point.”

  “After our date,” she said and squeezed him. “If we have one.”

  He closed his eyes, as if in pain. When he opened them, the need blazing there stole her breath. “After our date.”

  She fought for control of herself and sat up straight, still straddling him. She removed her hand and righted her clothing, all while the powerful male remained tense under her. “If it will get you to stop begging,” she said with a sigh, “I guess I’ll agree to go out with you. Pathetic, Jameson.”

  He grinned, but the mean glint in his eye told her not to underestimate him. The man turned her on without even trying. So unfair. “You know I’m going to make you pay for that.”

  “You can try.” She blew him a kiss. “But after tonight, it’s going to be hell for you, thinking that you had those fingers inside me. Every time you see me, you’ll know what it was like to suck my nipple and kiss my mouth.” Yes! Finally, sexy Maggie came to the fore with a man. Not shy, submissive, doormat Maggie.

  His chest heaved with her every word. “You’re a cruel woman. I really, really like that.” He kissed her hard on the mouth and pulled her hips close to grind over his arousal. “I can’t wait for our date.” He set her aside and stood, then pulled her to her feet. “Walk me out.”

  “Quit bossing me around.” She never would have imagined she’d like this side of Mac. She still didn’t understand why he’d let her come but hadn’t gotten off. Or why he persisted in this date nonsense. “You do realize we’ll never be a couple, right? We should just have sex and end this before it gets started.”

  He paused at her front door. “Oh?”

  “You’re Mr. Macho. I’m a strong, independent woman. You have money. Yeah, I’ve seen your car. Don’t pretend. I’m the starving artist type. You also can’t commit to women, and despite what tonight might have been about, I’m not into one night stands.”

  “I know.” He brushed her hair back from her face. So gentle, those hands that only a week ago had been wrapped around a man’s throat. “I also know you’re going through a dry spell. I’m happy to help you through it.”

  “A—what?” Had Shelby told him about her new celibate lifestyle? How embarrassing. I’m going to kill that mouthy brunette.

  “Don’t worry about it. I like knowing you’ve been saving yourself for me.”

  “Cocky bastard.” Over his laughter, she added, “I’ll have you know I could have a man at the snap of my fingers. Wilson, Brent…even you.”

  His laughter faded. “You snap those fingers at anyone but me and we’ll have some problems.”

  That dominance turned her on. But she couldn’t be an independent woman and like that kind of attitude in a man, could she? “Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”

  He shook his head. “I thought we weren’t going to play games. I’m the guy who just made you come all over his fingers. I’m the guy you’re going out with tomorrow night.”

  “A Sunday night date?” She intentionally ignored the part about climaxing. Oh man, had she.

  He waited.

  Maggie wanted to be alarmed. She should have been ranting and raving over his attitude. Who the hell did he think he was? But as she watched him watching her, she knew a sense of excitement. Why not see where this might take them? Some harmless fun. And if he could make good on his promises of domination and control, she would more than take him up on his offer.

  “So you think you’re man enough to control me, huh?”

  “Yeah, I do. We agreed to a date. We’re eventually gonna fuck. Because that’s inevitable. We click. Admit it.”

  “Sure. Physically, we seem to hit it off. But that doesn’t mean—”

  “And you like me bossing you around. If you didn’t, you’d have quit by now. Besides, if you really listened to the rumors at the gym, you know I like being in charge.”

  She’d heard that. Nothing specific, but the innuendo that Mac tended to get domineering in bed. No wonder he had women dying to get their claws into him. With his looks, money, and power, he was a dream come true. Except that part where he never lost the attitude and went through women like the flavor of the day.

  “Whatever, Jameson.”

  He just shook his head. “We’re having that date tomorrow night. And after that, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Wait. Warn me about what?”

  He turned to the door. She grabbed his arm, that thick, powerful forearm, and he stopped.

  “Yes?” he drawled with excessive patience.

  “You want a date, fine. But we can’t let this get weird. There’s Shane and Shelby. And I work for you.”

  “Technically you work for my uncle. He owns the gym. I just run it.” He covered her hand with his. “This isn’t weird. It’s called going out. Normal people do it all the time.”

  “Normal people? I just had an orgasm on my loveseat,” Maggie had to mention. Holy shit. She’d had an orgasm. Her first in over a year not instigated by her own hand. A miracle.

  “True. I’m thinking you owe me one.” He leaned close to kiss her. “Dress casual. You’re coming to my place for dinner tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at six. And don’t forget your class tomorrow at two. Nicole said you’d cover for her.”

  He left before she could argue.

  Not that she had anything left to add. She’d agreed to cover for Nicole’s step class tomorrow. And she had nothing better to do on a Sunday night than read a book and wash her hair. Sad but true.

  Maggie cleaned up and went to bed, not sure tonight h
ad actually happened. Had Mac really been waiting in her apartment? Had the man truly made her come with no more than a few kisses and some very heavy petting?

  Just thinking about what he’d done to her made her hot and bothered, as did the remembrance of how big and solid his cock had felt. Thoughts of having that inside her brought forth all the naughty fantasies she’d harbored. But how would Mac feel about fulfilling them? It would be really embarrassing to open up to him, Shane’s best friend, if he thought her some kind of crazy pervert.

  She’d had a few boyfriends who tried to be more controlling for her, but she hadn’t bought the act. In the end, the sex had been a letdown, the relationship fizzing soon after. What few jerks she didn’t confide in had been wrong for her from the beginning.

  For some reason, Maggie wanted to be controlled in the bedroom. She’d had fantasies about it for years, and the one time an ex-boyfriend had been close to getting it right, she’d been halfway to heaven in love, then found out he had a girlfriend on the side. Unfortunately, most of the men she sought to give her that submissive feeling acted like pricks. Mac was the first guy she’d met who seemed somewhat normal. Controlling, yes, but not cruel. Just sure of himself. Okay, the man acted conceited. She’d admit that. But he had a right to that be sexually assured with a body that fine.

  What guy had she been with in the past five years, hell, make that ten years, who’d made her come so easily, then left without getting his? She still didn’t know what to make of that, or his odd request for a date.

  Did the king of no commitment want a relationship? Maybe he looked to Shane and Shelby as inspiration. Did he want Maggie to be his girlfriend? Because that kind of close tie freaked her out. She’d never made good choices with men, and Maggie actually liked Mac. She didn’t want to screw up a good thing. To her way of thinking, they could have sex, remain friends, and see each other socially when with their best buds. Group outings without all the drama and angst that accompanied her failed relationships.

  And after the sex, they could and would remain casual friends. Friends with Benefits. She could do that. So she hoped.

  The next night she sat shuffling through the cable stations when a knock sounded at the door. A glance at the clock made her sigh. Mr. Marine, a good ten minutes early. Go figure.