Mastered: Ten Tales of Sensual Surrender (55 page)

“True. I’m thinking you owe me one.” He leaned close to kiss her. “Dress casual. You’re coming to my place for dinner tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at six. And don’t forget your class tomorrow at two. Nicole said you’d cover for her.”

He left before she could argue.

Not that she had anything left to add. She’d agreed to cover for Nicole’s step class tomorrow. And she had nothing better to do on a Sunday night than read a book and wash her hair. Sad but true.

Maggie cleaned up and went to bed, not sure tonight had actually happened. Had Mac really been waiting in her apartment? Had the man truly made her come with no more than a few kisses and some very heavy petting?

Just thinking about what he’d done to her made her hot and bothered, as did the remembrance of how big and solid his cock had felt. Thoughts of having that inside her brought forth all the naughty fantasies she’d harbored. But how would Mac feel about fulfilling them? It would be really embarrassing to open up to him—Shane’s best friend—if he thought her some kind of crazy pervert.

She’d had a few boyfriends who tried to be more controlling for her, but she hadn’t bought the act. In the end, the sex had been a letdown, the relationship fizzling soon after. What few jerks she didn’t confide in had been wrong for her from the beginning.

For some reason, Maggie wanted to be controlled in the bedroom. She’d had fantasies about it for years, and the one time an ex-boyfriend had been close to getting it right, she’d been halfway to heaven in love, then found out he had a girlfriend on the side. Unfortunately, most of the men she sought to give her that submissive feeling acted like pricks. Mac was the first guy she’d met who seemed somewhat normal. Controlling, yes, but not cruel. Just sure of himself. Okay, the man acted conceited. She’d admit that. But he had a right to be that sexually assured with a body that fine.

What guy had she been with in the past five years—hell, make that ten years—had made her come so easily, then left without getting his? She still didn’t know what to make of that, or his odd request for a date.

Did the king of no commitment want a relationship? Maybe he looked to Shane and Shelby as inspiration. Did he want Maggie to be his girlfriend? Because that kind of close tie freaked her out. She’d never made good choices with men, and Maggie actually liked Mac. She didn’t want to screw up a good thing. To her way of thinking, they could have sex, remain friends, and see each other socially when with their best buds. Group outings without all the drama and angst that accompanied her failed relationships.

And after the sex, they could and would remain casual friends. Friends with benefits. She could do that. So she hoped.

The next night she sat shuffling through the cable stations when a knock sounded at the door. A glance at the clock made her sigh. Mr. Marine, a good ten minutes early. Go figure.

“I’m not dressed yet,” she yelled out.

“Then I’m definitely coming in.”

She laughed to herself and crossed to the door. She opened it, and Mac pushed past her inside. “Grab your jacket. Let’s go.”

“Hello. And how are you today? I’m fine. What? Yes. The class went well. The gym wasn’t too crowded.”

He snorted. “Yeah, yeah. How are you? Good to hear. You look stunning, as usual. And no, I haven’t slept with anyone between last night, when you left me hard and frustrated, and now.”

She blinked at him as she grabbed her jacket. “I don’t think I asked about your sex life.”

“You should. Responsible partners are all about safe sex.”

“Oh my God. Are you lecturing me?”

The fifteen minute drive to his house grew into a debate about sexual responsibility. As usual, the argument was more about needling Mac than being right. Half the time she said things just to annoy him.

“Oh yeah. For me, a condom is a
must
,” she emphasized.

He frowned. “But you said you’re on birth control.”

“Duh, because I’m not ready for kids yet. But birth control doesn’t prevent disease.”

“Um, I get that. But I told you I’m clean,” he said as he parked the car.

She left the vehicle with him and walked up the drive. “I thought we were talking in generalities. Why the push to have sex with me? I thought this was just a date. You know. Where we
talk
to each other.”

He ground his teeth and let her into the house. “For such a small person, you have a big mouth.”

“I’m not that small. Unless I stand next to freakishly large people, like yourself.”

“You mean, freakishly
sexy
people. I know I make you uncomfortable, being so hot and godlike. It’s okay, Maggie. I’ll take good care of you.”

