Wanting It All: A Naked Men Novel

by Christi Barth

  Summer gave her an encouraging and enthusiastic nod that sent her long hair flying. Chloe gave her a thumbs-up. Annabeth, however, merely winged an eyebrow up in obvious skepticism. “When will this magical synergy occur? I’d kind of like to watch.”

  “I’d like to be there in case you need a hand to hold,” Chloe said with a frown to Annabeth.

  “I emailed him as soon as I moved in. He works at his father’s company.” Madison still didn’t think of the man as her father. Not really. Far easier to concentrate on her brother than to sort through the complicated feelings around the man who hadn’t wanted her…and then suddenly did. “I used the contact form on their website. So now I wait.”

  “Couldn’t you ask your, um, sperm donor?” Chloe ventured.

  “I’m not asking him for anything.” Her brother would answer. Madison was sure of it in her bones.

  “Do you want us to help?” Annabeth offered. “This is D.C. We all know people with connections to various parts of the government. No FBI agents or anything—”

  “That we know of,” Chloe said with a dramatic waggle of her eyebrows.

  “Fine. Although there’s a guy who comes into the POV every seventeen days like clockwork. He sits at the bar. Turns his back to the view, even if the balcony tables are available. He couldn’t be more obvious about doing a clandestine meet if he wore a trench coat and a toupee.”

  Summer laid a hand on top of Madison’s. “The point is, we could try to track him down for you.”

  “No need. It’s barely been two weeks. He could be on vacation. Or on assignment. Or buried in a project.”

  Stalking him into interaction wasn’t the point. It was, in fact, why she hadn’t Googled any more information on him. Madison needed her brother to make just a little bit of effort. She’d made the big first reach-out. Put her heart on the line. All he had to do was send a one-line reply, telling her when and where to meet. But he had to do at least that much. She stuffed a deviled egg in her mouth. It was either that or drain her entire margarita in a single gulp.

  “Keep us posted, okay?” Summer squeezed her hand. “Good or bad.”

  “But especially the good stuff. Like if he’s an our-age version of George Clooney. Or, you know, even better if he actually is George Clooney.” Annabeth put the back of her hand to her forehead in a fake swoon. “Because that man is gorgeous and loaded.”

  “And married now.” Madison pushed a glass into Annabeth’s hands. She appreciated her roommate’s more matter-of-fact approach as much as Summer’s empathy and Chloe’s bigheartedness. They were all variations on the same foundation of caring. Because women could be open with their emotions. They weren’t petrified of them. Like a certain handsome man who hadn’t necessarily put their relationship in reverse, but had definitely stalled out.

  “Fine. Burst my dream bubble. Then can we go back to discussing your loaded guy? I need to know if he deserves to have me spill an icy drink down his pants the next time they all hit the POV.”

  “I appreciate the thought. Let’s not freeze the equipment just yet. We didn’t break up. Not that we were officially dating in the first place.” Madison slid off the stool to peek in the oven. Then she gave the rice a stir. “I think…I think Knox is just in shock. And I don’t know how to apply the usual shock remedy of sweetened tea and blankets.”

  “Shock from what?” Chloe asked.

  Oh, that’s right. She wasn’t in on all the details Madison had spilled at Summer’s shop. “I told him my Grand Plan to move out here to find the right man and get married.”

  Summer did an actual spit take. Although it was more of a ladylike dribble down her chin. “Omigod. Did you actually propose right then and there?”

  “No.” Although in retrospect, she might as well have forged right ahead and done it. Knox couldn’t possibly have been any more shocked. Then again, Madison wasn’t ready to pull that trigger. “But after an extremely satisfactory round of lovemaking, I did explain that every man that I date, including him, is a serious candidate for matrimony.”

  “Good thing you had the great sex before your big announcement. I’ll bet his penis shriveled up to the size of a kumquat after you burst out with it.”

  “I wouldn’t know. Because there were no more sexy shenanigans that night. Or since.” She threw up her hands, which launched the oven mitt straight at the ceiling. Nipping it out of midair, Madison said, “Why does he have to be so darn stubborn?”

