Page 8 of Forgiveness
Sadie came back over to stand in front of Maggie and leaned her elbows on the bar as something captured her attention over Maggie’s left shoulder.
“What?”
“Man of the hour, six o’clock, and heading in your direction. Play nice.” Sadie grinned, grabbed her bar towel, and moseyed on out of there as if her butt were on fire.
“Be careful what you wish for,” Maggie muttered and brushed her hair away from her face.
With a less than subtle turn on her barstool, she swiveled to face the man head on and plastered a fake grin on her face.
“You weren’t supposed to be here again,” she said as soon as he was within earshot.
“Funny, last time I checked, you didn’t own the bar.” Flux stalked forward nearly getting into her personal space. “I also don’t recall you giving me a name last night. Care to rectify that mistake?”
Maggie took a long sip from her beer then crossed her arms as she sized up the hunk whose body heat tingled along her skin. Every inch of her became intimately aware of Flux, but she was above her hormones. She wasn’t a teenager, and she definitely wasn’t looking for an easy lay—just a little bit of fun. Besides Maggie was positive he already knew her name. She saw him talking with Pete while she was in the ring.Okay, Flux, I’ll play along.
“I don’t care to rectify anything, and it wasn’t a mistake.” She looked up at him and gave him one of her saccharin-sweet smiles that drove men crazy.
“I suppose ignoring me earlier this afternoon was also a part of your plan too, huh?”
“This afternoon?” She cocked her head upward as if she were trying to jab her memory.
He snorted. “Is that the game we’re playing, Duchess?”
A slight shrug and another winning smile. “I don’t know, is it?”
“I bet that smile of yours gets all the men to clamor after you.”
“The same way your leather jacket and bad boy vibe work for you.”
Maggie noticed that with every word, Flux crept closer to her, his voice growling low with intensity. Somehow, he had wound up in between her parted knees, and she was looking up at him, barely breathing, but dragging the scent of leather and sandalwood into her lungs with every shallow inhale. Her fingers latched onto either side of the barstool’s peeling vinyl.
“It’s good that we understand each other.”
She scooted back a bit on the stool.
“Am I invading the Duchess’s personal space? Do you need to call yourbodyguards?” he drawled.
His low, gravelly voice took her breath away and wrapped itself around her like a physical touch. The threads of desire that she’d been steadfastly ignoring ever since he’d come over wove around her insides and made the spot between her legs hum.
“I can handle myself.”
Their eyes locked. His hands stayed at his sides, but a flash of intensity whipped through his cornflower blue eyes, and she watched a gulp bob deep in his throat.
“I don’t doubt that.” He shifted from one foot to the other and his small movement brushed his outer leg against her inner thigh.
The delicate touch left them both suspended as neither of them moved for at least the span of a heartbeat.God, he’s gorgeous. And so very off limits. The heat in his eyes made shivers run up and down her spine. Flux wasn’t grabbing at her or doing anything overtly sexual, and yet her body was responding as if he had slipped his hands under her skirt and buried his fingers into her sex. Her nipples peaked hard and tight against her bra as arousal flooded her whole body. She darted her eyes away from that dangerous heat in his.
“What’s wrong, Duchess?” Flux said, the lilt of his accent driving her stupidly crazy.
Maggie’s gaze switched back to him and his mouth turned up at the corners, but she wouldn’t call it a smile. He looked at her as if she were a delicious meal he couldn’t wait to devour. Their chemistry throbbed, crackling through the air between them.
“It’s kind of stuffy in here,” Maggie said, dragging her gaze away from his.Really? That’s the best you could come up with? How fucking lame.
A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. “You’re certainly different from the women I’m used to. I’ll give you that, darlin’.”
Flux skimmed his thumb against her lower lip, and she couldn’t stop herself from lightly tasting his skin. A crooked smile tugged at the edges of his mouth when he bent his head down, and goosebumps scattered across her arms. Then his lips brushed against hers. She closed her eyes but her voice of reason yelled at her. Immediately, she jerked her head back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his face inches from hers.
“I just remembered, I have something to do.” Not the greatest answer in the world, but she couldn’t think straight since her mind was in a sexual fog. What was it about Flux that made her body respond to him like that? She had to nip it in the bud—whatever thisthingwas between them. Besides, Chet was burning a hole into both of them, and she didn’t need to deal with the two of them swinging at each other.
Then a thought crossed her mind and a slow smile spread across her just-kissed lips. Maggie had the perfect way to rein in their out-of-control hormones.This will be perfect, and afterwards, he’ll stay far away from me.
She laughed and looked him in the eyes.
