Maggie's Desire (5 page)

That's it. Brian had had enough of Maggie throwing herself at Nick. "I told you before. If you want to go in the back rooms with someone, I'll take you."

She stomped over to him. Her beautiful eyes shot fire at him. Maggie rose on her tiptoes and shook her head. "You have no fucking clue."

He inhaled her spicy scent and stared down at her. Need stabbed in his gut. Before he could stop himself, Brian gripped her biceps and lifted. Maggie's hot eyes sparked at him. He pressed his mouth to hers.

Maggie's lips parted in surprise. He took full advantage. The taste of mint and hot woman threatened to drown him in a flood of desire. She moaned and swiped her tongue over his.

Oh, fuck
. Brian's arms shook, reminding him he'd grabbed Maggie and forced himself on her. He pulled back and set her down.

* * * *

Maggie stumbled back. Her skin itched and felt too tight—and too hot. Her head spun in a sea of lust. "What the…?"

All the color leached from Brian's face. "I'm sorry."

Her head reeled. Newfound desire beat inside her. She gazed over at Julie.

Julie grinned. "Brian, why don't you go for a walk?"

Logan and Ava strolled in from the living room. "What's going on in here?" Logan asked.

"The fireworks just got ignited," Julie told him. "Why don't you and Nick take Brian for a walk."

"Oh, I take it you ladies need to talk," Logan said.

Julie pointed to the door. "Go."

The two steps to the table felt like a climb up Mt Washington. Maggie sat and exhaled. "I need a drink."

"I'll get it." Ava opened the refrigerator. A bottle of water toppled onto the floor. She scooped it up and handed it to Maggie.

"Thanks." Maggie unscrewed the cap and took a long sip. The cold water washed away Brian's delicious taste. She swallowed then took a few moments to gather her thoughts and cool her hormones. "What the hell happened?" she finally said.

Julie slid on the plywood next to her. "I think Brian just threw down the gauntlet. The ball is now in your court."

"I…" Now that she opened Pandora's box, she didn't know if she wanted the treasures it offered.

"Oh, for God sakes," Julie said, aggravated. "You two have been doing a dance around each other for a long time now and last night you made your move." Julie wrapped her arm around Maggie's shoulder and squeezed. "And he just moved the dance to the next level."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Ava asked. "The last I heard, Maggie and Nick were doing the hormone dance to bed.

Maggie almost spit her water onto the floor. "No, we're not, I told you—"

Julie waved her hand, cutting off Maggie. "Brian just grabbed Maggie and kissed her senseless."

"Oh," Ava sagged against the plywood. "Now that's an interesting twist. I didn't think the man would ever get up the nerve."

Anxiety stewed in Maggie's stomach. "What have I done?" She leaning forward and rested her head in her hands. Old fears raced through her.

Nick had a way of making her feel in control. She knew all she had to say was no and he would stop and walk away. Brian tipped her world sideways. He wouldn't take no for an answer. That scared the living shit out of her and excited her all at the same time.

Julie nudged Maggie. "Ava's a professional. Tell her what happened all those years ago."

Sadness settled in Maggie's heart. "I don't know if I can."

Sympathy covered Julie's face. "Okay, I'll go first."

Ava dragged over a sawhorse and sat. "What's going on?"

Julie pushed out a heavy breath. "Maggie and I met at a date rape survivors group."

Ava stood slowly. "What?" Her eyes filled with tears. "You two were raped? What happened?"

"I'll tell you my story over some drinks sometime." Julie squeezed Maggie's shoulder. "Go ahead, and remember, you didn't do anything wrong."

Tears clogged in her throat. "I know." Maggie looked into Ava's shimmering eyes and rubbed the goose bumps from her arms. "I was a freshman in college and I went out on a date with the captain of the lacrosse team. He was everything I thought I wanted in a guy. You know, popular, funny, good-looking—the guy of every nineteen-year-old girl's dreams. And best of all, he asked me out."

Ava gripped her hand and squeezed. "What happened?"

Maggie closed her eyes, took a deep breath. She told herself to recite the events of the night with none of the emotions that came with them.

