And then they were all over each other and Owen’s heart nearly beat itself right out of his chest. He ran his hands over every inch of her body, stroking her cheeks, her bare shoulders and arms, sliding underneath the hem of her dress to grip her firm thighs. He groaned at the feel of her smooth skin. Tugged on the material of her dress and brought it up her body, until finally he pulled it over her head and threw it aside. Left in nothing but skimpy green panties and an equally skimpy lace bra, Maddie stood there, cheeks flushed, lips swollen from their kisses. With another groan, he cupped her breasts through her bra and squeezed. He discovered that his hands were shaking like a leaf in the wind. Christ, her tits were so big, so firm. He couldn’t believe that he’d never done this before.
“Owen,” she pleaded, jutting out her breasts so that they filled his palms.
His head spun like a carousel as he fondled and explored, as he shoved the cups of the bra down to free her breasts. They popped out, her nipples the color of dark-red wine and hard to the touch. He was so focused on those mouthwatering buds, on rolling them between his fingers, that he barely noticed Maddie tugging on his clothing.
“Naked,” she choked out, shoving his hands away as she fumbled with the waistband of his jeans.
Her hands were shaking too, he realized, as he helped her get rid of his clothes. She tore his button-down shirt open and a few buttons snapped off and bounced on the floor. His boots disappeared, followed by his jeans, his boxers, the white undershirt he wore under his shirt.
“Oh God,” Maddie moaned as she stared at his naked body.
A thrill shot up his spine, pleasure exploding in his stomach at the obvious appreciation in her eyes. No woman had ever looked at him this way, as if he were a new toy she couldn’t wait to play with. But there was apprehension there too. A flash of vulnerability.
There was no skill in the way she touched him. Her delicate hands stroked his chest, her caresses both careful and curious. Indecision moved across her face, her breasts heaving from each ragged breath, and when her hand, somewhat awkwardly, came down to circle his cock, he suspected this was new territory for her. His ridiculous fumbling stemmed from the fact that this was his best friend standing naked in front him; hers clearly showed how green she was when it came to sex. Yet her inexperience only sent another jolt of arousal through him.
The thought of helping her explore her sexuality, showing her what he liked, discovering what she liked…it was so damn hot he almost exploded right then.
He sucked in a calming breath and quickly willed away the rising climax. How was this happening? He was consumed by lust, mindless with need. He had to…had to taste her, damn it!
He stilled her hand and removed it from his aching erection. She gave a surprised squeak as he cupped her ass and practically flung her up on the desk. Sinking to his knees, he peeled her panties down her legs, tossed them away and pressed his mouth to her core, his tongue seeking her clit.
He groaned against her mound when he realized it was completely bare. No hair, just smooth, moist flesh and honey pooling in her opening. He lapped it up, drowning in the taste of her, the sweet tangy scent.
He could have stayed down there for hours, but suddenly her fingers were in his hair, pulling, yanking. He lifted his head and saw the unadulterated heat in her eyes. “Get in me,” she said fiercely. “Now, damn it!”
He shot to his feet like gunpowder from a cannon, grabbing his jeans on the way up. As his pulse drummed in his ears, he groped in his pocket for his wallet. He found a condom, sheathed himself in three seconds flat, and positioned himself between her sexy thighs.
And then he froze.
“Owen?”
He registered the sound of her sweet, tentative voice, but was too focused on her face to reply. Her cheeks were pink, that same flush rising on her breasts as evidence of her desire. Her eyes were beautiful, surrounded by thick lashes, and her expression reflected anticipation and lust and…trust. It was that last one that did him in.
With a strangled noise, he moved back, retreating farther and farther until his ass slammed against the file cabinet. What the fuck was he doing? This was Maddie. He couldn’t just screw her on the desk she’d sat behind for the last three years! He couldn’t screw her, period.
Self-recrimination pummeled into his gut as he realized how close he’d come to ruining everything.
