Wanting It All: A Naked Men Novel (10 page)

“God, no.” Riley shuddered in mock horror. “But now you’ve added Alaska. Isn’t that enough?”

It should be. Yet every time he thought about Madison, it brightened his day like a damn bug light going off in his psyche, making it impossible to slough her off. “No.”

Riley picked up three limes from a bowl on the bar and began to juggle. Show-off. “Look, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t be mad at her for bringing up marriage, and then be mad that she hasn’t decided if you’re marriage material. Which, for the record, we all know you sure as hell are
not.
”

“Obviously. I’m never limiting myself to one woman. I’d never eat pizza for a month straight. Why should I be more boring with women than with my food choices?”

“When these five minutes are up and I can go back to being madly in love with Chloe, I’m going to smack you across the back of the head for that remark.” Griff’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “But for now? Sure. I’ll go with it. A beautiful blonde with a big rack would be torture to share a bed with every damn day.”

Of course. They couldn’t remember her name, but they remembered his mentioning her cup size. “I’m just not done with her yet. Why does she have to get serious? Why can’t we keep having fun until…” It wasn’t quite as simple to figure out how to end the sentence. He should say until he’d ditch her. But that seemed too harsh for Madison. “…until we’re not anymore,” Knox finished lamely.

“You want to have your cake.” As usual, Josh brought everything back to food. “Eat it. But not hold on to the leftovers.”

“Right.”

Griff pointed at the all-time-zone clock they’d installed once Logan started disappearing to other hemispheres. “Time’s up. Which means I can point out that while your companies are disposable like that, women are not.”

Great. Now Knox had the problem of his company sale back in the forefront of his mind. Something else that confused him and pissed him off for no good reason.

They were all silent for a moment. Then Josh clapped his hands together. “I’ve got it. This should be our next podcast. Do women want the white dress more than they want the man? Why are they all about reining in our independence?”

“I could riff on that for a whole hour all by myself,” Knox said grimly.

Griffin headed over to the grill. “This doesn’t get you off the hook, Josh. All you did was swipe Knox’s head-scratcher. You’re still responsible for another topic.”

“This Madison sounds like an emotional hell-raiser. I’m sure she’ll provide more inspiration in the ranting and venting department.”

Knox was sure of that, too. Just as sure as he was completely
unsure
if she was worth the trouble.

Or what to do next.

Madison couldn’t be happier. She was in her new, albeit shared, apartment. She loved everything about it. The black and white bathroom floor tiles, the long galley kitchen with granite countertops like she’d seen on a zillion home rehab shows. Oh, and the view from her bedroom of the cascading fountain at Meridian Hill Park. There was a gym downstairs, and a sort of hangout room with a pool table where she hoped to meet other residents.

Annabeth had turned out to be a great roommate. She believed in an entire shelf in the freezer for ice cream
and
in sharing hair accessories. Summer had brought her best friend, Chloe, over to join them this evening, so Madison was making yet another new friend. And she had her favorite chicken enchiladas baking in the oven. It was everything she’d hoped for in her new life.

Almost.

Okay, all things considered…still…maybe Madison could be a
little
bit happier. Because the way things had ended with Knox on Sunday night still sat in her craw like a grain of sand in an oyster. It had been four days. She’d sent him dirty texts. He’d responded. She’d called once to tell him a funny story about a tourist who tried to slide down the Library’s wide marble bannister but knocked himself out by bonking into the bronze statue on the newel post.

Knox laughed in the right places. Texted her a photo of a bannister that circled up at least four floors somewhere inside the Capitol building, with the suggestion that the tourist try there next. But there’d been no repeat of sexy times. No mention of another date. No reaching out from him to her. Madison hadn’t decided if she was frustrated, pissy, hurt, or some combination of the three.

She carried two platters to the coffee table. “Mexican deviled eggs—they’ve got a bit of a kick to them from the pickled jalapeños, so watch out—and empanadas.”

“This all looks wonderful.” Summer lunged for an egg. “But it seems like, well, a ton of work for a random Thursday night?”

“I like to cook.” To cook and fuss over people and generally be the mom to everyone until she had her own kids to nurture. Even if it was just an apartment, Madison was determined to turn it into a warm and welcoming home where friends could pop in day and night and find a sympathetic ear. Although she hadn’t mentioned yet to Annabeth the
day and night
part of her fantasy.

“Me too,” said Chloe. “Which is why I know just how much effort you put into doing all of this after racing home. We’re supposed to be here for you.”

Madison cocked her head. “How’s that?” Annabeth had just mentioned she’d invited friends over. And to her credit, had offered to get Chinese takeout for them all, but Madison didn’t want to miss the chance to give back even a little something to Annabeth for letting her move in. There’d been no mention of company for Madison’s sake. She had no idea what to make of it.

“Oh.” Chloe looked back and forth between Summer and Annabeth. Pulled her pink hood up and yanked the ties until her face almost disappeared. “Were we not supposed to say anything?”

