Page 16 of Forgiveness
“We’re still casual and if we go down this road … and that’s a bigif … it’s a one-and-done. No catching feelings, no relationship mumbo jumbo—none of that nonsense. We scratch the itch, then it’s out of our systems and we go back to business, agreed?”What the hell! Did I really say that? Where did my fucking brain go?She ran her eyes over Flux then darted them away.Just a casual hookup wouldn’t hurt. For him … it’s his style, and for me, it’d be a release of a lot of stress. Just once, then move on and back to business. That wouldn’t be bad, would it?For once in her organized, calculated life, she’d like to throw caution to the wind—no plans, no goals, just some naughty fun. And Maggie had no doubt in her mind that Flux would aim to please, but could she really do it?
“So…” Flux drew out the word and Maggie cringed, knowing exactly what part of that sentence he had caught onto and hooked his attention.
“Just because I’m considering the possibility and bringing it up in a normal adult conversation doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, okay? But we have to explore all the possibilities and options, otherwise … well, it could be fucking chaos!”
“Watch your mouth, Duchess. You’re starting to sound like me.”
Maggie looked over her shoulder and pursed her lips as she looked at him.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt your speech.” He threw her a shit-eating grin, then folded his arms across his sculpted chest and winked.
The biker Adonis didn’t need any help knowing he was a hot commodity. She was sure the string of women who flocked to his bed did enough of the talking for both of them. And she wasn’t about ready to be another one—not until he understood the possible ramifications and the limits of their engagement.
“You can mock all you want, big guy, but at least one of us is taking the full disclosure route,” Maggie huffed and dropped her shovel. “Tell me how you feel about it. Now.”
“Demanding—I like it.” Flux’s voice was suddenly at the nape of her neck, his body heat lingering against her back.
If Maggie moved less than half an inch, she would be pressed back against him, and the small possibility drove her whole body into stillness.No.Not until she knew what was going on between them. Anything else was beyond idiotic. How was she even justifying it to herself in the first place?
“I can see your brain spinning, Duchess. You’re practically giving me a headache.” His voice was low and soothing and so sure of himself, but it didn’t match his prior reaction. “I’ve got every fuckin’ intention of seeing this through and agreeing to all your terms. We’re casual. One night. We’re friends. Check, check, and check. But I’m gonna let you sit with it for the night before we do anything rash after that kiss, which was fuckin’ incredible. You deserve more than me hiking up your skirt, hoisting you up on my hips, and taking you hard and rough against the wall of the stall, although if that’s what you want, I’m all in, Duchess.”
The way he caressed her nickname made her swallow, and her flesh lit up from the inside out as all the arousal she’d been suppressing flared to the surface. Maggie’s nipples hardened and her panties dampened as her breath caught in her lungs. A vivid picture of Flux lifting her up in his arms, slamming her against the wall, and taking her within an instant made her squeeze her eyelids together hoping to beat it back.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Don’t mention it.”
Maggie instantly knew the second he took a few steps back and put space between them again. For a beat, the whole world was a little bit clearer. Taking some time was in their best interests, especially when she never went into sex with a selfish agenda like she was considering with him now. She was a relationship kind of girl, not a one-night stand sex bomb, so why the hell had she even suggested it in the first place? Everything about Flux was foreign territory.
Maggie heard the thud of his footsteps as he walked away. “Flux, wait!” She pivoted, and within seconds he was right back in front of her as if he’d never moved at all. Flux looked down at her, his black T-shirt streaked with dirt, and his hair still a mess from where she’d run her hands through it less than half an hour ago. His expression was unreadable, but Maggie sensed the same barely leashed arousal in him that ached in her core.
“Do you want a ride back to the motel?”
“No, I’ll walk. But thanks, Duchess.”
“Okay, sure. How about one more for the road?”
Before Flux could say anything else, Maggie gripped his T-shirt and yanked him down to her level, and they kissed until she couldn’t breathe without the scent of him in her lungs.