Maddie was the only woman he’d ever allowed himself to get close to, and the only one he hadn’t lost as a result of that closeness. With everyone else, he got bored. Got close and got bored, quickly ending the affair before the woman in his bed got hurt. Not surprising, seeing as he was the son of a carousing womanizer. Henry Bishop had been notorious for cheating on his wife, moving from woman to woman and breaking hearts wherever he went. And yeah, Owen might not be a cheater like his dad was, but he’d inherited that same restlessness, the inability to be satisfied with just one person. He’d first noticed it back in the tenth grade, when he’d pursued Rebecca Hollyfield for months, only to dump her two days after she finally gave in. Two days was all it had taken to get bored with Rebecca and lust over Susie Denton. And when he’d won over Susan, he’d dumped her too, for Connie Beals.
Rebecca, Susie, Connie—they’d all been nice girls. Good girls who hadn’t deserved the way he’d treated them. Even now, the memory of how much he’d hurt them sliced into him like a dull blade.
Well, he refused to hurt another female again. His restlessness had followed him into adulthood, but nowadays he was better at making sure the women he dated knew it would only be a temporary thing.
Maddie Wilson was not temporary. She was his assistant, his best friend. More than that, she wasn’t the kind of woman you had a fling with. Her clumsy kisses and careful caresses proved that, and instead of respecting her the way she ought to be respected, he’d been prepared to screw her on a desk when she deserved to be made love to on a damn bed of roses.
“Owen.” Her voice was louder this time. “Why did you stop?”
He found the courage to meet her gaze, and nearly lost his load in the condom covering his dick. She was still sitting on the desk, her bra tangled around her waist, nipples harder than icicles, legs spread open to reveal the damp pink flesh of her pussy. He’d never seen a sexier sight.
“We can’t do this,” he muttered, dropping his gaze to the floor.
“Are you kidding?” He could hear the astonishment in her tone.
“We can’t.” He let out a ragged breath. “You’re my best friend, Maddie. As…um, nice as this feels, we can’t get involved, okay?”
Although he was still staring at his socked feet, he heard her hop off the desk, felt the waves of shock and confusion radiating from her body. He stood there, naked as the day he was born, listening to the sound of Maddie gathering up her clothing. When he finally had the guts to look up again, she was dressed, and sticking her feet into her shoes.
“Maddie,” he started.
A pair of incredulous brown eyes silenced him. “Not another word, Owen. I hear you, loud and clear.”
“I don’t think you do,” he said, wincing at the desperation in his voice. “I…we can’t do this, all right? It’s obvious that you’re new to this sort of thing, and I don’t want you getting hurt, okay? We work together. And we’re friends. An affair will only end up in disaster.”
“I get it,” she said, so quietly he had to strain to hear her.
“It really was nice,” he added. When her nostrils flared, he plowed on like the idiot he was. “I mean, it was fine…well, more than fine. It was…”
“Nice,” she finished flatly. “I heard you the first time.”
To his frustration, she grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind, but I really want to go now.”
“Maddie, wait,” he protested. “Look, we need to talk about this.”
“Not now,” she answered without meeting his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it now.” Without another word, she flounced off, disap
pearing through the door as the annoying bell gave a cheerful little chime.
Owen watched her through the front window, his chest tight with regret. Damn it, he’d handled this all wrong. All fucking wrong. And he was still buck naked, he realized, in plain view of anyone who happened to walk by the window. His erection slowly wilted away, propelling him to search for his own discarded clothes. He dressed in a hurry, wanting to kick himself the entire time.
Well. He’d totally fucked that one up, hadn’t he?
“We did the makeover four days ago and you’re telling me Owen hasn’t made a single move?”
