“We can’t.” He let out a ragged breath. “You’re my best friend, Maddie. As…um, nice as this feels, we can’t get involved, okay?”
Although he was still staring at his socked feet, he heard her hop off the desk, felt the waves of shock and confusion radiating from her body. He stood there, naked as the day he was born, listening to the sound of Maddie gathering up her clothing. When he finally had the guts to look up again, she was dressed, and sticking her feet into her shoes.
“Maddie,” he started.
A pair of incredulous brown eyes silenced him. “Not another word, Owen. I hear you, loud and clear.”
“I don’t think you do,” he said, wincing at the desperation in his voice. “I…we can’t do this, all right? It’s obvious that you’re new to this sort of thing, and I don’t want you getting hurt, okay? We work together. And we’re friends. An affair will only end up in disaster.”
“I get it,” she said, so quietly he had to strain to hear her.
“It really was nice,” he added. When her nostrils flared, he plowed on like the idiot he was. “I mean, it was fine…well, more than fine. It was…”
“Nice,” she finished flatly. “I heard you the first time.”
To his frustration, she grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind, but I really want to go now.”
“Maddie, wait,” he protested. “Look, we need to talk about this.”
“Not now,” she answered without meeting his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it now.” Without another word, she flounced off, disappearing through the door as the annoying bell gave a cheerful little chime.
Owen watched her through the front window, his chest tight with regret. Damn it, he’d handled this all wrong. All fucking wrong. And he was still buck naked, he realized, in plain view of anyone who happened to walk by the window. His erection slowly wilted away, propelling him to search for his own discarded clothes. He dressed in a hurry, wanting to kick himself the entire time.
Well. He’d totally fucked that one up, hadn’t he?
“We did the makeover four days ago and you’re telling me Owen hasn’t made a single move?”
Maddie averted her eyes, unable to look at Lexie’s gaping expression. Instead, she reached for her martini glass and focused on the small stage at the other end of the karaoke bar, where Charlotte was belting out “I Will Survive” in that beautiful throaty voice of hers. Charlotte had rented out the bar for the night, so it was empty save for the bartender, a waitress and the seven women attending Charlotte’s bachelorette. Along with the three bridesmaids, Charlotte had extended an olive branch to a few other women in town, including Laura Easton, Paradise’s librarian, who was currently slugging back vodka shots with Vicky Lewis, the town florist. The duo weren’t the only ones making an effort to get drunk. It really wasn’t fair, doing karaoke with a professional singer, so it wasn’t surprising that the seven women who weren’t Charlotte had proceeded to get plastered. Apparently alcohol was the only way any of them were getting up on that stage.
Maddie, on the other hand, was more interested in drinking her mortification away than mustering up the courage to sing in front of Charlotte.
“Not a single move,” she lied, still avoiding Lexie’s eyes.
“I’m shocked,” the blonde said, shaking her head. “Seriously. You’ve shown up to work for four days looking drop-dead gorgeous and he hasn’t said or done a thing?”
“Three days,” she corrected. “I called in sick today.”
So she wouldn’t have to face him. Call her a coward, but the last thing she’d wanted to do this morning was pretty herself up and go into the office. After last night, she wasn’t sure she even wanted to work there anymore.
Nice.
He’d called their encounter nice. It was still humiliating to even think about it. There she was, dying with the need to have that man inside her, burning with arousal, and instead of giving her the hot sex she’d been desperate for, he’d rejected her.
But why? Even as he’d recited his rejection speech, she could have sworn she’d seen desire flickering in his gray eyes. And regret. Yeah, she’d definitely seen regret there. He’d wanted her. She’d felt his need in his drugging kisses, witnessed it in his rock-hard erection.
So why had he stopped? She didn’t buy his bullshit about their being best friends, and how an affair would ruin their personal and professional relationship. So why, damn it?
“Well, screw it then,” Lexie declared, flipping her hair over her delicate shoulder. “If he’s too stupid to see what’s right in front of him, then don’t waste your time. You deserve someone who recognizes how awesome you are.”