  “Why do you?” Annabeth shook her head. “That came out wrong. I mean, why put all this on Knox? Why not wait until you see if things are getting serious?”

  “That probably would’ve worked better. I don’t know. It came up, and I prefer honesty in just about every situation. Far better to be up front now than to have him accuse me down the line of entrapment.”

  “Why not widen your search? That might take some of the immediate pressure off of him.”

  “I’m not saying we fell in love at first sight. I’m not saying I’m in love. But I think I just might be able to fall in love with him, the way things are—were—going.”

  Chloe widened her pretty hazel eyes. “That’s a bold statement.”

  It really was. Didn’t make it any less true. Madison forced herself to slow down, and work through his attributes logically and not just lustfully. “He’s both interesting and interested in so darn many things. He’s got the brains, the dry sense of humor, the thoughtfulness, the muscles…holy geez, the muscles. Knox is—so far—everything I want in a man. It seems more efficient to focus all my effort on him and see how things pan out.”

  Chloe tapped her pursed lips with the tip of her finger. “You talk about efficiency, and you make a strategy and a list…love can’t automatically be slotted in like checking to be sure he’s got a nonreceding hairline.”

  “I know. That’s why it’s so convenient that it is—was—going so well. The thing is, Knox seemed to be just as into me as I am to him. He invited me on a trip, anywhere in the world.” The mere invitation still thrilled Madison to her core.

  “Wow. Where are you going?”

  “Nowhere. Nowhere until I’ve got a ring on my finger.”

  “You play hardball,” Annabeth said approvingly.

  “I didn’t plan to fall head over heels for the first man who swept me off my feet—literally, by the way. Even with the vast array of men here, I thought it would take months and much more serious winnowing. Then I met Knox.”

  “And now you’ve pretty much scared him off.”

  “He answers my texts and calls. He just doesn’t initiate anything.” Then the thought hit her like a lightning bolt. So hard that Madison gasped and reached for the counter. “He doesn’t have to.”

  With a look of concern crinkling her brows, Summer said, “I kinda think you’re wrong. You do need him to participate.”

  “He participates. Knox is just too freaked out to start anything. So I can take charge. Poke him and prod him out of his shock.”

  Annabeth pulled plates from the cabinet and carried them over to the dining nook. “Pretty sure that will require a Taser.”

  Geez. They weren’t even pretending to be optimistic about her chances. On the other hand, Madison could appreciate that they were just trying to protect her. “We even talked about it. I told him flat out that nothing had to change. That we’d just keep dating and having fun, and if by some chance we did fall in love, then we’d get married. I’ll stick with that.”

  Chloe raised her hand. “With what, exactly?”

  “I may be focused, but I’m not wearing blinders.” Just because Knox was an ideal candidate didn’t automatically move him through to the final round. He still had to prove that he could keep her happy forever. At the very least. “I need to evaluate and be sure Knox is marriage material. While I do that, by engaging in all the regular dating rituals and glorious, glorious sex, I’ll get under his skin until he falls so deeply he won’t want to move on.”

  The strategy was beautiful
in its simplicity. It should’ve occurred to her sooner. His over-the-top astonishment had distracted her. The bottom line was that they both felt the attraction, the chemistry, the magic click. Madison would swear to it on a stack of Gutenberg Bibles.

  Summer did a slow eye sweep of the other two women before giving a small shrug. “It can’t hurt to try.”

  Annabeth nodded. “I’m beginning to think that if anyone among D.C. bachelorettes can bag the white whale that is Knox Davies, it could very well be you.”

  “Aww. Even faint encouragement is good enough.” See? She’d brought them around. Sort of. And in less than half an hour. It was a strong indication that she’d get through to Knox, too. Eventually.

  “I believe in you, Madison. I’m not sure I believe in your plan, but I sure do believe in you.” Chloe gave her a one-armed squeeze. “And I believe that Knox should thank his lucky stars that you’ve got him in your crosshairs.”

