by Cathryn Fox
“And I’m just learning this now?”
“Shhh,” Madison said, and glanced around the coffee shop. “The whole world doesn’t need to know.”
“Maybe not, but I sure as hell do.” She planted one hand on her hip. “Out with it and I want all the details.”
Madison laughed, knowing her friend wasn’t about to let her off the hook so easily. Besides, she couldn’t stop thinking about Sean and really wanted to talk about him.
“Fine then,” she whispered, and lowered her voice even more as she filled Haley in on the situation, keeping the more private details to herself. When she finished, Haley sank into her seat and fanned her face. “Wow.”
“Oh, it was ‘wow’ all right.”
Haley took a slug of her coffee before saying, “It’s about frigging time, don’t you think?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, you’ve liked him since high school, haven’t you? So it’s really about time you went for it.”
Madison toyed with her coffee cup as heated memories of last night raced through her mind and elicited a shiver from deep within. “The thing is, I don’t like him anymore, Haley.”
Haley’s head jerked back with a start. “What?”
As warmth moved through Madison, she said, “I was already half in love with him before this started.” She let loose a long breath and said, “Now I’m totally and utterly in love.”
A worried look moved over Haley’s face. “How does he feel? I mean, sex is one thing. Love is something entirely different.”
While she knew her friend didn’t really believe in love, marriage or happily ever after, Madison thought about the things Sean had said to her, the things he’d done to her—for her. Things like taking her out on the yacht and going against his own best interests to show her how beautiful and desirable she was, how much she meant to him. No man had ever gone to such lengths for her before.
He made her feel special, cherished, like she was the most important woman in the world. When he first began to seduce her on the yacht, she remembered the troubled look on his face when he thought she was about to flee. Everything in the way he touched her and looked at her confirmed that he wanted her, that her scar hadn’t bothered him and that he’d never been pitying her. And Madison didn’t care what Tara claimed, no man would go to such extremes if he didn’t feel something deeper. She hugged herself and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to wipe the silly smile from her mouth.
“Forget I asked,” Haley said and gave a long slow whistle. “Jeez, I never thought I’d see the day when Beachville’s bad boy turned into a one-woman kind of guy.” Haley touched Madison’s hand. “I’m thrilled for you, Madison, and maybe just a little jealous that you’re having great sex and I’m not. Jesus, the guys in this town are so boring. I mean, if I wanted to settle down and have dull sex for the rest of my life, then I don’t have to look any farther than Beachville. But I don’t.”
Just then Cole Landon sauntered into the coffee shop. He gave them a quick nod as he hobbled up to the counter.
Haley sighed. “Jesus, that guy is smoking hot.”
Madison glanced at Cole. “And not at all boring.” She made a tsking sound and added, “He really does have that whole bad-boy thing working for him, doesn’t he? It’s a shame his injury shortened his soccer season. But now that he’s back in town…”
When her voice fell off, Haley asked, “What about it?”
Madison pointed her finger at her friend. “So when are you going to go for it?”
“Excuse me?”
“Come on. You know you want him. You’ve always wanted him.”
“Yeah, but you remember what it was like in high school. Jocks slept with cheerleaders, not good girls on student council.”
“We’re not in high school anymore. And really, you’re not that good of a girl.”
Haley feigned hurt. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”
Madison arched a brow. “I don’t think you want me to go into details, but let me just remind you I was there when you ‘borrowed’ the camera from the audio visual room. And I know what you did with it.”
“Okay, okay, enough said,” Haley rushed out, holding her hands up in surrender.
“So why not have some fun with the jock while he’s back in town. A summer fling to show him what he’s missed out on by underestimating little miss co-president.”
Mischief lit her friend’s eyes. “Well, he is coming in for physical therapy next week.”
When Cole left, Madison finished her coffee and stood. “You. Cole. A private room with a bed. Among other props. Yeah, I think I’ll leave the rest to you.”
They stepped out into the warm August sunshine and began walking the two blocks to Madison’s street.
When they took the corner, Madison glanced at her friend and noted the look on her face. She could only assume she was thinking more about Madison’s sexy suggestion. Her friend finally broke the silence and asked, “When did you become such a bad girl anyway, Madison?”
Madison winked. “Sean brings it out in me.” She thought about her exhibitionist antics on the rooftop. “In fact, he brings a lot of things out in me.” They sauntered up Madison’s walkway, but before she pushed open the door, she grabbed her mail. Haley followed her into the condo and asked, “Any more news on the fire?”
“No, not yet.”
Madison glanced over the envelopes and frowned when she spotted one with nothing but her name scribbled on the front. She tore it open and scanned the paper.
“What does it say?”
“It says, Meet me at the yacht.”
Haley shook her head, a telltale smile on her mouth. “Okay, it’s official. I’m totally jealous.”
Madison pulled her cell out of her pocket. She was just about to punch in the number but hung up when the police officer she was calling knocked on her front door.
* * *
Less than twenty minutes later, Madison walked along the wobbling wharf leading to the yacht. She climbed on board and made her way to the cabin below. When she reached the bottom and spotted Sean, an agonized look moved over his face.
