Suddenly Sexy

chapter 9



When she surfaced, Maddie bit back every swear word in her vocabulary. The teenagers might be brats, and probably knew more expletives than her, but she wasn't going to let it rip in front of two kids.

Sam leaned down and lifted her up onto the paddle boat. By the time she settled into her seat, the boys had paddled away.

"You're lucky I don't know who you are," she shouted after them, "or I'd be calling your mothers."

Sam chuckled. "I'm glad I didn't do it. I wouldn't want you telling on me to my mother."

His eyes dipped from her face to her chest and a small, strangled sound escaped his throat. She crossed her arms over her breasts but not before she saw what he saw—white T-shirts and sexy lingerie were not a suitable combination for swimming.

Her face and neck heated. "I think we should go back to shore."

Sam cleared his throat. "Not yet." He handed her his T-shirt. "You might want to place this over your lap until you dry off."

She glanced down. Oh no! Her skirt was see-through too! And her panties were...oh hell. Sam had got his money's worth on this date. She snatched the T-shirt off him and placed it across her lap.

"Fine, we'll paddle around here for a while. But I am not doing any of the work." Ha! Take that, Pervert.

Sam didn't seem to mind. He took them from one end of the lake to the other. Neither spoke. That suited Maddie. At first. But after wallowing for a few minutes, her initial embarrassment ended and she wanted to vent some anger.

He still thought she was a nerd. He'd practically said so. What a way to insult a woman on a date! She thought she'd changed since high school, but apparently she hadn't. She might be older but she was still unmarried, childless, in the same job since college and she was still a nerd.

God, she sounded boring, even to herself. She might as well carry a calculator in her pocket and wear bottle-thick glasses.

It was a stark reminder that in no way would Sam date a nerd. Not for real. Not without the intervention of Pheramour.

She sighed and glanced at him, but he was lost in thought, paddling slowly back towards the bank. She'd give a million dollars to know what he was thinking. Then again, maybe she was better off not knowing. Her ego was fragile enough.

Sam couldn't think. The image of Maddie's perfectly round, plump breasts was imprinted on his brain. He closed his eyes and the weight of warm, full flesh filling his palm helped make the image three dimensional, and very, very real. Wow, she was an amazing woman.

He opened his eyes and glanced at her. Her arms were still crossed firmly over her chest and steam practically rose from her ears. Probably now wasn't a good time to complement her on her figure. Her luscious figure that swelled in all the right places.

Damn, he could kick himself. He shouldn't have tried to get her into the water, and he shouldn't have let those kids get so close.

He half smiled. If he saw them again, he'd have to thank them. They'd got her all wet and it wasn't his fault. Not really. He frowned. So was she annoyed at him or just annoyed at the world in general, especially teenage boys? Or maybe the teenaged boy he’d once been.

He blew out a breath. Women were so complicated. Why couldn't they be like men? Men only thought about three things—sport, sex and food. Not necessarily in that order but all three at once was a universal fantasy.

Something bugged Maddie and not just that she was all wet. Something else, something that held her back whenever things got hot and heavy between them. And that bugged him. Was it to do with ending their relationship? Was this a relationship?

He didn't have a clue. She'd already implied she wasn't interested in dating him exclusively, so maybe that was his answer. She wanted to see other guys. Maybe she already was.

His chest constricted and he sucked in a breath in an attempt to alleviate the pressure. He didn't want to share her with other men. Maybe he should've mentioned that.

He glanced at her. She was really hot, and smart and funny, and cute even when she was mad. Men must be falling over themselves to be with her, so it wasn't surprising she didn't want to be exclusive. Maybe he could learn to share, if that's what she really wanted. At least that way he'd get to keep seeing her.

Then again, maybe not. He wouldn’t share, not her, not ever. Nope. She was his. She just didn’t know it yet.

He touched her arm. "Maddie? You okay?"

