“What is happening to me?” Maggie could no longer recognize her body. Her breasts felt full and heavy, her sex swollen and wet. She shook against Sean as tremors of passion heated her core. She wanted more pressure, more delicious friction. She wanted Sean to kiss her, suck her, whatever it took to find a release from this torture.
“Trust me, let me show you.” Sean increased his attack, plunging his finger harder into her, palming and pinching her breasts with his other hand.
“Oh, Sean.” Maggie squirmed against him as something hot and explosive began rising through her body. “Something is happening.”
“Let go, Maggie. Come for me!” Sean demanded, pressing his finger farther into her core.
Thunder crashed, lightning forked, and for the first time in Maggie’s life, her body exploded in a downpour of fiery sensations. She screamed as wave after wave of passion ripped through her, her sex pulsating against Sean’s hand.
When her body finally relaxed and Sean pulled out of her sex, Maggie closed her eyes and attempted to catch her breath. Only one thought ran through her head. Orgasms are definitely not urban legends.
***
Sean growled with need. He turned Maggie onto her back and pressed his body on top of her, revealing his tortured state—the state that was all her fault. How could any man stand lying next to Maggie with her perfect curves pressing against him, and the smell of her sweet release in their nose? He had never wanted a woman so much. She was so naïve, so inexperienced. Her fiancé was obviously an idiot. How did he fail to unleash this passion in her? It was crazy, and yet Sean was so grateful—grateful no other man had made her feel this. He would kill any man who touched her like this. Maggie’s passion was all his. He would take it all from her and make her take all of his.
“Sean,” Maggie gasped, looking up at him nervously. “What are you doing?”
“Taking what’s mine.” Sean leaned down and pressed his lips against hers hard. Piercing pain ran down his nose, but he ignored it, kissing her harder, grinding his need against her—mixing pleasure with pain.
“Get off, Sean!” Maggie pushed against his bandage, sending horrible pain raging through his wound.
“Ouch!” He sat up, breathing hard, wrapping a hand over his nose. “What did you do that for?”
“You were kissing me too hard,” Maggie yelled, gathering the quilt around her bare legs. The woman who had just released against his hands was now modest. Sean smiled.
“Sorry, got a little carried away.” And that was an understatement. Sean had never wanted a woman so much in his life. If Maggie hadn’t pushed him back, he was sure he would have devoured her whole. Already his body was tightening further at that idea.
“I guess we both did.” Maggie admitted, standing from the bed. She made sure the sheet was wrapped tightly around her. “That’s why we need to make sure this never happens again.”
“Absolutely not.” Sean chuckled. After that experience, he wouldn’t be satisfied until Maggie gave him everything and more.
“Sean, be reasonable.” Maggie shook her head disapprovingly and grabbed her skirt and panties from the bed. “We have a business relationship. It’s wrong to mix business and pleasure.”
“And that’s what I gave you,” Sean said, standing and walking toward her. “A massive amount of pleasure.” He backed her against the wall and delighted as her blue eyes widened nervously. “And I am going to do it again and again. Do you know why?”
Maggie swallowed hard but didn’t respond. She was clearly aroused—her lids heavy, her breaths coming fast. He was cocky and unpredictable, which should repel someone as controlling as she was. Instead the eagerness with which she was responding to him made him feel incredibility lucky.
“Because you need it, baby.” Sean placed his hands on either side of her head and leaned in. “I bet that was the first release you ever had and you are now dying inside for more.”
Again Maggie didn’t respond but bit her lower lip.
“Don’t worry.” He leaned in lightly to brush his lips against hers. “I’m going to give you more.”
Maggie held his gaze, and something dangerous passed through it. “Are you?”
“Absolutely,” he rasped against her lips.
Maggie leaned in to meet him and then pressed her forehead hard against his bandage, sending him spiraling back in pain. “I’ll pass.” She stared back at him, unmoved by his moans of agony—or the fact the world was now spinning so bad, he had to lie down. “You know why, wrestler? Because I wasn’t impressed.” She shrugged, shaking her head. “You just weren’t that great. In fact, all I want after that experience is a shower.”