Maddie averted her eyes, unable to look at Lexie’s gaping expression. Instead, she reached for her martini glass and focused on the small stage at the other end of the karaoke bar, where Charlotte was belting out “I Will Survive” in that beautiful throaty voice of hers. Charlotte had rented out the bar for the night, so it was empty save for the bartender, a waitress and the seven women attending Charlotte’s bachelorette. Along with the three bridesmaids, Charlotte had extended an olive branch to a few other women in town, including Laura Easton, Paradise’s librarian, who was currently slugging back vodka shots with Vicky Lewis, the town florist. The duo weren’t the only ones making an effort to get drunk. It really wasn’t fair, doing karaoke with a professional singer, so it wasn’t surprising that the seven women who weren’t Charlotte had proceeded to get plastered. Apparently alcohol was the only way any of them were getting up on that stage.
Maddie, on the other hand, was more interested in drinking her mortification away than mustering up the courage to sing in front of Charlotte.
“Not a single move,” she lied, still avoiding Lexie’s eyes.
“I’m shocked,” the blonde said, shaking her head. “Seriously. You’ve shown up to work for four days looking drop-dead gorgeous and he hasn’t said or done a thing?”
“Three days,” she corrected. “I called in sick today.”
So she wouldn’t have to face him. Call her a coward, but the last thing she’d wanted to do this morning was pretty herself up and go into the office. After last night, she wasn’t sure she even wanted to work there anymore.
Nice.
He’d called their encounter nice. It was still humiliating to even think about it. There she was, dying with the need to have that man inside her, burning with arousal, and instead of giving her the hot sex she’d been desperate for, he’d rejected her.
But why? Even as he’d recited his rejection speech, she could have sworn she’d seen desire flickering in his gray eyes. And regret. Yeah, she’d definitely seen regret there. He’d wanted her. She’d felt his need in his drugging kisses, witnessed it in his rock-hard erection.
So why had he stopped? She didn’t buy his bullshit about their being best friends, and how an affair would ruin their personal and professional relationship. So why, damn it?
“Well, screw it then,” Lexie declared, flipping her hair over her delicate shoulder. “If he’s too stupid to see what’s right in front of him, then don’t waste your time. You deserve someone who recognizes how awesome you are.”
Maddie wanted to point out that Lexie didn’t even know her all that well, or at least not long enough to call her awesome, but it felt nice having someone stand up for her. But although a part of her knew Lexie was right, that she did deserve better, she couldn’t quite forget about how incredible last night had been. Before the rejection, that is.
Kissing Owen had been a dream come true. Sure, there had been some clumsy moments, noses and teeth bumping, some fumbling around, but the passion had been unmistakable. Or at least she’d thought so.
It’s obvious that you’re new to this sort of thing…
Maddie set her martini glass down with a thump, the pale liquid sluicing over the rim of the glass and staining the wood tabletop. Her heart pounded as she allowed the humiliating notion to settle in the forefront of her brain. She’d been trying so hard not to think about what he’d said, but now it came rushing back, making her second-guess the entire encounter.
Had Owen stopped because she’d been too inexperienced? Because he hadn’t enjoyed it as much as she had? Sure, he’d been hard as a rock, but…but he’d moved her hand away when she’d wrapped her fingers around his erection. She hadn’t thought it odd last night, but now…
Her cheeks went scorching hot.
God, had her inexperience turned him off?
With shaky hands, she picked up her glass again, drained it, and proceeded to signal the waitress for another. Oh God. And she’d thought she couldn’t possibly feel any more mortified. She didn’t want to believe that Owen would completely derail their sex train because she lacked the right moves, but what if he had? She’d only slept with one other man in her life, and that had been four years ago. Being a virgin at twenty-three had made her feel like a total loser, so she’d gone out and lost it to the first guy she’d started dating after college. The relationship had only lasted a few months, and the sex had been kind of bland, so really, she shouldn’t be surprised that Owen might have picked up on her amateur sex status. He’d probably made up all that stuff about not wanting to hurt her so she wouldn’t feel embarrassed.
“Look,” Lexie said with a sigh, evidently taking Maddie’s silence as a sign of depression or something. “I know what it’s like to have someone treat you like a piece of…garbage, I guess.”
