Suddenly Sexy (6 page)

Some things never changed. Tonight, when he'd said he was going to see Maddie, his mother had actually praised him on his choice. During high school, she used to shake her head and mutter "She's a floozy" no matter who he dated.

Once he got his own place, he'd retrieve Chewy from the Sydney friends taking care of him, then he'd get a Chewy-friendly car. One that carried planks of wood and dogs. That sort of car would probably spoil his chances with a lot of women, but too bad. He was past the phase of his life where he had to impress the opposite sex.

Although Maddie didn't look like the sort of woman who worried about leather seats, a five-stack CD player and 500 horse power. She was practical. He was ready for practical. Practical far outweighed flighty any day. Practical meant someone to get him ready on time, someone to remind him of important dates without worrying if he forgot their eight and a half week anniversary. Practical was definitely good. Especially if it came in a package like Maddie. Sexy, delicious Maddie with her ride-me hips and innocent eyes. A heady mixture.

He moved as close to her as the gear stick would allow. Mmmm she smelled good.

"Sam?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why are you sniffing me?" She leaned back towards the door.

Damn. Too far away to kiss. "I like the way you smell."

She raised her brows. "You can smell it?"

"Your perfume? Yeah." He breathed in again, drawing the scent of Maddie deep into his lungs.

She flinched. Was she self-conscious about her smell? If only she knew how wild it drove him.

"I'm not wearing any perfume."

"Then it must be just you. You smell like my favorite flower."

"What's that?"

"The one that smells like you."

She snorted. "Using all your old lines on me, Sam Hennessy?"

What the hell did she mean by that? He sighed and sat back, a little stab piercing just below his rib cage. "I don't have any lines, Maddie." He looked down at the twinkling lights of Melbourne below them. It seemed so small from their vantage point, like a toy city. "Not any more anyway."

"Riiiight."

He turned to her but she was looking out the side window, her face shadowed. "Are you mad at me for something?" he said.

Maddie cringed. Why couldn't she have kept the sarcasm out of her voice? Sam Hennessy had been with a lot of girls during high school, but so what? He might be reformed now. He might be...

Okay, okay, he probably still dated a lot of women, but tonight he was with her, so she should just make the most of the evening. She’d be crazy to let a chance like this slip by without kissing him.

But it was more complicated than that. She was enjoying herself with him, more than she'd thought she would. She’d expected to be bored, or worse, disappointed that he didn’t live up to her fantasy. But he did.

Damn.

Now he wanted to kiss her. It seemed that Pheramour was working, except for the glitch of the slight odor. What else could explain his behavior? He'd almost kissed her!

Perfect. It’s what she wanted. Sam Hennessy hot for her.
Her
!

Wasn’t it?

Pheramour was successful beyond her highest expectations, and she was absolutely, positively ecstatic about that. Couldn't possibly want it any other way. Nope. Nuh-uh.

Damn.

Maddie swallowed the lump in her throat and forced her reservations to shut the hell up. Get back in there, girl, and go for it. This is a once in a life-time opportunity. Kissing Sam Hennessy won’t happen again this century.

"No," she said, "I'm not mad at you. I was just kidding around." She tried to sound light, girlish, like the sort of woman he’d like.

"Oh." Sam grinned and Maddie melted. He had an amazing smile. His lips curved up to form a perfect Cupid's bow and two dimples punctuated either end. She wanted to touch them and taste his soft, kissable lips.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression of me," he said. "I’m not the kind of guy I was in high school."

"What kind of guy is that?" she asked innocently.

"The kind that didn’t know a great girl when he met one."

Ah. Right. She was sure he meant something by that but her scrambled brain couldn’t think properly. "And I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression of me," she said.

Even as she said it, she wondered what the right impression was. Deep down she was still the nerd he'd accused her of being years ago, only now she'd added other layers to her personality to hide it. But when push came to shove, she was still the same person, still a boring nerd. She organized her books alphabetically by author, she read science journals and she made love with the light out. Not even a lamp on.

Would that bother him?

"No wrong impressions here," he murmured.

How had he got so close without her noticing? The man was as stealthy as a panther and had more tricks up his sleeve than David Copperfield. And he looked at her the way she looked at dessert. The intensity behind his stare unnerved her. She felt naked and vulnerable, and yet beautiful at the same time.

"Oh. Good." Her voice was so high, the words sounded like they came from Mickey Mouse. "So are you taking me home now or what?"

The "or what" hung in the air between them. If his answer had the word kiss in it, she was going to get out of the car and walk home. As much as she wanted to taste his lips, her conscience couldn't allow the date to go that far. He had no control over his behavior because of Pheramour so it wasn't fair to—

The kiss she was trying to avoid took her by surprise. Once she got over her initial shock, no way could she stop it. Her conscience could go take a hike. This was Sam Hennessy! She could definitely allow the date to progress beyond the friendly chatter they'd exchanged up till now.