She still had her arms crossed over her chest. Probably just as well. They were approaching the bank—their time was up—and she was still damp. He didn't want other men ogling her. There'd already been too much of that today. He was the only one allowed to ogle those beauties.

She looked sexy with her hair tumbling down her back, her flimsy skirt and stretchy T-shirt barely hiding a figure that made his groin ache. When they’d been walking through the market, nearly every man between the age of eighteen and eighty had taken a second look.

"I'm fine," she said.

Yeah right. She was very far from fine. She was still fuming. He could almost hear her teeth grinding.

"I'm sorry, Maddie." If only he knew what he was sorry for...

She sniffed and turned away. Okay, so she didn't want to talk about it. Maybe later.

He docked the boat and jumped out. He went round to her side to help her out but she was already striding off. He jogged after her.

"I'll take you home," he said, not sure what else to say.

She didn't answer.

The hot sun had almost dried her, but that didn't improve her mood. Sam half expected thunder and dark clouds to follow them but it was sunshine all the way. Somehow it didn't seem right.

They drove in silence. At her place, he got out of the car and followed her to her front door but she spun round and blocked his entrance.

"See you round," she said and slammed the door. On his foot.

He howled and swore, probably louder than he needed to, but it got the desired result. She quickly reopened the door and touched his thigh. "Oh, Sam, are you all right? I'm so sorry."

"It'll be better if you let me in."

She withdrew her hand and glared back at him. "Look, it was a nice day. Sort of. Let's just leave it at that."

He was getting the brush off. He hadn't had the brush off since...ever. It hurt. It was also confusing. What had he done wrong?

"Why?"

She shrugged. "We're not compatible. I don't think this will work out."

He blinked at her. "Why the hell not?" But he didn’t get an answer because she'd shut the door on him. Short of breaking it down, he didn't have a clue how to get her to re-open it.

***

"Hey, Pete, tell me," Sam said as he jogged beside his friend, "when a woman slams her door in your face after a date, does it mean she never wants to see you again?"

"Not with Linda," Pete said between puffs. "That's her idea of foreplay."

They pounded the pavement winding through the quiet streets around Pete and Linda's place before Pete added, "Are we talking about Maddie here?"

"Yeah. I think I hurt her feelings."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing! I think. We went down to the river and she kind of fell in."

Pete's laughter ended with a wheeze and coughing fit. They stopped so he could catch his breath. He bent over, hands on knees and heaved some air into his lungs.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

Pete nodded and held up a hand. When his breathing returned to normal, he said, "Did you push her in?"

"No!"

They started jogging again. "Maybe she had PMS. Whenever Linda gets cranky I know it's that time of the month."

Sam hadn't considered that. "Maybe. Or maybe I said something to upset her, but I can't remember what."

"That's possible. I'm always saying things to Linda that upset her but I never know it until she yells at me." He paused to catch his breath. "Half the time I still don't know what I did wrong even after she explains it to me. I find a kiss and telling her I love her makes everything okay again."

"That's not going to work on Maddie yet. What do you think I should do?"

"You're asking me? Jeez, Sam, you're the one with all the experience when it comes to women."

"But you're the married one, so you must have done something right along the way. None of my relationships have lasted longer than a year. I'm good at pulling them, it's the keeping them that gives me a headache. And Maddie's not like any woman I've ever known, so I don't think all my old techniques will work on her."

"True. She's one of a kind that girl. Don't get me wrong, I love my sister-in-law, she's a great girl, but thank God I fell in love with Linda and not Maddie. My wife might have a temper and be a little crazy at times, but she's a lot more predictable."

"Don't let her hear you say that."

Pete laughed and coughed, breaking his rhythm. He never quite got it back again, so Sam decided they should head home.

"How about a drink back at your place?" he said.

"Good idea." Pete sounded relieved and wasted no time turning round.

"So you think I should talk to her? Apologize?"

"Maybe you should just leave it."