“Not so much.” Annabeth crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “Too late now, though, to be subtle about it.”

Mystified, Madison asked, “About what?”

“About the fact that you’ve been obnoxiously cleaning this place for four days. Scrubbing grout until midnight. Baking cookies for me to ‘take to work.’ Madison, I work at a restaurant, for crying out loud. You’ve done everything possible to avoid pouting and whining. But I know that you and Knox had a fight. So let it out. Tears? Ranting? We’re here for you.”

Tears did well up, but not over Knox. Madison threw herself, arms outstretched, across the three women on the lime green sofa. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“I think we’re getting the picture,” came Summer’s muffled voice.

“Definitely getting more emotion than air,” said Annabeth.

“Sorry.” Madison backed all the way off to the rocking chair with the tangerine throw pillows. “Thank you for coming over. Seriously. You all just met me, and you’ve gone out of your way to be nice to me.”

Chloe pushed back her hoodie. “I didn’t know Annabeth before a few months ago. We’ll save the pathetic story of my formerly very small life for another time. Suffice it to say I didn’t have many friends. Annabeth’s been great to me, so if she says you’re one of us, then you are. It’s that simple.”

Madison had always believed that if she wanted something, came up with a solid plan, and worked her ass off, she’d get it. Determination counted for as much as enthusiasm and execution. But she’d never imagined that the plan for her new life in D.C. would come together so quickly and easily. She swiped her pinkies beneath her eyes to catch any tear trails. “I came here looking for family. I didn’t realize I’d find one before my brother even answered his email.”

“What brother?” asked Chloe.

Summer’s eyes bugged out. “God, is Knox your secret brother? Are we living in a telenovela right now?”

The laughter at that thought chased away the last of the happy tears. “No. I can state categorically that we are not related. But you’re half right.” Sharing this information wasn’t part of Madison’s plan. Not before she’d at least made contact with him. But how was it possible to jinx something that was a fact? Spill now or later, the blood ties wouldn’t change. “I have a secret brother. He’s one of the reasons I came to D.C.”

Annabeth stood. “Did you make margaritas?”

“No. Just iced tea.”

“This conversation demands margaritas.” She hustled into the kitchen. Cabinets banged as she pulled out tequila, mixer, glasses, and a blender. “Keep going. But come in here so I don’t miss anything.”

Every time she told the story, it was good practice for the first big conversation with her brother. Madison slid onto the stool by the granite-topped island. “All I knew my whole life was that my dad bailed a few months after I was born. No contact, no child support. It was how my mom wanted it. And if he didn’t want to know me, then I sure didn’t intend to chase after him. But a few months ago, he reached out to Mom. He was sick. Needed transfusions and maybe more.”

“I wouldn’t call that reaching out to you. Sounds more like….he came looking for your DNA compatible bits and pieces?”

“Yes.” It was a humbling thought. One that had shocked Madison to her core. “Mom didn’t tell me for a week. She wrestled with it, long and hard, but decided she couldn’t take his life in her hands. So then the whole story came out.”

Annabeth whacked a lime in half so hard that it bounced into the sink. “This man abandoned you, and twenty—”

“Twenty-four.”

“Twenty-four years later, after zero attempts to be in your life, he shows up with his hand out?”

More or less. “He is scared. Panicking. Desperate. I can blame him for abandoning us, but I don’t blame him for asking for help. It turned out to be a moot point. By the time Mom told me, things had turned around. I never even talked to him. But all this also revealed that I have a brother. A half brother. One that I’m sure doesn’t know about me any more than I knew about him. A man that will be an automatic and lifelong connection for me. So I came here to meet him.”

They all gaped at her. “Well?” Chloe finally asked. “What happened when you met him?”

“Nothing. I mean, it hasn’t happened yet.”

Annabeth wrinkled her nose. “Did you get cold feet?”

“Never. But I didn’t want him to tell me it was stupid to move all the way across the country”—like her thesis advisor and her mom and her seatmate on the plane—“to be with a total stranger who might not give me the time of day.”

The blender whirred noisily into action. While it did, Madison moved the plates of appetizers to the island. Annabeth poured the frothy mixture into tumblers. “I don’t want to be a rain-on-your-parade kind of person—”

Summer cut her off with an outstretched, judgy finger wag. “You are totally that kind of person. Way too practical and not nearly enough go-with-the-moment.”

“You go with enough moments for all of us combined, Spontaneous Girl.”

Chloe took a quiet slurp from her glass. “That thought did occur to you, though? That maybe you could’ve just picked up the phone and called him? Not risked everything?”

She had a master’s degree. Madison could follow a logical thought progression. Not to mention that given the very hand-to-mouth, nomadic existence she led as a child, she’d never fly off without a plan
and
a backup plan.

“I wanted to get out of Alaska.”

“Done!” Summer made a giant check mark in the air with her arm.

