“Just like you did last year?” Maggie laughed loudly, thinking of the irony of this moment. Sean joined her laughter as if realizing it too.
“What do you say, Maggie?” Sean brought her hands to his lips and winked. “One more road trip for old time’s sake?”
Maggie shook her head and sighed. The man was impossible to deny, especially when he looked at her with such desperation and reminded her of the best time of her life. Another road trip with Sean was dangerous—and irresistible. “One more road trip,” she agreed and then leaned in closer, so they were eye-to-eye. “But you’re paying for everything this time.”
“Of course.” He smiled with such clear relief in his eyes that Maggie wondered how she could ever think to say no.
“Starting with tonight,” she added, attempting to lighten the mood, desperate to keep their relationship on a friendship level. She might be going on another road trip with Sean, but this time she would definitely be protecting her heart.
“Tonight?” Sean smiled wickedly, as though she was asking to jump into his bed. She rolled her eyes. Hardly!
“I want you to pay for my hotel room tonight.” She smiled and took back her hands. “So I can get some sleep.”
“You can stay with me,” he said, as if this solved everything—including the sparks flying between them.
“My own room, Sean,” she said adamantly, holding his gaze. “Or I’m not coming.”
“Fine,” Sean grumbled, not willing to let her back out. He picked up the menu and mumbled behind it, “If you have your own room, you definitely won’t be coming.”
“And none of that,” Maggie snapped at him accusingly, tossing his menu aside. “No sexual comments, no flirting! We go on this road trip as friends, or we aren’t going at all.”
“Got it.” Sean held up his hands. He had a wicked smile on his handsome face. “I promise no more flirting, no more dirty comments.”
“If only I could believe you.” Maggie rolled her eyes and took a large sip of her drink. Sean just laughed, reminding her why she couldn’t trust him. But for better or for worse, they were going on another road trip. They definitely had come full circle, but where that circle would end Maggie couldn’t guess.
***
Sean was true to his word and got Maggie a hotel room. He asked the receptionist—whom he had become chummy with—to make sure right next door so there was a connecting door between the two. He wasn’t planning to bother her. He just liked the idea of listening to her moving around in there, turning the TV on and off. Sean wasn’t sure if having her nearby would help him finally get some sleep, but it was worth a try.
After a friendly hug, Maggie disappeared into her room. Unfortunately, despite being near her, he still could not fall asleep. It was now close to three in the morning, and he had tossed and turned all night, thinking about Ohio and seeking out his father. What would he say to him? Would he even still be alive? The last time he saw his father, the man was hanging out on his favorite street corner with a sign, begging for money. He’d already spent—and drunk—the money he’d stolen from his son. Sean was so sickened by his pathetic behavior that he couldn’t even confront him over the theft. Arguing with a drunk wasn’t worth it.
In a few hours Sean would be on his way to not only seek out that drunk, but probably to argue with him. Just thinking about it made his stomach turn. Sean sighed, sitting up in bed. He felt so weak. That was why he’d asked Maggie to come with him. He needed to keep her near, needed to remind himself why he had to confront his dad. Maggie was his prize—if he found a way to put his demons to rest.
But none of this was going to happen if he didn’t get some sleep! Sean stood and walked over to the door that connected their rooms. It was late, and she was more than likely sleeping, but he was desperate. The last time he’d slept well was alongside her. Maybe just sharing the same space would be the key?
Sean knocked loudly on the door. It was worth a try. He would be in no shape to confront anyone like this. Then all of this would be a waste.
“Sean?” Maggie pulled open the door, yawning loudly. She was sleeping in the oversized EWXN training center T-shirt he had given her, and the sight of it made his heart dance in his chest.
“You still wear that thing?”
Maggie wiped some wild, red waves out of her eyes and glanced down at her T-shirt. “Sure, why not?”
Sean smiled, chest filling with pride. “I’m glad.”
“That’s nice.” She stretched her arms over her head and yawned again. “Is that what you knocked on my door to tell me? That you like my shirt?”