The soft remark jolted Maddie from her thoughts. She turned to Lexie with a bewildered look. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Lexie confessed. “I was involved with a guy recently and he totally took me for granted. Just expected me to always be around, even when he treated me like shit. I let it go on for months, until one day I realized I deserved better.”
She couldn’t even imagine Lexie being mistreated. Along with being stunning and utterly elegant, Lexie seemed like the kind of woman who didn’t take crap from anyone. But the vulnerability flashing across the blonde’s face was unmistakable.
“That sounds awful. I’m glad you dumped him.”
“Me too.” Lexie grinned. “He’s not so glad about it, though. He keeps showing up at my door, begging for forgiveness.”
“And you won’t give it to him?”
The other woman slowly shook her head. “I can’t. Not after the way he treated me.”
Maddie paused, wondering what she would do when Owen asked for her forgiveness. She knew he would, when she went into work on Monday. If she went into work. At the moment, the thought of seeing him again made her feel a bit nauseated.
“Lex!”
Charlotte’s voice interrupted them, and both women glanced over to see Charlotte beckoning to Lexie with her martini glass. “Come up and do a duet with me,” the redhead called.
Although Lexie looked less than enthused, she put down her glass and got to her feet. “Can’t say no to the bride,” she said grudgingly before heading off.
Maddie stayed at the table for a moment, then stood up herself and headed for the door. It was times like these when she definitely needed a cigarette, but she’d have to settle for fresh air instead. It was dark when she stepped outside, and when she tipped her head up, she noticed the spattering of shiny stars in the clear inky sky. She welcomed the sight, breathing the cool night air.
When she’d been away at college in Denver, she’d missed seeing the stars. She’d been so happy to come home to Paradise, the beautiful little town she’d lived in all her life. She’d only been back a week when she’d spotted Owen’s job ad in the paper, and she’d instantly printed up a resume. Living with her father after four years on her own had been a total pain in the ass, and she’d been desperate to get her own apartment. She’d remembered Owen from high school—he’d been two years ahead of her—and the memory of his gorgeous face had pushed her to interview for the job. Within days of working for him, she’d fallen head over heels for the man.
For three years she’d fantasized about what it would be like to kiss him, to have sex with him.
Last night, she’d found out. Almost, anyway.
It’s obvious that you’re new to this sort of thing…
Hard as it was to accept, she knew that must have been the reason he’d stopped. Because, really, why else? Considering the way he’d been sexing it up all these years, it was clear that Owen Bishop had no problem getting it on with any female who was willing. She imagined he’d left a trail of broken hearts in his wake, so why the sudden bout of morality?
God, why hadn’t she been bolder, more confident? She’d fantasized about being with Owen a million times in her head, but when the fantasy had become reality, she’d blown it. When she’d touched him, she’d kept overthinking it, unsure about what would make him feel good. And her stupid hands had refused to quit trembling. By the time he had her up on the desk, though, she’d felt herself loosening up, and when she’d begged him to get inside her, she hadn’t been reciting some cheesy line she’d heard in a porno. She’d been wet and needy and desperate for him.
But apparently the confidence had come too late.
“Maddie?”
Her head lifted at the sound of her name and she saw Cooper Grady hopping out of a black pickup and crossing the gravel parking lot in her direction. A lit cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth, but at the sight of her, he quickly tossed the butt on the ground and put it out with his boot. For some reason, she felt like bursting into tears at the gesture.
“What are you doing here?” she asked hoarsely, blinking through the sudden moisture in her eyes.
“Came to have a drink.” His black eyes clouded over when he noticed the sign on the door. Closed for Private Party. “Aw, you’ve got to be shitting me,” he muttered.
“Charlotte’s having her bachelorette,” Maddie explained. “Drunken karaoke.”
He offered a curse, followed by a shrug. “Guess I’ll head over to Bishop’s Corner.” He cocked his head. “Wait, if the party’s inside, then why are you out here?”
“I needed air.” She let out a sigh. “Actually, I needed to sulk.”