It was just a kiss, not sex.

But what a kiss! Heat arrowed through her body, scoring a direct hit on her inner thighs. The kiss was hard at first, but softened, became slow and consuming like a brush fire. He tasted of pizza and he smelled all male. The combination was delicious and Maddie sank into his lips, wanting his silky tongue in her mouth, on her throat, her nipples...everywhere.

Most dreams never live up to expectations when they become reality. Sam Hennessy's kiss not only lived up to her childhood fantasy, it exceeded it with flying colors. She'd give him an A+. Kissing him was everything she'd dreamed of all those years ago in Cynthia's tree house.

Everything and more. The young Maddie had never imagined it would be so hot, so passionate. He had the softest lips of any man she'd ever kissed. And when he cupped her cheeks and gently stroked her face with his thumbs, there wasn't a word in the dictionary to describe the sensations thundering through her body.

Wow, the man who'd kissed so many women was kissing her! The man she’d dreamed of for fifteen years, had her locked in a thrilling embrace.

Oh God. What if she wasn’t doing it right? How could
she
live up to
his
expectations?

She pulled away, then instantly regretted the loss of contact. A wisp of air separated them, cooling her. She sighed involuntarily and licked her lips to try and taste him all over again.

Why in hell had she broken the kiss?

But it was the right thing to do. She was the school nerd. She may have changed, but she hadn't changed
enough
for Sam Hennessy to want to kiss her. Not without Pheramour.

"What's wrong?" He lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger to look into her face.

She jerked her head away so she didn't have to look in his eyes. Those blue pools were like a truth serum—how could you lie to someone with such honest, trusting eyes?

"Nothing. But I think I'd like to go home now."

Damn it, why did she have to think? Why did she have to analyze and decipher and calculate? Why couldn't she be one of those women who kissed men just for the hell of it?

Because she was Maddie Clarke, and thinking through the consequences of actions was what she did best. She couldn't change that fact even if she'd wanted to.

Sam shuffled back to his side of the car. She thought she heard him sigh but she must have been mistaken. Sam Hennessy wasn’t a sigher. Although there were definitely waves of chilly confusion coming from his direction.

He revved up the Porsche and drove down Mount Dandenong, his face lost in the shadows. They drove in silence back to Maddie's place, giving them both time to think about what had happened. As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she had enjoyed the kiss, she just wished the atmosphere wasn't so tense between them now because of it. The silence practically throbbed.

"Maddie," Sam said when he parked the Porsche outside her place. He rubbed his jaw and looked everywhere except at her. "I'm sorry if I did something I shouldn't have up there. I just couldn't help myself. Forgive me?"

How could she not? His crooked smile revealed one sexy dimple and his long lashes framed eyes that, now they were looking directly at her, made her knees quake.

"Nothing to forgive," she said breezily. "It was just as much my fault."

"Sure was." His voice was husky, low. "Can I come inside?"

Uh-oh
. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why? Afraid I'll kiss you again?"

Not half as afraid as she was of sleeping with him.

She got out of the car and he followed. He took her hand and led her to the porch steps. He sat on the second one and drew her down on the top, her feet on the step beside him. He leaned back on his elbow and stretched out his long legs. Insects serenaded them from the depths of the evening darkness. Maddie breathed in the fragrant summer air, relaxing for the first time since the kiss. No, since before then. Since he’d strolled back into her life as if he’d never been gone.

"Beautiful night," Sam said quietly. "I miss Melbourne's nights. Sydney's just aren't the same. Sounds silly I suppose, but the stars seem brighter down here. It's nice to come home and just sit outside like this on a warm night and watch them."

"You still consider Melbourne home, even after all these years?"

"Yeah. I did a hell of a lot of growing up here."

"You did a hell of a lot of all sorts of things, but is that a reason to come back? Especially when everything's changed so much?"

He fingered the cuff of her jeans. "Some things changed." His knuckles grazed her ankle and Maddie caught her breath. "Others not so much, but I see them differently now. Maybe that's why I'm back." He glanced up at her and his eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "To discover the things I missed the first time round."

Oh boy. So much for loosening up. Everything inside her suddenly coiled up like a tight spring.

"Relax," he said, laughing softly.

"I’m relaxed." About as relaxed as a mouse that had just spotted a cat prowling outside its mouse hole.

Sam’s hand rubbed slowly up and down her calf beneath her jeans in what she supposed were meant to be soothing strokes. She felt anything but soothed. Her pulse rate spiked and blood pounded between her ears like a waterfall. Sam Hennessy was coming onto her. First the kiss, now the leg thing. Yep, definitely coming onto her. She didn’t need to have a science degree to read the signs.

Thank God she’d shaved her legs.

"Maddie," he said, massaging her calf muscle.