“I wanted to move to a major metropolis to find the man of my dreams.” Finding as strong a candidate as Knox on day one had put her way ahead of schedule with that part of the plan. Time that was being wasted now by Knox’s stubbornness.

After a beat, Chloe murmured quietly, “In progress.”

“I nailed down an amazing job.”

“Done!” Another check in the air from Summer.

Madison lifted her glass. “D.C. is going to be a wonderful place for me to spend the rest of my life. Having a brother here is just another piece of the puzzle. And when we meet, I’m sure that brother/sister bond will kick in immediately.”

Summer gave her an encouraging and enthusiastic nod that sent her long hair flying. Chloe gave her a thumbs-up. Annabeth, however, merely winged an eyebrow up in obvious skepticism. “When will this magical synergy occur? I’d kind of like to watch.”

“I’d like to be there in case you need a hand to hold,” Chloe said with a frown to Annabeth.

“I emailed him as soon as I moved in. He works at his father’s company.” Madison still didn’t think of the man as her father. Not really. Far easier to concentrate on her brother than to sort through the complicated feelings around the man who hadn’t wanted her…and then suddenly did. “I used the contact form on their website. So now I wait.”

“Couldn’t you ask your, um, sperm donor?” Chloe ventured.

“I’m not asking him for anything.” Her brother would answer. Madison was sure of it in her bones.

“Do you want us to help?” Annabeth offered. “This is D.C. We all know people with connections to various parts of the government. No FBI agents or anything—”

“That we know of,” Chloe said with a dramatic waggle of her eyebrows.

“Fine. Although there’s a guy who comes into the POV every seventeen days like clockwork. He sits at the bar. Turns his back to the view, even if the balcony tables are available. He couldn’t be more obvious about doing a clandestine meet if he wore a trench coat and a toupee.”

Summer laid a hand on top of Madison’s. “The point is, we could try to track him down for you.”

“No need. It’s barely been two weeks. He could be on vacation. Or on assignment. Or buried in a project.”

Stalking him into interaction wasn’t the point. It was, in fact, why she hadn’t Googled any more information on him. Madison needed her brother to make just a little bit of effort. She’d made the big first reach-out. Put her heart on the line. All he had to do was send a one-line reply, telling her when and where to meet. But he had to do at least that much. She stuffed a deviled egg in her mouth. It was either that or drain her entire margarita in a single gulp.

“Keep us posted, okay?” Summer squeezed her hand. “Good or bad.”

“But especially the good stuff. Like if he’s an our-age version of George Clooney. Or, you know, even better if he actually
is
George Clooney.” Annabeth put the back of her hand to her forehead in a fake swoon. “Because that man is gorgeous and loaded.”

“And married now.” Madison pushed a glass into Annabeth’s hands. She appreciated her roommate’s more matter-of-fact approach as much as Summer’s empathy and Chloe’s bigheartedness. They were all variations on the same foundation of caring. Because women could be open with their emotions. They weren’t petrified of them. Like a certain handsome man who hadn’t necessarily put their relationship in reverse, but had definitely stalled out.

“Fine. Burst my dream bubble. Then can we go back to discussing
your
loaded guy? I need to know if he deserves to have me spill an icy drink down his pants the next time they all hit the POV.”

“I appreciate the thought. Let’s not freeze the equipment just yet. We didn’t break up. Not that we were
officially
dating in the first place.” Madison slid off the stool to peek in the oven. Then she gave the rice a stir. “I think…I think Knox is just in shock. And I don’t know how to apply the usual shock remedy of sweetened tea and blankets.”

“Shock from what?” Chloe asked.

Oh, that’s right. She wasn’t in on all the details Madison had spilled at Summer’s shop. “I told him my Grand Plan to move out here to find the right man and get married.”

Summer did an actual spit take. Although it was more of a ladylike dribble down her chin. “Omigod. Did you actually propose right then and there?”

“No.” Although in retrospect, she might as well have forged right ahead and done it. Knox couldn’t possibly have been any more shocked. Then again, Madison wasn’t ready to pull that trigger. “But after an extremely satisfactory round of lovemaking, I did explain that every man that I date, including him, is a serious candidate for matrimony.”

“Good thing you had the great sex before your big announcement. I’ll bet his penis shriveled up to the size of a kumquat after you burst out with it.”

“I wouldn’t know. Because there were no more sexy shenanigans that night. Or since.” She threw up her hands, which launched the oven mitt straight at the ceiling. Nipping it out of midair, Madison said, “Why does he have to be so darn stubborn?”

“Why do you?” Annabeth shook her head. “That came out wrong. I mean, why put all this on Knox? Why not wait until you see if things are getting serious?”

“That probably would’ve worked better. I don’t know. It came up, and I prefer honesty in just about every situation. Far better to be up front now than to have him accuse me down the line of entrapment.”

“Why not widen your search? That might take some of the immediate pressure off of him.”

“I’m not saying we fell in love at first sight. I’m not saying I’m in love. But I think I just might be able to fall in love with him, the way things are—were—going.”