“Madison,” he said, his eyes wide, clearly surprised to see her standing there.
Madison’s glance went from Sean, who was flat out on the mattress with both arms handcuffed to the bedposts, to Tara, who was half dressed and straddling him.
“Madison,” Sean rushed out again. “It’s not what you think.”
Madison drew a calming breath and worked to keep her voice level when she said, “Oh no?” She took in the flush on Tara’s cheeks, and the way her big breasts spilled out of her sexy lace bra. Standing there staring down at the two, Madison took a second to wrap her brain around what she was seeing.
“I’m pretty sure it’s exactly what it looks like,” she countered.
Tara gave a sassy shake of her head and seemed quite pleased with herself. “I told you, Madison. You can’t trust a playboy firefighter, because when you play with fire, you inevitably end up getting burned.”
Trust?
Tara wanted to talk to her about trust? Really, how could she not trust a man who put her feelings, safety and needs first, a man who cared about her well-being—emotional and physical—and went to extremes to prove just how much he cared?
“Madison,” Sean said again, sounding almost desperate. “Come on. It’s not what it looks like. You know you can trust me.”
A long moment passed between them as her glance met and locked with Sean’s. Then she broke the quiet and said, “That’s right. I do know that.” Madison turned and called for Carter, who’d accompanied her to the yacht after showing up at her door.
Carter came down the stairs with the note Madison found in her mailbox.
“You’re coming with me,” Carter said, and hauled Tara off Sean.
“What’s going on?” Tara asked.
Madison tossed Tara her shirt. “What’s going on is that I recognized yo
ur handwriting. The handwriting on that letter matched the writing on the ones you’ve been sending to Sean.”
Tara swallowed, and realizing she’d been caught, she rushed out, “Sean, it’s not like that. I just wanted to get back together.” Her eyes shot daggers as they turned to Madison. “She won’t make you happy. Not like I can.”
“That’s enough,” Carter said as he hauled her up the stairs. He turned back to Madison. “I’ll meet you both at the station.” When Tara struggled, he held her tighter and said, “You’re coming with me. And we have a fire we need to discuss. Again.”
Madison nodded, but instead of following behind, she said, “We need a minute.”
“No worries. Tara’s not going anywhere.”
When the two left, Madison folded her arms and stared at Sean’s handcuffs. “How did a little girl like her get a guy like you into those?”
“I don’t know.” He rolled his eyes, clearly agitated by the situation. “I think she put something in my drink.”
“There is something seriously wrong with that girl,” Madison said as she tested the handcuffs. “Pretty secure.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Madison stepped back to look him over and couldn’t help but think how sexy he looked.
He pulled on the cuffs again. “You want to uncuff me?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Come on, Madison, get me out of these.”
Madison laughed and gave him a mischievous grin. “You know, you’ve been a little dominant in the bedroom. Always having to be the one in charge.”
He shifted uncomfortably on the bed, “Yeah, and you like it,” he shot back. “So don’t deny it.”
“Oh, I’m not denying it, but since Tara went to all this trouble, and you look so damn good lying there at my mercy, maybe I’ll leave you like this.” She cocked her head and gestured toward the overhead mirror, turning the tables on him. “You know, so I can be in charge of your pain and pleasure.”
He let loose a groan. “Jesus Christ!” Her glance left his face and took in the bulge in his jeans. She trailed her fingers along his hard thighs and toyed with his button. “You really need to stop playing with fire, Madison,” he bit out, his eyes smoldering.
“Why, when it’s so fun?” She pulled open his jeans, released his zipper and let his cock spring free. Sean’s hips jutted forward, his rock-hard erection beckoning her mouth as the yacht swayed against the dock.
As precome glistened on his crown, she said, “Oh my. You’re burning up, Sean.” Then she made a tsking sound. “And there really is only one way to extinguish these kinds of flames.” His eyes blazed with yearning as she leaned forward to run her wet tongue along the length of him.
“Fuck,” he murmured and bucked against her mouth.
Madison gave him a naughty-girl grin before she pulled him in deeper for a long hard suck. The handcuffs jangled and Sean’s cock swelled in her mouth.
A moment later his muscles tensed and his voice came out like rusty nails when he said, “So help me, God, you are so going to pay for this, Madison!”
She lifted her eyes to see him, and when their glances met, and she saw warmth and tenderness mingling with lust, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that in his eyes she was beautiful and desirable and they really were playing for keeps.
Her heart swelled with the love she felt for him. “That’s what I’m counting on, Sean. That’s exactly what I’m counting on.”
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading, IGNITING THE BAD BOY in my Boys of Beachville series. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I loved writing it. Be sure to check out books 1 & 3, GOOD AT BEING BAD, and BAD GIRL THERAPY. Read on for an excerpt of BAD GIRL THERAPY.
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Interested in leaving a review? Please do! Reviews help readers connect with books that work for them. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
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Happy Reading,
Cathryn
Bad Girl Therapy
She was touching his leg.