“Huh?” Sean wasn’t listening. He’d gotten lost watching her breasts move while she stretched. He had forgotten how generous and round they were.
“Eyes up here, buddy.” Maggie tapped him on the chin, like she’d done earlier. When his eyes were back on hers, she smiled. “What do you want, Sean?”
“I can’t sleep.” He walked into her room and grabbed a couple of pillows off her bed. “So I’m going to sleep on your floor.”
“You’re going to what?” She crouched next to where he was setting up his bed, shaking her head. “You can’t be serious, Sean. That floor is disgusting.”
He chuckled, lying back on it. “Some things haven’t changed, I see.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Same old clean freak.” He gave her a knowing smile. “I figured you would have disinfected this floor by now.”
“Ha-ha, very funny.” Maggie rolled her eyes and stood. “Have fun sleeping with the germs on the floor.”
“I will.” Sean yawned and waited until she turned off the lamp to smile. His theory was right. Just being near her made his body relax. She was obviously the key to him finally getting some sleep—even if it was on the scratchy, dirty hotel carpet.
Sean turned on his side and closed his eyes. It didn’t matter how scratchy or dirty the floor was. It felt a hundred times more comfortable than his lonely hotel bed, where there was no distraction from his erratic thoughts. Here Maggie’s soft breaths and the rustling of the covers as she got comfortable in bed, lulled him to sleep. She was near. That was all that mattered.
After a while, when Sean’s mind was almost completely blank, Maggie broke the silence. “Do you think you can sleep now, Sean?”
“I think I was until you started talking.”
“Sorry.” Maggie shifted in the bed again, and he knew she was smiling. She wasn’t sorry she had woken him, and he wasn’t sorry, either. Both of them were smiling.
“Sean?” Maggie’s voice sounded as if it came from far away. As if she was struggling with what she wanted to say.
“What is it?” He sat up, attempting to see her shape, but it was too dark.
“Do you really think you can sleep with me in the room?”
“Yes,” he responded truthfully, and then smiled again. “If you stop talking.”
“Why do you think that is?” Maggie asked, ignoring his teasing comment.
“I don’t know.” Sean shrugged, staring out into the darkness. He had some theories, but none he wanted to admit right now in the dark. He didn’t want to admit anything to Maggie until he had confronted his father and saw if it was the key to his sanity. He had to know the answer to that question for sure before he even thought of going further with her.
Maggie didn’t respond. She appeared to understand his hesitation on this subject, and luckily, she didn’t press him further. But he could tell she had something else to say. So Sean stayed put, waiting for her to speak.
More rustling sounds on the bed and then a loud sigh. “Come off the floor, Sean.”
“Where do you want me to go?” He held his breath. Maybe she wanted him to go back to his room. The thought filled him with dread.
“My bed is big enough for both of us.” She paused, as if rolling her eyes, and added with emphasis, “As long as you stay on your side.”
“Got it.” Sean was already up and on her b
ed before she set the conditions. He would not miss an opportunity like this. And there would be no separate sides, not by the time they got out of this bed. Sean yawned and lay back on the soft mattress. Maggie adjusted alongside him but was careful not to brush his arm. He could feel the heat off her body, though, and smell the sweet scent.
Sean closed his eyes and smiled. He was in heaven. Maggie was healing him again with her presence. She probably had no idea she could do that just lying next to him, but she was. Little by little, all the worries in his mind melted away and his head became light—until all he could smell was Maggie and all he could feel was her heat. It didn’t take long before he was sound asleep.
CHAPTER 16
Maggie woke up with Sean’s arms wrapped tightly around her and her head resting on his chest. His steady breaths, and even heartbeat, told her he was still asleep. She let out a breath of relief but didn’t move from his chest. They had somehow found each other in sleep. It was hard to deny her body this moment when it had worked so hard to seek him out.