  Chapter 10

  Knox leaned back in the soft leather club chair. Stretched out his legs. Looked around the Nats Park suite at his best friends; the table covered with soft pretzels, peanuts, and four kinds of popcorn; and the gleaming fridge he knew contained more than enough beer to get them through not only this game, but probably the next night’s, too. He cracked his knuckles as he laced his fingers behind his head with a satisfied sigh.

  “Nothing, nothing erases a bad week like a baseball game.”

  “Hold up,” Riley said. He made a time-out sign with his hands. “We gotta talk this through. What about a soccer game? We are the ACSs. American soccer survivors, remember? If it’s in our nickname, it ought to be our sport of choice.”

  “You won’t find a bigger fan of the D.C. United than this guy right here.” Griffin thumped his chest, right over the big red logo W on his jersey. “But RFK Stadium doesn’t have kick-ass suites. They barely have seats. I vote with Knox. Living the suite life’s the way to turn a week around.”

  Riley rolled his eyes. But he also cracked open an icy bottle of Dogfish Head IPA. A pricey microbrew that would never be on the menu at RFK. Which sort of shot the legs out from under his position. “Josh? Back me up here?”

  Josh squeezed a hand around the brim of his new red baseball cap, trying to shape it. “I’ve got a surefire way to settle this. Knox, are we having those meatball sliders I liked so much last time?”

  This wasn’t even a fair fight. “Of course. And this mac-n-cheese madness table. Four kinds. One has a BBQ potato chip crust.”

  “Sold. Baseball beats soccer for the amenities. Go big or go home, that’s my motto.”

  Griff snickered. “Especially when it comes to beer and boob size.”

  “I like a bold ale. And we all like boobs. If you like something, isn’t more always better?”

  With a loud clearing of her throat, Chloe said, “You guys do realize I’m in the room, right?”

  They all turned to look at her, curled up in the corner reading on her iPad. She usually came with Griffin to the games now. Chloe didn’t seem to give a shit about baseball, but she and Griff were attached at the zipper. So she’d give him space to shoot shit with the ACSs until dinner arrived, then cozy up by the first pitch.

  “Yeah, but you’re one of us now. We don’t have to be politically correct in front of you anymore.” Josh swiveled his head to look askance at all the others. “Do we?”

  She scrunched her nose. Held it for a minute while tucking a long strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. Then burst out laughing. “No, Josh. I just wanted to see you squirm.”

  Griffin leaned down to give her an approving and noisy smack on the lips. “Definitely one of us.”

  It was true. They all loved the sweet and quirky letter writer. Not as much as Griff did, obviously, but like the sister they never realized just how much they needed. And if Logan ever got his ass back on the same damn continent, he’d feel the same way.

  She got up to ruffle Josh’s hair. “I kind of love that you’ve stopped being so careful around me. It’s fascinating to hear you guys talk with no filter. Women all over the District would pay big money for this peek into your undiluted selves.”

  “Might I remind you that, thanks to SER, people all over the world pay…well, some money for exactly that. Or haven’t you seen the latest ad for the Naked Men podcast?” Riley spread his hands as though framing the ad on the subway. “Raw. Real. Exposed. Naked Men.”

  Crossing her arms over her red tank top, Chloe shuddered. “That’s horrible.”

  “Right? Sounds more like they’re describing a bad case of a crotch with jock itch.”

  “Ewww. Maybe you could be a little careful with what you say. I didn’t need that image in my brain. This is why we need more girls on these excursions.”

  “You know your friends are always invited, Chloe.” Knox gestured to the expanse of the suite. “We’ve got room.”

  “Why should I have to do the work? Why can’t you guys bring in a few fun girls to keep me company?”

  That hit a little close to home. Waaay close to home. As if Chloe had knowledge that Knox had used almost those exact words when inviting Madison…Shit. He sprang to his feet. “What do you know?”

  “Probably not as much as you.” She winked—fucking winked—and sashayed past him to the bowl of caramel corn. “But then, I’m not a card-carrying genius.”

  “Stop the sass. I require a real answer.” Because that sure as hell wasn’t a coincidental echo of his words. What had Madison told her? Wasn’t throwing Knox into a tailspin enough damage?