"We went to a frat party and had too much to drink." She opened her eyes. "We started fooling around and when I put the brakes on, he tried to rape me."

"Tried?" Ava asked

"Yes," Maggie swallowed. "He'd had too much to drink. His dick didn't work."

"What happened?"

"He beat me up instead."

"How bad."

Maggie gazed down at the floor. "He broke my nose, right cheek, and blackened both my eyes."

Ava folded Maggie into a hug. "Oh, honey, that's awful."

She leaned into Ava and soaked in the comfort. For the first time in years, Maggie didn't feel shame when she told the story.

Ava leaned away. "Something like that affects every romantic relationship you have. How do you deal with it with the men you date?"

"I don't." At Ava's perplexed look, Maggie went on. "I don't date and subsequently I have never had sex."

"Holy shit," Brian exclaimed.

Maggie spun and gasped. The three hulking men standing in the doorway wore expression ranging from horrified to pissed off.

"Who was the bastard who hurt you?" Brian demanded.

"Oh, God." The look of horror on his face had every emotion Maggie ever felt about that night rushing back. She needed to get out of there. Maggie pushed herself off the makeshift table and hurried out the door.

"Maggie, wait," the chorus of voices called from behind her.

She ran out the front door and stumbled outside. Her foot caught again on the broken concrete. "Shit."

Heavy footsteps rushed up behind her when she tumbled to her knees. Strong hands gripped Maggie's elbows and lifted her to her feet, turning her.

Nick's sullen expression undid her. Tears scratched at her throat and burned her eyes. Maggie couldn't speak.

Nick smiled gently. "I could use a ride back to your place. Cabs in Miami aren't cheap."

The lump in her throat released on a chuckle and tears streamed down her face.

He pulled her into a hug. "Shh, Maggie, don't cry over being a virgin. I can take care of that for you."

She snorted. "I'm not crying over that, you asshole." Just like that, her tears dried up. She wiped her face against his T-shirt and gazed up at him "What do you say about deflowering me?"

The teasing glint in his eyes vanished. "When you're ready, let me know. I'll be there with bells on."

The hot and needy look on his face told her this wasn't bullshit. "I need to think," she said.

Nick stepped away. "I'll get a ride from someone inside later."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged. "Thanks," she whispered. Maggie pressed her mouth to his.

She loved that he didn't push for more and let her take what she needed. Why didn't he spin her world off its axis?

* * * *

Brian stood at the window looking out at Maggie. The need to punch something or someone clawed at his self-control. Some asshole tried to rape and hurt her. Men who do things like that to a woman should have their balls cut off with a dull, rusty razor blade.

He squeezed his eyes shut when Maggie pressed her sweet lips to Nick's mouth.
A virgin. A fucking virgin
. The one thing he didn't do with a woman was take her virginity. Brian willed his eyes open and watched Nick saunter up the walkway with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

"The opportunistic son of a bitch."

A soft hand curled around Brian's balled fist. "Take a step back."

He shook with what he told himself was anger. "That prick is going to take advantage of her."

Julie tugged his hands, so he would face her. "No, he's not. Nick and Maggie have become good friends over the last year. He sees how she looks at you. He knows where he stands."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Julie's eye flashed with annoyance.

"It means you, dickhead. I know she wants you," Nick said from the doorway.

Brian turned to face the other man. "That's great. I don't fuck virgins."

Nick chuckled. "Well, I haven't
deflowered
a virgin in about ten years but if Maggie asks, I would be willing."

Julie grabbed Brian's arm keeping him from advancing on Nick.

Logan walked into the room with Ava by his side. "Hey, you two," he said. "If you're going to fight, do it outside."

Ava pushed Logan with her elbow. "Knock it off."

"Listen, you two.” She moved to stand next to Julie. “We're not talking about a sixteen-year-old virgin. We're talking about a thirty-year-old woman who knows her own mind."

Ava's sharp gaze landed on Brian. "She's seen you with other women and knows the score."

