Suddenly Sexy

chapter 12



Ever since she discovered the comfort of chocolate, Maddie had liked to eat her way through a crisis. This one called for the big guns. She sat on her couch, an old Clint Eastwood movie in the video player, and surveyed the spread on her coffee table. Impressive, even by her standards. Two Snickers, a jumbo pack of M&Ms and three Dove bars. With an array like that, she could indulge herself out of any depression. Even this one.

But it proved to be a tough job requiring more than a few chocolate bars. She needed ice cream. The sinful kind, with real chocolate chips and full cream, the kind that cost more than a meal at some restaurants. But her freezer was empty. Damn, damn, damn.

She paused the video, got up and padded shoeless to the hall table where she always dropped her car keys when she arrived home. Catching a glimpse of Linda Blair's evil twin in the hall mirror, she screamed. She was used to bad hair days—unruly curls like hers guaranteed them—but this was taking the messy look too far. She shouldn't have worn it loose today. Normally she wouldn't but for some reason that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Sam said he liked it that way, she hadn't pulled it back into a ponytail.

She headed for the bedroom. If she was going out for ice cream, she needed to look half way decent. And if she had to fix herself up, why not go all the way? If she looked good, she'd feel better, right?

She shrugged at her image in the cheval mirror. A girl can only try.

She shed her track pants, over-sized T-shirt and beige underwear and rummaged in her drawer for the second set of sexy, matching lingerie she owned. This set was riskier. Linda had given it to her for her birthday a few months earlier in the hope of reviving Maddie's love life. It hadn't worked.

She located the red thong and matching lace bra at the back of her bottom drawer. She studied the thong dangling from the end of her finger. The miniscule strip of material looked like it couldn't cover a freckle let alone a woman's privates. God only knows why women wear them—what was the point? And that piece of string up there must be uncomfortable.

But hey, it was meant to make her feel good, so she might as well give it a try. And the bra was the push-up kind, like the one she wore yesterday, and that had been sexy. Right now she needed to feel sexy, just to help her out of her crappy mood. And as long as she stayed dry, no one need know what underwear she wore.

She wiggled into the thong and poured her breasts into the bra, hooking it at the front. She checked herself out in the mirror and sniggered. She looked like a hooker. Her ass and cleavage never looked so full. Her breasts were so far out there she could rest her coffee mug on them.

Next came the plunging summer dress that complemented the bra since it revealed way too much flesh. Her fingers skimmed the short hem. Heaven help her if a breeze whipped up. Now that would get heads turning, for all the wrong reasons. Or maybe it was the right reasons? She had no idea what she was doing but she was going to do it. Maddie Clarke had never taken a walk on the wild side in her life. It was about time she started.

She rummaged through her closet for stilettos but she only owned flat, sensible work ones. No heels. She sighed and caught a glimpse in the mirror again.

Yikes! What was she thinking! She wanted to look good, not get arrested for street walking.

She unzipped the dress and was about to step out of it when the doorbell rang. Damn. She zipped it back up and headed for the front door. If this was Linda coming to tell her she was stupid for dumping Sam AGAIN, she was going to send her out for ice cream.

But it wasn't Linda. Sam Hennessy stood in her doorway, the way he had yesterday and the day before—leaning lazily against the doorframe, ankles crossed, a mischievous twinkle lighting up his blue eyes. When he saw what she wore, the twinkle became a hot blue flame and his jaw dropped to his chest.

"Holy..." His heavy-lidded gaze skimmed up and down her body, twice, coming to rest on the exposed cleavage. He murmured something that sounded like "help" but she couldn’t be certain.

Maddie's skin prickled and heated in all the places his gaze had touched. She swallowed. Chin up, girl, don't let him sense your fear.

"Is that what you always wear on a Sunday afternoon at home?" His gaze wandered slowly up to her eyes. A shadow passed across his face and his jaw set. "Or are you expecting someone?"

"Just Linda." She tried to sound calm but it came out as a pathetic squeak.

He blew out a long breath through his nose and his jaw slackened again. "Do you always dress like this for your sister?"

Act cool. Something must have brought him to your door. Just be calm until he tells you what it is. "Like what?" She did a mental head smack. This wasn’t going well.

He focused on her breasts again. "Um, never mind."

Maddie crossed her arms beneath her boobs, but that just plumped them up more so she let her hands fall to her sides. "Sam, is something wrong?"

"Hell no," he mumbled, a smile tugging his lips.

"Then why are you here?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I need to talk to you."

"About?"

"Can I come in first?"

"No."

His foot shifted so it was just inside the door jamb. She couldn’t close the door even if she tried. "Go on. Let me in. This won’t take long."

That’s not how the rumors went. Sam tended to take a looong time over a woman—

He raised his brows at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. He was even smirking. Damn him.

The only way to wipe that smirk away was to invite him in. She did, going against every instinct that was screaming at her to shut the door in his face before it was too late. Before she succumbed to his abundant charms once more.

Inside, he plucked the front of his T-shirt. "Is it hot in here?"

"Feels kind of warm. I'll turn the air conditioning up." She stood on tiptoes and reached up to the panel above the door. When she turned around, Sam's eyes had gone glassy.

"Sorry," he muttered, blinking and tearing his gaze away from her thighs. "But I'm just a man and that dress on you is," he sucked in air, "torture."

Now he knew how she felt when he wore, well, anything. "Maybe I should get changed," she said.

"No!" He rubbed his jaw and sighed deeply as he studied her. "Yeah, okay, I think you better. I need to concentrate."

She headed for the bedroom, feeling his hot stare burning a hole into her behind.

"But it goes against every male hormone I possess to let you."