  “Figure it out, Knox.”

  “What’s going on?” Griffin asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. “Are you fighting?”

  “Not at all.” Chloe gave an angelic smile that probably fooled no one in the room. “Quite the opposite. Because I feel for the guy, I’m bending over backward to give him a heads-up. But, since he is a guy, Knox isn’t too fast with taking the ball and…dribbling it? Is that how the saying goes?”

  “You’re adorable when you try to talk sports. And I appreciate the effort you make.” Griff put a hand under Chloe’s knees and picked her up in his arms. After a quick spin that made her squeal, he got down to the serious business of kissing. Lots of kissing. PDA big enough to be on the Jumbotron. As if they didn’t have a care in the world. As if Knox weren’t standing right there, waiting for a damn answer.

  “Less kissing.” When that did nothing to cool their jets, Knox nipped the hat from Griff’s head. The good-luck cap he’d bought at the very first game in this ballpark and regarded as both solemn and untouchable. “More telling me what the hell’s going on.”

  “Well, batting practice is over.” Madison hovered in the doorway for a split second before strolling right in and over to Knox. “But they haven’t sung the National Anthem yet, so I’d venture to say not a whole heck of a lot.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. “Hi there.”

  “Hi.” God, she looked great. Just a blue tee over denim shorts, and sneakers on her feet. But the tee strained across those gorgeous breasts. The shorts molded to her magnificent ass. And there was some spectacular length of leg exposed between their hem and her shoes. Yeah, all the questions whirling through his brain went on pause while he just drank her in. Shit. He had it bad. Since when did a woman ever derail his brain? Knox was the king of multitasking. But right now the only thing holding his attention was Madison. And she wasn’t even looking at him anymore. Instead, she’d moved to the center of the suite.

  “I’m Madison Abbott. Knox has told me very little about all of you. Although he did mention that he shoots straighter and makes more kicks on goal than Josh. Who’s that?”

  Josh raised his arm. “I’ll answer to the name, but not the insult.” He stood to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you, Madison. And don’t believe even half of what this asshat says. He’s got an overinflated sense of…well, everything.”

  “Riley Ness. I hear you’re new in town. Welcome.”

 
Oh, that was so damn like Riley. Acting so polite that women mistook it for charm. A lazy move by a man who didn’t have any better ones.

  And yet Madison responded, awarding him with a big smile full of her overflowing warmth and friendliness. “I suppose that makes you Lieutenant Montgomery. Both by default and because Chloe’s got her hand tucked into the pocket of your shorts.”

  “Both true.” Griffin pulled Madison into a one-armed hug. “Chloe tells me you’re a handful of fun.”

  “Only a handful? Geez, Chloe, why’d you sell me so short?”

  “I didn’t want Griffin tempted by a beautiful blonde who makes the best chicken enchiladas on the planet.”

  Knox ground his back teeth together. Everyone was being all polite and chitchatty and so fucking normal that his head might very well implode like a black hole. These same men had spent a whole night siding with him. Saying that Madison would suck the independence from the very marrow of his bones. Where was all that conviction now? Said conviction that had kept him from asking her out again. A decision he’d wrestled with every single night. Alone in his fucking bed.

  “Did I miss anything?” Madison asked, eyes wide.

  “Nooo.” Griffin drew out the word so long it turned into a complete sentence, full of innuendo and nuance. Then he angled himself to stare at Knox. “I’d say the good part’s just about to begin.”

  Knox almost reached for her hand. Then he remembered the alluring, silken texture of her skin and resisted. Because a man could take only so much. Staring at Madison had already weakened his resolve. Touching her would dissolve it faster than touching a soap bubble. “How’d you get in?”

  “Well, you put my name on the list. So I walked over from the subway, got a little lost finding the suite, because you didn’t tell me which floor it was on, and now I’m here.”

  Smart-ass. Which he liked. Damn it, he liked everything about Madison except her death-march-to-the-altar approach to life. “No. I mean, why are you here?”