Just One Night (10 page)
Authors: Chloe Cole
“But you wouldn’t know,” she grumbled. “Mr. Perfect here has never had a drag of a cigarette, has he?”
“Nope,” Owen admitted proudly. “Jake smokes, though.”
Looking interested, Maddie met his gaze for the first time in days. “When is he showing up, anyway? I haven’t seen Jake in more than a year, maybe longer.”
“He’s flying in a few days before the wedding. He’ll miss Nate’s bachelor party tomorrow night, but at least he’s coming home.”
“It’s so weird, how different you two are.” She cocked her head in curiosity. “Were you ever tempted to join the Army when he enlisted?”
“Not in the slightest.” He grinned ruefully. “Getting shot at isn’t something I ever wanted to experience.”
Maddie gasped. “Has Jake ever been shot?”
“Half a dozen times, at least. Ask him to show you the scars—he likes bragging about them.”
He immediately regretted the remark as he remembered that several of his twin’s scars were in places Maddie had no business looking. That weird jolt of possessiveness startled him, and the following rush of jealousy didn’t help much either. He wished she didn’t look so damn good in that yellow dress. She was no longer cross-legged, she now had her legs stretched out, and they were so long and smooth he curled both hands into fists to refrain from reaching out and touching all that silky skin.
He forced his eyes back to her face, noticing the faint blush on her cheeks. “Were you just checking out my legs?” she demanded.
Of course she just had to go and point it out, didn’t she?
“You’ve got nice legs,” he said lightly, feeling his own cheeks go hot.
She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, her lips tightening in a harsh slash. To his disappointment, she got to her feet and headed toward the file cabinets. He heard her mumble something under her breath, but didn’t catch a single word.
“What did you say?” he asked.
Maddie began rifling through the S files, thoroughly ignoring him.
Owen’s shoulders stiffened as he marched over to her. Her muttered remark hadn’t sounded all that pleasant, judging from the tone of her voice, and he got the feeling it had been directed at him. She bent down, and her long brown hair fell over her shoulders like a silk curtain, a few strands disappearing in her cleavage.
He gritted his teeth. “If you have something to say to me, just say it.”
She lifted her head and shot him a cool look. “I’d rather not.”
As irritation gathered in his gut, he reached out and clasped his fingers over her arm. Instantly, heat suffused his palm. “Say it,” he ordered.
Brown eyes flashing, she met his gaze head-on. “I was just commenting on the fact that my
nice legs
are being wasted here, in this office, when I could be having drinks with someone who actually appreciates them.”
His mouth fell open.
“But you took care of that, didn’t you?” she said with an annoyed huff. “One question, Owen—why don’t you want me going out with Wyatt? And don’t give me that employee-fraternizing bullshit.”
Owen just gaped at her, unable to come up with a single argument in his defense. She was right, of course. He’d purposely ordered her to work late so she would miss her date with Wyatt. But he’d done it for her own good. Wyatt Killington was a sleazy player—Maddie deserved way better than that.
He opened his mouth to explain, but she didn’t give him the chance. Her cheeks were flushed with anger as she unleashed one of her infamous Maddie Wilson attacks.
“You know what? I don’t care what your reasons were,” she burst out, slamming the drawer so hard the metal cabinet rattled. “You had no right to purposely sabotage my date. That was a total asshole thing to do—and
mean,
damn it! It was mean and I don’t appreciate you interfering in my love life. It’s none of your damn business who I go out with, and if you pull a stunt like that again, I
will
quit. For good, this time, and trust me, Owen, without me, you’ll…”
He tuned her out. Maybe he
was
an asshole, but he was far too fascinated with her mouth to focus on the furious words coming out of it. Why hadn’t he ever noticed that her bottom lip was so much fuller than the top?
“I swear to God, Owen, if you do something like this again, I’ll—”
“Shut up,” he said hoarsely.
Her eyes widened. “Did you just tell me to
shut up
?”
“Yes,” he shot back. “I told you to shut up. Wanna know why?”
“No,” she yelled, taking a step to the side. “I don’t want to know why you would have the
nerve
to—”
He decided to answer anyway. “So I could do
this
.”
And then he kissed her.
Just One Night
Chloe Cole
He’s got one shot. Better make it naughty…
Micah’s new living arrangement with her best friend is quickly becoming unbearable. Not because Tomas isn’t a good roommate. When they’re alone, he shows her his sweet, loyal side. It’s just that he shows the rest of his parts to half the women in town. If she can’t scrape together the money for her own place soon, witnessing the aftermath of his late-night carousing is going to break her heart.
Then again, if it’s going to break anyway, maybe she should just go ahead and make a move on the man she’s loved since high school. And risk his rejection a second time.
It hasn’t been easy for Tomas to share space with the one damsel he can’t bear to see in distress. To have her within easy reach has been torture. His foster mother’s words echo in his head: a classy girl like Micah deserves more than the likes of him. But lately Micah’s been rattling his cage. If she does it one more time, she’d better be ready for the animal she awakens.
Unfortunately for him, Micah’s hot little hands are already wrapped around the bars…
Warning: Contains a Latin bad boy with twelve years worth of fantasies to get out of his system, and his goody-two-shoes best friend who learns that her inner bad girl likes handcuffs and spankings. Beware. This book
could
cause a riot since there’s only one Tomas to go around.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Just One Night
Copyright © 2012 by Chloe Cole
ISBN: 978-1-60928-951-5
Edited by Sasha Knight
Cover by Angela Waters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: April 2012
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