Maggie snuggled against his chest, breathing in his deep, masculine scent. Her body melted against his, making her feel a bit too hot. She didn’t care that he was in her bed, or that they were only supposed to be friends. In that moment, she wanted Sean to wake up and make love to her.
As if reading her mind, Sean began to move. He tightened his arms around her and yawned loudly. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning?” Maggie pushed out of his arms and pointed at the clock—anything to distract herself from this desire. “It’s close to noon, Sean.”
“Is it?” Sean stretched his arms above his head, completely unconcerned. “I slept amazing.”
“Well, good for you.” She rolled her eyes, but pride filled her chest. She was the reason he’d “slept amazing,” and the adoring way he was looking at her now, told her he knew it too. “But I think we should get on the road now, don’t you?”
“Maybe in a little while.” Sean grabbed her hands and pulled her to him. “I think there’s something we need to do first.”
“Sean!” Maggie shoved his chest as he leaned closer to her lips.
“What?” His question pressed softly against her mouth, and for a moment, Maggie was helpless not to reciprocate his affection. She chastised herself as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his lips farther into her own. But what could she do? She had yearned to feel his kiss again for months, and now that it was happening, everything else seemed unimportant.
Sean took immediate advantage of the situation, his clever hands already finding their way up her shirt. Maggie wasn’t wearing a bra, and although her peaks ached for his touch, this moment had gone too far.
“Stop, Sean.” She pushed against his chest again, this time succeeding in putting distance between them.
“Why?” Sean sat up in bed. His hair was wild, and his blue eyes wilder.
“Because we are supposed to be friends.” Maggie shook her head. “That’s it.”
“I know, and I said I would be your friend.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her close again. “On the road trip.”
Maggie smiled. She couldn’t help herself. But she made sure to push him away again. “Sean, if you touch me again, there will be no trip.”
He looked back at her for a long time before letting go of her hand. “Fine, I guess I’ll go take a shower then.” Sean stood, giving Maggie an eyeful of his bare chest and chiseled abs, everything she would be missing.
“I guess so.” Maggie tried to keep the disappointment from her voice. This was for the best. She had to protect herself.
“A nice, long, cold shower,” Sean added, gesturing to the large erection tenting his shorts. Maggie’s face flamed with heat, and then she began to laugh harder than she had in months.
“I’m glad you find this funny, Wicked.” Sean shook his head and turned to walk toward the bathroom.
Maybe it was her imagination, but his walk looked as stiff as his manhood. She laughed again, enjoying Sean’s dramatic performance. He made everything so much better in her life, she realized. He could lighten the mood so easily and make everything fun.
But he could also break her heart. Maggie stopped laughing and wiped her eyes. She was here to help him confront his father, nothing more. They were on a closure road trip. Sean would hopefully heal his past, and she would put a cap on her relationship with him. It was a good thing, exactly what Maggie needed to move on. He was just a man, as her mother said, with flaws, and issues. Neither of which had anything to do with her life.
They had done the relationship thing and failed. It was time to move forward with her friendship plan. That was all Sean could ever be. From now on she would push him farther into that friendship zone until they could both walk away with no more bitterness in their hearts. She wanted to end this trip with a handshake and a parting smile. She wanted to move on with her life.
***
The morning had not gone as Sean planned. He had Maggie in his arms before she had opened her eyes. His intent was to make her remember how well they fit together, and hopefully stroke her passion for him. He was able to get a kiss at least, hot and intense, just like he remembered. But then she’d pushed him away, reminding him they were only friends.
It was irritating! Sean took a cold shower, berating himself for every agreeing to her stupid friendship terms. But hadn’t he invited her to set those terms after he’d purposefully held back the truth of his feelings for her yesterday? The distance between them was nobody’s fault but his own. He had given Maggie every right to protect her heart. He should just be happy that she’d at least agreed to come on this trip and support him as a friend. She didn’t owe him a thing.