She shoved him out of the way and took a good look at his place. “I’m amazed your ego fits through the door.”

The large home in Green Lake fit what she’d imagined his finances to be. According to Shelby, who’d heard it from Shane, Mac had made a bunch of great investments over the years, diversifying. So unlike many in this economy, he actually had money to fall back on, added to his military retirement. He drove a new car that had to cost a pretty penny. And his home boasted hardwood floors, leather furniture, and exquisite built-in cabinetry around a stone fireplace. A few black and white photographs of different countries and places graced the walls. He didn’t have a lot of clutter, but he had pictures and Marine Corps mementos filling up a wall unit to the left of the fireplace.

She saw him in the décor, but she also thought he’d had help. “This is way too neat for you. I was expecting black leather and chrome. Some nudie posters and pizza boxes.” She liked that he narrowed his eyes, obviously irked. “So who helped you decorate?”

“Why is it so hard to believe I did it myself?”

She just stared at him.

He blew out a breath. “Fine. Shane’s mom helped me stage the stuff. But it was my taste. I picked out the furniture.”

“Hmm.” She ran a hand over the back of the leather sectional. “Feels nice, and it’s big enough for that monstrously large body of yours.”

“And my ego. Don’t forget how big that is,” he said sarcastically.

“There is that.” She waited for it.

“It goes without saying, I’m big all over.”

“I knew you wouldn’t let that one slide.”

He chuckled. “See? You do know me. Isn’t it nice, being all friendly?”

She shook her head and moved deeper into the house. Through a nice dining room big enough to seat six, she entered a gourmet kitchen. Jealous, because she’d always wanted something so nice, she took in the stainless steel appliances, black granite counter tops and top of the line pots hanging from a pot rack above the center island. He even had a prep sink in which a colander of fresh veggies sat.

“Don’t tell me you cook.”

“Why ruin your already sterling opinion of me?” He stepped around her and moved to the main sink, where he rolled up the sleeves of his dark blue sweater and washed his hands.

As usual, she had a hard time looking away. The sight of his strong forearms and large hands enthralled her. Mac didn’t play at being strong. He
was
strong. More than physically, he had a warrior’s spirit, an indomitable will to take charge and maintain order, and it never failed to fill her daydreams with just what he might be like in bed. Or worse, as a boyfriend.

She blinked as he finished wiping his hands on a towel.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

“Please. Mine cost a lot more than that.”

He chuckled and moved to the vegetables, then set to chopping them up with military precision.

“So you really cook?”

“Yep. I learned the hard way. Cook or starve. I chose to learn some culinary skills.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, well, my uncle can barely boil water. I’m usually fixing stuff for him.”

“I like Ian.” She mentally compared him to Mac. “You look alike. He’s just as big and mouthy as you are.”

“Thanks.” Mac reached for a pan, grabbed a bottle of olive oil from above, and set everything over the burner. From the fridge, he removed a tray of steak and onions. He added that and a small bowl of seasoning and started frying up their dinner.

“You look like a pro.”

“I’m good. Just ask around.” He winked at her.

“Funny, but your uncle was saying the exact same thing to some woman at the gym when I saw him. If I recall, she turned away in a huff while he laughed himself silly.”

Mac frowned. “And he has the nerve to tell me to go easy on the members.”

“Did you get into trouble because of that incident with Wilson?” For which she’d never thanked him.

“Nah. Uncle Ian was pissed about it until I told him why I choked the guy. Then he understood. We refunded Wilson’s money and kicked his ass out of the gym.”

“What did you say, exactly?”

“That Wilson had his hand on you and you didn’t like it. That was enough for Ian. My uncle taught me a lot growing up, and not hurting women was at the top of his list. Call him a throwback if you want, but I agree with him.”

“No, no. I like that. You’re gruff and you curse a lot. And let’s face it, you’re huge. But I’ve never been scared of you, that you’d hurt me, I mean.” She paused. “Thanks for helping me with Wilson.”

“You’re welcome.” For once he didn’t act superior. The simple reply was heartfelt and made her rethink what she knew about Mac all over again.

Chapter Five

“So you keep mentioning your uncle.” Maggie wanted to know more. “He raised you, not your parents?”