Sam thought about it for a moment then shook his head. "Nope, can't do that."

Pete looked at him sideways. "You got it that bad, huh? In that case, I think you should talk to her, and apologize. Saying sorry never hurts."

"But I don't know what I'm apologizing for."

"Doesn't matter." He puffed heavily several times.

Sam decided to stop talking. Pete needed to save his breath for the run home.

***

"I'm joining a convent." Maddie, sitting at her sister's kitchen table, sipped her second mug of coffee in an hour. It was her fourth for the day and it wasn't even lunch time. Her system buzzed. Probably she should lay off the caffeine but she needed some excitement in her life since sex with Sam wasn't an option.

Or was it? What's a little thing like a broken heart anyway? Especially if she got to sleep with Sam. It would be worth the sacrifice.

"Can you wait till after Wednesday night?" asked Linda, jiggling Ronan on her knee. "I need a babysitter."

"Sure thing. What are spinster aunts for anyway?"

"You're not a spinster yet. You don't achieve that status until you're at least thirty-five."

Maddie groaned and banged her forehead on the table. "Life sucks. Men suck."

"Mummy," said Emily, coming through the door, "what ith Auntie Mad doing?"

"She's having a nervous breakdown, honey. It's nothing to worry about. Go and play."

Emily patted Maddie's arm then disappeared outside where David was seeing how far Palm Beach Barbie's head could spin round without snapping off.

"Do you think I'm having a nervous breakdown?" Oh God, what if she was? What did one feel like? If it felt like a caffeine rush then she was in serious trouble.

"Possibly," said Linda, "but I wouldn't worry too much yet. Wait till after Wednesday."

Maddie groaned again. "Nice to know I'm still loved."

"Maddie," Linda said on a loud sigh, "stop being so melodramatic. You dumped Sam remember."

"I didn't dump him. You have to be dating someone to dump them. We weren't dating, we were just..." She waved her hand in the air because she had no idea what to call her brief encounter with Sam.

But Linda jumped to her own conclusion. "Oh my God! You slept with him! Oh my God! I want details. I want to know everything. What were you wearing? Where did it happen? How big is it?" Her eyes were wide and Ronan gawped at the strange woman who'd possessed his mother. "I bet it's huge," she added. "Dotty McQueen says it's the best she's ever seen, and she's seen a few."

Maddie screwed up her nose at her sister. "Too much information. And before you burst a vein, I didn't sleep with Sam."

"Oh." Linda thought about that for a moment. "Oral sex?"

Maddie shook her head.

"Phone sex?"

"No. I didn't even see him naked. Okay?"

"No." Linda sniffed. "Not okay. I'm disappointed in you. You got my hopes up."

Linda loved Pete, Maddie knew that beyond a doubt. But sometimes she wished her sister had lived a little before they'd got married because Linda's idea of a good time was to get all the juicy details out of Maddie after every date. Since none of her dates in the last six months had ended with her doing the horizontal mambo, no wonder her sister was behaving like a starved animal.

"Well, I did see him naked from the waist up," Maddie conceded.

"Oh my God! What was his body like? I bet he's got a fantastic chest."

"Hmmm, he sure has." Maddie curled her fingers round the mug and squeezed. "His skin's tanned and smooth, and there's a small scar on his left shoulder."

"Sexy," Linda said on a breath.

Maddie fanned her cheeks. "Is it hot in here?"

"Yeah." Linda grinned. "Lucky you didn't have sex or this room would be on fire." The sisters giggled into their mugs. "I know you don't like me prying," said Linda, "but—"

Maddie groaned

"Why aren't you still seeing him? What went wrong?"

Maddie sighed. She'd been thinking about that all night, ever since Sam had dropped her at her front door. Around midnight, after two glasses of wine and a tub of cookies and cream ice cream, she'd decided she could wear Pheramour for the rest of her life. It wouldn't cost much since the formula was in her notebook.