Currently Sean was driving Maggie’s car down the highway, determined not to look at her. She was silently drawing on her pad, another picture of Super Sean, the man she wished he could be. Sean wanted to tear the pages in half and force Maggie to look at him. To fall in love with who he really was, not some cartoon. She had admitted she’d ignored his flaws before, and now he knew her confession of love was for a fantasy man that didn’t exist. It hurt.
Sean gripped the steering wheel so tightly, the whites of his knuckles showed—so that at least the car would feel his frustration. It hurt that Maggie didn’t really love him, but her pushing this friendship thing in his face hurt even more. From the second he’d gotten out of the shower, she’d smiled in a friendly manner and asked him about wrestling—as if they were long-lost buddies. When they got to the car, she offered him the keys, simply stating she wasn’t interested in driving. No flirting, no heated argument. Sean had had no idea how much he was looking forward to arguing with Maggie about who was driving until it didn’t happen.
Then there was the nearly silent road trip, where they only talked when ordering food or paying for gas. Sean offered to pay for both, but Maggie said real friends split the difference. So she paid for food, and he paid for gas. Maggie was stressing the friendship thing, but Sean wouldn’t accept it. If anything, it only made him want to try harder.
“What are you drawing, beautiful?” Sean grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it softly, holding her gaze. “More Super Sean?”
“That’s right,” she responded, taking back her hand with a friendly smile. She turned the page so he could look, and added purposefully, “See, friend?”
Sean smiled. So that was the way of it. Every time he tried to flirt, she would friend-zone him harder. The way she was looking at him now, with a friendly smile that didn’t reach her steady eyes, showed she meant business.
Sean’s smile broadened. He couldn’t stand this friendly car trip. It was time to push Maggie over the edge. He took the next exit and drove to the nearest gas station. They were about an hour from where he had last seen his dad—on the streets of downtown Columbus. The gas tank was full after their last stop twenty minutes ago, so they had no reason to stop and Maggie knew this.
“Where are you going
, Sean?” She raised her brows, looking confused. “Didn’t we just stop like twenty minutes ago?”
He chuckled. She was so stuck on this friendship thing that she had forgotten what he was like. How he pushed her boundaries, and how she couldn’t trust him.
“I’m going to the gas station.” Sean pulled the car into the nearest gas station and parked, not alongside a pump but at the back of the building, almost in the woods. Where they could be alone, and he could do whatever he wanted to.
“I don’t understand. We just got gas.” Maggie was purposefully keeping the anger from her voice. But her flushed cheeks told him the truth. She was beginning to remember how spontaneous he could be, and what that meant for her plans.
“I’m not getting gas,” Sean said, nailing that point home. He turned to her and unbuckled his seat belt.
“Then what are you doing?” Maggie’s eyes widened, and that’s when he knew that she knew exactly what he was doing.
Sean reached over and unbuckled her belt. “I’m breaking our friendship.”
“What?” Maggie jumped back in her seat, raising her hands to ward him off. “You can’t!”
“I can.” Sean grabbed her hands and pulled her to him. When her lips were inches from his, he smiled. “And I will.”
Sean covered her lips with his and kissed her hard, until she opened her mouth, allowing the slow, sensual strokes of his tongue. She tasted sweet and warm—like always. He feasted off her flavor, making her surrender against him, making her moan. His intent was clear and purposeful, his hands already working on unzipping her coat. He would have her, all of her—in broad daylight, in the backseat of her car. Maggie would be his. Nothing would stop him.
“Sean.” Maggie gasped, pushing him away. “We can’t do this.”
“We will do this,” he growled, jumping into the backseat of her car, pulling her with him. “Come to me, Wicked. It’s time to play nice.”
“I’m not doing this, Sean.” She said this even as he took off her coat, even as he lifted her shirt off too. Maggie was saying one thing, but her actions were saying another. When he unclasped her bra, she moaned, cupping his face and bringing him to her hardened peaks. Sean dragged the tip of his tongue against one nipple, waiting for it to marble and then sucked her in. She cried out, shaking against him in pleasure.
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