She was touching his goddamn leg, and if she didn’t stop soon his cock was going to burst through the velour shorts she’d put him in and let everyone in the room know he was hot for his therapist.
Why the hell hadn’t he remembered to bring his own shorts anyway? Probably because when she’d called to remind him of his early morning appointment he’d been too busy conjuring up erotic images of the two of them coming together instead of concentrating on her very specific instructions, ones that involved bringing a change of clothes for his physiotherapy session.
Fuck.
Now here he was, sprawled out on her examination table in a pair of unflattering grandma shorts while Haley Jones—the good girl from the right side of the tracks, the same girl who’d given him a three-year boner in high school—ran those soft, sensuous fingers of hers over his leg. Of course, he had to expect that she was going to touch him. After all, he was at the clinic for physical rehabilitation in an effort to strengthen his injured leg before soccer training began back up in the fall.
Haley spoke quietly to her assistants before they left the room. Once they were gone, leaving him alone with his hot health-care specialist, Haley focused solely on his damaged leg. As she gave him her full, undivided attention, his glance raced over her and he found himself fighting the incredible urge to brush his mouths over hers, to see if she tasted as sweet as she looked.
Her eyes narrowed in concentration. “Okay, now I want you tell me when it hurts.”
Oh man, it already hurts.
“What?” Cole asked as he worked to clear his lust-addled brain.
White teeth flashed in a smile, and when she shot him a sexy glance, one that could undoubtedly turn a sane man crazy, Cole got the distinct impression she was flirting with him. But good girls like Haley Jones didn’t flirt with bad boys like him, who came from the wrong side of the tracks.
Her painted lips puckered seductively, and as her fingers probed his injury, he tried not to think about how that luscious mouth would feel on his flesh, around his cock.
Damn.
She furrowed her brow and questioned, “Cole, are you paying attention?”
“Yeah.” He raked a damp hand through his hair and glanced around the sterile examination room, trying to think about something other than the beautiful woman at the foot of the table and the way that curvaceous body of hers turned an uncomplimentary pair of scrubs into a sexy, Victoria’s Secret spread. “I…uh…I was just thinking about where it hurt.”
Okay, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.
She leaned closer, until her long, blonde ponytail fell over one shoulder and sensuously brushed along his leg, taunting his erection to the point of pain. When he got a whiff of her citrus perfume, all sweet and seductive like her, his cock jumped, and he was pretty fucking certain if he didn’t soon relieve the pressure building in his groin, he was going to do some serious damage.
He shifted uncomfortably, hoping her bedroom blues didn’t stray to the bulge tenting his shorts. Christ knew girls like Haley Jones weren’t into guys like him, so the last thing he wanted was for her to see how much she aroused him.
“Okay, let’s try this again.” She pressed two fingers against his calf. “I’m going to run my fingers along the nerve, and I want you tell me when the pain intensifies.”
Concentration moved over her face as she worked her fingers down his leg to gauge the severity of his injury. Desperately needing a distraction from her touch, he took that moment to think more about the untouchable good girl who’d been gifted with every privilege life had to offer. Smart, sexy, dedicated and cultured, Haley hadn’t changed much since their teen years.
Then again, neither had his feelings for her.
There was just something about Haley that drew his attention and filled him with raw, sexual need. Despite her privileged life, she had genuine empathy for others, and had always been professionally driven, even back in high school
. And while she’d never shown any sort of interest in him, sexually or otherwise, it still didn’t stop him from thinking about her, or from wanting her in his bed.
“Right there,” he said, stopping her when the pain shot up his leg.
With that she stepped away and rolled a machine to the table. Cole propped himself up on his elbows to watch her stick tape and wires to his calf. She flicked on the machine, and then adjusted the dials until he could feel a strong pulse.
“I’m going to stimulate the muscle,” she explained before gesturing with a nod to the exercise charts on the wall. “Then we’re going to talk about your therapy.”
Once she had the dials turned to high, she grabbed a pillow and placed it at the head of the table. “Why don’t you lie down and relax? You’re going to be here for a while.”
When he flattened himself on the bed, she leaned over him and fluffed up his pillow. Only problem was her full breasts were so close to his mouth, he was sure if he stuck his tongue out he’d be able to lick her gorgeous, pert nipples through those thin scrubs of hers. Her delicious scent overwhelmed him and his mouth watered, eager for a taste. Fisting his hands to stop himself from acting on his impulses, he made a noise, a half cough-half groan that seemed to garner her attention.
“Everything okay?” Bright eyes widened with worry. “The pulse isn’t too strong, is it?”
“No,” he said through clenched teeth.
She rested her hand on his thigh. “If you start to throb, let me know and I’ll play with the controls.”
Throb.
Play.
Good God!
Did she have any idea what she was doing to him?
She wet her lips, and the warmth of her hand traveled up his leg and settled deep between his legs. Her voice seemed a little soft, a little sensuous when she added, “That will help release the pressure.”
Oh fuck!
Okay, that was it. He couldn’t take it anymore. He was getting the hell out of there and asking for a new therapist before he dragged her down onto the bed with him and showed her exactly what it was going to take to relieve the pressure.