Maggie turned and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Sean grabbed his pounding nose and groaned. He was wrong about Maggie’s compassionate-nursing side. The woman didn’t have a compassionate bone in her body. Not only did she deny him, she hurt both his nose and his pride, making him feel lower than dirt. That was a dangerous thing to do to a man who’d felt like dirt his whole life.
Sean wrapped his arms over his face and fought the need to scream. Despite all this, he still desired her with every bone in his body. Maggie had messed with his head by allowing him a glimpse of her passionate side and then shutting him out just as quick. Never had a woman done that to him. They were always hungry for what he had to offer. He was the one to push away and leave them cold. Maggie had played him at his own game and intrigued him beyond comprehension.
Sean was dying to touch her again, force her to feel something for him. He knew he shouldn’t. He was a wrestler—destined for a life of solitude and travel. There was no room for a woman there. It was dangerous to play with her feelings, yet he couldn’t help it. Maybe it was his lonely childhood, having been raised to feel like a piece of garbage. Part of him was always that wounded child seeking admiration. And he wanted Maggie’s admiration, along with her body, her heart, her soul. He would not rest until she was willing to give it all.
Sean sat up and grabbed his pills. He needed to sleep. His mind was going to that dark, lonely place from his childhood. The one he’d spent years running from and convincing himself was over. But was it ever over? Did his father’s cruelty ever truly go away? Wasn’t that why he’d chosen wrestling? To fill that gaping hole in his heart, the one that told him he wasn’t worth anything?
Sean popped open the pill bottle and took two. It was dangerous to think like this. He had to protect himself. He had to protect Maggie. He heard the shower turn on and knew she was probably naked and about to get in.
Sean forced himself onto his side and covered his ears with a pillow. He could not listen to her shower when he was battling the urge to break down the door. He had to fight this desire, these wicked thoughts, this horrible emptiness in his heart. Sean forced his eyes shut and fell asleep fighting his demons.
***
Maggie stood in the shower, allowing the heat to caress her body. It didn’t take long for her mind to drift back to Sean’s wicked touch. She could barely go this long without thinking about it. The man had done things to her, and not just by giving her a release. He had freed her mind from all the congestion, control, and concern and replaced it with dirty thoughts and desires. She wanted him more than any man she had ever encountered, and it made no sense. He wasn’t money-conscious, serious-minded, or classically handsome. In fact, she had never even seen his entire face. But it hardly seemed to matter. Her body ached for his touch, and something even more alarming pulled at her chest. She was developing feelings for Sean.
Maggie turned off the water, instantly annoyed with herself. She didn’t want to admit those feelings even in her head. They made no sense. She was fresh out of a two-year engagement to Trevor and losing her mind. Since meeting Sean, she had bombed her interview, disappointed her parents, and tossed her cell phone out the window. Not to mention she was driving a stranger carelessly down to Florida. The last thing she needed was to develop some sort of silly attachment to a ma
n she’d just met. She needed to wake up and start thinking clearly!
Maggie dried off and pulled on her clothes. She had a feeling Sean was not too happy with her, after what she did to his injury and the hurtful things she’d said. But was it enough to make him back off? Maggie had a feeling it wasn’t. She’d seen the look in his eyes right before she pushed him away. He looked like a hungry wolf ready to fight for his meal. She had a feeling he wouldn’t stop until he devoured her completely—which meant she had to stay a step ahead. Even as part of her looked forward to his pursuit, even welcomed it. After experiencing her first release, Sean wasn’t the only one hungry.
Maggie frowned in the mirror. She would just have to stay stronger. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the bathroom and inched her way out.
The room was dim as early morning light began to shine through the storm. The clock on the bedside table read close to five in the morning. She looked over at Sean and realized instantly he was asleep. There was a pillow over his head, but she could hear the loud, even breaths underneath. Sean’s restful sounds were comforting.