"Hmmm?" He was good. He definitely knew how to lull a girl into a false sense of security. She was aware she had to be on her toes right now but damned if she couldn’t think straight. Not with Sam Hennessy feeling up her leg.

Boy, she was in
way
over her head. None of the guys she’d dated in the past had made her feel this good. None had taken the time to gently caress her calf like this. They all seemed to want to start at her chest.

"Are you going to invite me inside?"

Oh. So he did want something more. She should have guessed. He
was
male after all. "It’s nice out here," she said.

"Yeah, but these steps are getting hard."

"Your car seats are soft." She cringed as soon as she said it. It sounded like she wanted him to leave and she definitely didn’t want that. He might have only one thing on his mind, and it might have been put there thanks to Pheramour but it felt sooo good. To hell with it. The opportunity to kiss Sam Hennessy wouldn’t come around every lifetime so she might as well make the most of it in this one. "But so is my couch. Let’s go."

She led the way inside and pointed at the couch. He made a show of testing the cushions. "Yep, they’re softer than the steps." He sat and stretched his legs out under the coffee table, looking like he belonged exactly there, on her couch, in her lounge room. All he needed was the TV remote.

"Coffee?" she offered.

"Got any ice cream?"

He was kidding, right? "You want ice cream?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?"

"Well," she regarded him quizzically, "it’s not very sophisticated."

He shrugged. "I’m not a very sophisticated guy."

"It’s not low fat," she said.

"Good."

Where did he put it? He didn’t look like the kind of guy who ate ice cream every night. She went into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with two bowls of triple chocolate and handed one to Sam.

He ate his with all the attention ice cream deserved—in deferential silence and with a great deal of attention. He even licked the spoon clean. She watched it slide in and out of his mouth, his tongue lapping up every last morsel, his eyes half-closing with the goodness of it. For a moment, she even forgot to eat her own ice cream,
that’s
how good the show was.

When he finished, he put his bowl on the coffee table and watched her. She pretended she didn’t notice when all the while her body was aware of his eyes on her, taking in every little thing she did to that spoon just as she had noticed him.

Unfortunately she spoiled the moment and spilled some ice cream down her chin and it dripped onto her lap. What a loser.

"Here, let me get that."

Before she realized he meant the drip on her chin and not the one in her lap, he’d already pressed his mouth to her lower lip. His warm tongue darted out and licked away the ice cream. Oh, yesssss. He was the world’s best kisser, no doubt about it. Gentle yet insistent, exploring without probing. Tingles radiated from every corner of her body and bubbled inside her like fizzy cola. One shake and she’d explode.

Without breaking the kiss, he took her bowl and placed it on the coffee table. One hand then went to her hip, his other scooped around her lower back and pulled her to him in an expert move.

Pressed against his hard body, she couldn’t go anywhere and certainly didn’t want to. This was too good,
he
was too good. Slowly, slowly, the coil inside her unwound. The tension of earlier eased and then completely disappeared, leaving her feeling like the ice cream she’d just consumed. Melted. Gooey through and through.

"That’s better," he murmured against her lips. "Now, how about seconds?"

He wasn’t referring to ice cream. He kissed her again while his fingers caressed her thigh, tickling and teasing. She shifted and somehow the movement brought his fingers closer to her crotch. He cupped her through her jeans, pressing the stiff fabric into her most sensitive area. She gasped into his mouth. He smiled against her lips as he unbuttoned her fly.

In one swift movement, he opened it and slid his big hand down between jeans and panties, finding her clit without seeming to try. The only thing separating skin from skin was a filmy piece of pink cotton.

Oh boy! She heard her own ragged breathing, her gasps and sighs, but didn’t care. To Hell with what she sounded like, this was Heaven with a capital H.

She arched her hips up to meet his fingers, wanting them to explore further, deeper, beyond the panties. Christ, what had she been thinking wearing underwear! The damn things only got in the way.

His mouth moved to her throat, nibbling and licking the sensitive flesh, driving her closer to something she knew would be amazing. She didn’t know how she knew but if Sam Hennessy was involved, it had to be extraordinary. And all the while one of his fingers rubbed her through the thin fabric, now moist with her juices. Heat swept over her, caressed her skin and drove her wild. God, if it was this good with just one finger, imagine if his cock were inside her.

That thought reminded her of her selfishness. Something she wanted to correct and fast. For years she’d wondered what his penis would feel like and now she had the perfect opportunity to find out. Just as he had done to her, she pressed her hand to the front of his jeans. The hard length of his erection strained against the denim, long and thick.

It was all for her.

He moaned into her mouth and she felt his body shudder.
She
had caused that. Her hands. The power of it was thrilling. What would happen if she touched skin with skin?

She unbuttoned his fly—

The phone rang. She ignored it and continued with her task. But it rang. And rang.

She swore. What if it was important? Who rang late at night anyway? Oh no, Linda! The kids!