CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Ugh, you!” Seeing Mitch left Maggie relieved, yet annoyed. She wasn’t about to get slashed up by an ax-murderer, but with all the thoughts of sex she was having, he was the last person she wanted to see. He looked a little worse for the wear but was still the hottest guy she’d been around in a long time. If not ever. “What are you doing here? You scared the crap out of me.”
He took a long swig straight from the bottle. “You naked?”
“Oh my God. No, I’m not naked. You should go.”
She watched helplessly as he bent and picked up the hot pink bikini top lying inches from his left boot. Swinging it around by the strap, he raised his eyebrows. He swayed a little before sitting down to take off his shoes.
“What are you doing? Don’t do that. I told you, you need to go,” she said in a panic. If she got out, he would see she was topless. Oh, who was she kidding? He’d already figured that out but was clearly planning on getting in anyway. Her body tingled with anticipation. Parts that hadn’t tingled for far too long. Treacherous, stupid body.
“Looks inviting. Mind if I join you?” In one swift motion, he pulled his shirt off over his head, and her mouth droppedopen. Not very ladylike, but then again, it wasn’t every day she was treated to a striptease by a man this amazingly gorgeous. He looked like he’d walked off the page of a magazine. Broad shoulders, bulging biceps, nice, trim waist. And just enough chest hair to prove he was a man, not a bear. And that love trail…
She snapped her mouth shut and looked away. “No! I mean, yes. I mind. Don’t you dare!” It wasn’t just the wine that had her flustered. “You don’t have a swimsuit.”
She looked back in time to see him smile and unbutton the top button of his jeans.
“No need,” he said casually.
He stumbled a little, trying to get out of his pants. Was he drunk? She looked around frantically for something to cover herself. His recently shed clothes were the only thing nearby. The towel she brought out seemed miles away. It hung uselessly on the back of a patio chair several steps away. She felt the water slosh around as he slid in, bottle in hand.Oh, dear.
She remembered what day it was and figured this must be his way of coping. He was probably drinking to forget.
“So, um, I’m getting out. If you could look away for a second, I’ll leave you in peace.” Her brain wasn’t working at full capacity, and she had to work hard to get the sentence out without slurring her words.
“That’s all right. I don’t mind the company.” He not only didn’t look away but continued to stare right at her. His eyes were unfocused, but there was no mistaking the look that pinned her to her seat. Lust.
She stared back, the alcohol making her brazen. Could she go through with this? Only five minutes ago she’d been thinking about loosening up. Perhaps it was time to put her money where her mouth was.
“Maggie?”
His words shook her from her thoughts. “Yeah?”
“Come here, will ya?”
What the heck? She could always blame it on the alcohol tomorrow. She inched a little closer. Sensing her weakness, he grabbed her wrist and pulled. All at once, they were face to face, and she was straddling his lap. Her hands gravitated to his shoulders of their own accord. His muscles tensed under her fingers. The water covered her breasts, but barely.
“Mags?” Why did he keep saying her name? She was right here for God’s sake.
“Hm?” she said, staring at his mouth.
“Never mind,” he mumbled as he pulled her to him and kissed her. She opened to him right away. She’d made up her mind, time to quit thinking. His tongue swept into her mouth, and she moaned. He tasted like tequila and testosterone. She moved her hands to the back of his head and scooted closer, turning her head to deepen the kiss. He put his hands on her bare back. Millimeters were all that separated them, but that felt too far. They’d gone from zero to sixty in an instant, and still, it didn’t seem fast enough. She wanted to eat him up—every last, sexy inch of him.
The kiss deepened, and soon their naked torsos were flush against each other. Her breasts pressed against him, exposed to the cold night air. He bent and took her taut nipple into his mouth. She tipped her head back and groaned. God, she missed this. She’d gone way too long. He moved to the other breast, and she pushed her pelvis against him. He was hard and huge, and the only thing separating them was her skimpy bikini bottom.
He worked his way up her neck and nibbled on her ear. “God, you are beautiful,” he whispered into her throat.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, he stood. After waiting a second to make sure he could balance, he climbed out of the hot tub with her hanging on tight.
“We can’t finish this here.” He grabbed the towel on his way into the house. Upon entering, he froze. They couldn’t go to Jenny’s bed, and certainly not the boys’ room.
“Couch,” she said, realizing the dilemma. It was closeranyway, and she was getting impatient. She was ready to have her world rocked and had a good feeling this man could do it.
Mitch staggered to the living room and lowered them both to the rug on the floor. “We’re too wet for the couch.”
He covered her with his body and immediately began kissing her again. She arched into him, desperate to get closer. He held his weight on his forearms, kissing her like she’d never been kissed before. Every cell was wide-awake and screaming for more. She opened her legs and wrapped one around his waist. Her hands stroked his soft, short hair. He pulled back, and she cupped his face.
The living room was dark, but the glow from the kitchen appliances illuminated his face. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment, and she noticed something she’d missed before. Lurking behind the drunken lust was an immense, overwhelming sadness. Real, raw pain and a loneliness that made her heart ache. In that instant, he let his guard down and allowed her in. It might have been the alcohol or maybe just the sheer weight of the burden he carried constantly, but for a moment, he dropped the tough guy mask, and her heart broke.