Maddie shut the door on him, unable to hide her smile. Wow the dress was good. She'd have to remember to wear it when she really did want to impress a guy. She just wished that guy was Sam—for real.

Every male hormone I possess.

The familiar sinking feeling settled into her stomach. She'd almost forgotten, but his hormones reminded her—it wasn't the dress or her body that was making him foam at the mouth, it was Pheramour. She hadn't bathed in it since the day before but the chemicals and essential oils must be lodged deep in her epidermis, and it would probably take more than one shower before it wore off.

She sat heavily on the edge of the bed. Her life was pathetic. She'd fantasized about one man for more years than she cared to remember, and here he was in her house, drooling on her carpet, and she wasn't going to take advantage of him. She couldn't. Her conscious wouldn't allow it. Her heart couldn't handle it.

Hell. Why couldn't she just have a fun roll in the hay with him and leave it at that? That's what Linda would tell her to do.

Yeah, well Linda wasn't thirty, unwed and childless. Linda's plan was on schedule—probably ahead of schedule—and she was used to flirting and having men find her attractive. This was all new territory for Maddie. And knowing that Pheramour was the reason behind the attraction wasn't making it any easier to accept. In fact, it only made it harder.

"Maddie?" Sam called through the door. "I've changed my mind. You can keep the dress on."

She rolled her eyes and almost smiled. "Too late. It's off."

He muttered something that sounded like a swear word.

She shrugged out of her dress but kept the lingerie on. He wouldn't see anything and she liked the way the bra gave her an extra boost. She stepped into an old pair of jeans and oversized white shirt. She hesitated at the door and undid the top two buttons to reveal just enough cleavage to catch his attention but not enough that he'd walk into walls.

She sucked in a few deep breaths but it didn't make her feel any less nervous. Best to get it over with. Let Sam say what he wanted to say then she could tell him she had to wash her hair. The sooner he left the better. For both of them.

He was studying the back of the empty DVD cover when she returned to the living room. "You're a fan of Eastwood? I didn't think chicks liked his films."

"I'm not your average chick."

His blue stare grazed over her body, from her pulled back hair to her bare feet. It was no less intense than when she wore the dress. "No kidding." His voice rumbled from deep in his chest and Maddie felt it vibrate deep within hers.

She swallowed. Oh boy. How was she supposed to have a sensible conversation with a man who made her inner thighs tremble? She needed to get rid of him, now, before her heart got broken.

And by the hunger in his eyes, that moment wasn't far away.

Sam couldn't take his eyes off Maddie. She looked hot. It didn't matter whether she wore the barely-there dress or the over-sized shirt, especially when she stood in front of the window and the streaming sunlight outlined her luscious curves through the thin white cotton. She looked incredible, and it never ceased to surprise him that this was Maddie Clarke, intellectual, the little sister of one of his friends. She'd grown into the most amazing woman and he was suddenly glad he'd been away all this time so he could witness this transformation afresh. Somehow, it was easy to miss the important things when they happened right in front of your face.

He wouldn't have missed this for all the sport on TV. Thank God for his wandering spirit and his spur of the moment idea to return to Melbourne.

Now, if only he could touch her again.

He blew out a breath as she moved around the living room, avoiding looking directly at him. She picked up the chocolate bar wrappers, plumped up cushions and fussed until things were back in their proper place. He didn't mind. He could stare at her all day doing everything or nothing. She was graceful, her movements fluid, like a lithe cat as she bent, walked or simply stood.

Sam tore his gaze away. He needed to concentrate on not making a fool of himself in front of her. Now that would be a challenge, especially if she kept standing in front of windows.

The silence intensified and he tried to think of something to say. Anything to break the awkwardness which she didn't seem to notice. But before he got a chance to mention the great weather they were having, she disappeared into the kitchen. A few moments later he followed her. She stood at the bench and put the kettle on. He watched her move, from the tipping of her head as she poured the water to the swell of her hips as she leaned against the bench. He wanted to touch them, to place his hands on the soft flesh and caress her, from the top of her spine to the cleft of her—

So much for concentrating on something other than Maddie's body.

"Why are you staring?" she asked without turning round.

"Um, I was just wondering how to ask you something."

She did turn this time. A small dint settled between her brows as she frowned at him. "Don't, Sam."

So much for asking her why they couldn't date anymore. "Actually, I was going to ask you to help me find a place to live."

She leaned against the kitchen bench and crossed her arms, covering those big, beautiful mounds he wanted to lick.

He tore his attention away from her body and up to her face. He tried to read her thoughts but her blank expression gave him nothing.

"I need to move out of Mum's," he said. "I'm cramping her style."

"Not the other way round?"

He cringed at the accusatory tone. She still thought he was the kind of guy to date several women at once? Unfair. He hadn’t done that in years. "Not this time. Believe me, Mum's changed since Dad died. She's discovered life. And men."

"So why can't she help you find a place?"

"She will. That's what I'm worried about." He swept his hand in an arc. "I like your style. You've got great taste, Maddie. I just thought," he shrugged, "that I could borrow some of that style. Maybe once I get a place you can help me furnish it."

"Don't you already have furniture?"

"Yeah, but it won’t be right. Not...comfortable enough." And what better way to keep her near him than to go shopping with her. Women loved shopping.

She didn't give him an answer but turned her back and opened a cupboard door. He couldn't help smiling. Her mugs were sorted into colors, darkest to lightest then sub-sorted by size. Not only cute but organized. He needed someone like that to sweep into his life, remove the clutter and put everything where it was supposed to be. Someone to keep him in the same place and on the right track.

A chill crept across his skin but a rush of heat chased it away. His heart pumped wildly in his rib cage and he sat up straight. This was one of those moments people talked about. The sort of moment that changes a person's life.

He'd found his soul mate.