But she'd fallen asleep on the couch before she could harness her courage and by morning the idea’s original appeal had worn off. It was juvenile, stupid. Maddie didn’t do juvenile or stupid.

"He thinks I'm a nerd," she said, not wanting to tell her sister about Pheramour yet. It was like admitting she'd cheated, and she'd never cheated at anything in her life. Not even at Monopoly as a kid, which was probably why Linda always won.

Linda shrugged. "You are a nerd."

Maddie didn't bother glaring at her because it would go unnoticed. Besides, her sister didn't really mean it. Not anymore. Ten years ago she had, and Maddie had taken the teasing to heart, but now Linda only called her a nerd when they disagreed. It had almost become a term of affection between them.

"But I don't want Sam thinking I'm a nerd. Calling each other names is not a healthy way to begin a relationship."

"Unless that name is Sweet Cheeks."

Maddie held up her hands and cringed. "I don't want to know what Pete calls you."

"It's not. It's what I call him."

"Eeew."

Linda smoothed down Ronan's hair, a smile on her lips. "Kidding aside, tell me what he said, Mad. We need to get to the bottom of this before, um, Ronan's nap time."

Maddie recounted the previous day's events, explaining that she didn't want to go in the water because she was wearing too-thin underwear, and he'd called her a nerd because of it. Linda roared with laughter when she got to the part where she'd ended up in the lake anyway, giving Sam and everyone else an eyeful.

When she stopped laughing, Linda said, "So that's why Pete and Sam used to bump us off the boats. I always wondered about that." A smirk crossed her lips. "Now I know why Mary Ellen got so many dates. I thought it was because she had a swimming pool."

"Linda! Forget about Mary Ellen and tell me what I should do."

Linda sighed but ended it with a giggle. "Okay," she said, "so you broke up because he sort of called you a nerd—which he didn't really."

Maddie rolled her eyes. Semantics. "Well?"

"I love you, Maddie, because you're my sister, but you fit the Aunt Mad title perfectly." She threw up one hand, the other still wrapped around Ronan, and let it fall on her knee with a slap. "You just dumped Sam Hennessy because you think he called you a nerd. You're insane!"

Maddie chewed her lip. Maybe she should come clean. It was only Linda after all. If she couldn't confide in her sister, who could she trust? "It's not just that. It's the tip of the iceberg. Sam has never looked at me like, you know, he wanted me. Until the other day. All those years and he barely even spoke to me except to call me a nerd."

"He did that once, Maddie, don't exaggerate."

"Fine, it was only once, but that's enough. It just proves that we're entirely different people. I'm a nerd and he's Sam Hennessy for God’s sake. He's the bad boy and I'm the good girl. He shouldn't be attracted to me. Then or now. I haven't changed that much in fifteen years."

"You're right, he is Sam Hennessy, bad boy, so make the most of it. To hell with what might or might not happen later. Nothing you've said so far is convincing me."

"Then maybe this will. He only likes me now because of Pheramour."

"The love potion you're working on?"

Maddie nodded. "I tried it on myself before he came over Friday night, then again yesterday morning. It worked."

"Crap." Linda frowned down at Ronan then jerked her head up, her face brighter. "You weren't wearing any on Thursday night, and he liked you enough then to visit you on Friday."

"You sent him round on a stupid errand. And thanks for the shoes, by the way, but next time deodorize anything you've worn on your feet before you give them back."

"Sam wouldn't have taken the shoes to you if he wasn't interested."

"He's too polite to say no. Besides, he wasn't really that interested until Friday night."

"What happened on Friday night?" She leaned forward. "Did he kiss you? Was it good? I want details."

"Linda! I'm having a nervous breakdown. Be supportive."

Linda pouted. "So you think Pheramour is the reason for his sudden interest?" A slow smile crept across her lips. Maddie knew that smile. She'd seen it many times right before Linda convinced their parents to let her stay out late. It was the I'm-going-to-get-my-own-way smile.