Well, at least he could let Adam know he didn’t have to worry about the Agency.
They were already fucking here.
Chapter Seven
Maddie walked away from Deke, deeply thankful that her phone had vibrated and saved her from what might have been an awkward sexual encounter since she’d stopped caring about anything the minute he’d kissed her. That text coming through had been a reminder that they weren’t alone, and she was actually in her backyard.
The man kissed like a god, like every romance hero she’d ever dreamed of all rolled into one.
“You okay?” MaeBe was staring her way as she walked back into the kitchen.
She wasn’t the only one. Kyle had a smirk on his face, and Boomer wasn’t looking at the three menus in his hands.
Yep. Everyone had seen her, and they would have seen her climbing up his body and trying to get inside his pants if she hadn’t been rescued.
Although it appeared she was about to have another awkward situation that would likely be watched by her new friends. They might pop some corn and enjoy the trash fire that was her life.
“I’m good.” She held up her phone and prayed she didn’t look like a woman who’d recently had a tongue halfway down her throat. A sexy, talented tongue. A tongue that had licked pretty much every inch of her body at one point in time, and didn’t she fucking remember. “I kind of ghosted this guy I’ve been seeing for a couple of months. I didn’t mean to, but things got real at work, if you know what I mean.”
“There’s another man?” Kyle lost his smirk. “Does Deke know?”
She was so glad she’d told Deke about Dan Gray. Oh, he’d figured out she wasn’t all that into him very quickly, but she didn’t have to explain the guy away to the man in the backyard. “Yes, he knows about Dan. We casually dated for a couple of weeks. Nothing serious, but I think he’s worried about me. He’s apparently outside and wants to talk.”
MaeBe glanced down at her screen. “Yeah, someone’s pulling up in your driveway. Does this guy drive a Prius?”
That was Dan. She strode toward the front door. “Yeah. He’s nothing to worry about, but I don’t want to have to explain Deke to him. Or any of you. He knows I live alone and don’t have many people over, so if he sees you he might have questions I don’t want to answer. I’ll get rid of him. I’m going to tell him I can’t see him again. He’s a nice guy. He’ll leave as soon as he realizes it’s not working for me.”
“I’ll be on the roo…in my room,” Boomer offered like that was a normal thing to announce. “Just going to go hang out up there until dinner.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Kyle agreed.
She wasn’t sure why Boomer needed to be in his room, but she had a guy to break up with. It was a surprise that he was here. She thought he could take a hint, but she wasn’t worried. Dan was a logical guy, and they’d been nothing more than friendly dinner companions.
She smoothed her hair, put her phone back in her pocket, and opened the door, stepping onto her porch. Dan was just getting out of his car. Maddie walked across the yard to join him. The further she kept him from the house and all its new and never talked about before occupants, the less chance she would have some explaining to do.
After all, she was about to have to tell a guy who liked her that it wasn’t going to work out.
She wouldn’t tell him the reason why she couldn’t even contemplate a relationship with him was standing in her backyard, and she would probably get naked in a hot tub with him later on tonight.
Daniel Gray stopped when he caught sight of her. He wore khakis and a button-down shirt, his uniform. He was as tall as Deke but leaner. His dark hair and gray eyes should have her sighing.
But he seemed dull next to Deke.
He was exactly the right man for her. It was like someone had checked off a list. Intelligent but not arrogant. Good job but willing to listen to her work stories, too. Handsome but not overwhelmingly so. Not intimidated by her.
“Madeline.” He put a hand to his chest. “I swear you’ve given me a heart attack the last few days. Where have you been? You don’t answer my calls or texts. I was worried something happened to you.”
She should have talked to him. This would have been easier over the phone, but she hadn’t thought about anyone but Deke. “I’m sorry. I was out of town. I went to a spa with my cousin. It was one of those wellness places where you have to lock up your phone so you can be present in the moment or something like that. I was going to call you tonight but time kind of got away from me.”
“I’ve been so worried about you.” He took a long breath. “You just disappeared. Are you sure everything is all right, sweetheart?”
“Yeah. It came up suddenly and we hadn’t talked in a couple of days, so I didn’t think to tell you I was leaving town. We didn’t have a date set up.” She was kind of surprised he was reacting this way. She’d gone days without talking to him before and he hadn’t been worried. Half the time, she thought he was the one avoiding her.
“I’m sorry about that. I had to do some traveling myself,” Dan admitted. “I know I’ve been kind of drifting in and out but I’m clearing my schedule for the next several weeks, and I am going to concentrate on you. I know you’re under a lot of pressure at work, and I’m going to make sure you relax. I was hoping we could spend some time together this weekend, but I’m glad you got away. Did you already eat? I would love to take you out, or we could order something in and you can tell me all about your weekend.”
It was oddly aggressive for Dan. She’d always kind of gotten the idea that he could take her or leave her. Not that he didn’t like her, but he was always so casual. “I’m afraid I’ve got some work to do. We’re scheduled to launch in a couple of weeks, so any time off is going to be hard. It’s why I jumped on this weekend when I had the chance.”
His jaw tightened, and even in the moonlight she could see the resolute look in his eyes. He straightened the glasses he wore and moved in close. “Maddie, I think I’ve played this the wrong way. I’ve played it cool when that’s not at all how I feel about you. I’m sorry. I should have shown you.”
He reached out for her hand, taking it in his.
Alarm bells started to go off in her head, and unlike with Deke, she could hear these perfectly. “I think you played it right because we’ve got a nice, friendly thing going.”
He stepped in, coming into her space. “No, I’ve definitely given you the wrong impression. Let me correct that mistake.”
Suddenly he was leaning over, his nicely shaped lips swooping in to cover hers.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. It felt wrong to have him kiss her. Not an ounce of arousal went through her, just a terrible sense of alarm that she was definitely breaking the rules and her Dom was going to spank her, and maybe not sensually.
She pushed at his chest, and somewhere in the background she heard the door slam open. “No. I don’t want you to kiss me.”
Dan stepped back and started to open his mouth when he looked over and his jaw dropped. “Fuck. Deke, I did not know you were going to be here. I am working and you need to…”