She walked over to his side and removed the pillow. His eyes were shut tight, and his wavy, brown hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. He had drool coming out of his mouth and the large bandage over his nose. Maggie couldn’t believe she found this monster attractive, and yet a tender smile found its way to her lips. More tugging at her chest alerted her to how ridiculous she was acting.
Maggie turned away and paced the hotel room. She was tired but not willing to sleep. After experiencing her first orgasm, she felt something awaken inside that she hadn’t felt in years. She wanted to draw. Instant guilt had her turning back to Sean to make sure he was asleep. Maggie had learned to associate her urges to draw with shame. She didn’t want any witnesses to this moment.
More of Sean’s even, deep breaths gave her the courage she needed. She ran over to the desk in the room and sat down in the chair. There was a pad of hotel paper and a pen calling her name. She picked up the pen and with shaky hands drew her first line.
“Oh my.” Maggie sighed loudly, feeling almost as naughty as when Sean had made her body shake. She placed the pen down for another stroke and felt the pure ecstasy of it down to her soul. In that moment everything in her brain became clear. She was going to draw, create, and paint until she died. She would sacrifice money, food, and a home to live out her passion. It wasn’t too late to follow her childhood dream.
Maggie made another stroke, smiling with the insanity of a person who had nothing to lose and had finally figured it all out. She had lived far too long for her parents and Trevor. It was finally time to live for herself.
Maggie finished her first drawing fast. It was of the Georgia skyline, the morning light breaking through the storm. She turned the page and began drawing another picture frantically. After years of denying her passion, she had built up quite a release. It was going to be a while before she would be able to stop this burst of creativity, but it would be worth it. For the first time in her adult life, Maggie fully felt free. She wasn’t surprised when tears of joy mixed with the ink on her page.
CHAPTER 8
Maggie had been acting strange all day. When Sean woke up in the hotel bed, it was past noon and she was fast asleep at the desk—drooling on top of a pad of paper, a pen in her hand. When he shook her awake to find out what she had been doing, Maggie quickly turned over the pad and glanced at the clock.
“Oh, it’s noon already. I guess we should get back on the road.”
Sean didn’t press her, only got ready and settled their hotel bill. Maggie appeared uninterested in both; she just walked like a zombie toward her car, pen and paper in hand. When he opened the driver’s-side door for her, she smiled and handed him the keys. “You drive.”
Sean was in complete shock. It was one thing for Maggie to lose focus on the time and be disinterested in settling the bill at the hotel, but allowing him to drive again, knowing full well he would adjust her seat settings and mirrors? That was insane! Maggie was definitely not acting like herself.
Sean glanced over at her. She was absorbed with the pad in her hands, pen quietly scratching along the surface. She had been doing it nonstop since he’d started driving, not even pausing to eat lunch or direct him to the cheapest fast food establishment. She’d only handed him her credit card, not once looking up from the work in her lap. Sean was in complete shock. This new side of Maggie was stranger than the rest. He was just getting used to her obsession with control and knew all the things to say, and do, to bring her out of her shell. But he had no idea what to do with her silently scratching away with a pen. It wasn’t as though she was upset or angry, either. She was completely happy, smiling with every stroke. Excited energy surrounded her—excitement that had nothing to do with him.
Sean glanced back at the road, scratching at the bandage on his nose. They were just crossing over the Florida state line. With only two hours left on their trip, he knew he should be excited. He had gotten a ride down to Florida for practically nothing. He would soon be training at the EWXN training center and making his professional-wrestling dreams come true. This was the best day of his life, yet all he could think about was Maggie. Sean was obsessed with the pad in her hands. He wanted to know what she was doing. Why she had a smile on her face. Why she was so excited. He wanted to be part of her excitement.