“My folks split up when I was eight,” Mac said matter-of-factly. “My father ended up getting killed by a drunk driver a year later. My mother took off. Haven’t seen or heard from her since.”

“Ouch.”

He grimaced. “Yeah. So Uncle Ian raised me. He was married to a woman he loved like crazy for years. Turned out she was nothing more than a—” He checked himself. “She was fooling around on him and tried to take him for everything he had. A real user.”

“No wonder you have issues with women.”

He frowned. “I don’t have issues. I like women. Hell, I
love
women.” He leered at her, but she saw what he hadn’t said. The man had trust issues he’d more than earned.

A lot like her. “Well, if it makes you feel better, my folks left me on the doorstep of a church when I was just a baby. Just me and my older brother against the world.”

“No shit?”

“Yep. I’m a blond Little Orphan Annie.” She grinned, not bitter at all about how she’d been raised. “Luckily, Trevor and I grew up together in a series of foster homes. We weren’t placed with abusive or uncaring people. And we still keep in touch with a few of them.”

“Trevor, huh? Does he live close?”

“He travels a lot for work.”
Doing secret squirrel stuff for the government his little sister isn’t supposed to know about. Corporate shark, my ass. The liar.
“But we’re still close, even if we’re not physically together. He calls when he can and always brings me stuff from abroad. I don’t know if you saw my craft room when you were snooping around my apartment.”

“Not snooping. I was waiting for you.” He finished with the food and put the pan on a cool burner. After he turned off the stovetop, he fished two plates from a cabinet. “Trust me. I wanted like hell to look through your underwear drawer, but I thought that might freak you out more than just me being there.” He put the food on the plates then found a bottle of wine from a built-in wine cooler.

“Man. You have everything in here.”

“Just about. Grab a plate.”

She did and followed him into the dining room. No candles, but a wine bucket and two place settings complete with wine glasses waited for them. He poured them each a glass.

“Fancy.”

“Yeah, because I’m all about appearances.” He huffed. “I happen to like wine with my food. But I’d never turn down a good beer. And I don’t mean that blue ribbon crap.”

“A beer snot. I’m not surprised.”

He chuckled. “Like you’re not a little snooty yourself. I saw that artwork in your place. Nothing store bought. It’s all hand-crafted crap. You didn’t have anything commercial in there.”

“Well, no. I like what I like.”

“Yeah. Me too.” The look he shot her was no less than scorching. “So, back to you and your sob story growing up.”

Trust Mac to give her no quarter. She liked that about him. When others learned of her humble beginnings, they seemed uncomfortable or even pitying. Not the man still giving her a once-over.

“Your brother,” Mac continued. “You and he grew up out here?”

“On the East Coast, actually. We grew up outside of D.C. But we both wanted to move West. It’s way too humid out there.” She shook her head and took a sip of wine. “Hey, this is good.”

“Only the best for you, Maggie.” He patted his chest. “Myself included.”

She nearly choked on her wine.

“So when did you come out here?”

“You really want to know, or is this just to soften me up for sex later?”

The lazy amusement on his face vanished, to be replaced with real annoyance. “Can’t I be curious about you? Why is that wrong? If you don’t want to talk, just say so.”

“Ah, no.” She put her wine down. “Honestly, I’m not used to this. Usually on a date, I sit back and listen while the man of the hour goes on and on about his job and his life. I nod, smile and look pretty.”

“You’ve been dating the wrong guys.” He snorted. “Not surprising. You tell me I have trust issues? Check a mirror, honey.”

“Look,
sweetcheeks
, I didn’t ask for an analysis of my shortcomings.” Irritated with him, she turned back to her plate. He might be an ass, but the smells coming from her dinner made her salivate.

“Easy. I’m not trying to psychoanalyze you. Jesus, just eat, would you? I forgot what a pain in the ass you can be when your blood sugar is low.”

How did he know that? She dug into her plate and moaned at the flavors bursting on her tongue.

“Go on. Say it,” he demanded.

She wanted to be annoyed, but he’d earned that smug tone.

“It’s delicious. This is amazing. Just a few vegetables and steak and it tastes like heaven. How do you cook like this?”