The hair on the back of his neck stood. For the first time since he joined Paradise, unease skittered down his spine. "This is between Maggie and me.” Brian fished his keys out of his pocked and looked at Logan. “I’ll be back Monday to finish the roof,” he said and stormed out to his car.

Chapter Four

Maggie scooped ice cream into a bowl. She considered spooning the cookies and cream right into her mouth, skipping the bowl all together. After the morning she'd had, she deserved it.

How much mortification could one person take? She should just tattoo
oldest living virgin
on her forehead.

Her cell chirped, signaling a text. Maggie put the ice cream away, stepped into the tiny room her landlord called a living room, and grabbed her cell from the coffee table.

NICK:
Hanging with Ava and Logan.

“Good.” Maggie needed some time to herself. Stepping back to the kitchen, she lifted the over-filled bowl off the counter, sat in her grandmother's old-flowered-tapestry couch, and switched on the TV.

Jon Bon Jovi sang about being a cowboy and the opening to Deadliest Catch filled the small screen. Maggie shoveled the tablespoon into the yummy goodness and slid it between her lips. Creamy, cold sweetness exploded on her tongue. She moaned and settled back to watch the marathon.

Halfway through the ice cream, a knock sounded at the door. Maggie jumped. "Hold on, Nick."

She set down the bowl, made her way to the door, and checked the peephole. "Shit, crap, shit."

Brian, in all his sexiness, stood on the other side.

"I know you're in there, Maggie. Open the door."

She looked down at her mismatched pajamas. "Crap."

"I heard that."

"I don't want to see you," she called.

"Either you open this damn door or I will."

His tone had her unbolting the dead bolt. "You're such an asshole," she said.

Brian stepped in, filling the tiny space. "I know."

His gaze roamed over her. Heat flared in her belly, which pissed her off even more. She wrapped her arms over her chest. "What do you want?"

"We need to talk."

"We don't have anything to talk about."

"Oh, yeah." Brian gripped both her elbows and lifted like he'd done earlier.

The wimpy girly part of her melted, but the victim in her straightened her spine and kicked out.

Her foot connected with Brian's shin.

"Shit, Maggie." He lifted her higher and pulled her tight to his hard chest.

Victim girl wilted away and hid in the corner. When he'd done this before, there were people around. She'd felt safe and bold, but now she was alone with this man and her body wanted him. Unease filled her. She started to shake.

Brian's face turned the color of an old sheet. He set her down and stepped back. "I'm sorry."

She flushed—embarrassed—and sighed. "It's me." Maggie turned, defeated. She really needed to take her life back. "Come in. Have a seat."

Maggie sat on the couch and grabbed the quilt her grandmother gave to her on her tenth birthday. She wrapped the comforting material over her shoulders and took strength from its softness.

Brian took a seat in the extra dining room chair against the wall. "Up until last night I thought of you like a sister." He sighed and shoved his hands through his hair. "Not a sister." Brian threw his arm up. "Oh, I don't know how I felt about you. If I'm honest with myself, you have always gotten under my skin and warmed my blood."

A pull deep in her belly sent heat to her face. Maggie tugged the blanket tighter around her. She should've taken Nick up on his offer of sex this afternoon when he'd suggested it.
Maybe she would be more prepared for this.

"I never thought you were interested in me. You always looked at me like I was gum on the bottom of your shoe," he said.

Maggie gazed at Brian. In all the years she'd known him, she'd never seen him look so uncertain. The fear that lived deep in her soul fluttered away and a new sense of peace filled her. She smiled. "I've been attracted to you ever since I handed you the membership paperwork four years ago."

A cocky grin spread over his handsome face. "What are we going to do about this?"

Fuck me like you do the women at the club and make the ache that blooms between my legs every time I see you go away.
Anticipation and anxiety skittered up her spine. "What do you mean?" she asked instead.

"Honey, I don't
do
virgins."

Pain all but stole her breath away. Maggie should've known she wasn't his type.
Doesn't do virgins, my ass. You would fuck anything with a pussy.
She stood and tossed the quilt on the sofa. "Well maybe I'll let you know when I'm not a virgin anymore." She moved toward the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have plans tonight."