Sean knew he should just be relieved there was peace in the car, especially with how much they bickered. But he missed Maggie’s voice and missed how she theatrically rolled her emerald eyes at him. He missed getting her all riled up and then forcing her to smile. The way she was now happily absorbed in her own little world made him feel lonely. Not to mention completely inadequate for some reason. Sean thought about touching her body constantly, especially after last night. But then he remembered how she’d said that what they did wasn’t that great. The worst part about those stinging words was that they appeared to be true. Maggie no longer seemed annoyed by his existence, just disinterested completely.
Sean dug at his bandage harder. The way she ignored him was so unfair, especially considering he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Not even long enough to worry about what the EWXN training center had in store for him. He was losing focus on his lifelong dream, and it was all Maggie’s fault.
Sean turned to her angrily and snatched the pad out of her hand. “What are you working on?”
“Hey!” Her eyes widened as she reached for it. “Give that back.”
“Not until you tell me what you’re doing.” Sean raised the pad above his head out of her reach, acting like a child. But what could he do? Maggie’s behavior was driving him mad.
“Stop being such a butthead, Sean, and give me my pad back!”
“Butthead?” Sean shook his head, attempting not to laugh, seeing as Maggie was now pouting with her arms crossed. “What are we, in kindergarten?”
“I don’t know.” Maggie gestured to Sean, who was still holding her pad hostage, and rolled her eyes. “Are we?”
He smiled. She had a point, but his behavior wasn’t entirely his fault. She was the one being dismissive, acting as if he didn’t exist. “I just want to know what you’ve been doing all day that makes you unable to talk, eat, or care whether I’m driving your precious car.”
“Then why don’t you just ask?” Maggie threw up her hands, looking as though she was at the end of her rope.
“Because you probably wouldn’t answer,” Sean answered truthfully and lowered the pad toward his face.
“You don’t know unless you try,” Maggie replied in a condescending way and then held out her hand. “Now give me back my pad.”
“I don’t think so.” Sean fought another smile. Here he’d been missing the sound of Maggie’s arrogant know-it-all voice, and now she was supplying it to him, and then some. “Not until I see what’s on it.”
“Sean, stop fooling around!” Maggie reached out to grab the pad back, and instead knocked the wheel
so that they were temporarily swerving into the other lane.
Sean dropped the pad to the floor and righted the car back into their lane. Loud honking alerted them to how close they had come to hitting the truck behind them. He took a deep breath, shaking his head. “What did you do that for?” he yelled.
“Why did you take my pad?” Maggie yelled back, red-faced and just as angry. She didn’t seem to care about their almost-accident, only about her precious pad.
Sean felt the pad near his foot and slid it against the door. The woman was obsessed with this damn thing, and he’d had enough. He pressed on the gas and swerved the car toward the nearest exit. Maggie slammed back against her seat from the quick acceleration.
“What are you doing?” she cried, swerving with the car as he sped off the exit ramp. “Are you trying to kill us?”
Sean didn’t respond, only turned into the nearest gas station and parked. He was nothing if not impulsive, and his impulses were screaming for him to find out what was on Maggie’s pad. He couldn’t wait another second. What had her so obsessed that she’d become a completely different woman overnight?
Sean picked the pad and brought it to his eyes.
“Sean, stop!” Maggie reached out to snatch it back, forcing him to turn his back to block her. He looked down at the top page and found a detailed drawing of his face—shaggy hair, oval eyes, and even the bandage on his nose. Sean let out a shocked breath. So she hadn’t been ignoring him after all.
“Give the pad back to me, Sean!” Maggie shoved against his back, her voice becoming hysterical. “I mean it! Right now!”
Sean quickly flipped through the pages. Maggie could definitely draw. Each page was artistically flawless, whether it was an object outside their window or something in the car. With only a blue-ink pen she had created three-dimensional images that looked ready to jump off the page. Sean was taken aback by her creative ability and was touched that many of her drawings were of him—even if they only depicted various stages of him scratching at his bandage.
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