by Violet Paige
She looked at Maggie and raised one knowing eyebrow.
“We need a second opinion. Justyn!” she yelled downstairs. “Get up here. We need the guy’s perspective, Mr. Perceptive.”
“Blair, no!” Maggie said. “We are most definitely not going to let him in on this.”
“In on what?” Justyn asked as he propped himself in the doorframe of Maggie’s bedroom. He crossed his feet at the ankles and shot her a quizzical look. Blair eased herself onto the bed next to Maggie.
“So you say Reid needs some type of physical activity to get out his frustrations, right? And you want to know what went down at the meeting, but being a good friend and partner you know not to ask until he’s ready to talk?”
“Yeah,” Justyn said. “But it’s no big deal. The rain will stop, and he’ll get back to the water and then wham! He’ll feel better after a few hours of exercise.”
“But the weatherman said we’re in for at least another day and a half of rain with the front stuck off the coast,” Blair said. “Don’t you want to know what happened?”
“You’ve got a point there,” Justyn said. “Too bad we don’t have an indoor pool on the island, and he could swim.”
She stood and pulled Maggie by the arms until her petite friend was on her feet, standing right in front of Justyn.
“I give you my cute friend, Maggie, the perfect physical activity substitute,” she said. “Plus, she looks much better than some smelly old swimming pool.”
Justyn shot them both a questioning look.
“What do you think about Maggie showing up at Reid’s door in her raincoat and well, you know, a cute set of under garments?” She said.
“Under what?” Justyn asked.
She casually waved the balled up lace in her hands.
“Oh!” Justyn said. “Actually, not a bad idea. Not bad at all.”
“See?” Blair said, pushing Maggie to the bathroom door. “Now change. We have guy approval. It’s time to get going.” She stuffed the red bra and panties in Maggie’s arms and threw a robe her way. If she could just get Maggie started, the rest would fall into place. “I’m going to dig out that coat now. Thanks for the input, babe. Now, go cue up the movie, and I’ll be downstairs in a few.”
“What, you’re already done with me? I was starting to feel like one of the girls.”
“I think we can take it from here.” She turned and kissed him full on the mouth before gently shoving all 6’2” of him out of the frame and closing the door in his face.
“Maggie! Use a little dab of my bronzer on your cheeks. Mascara and lip gloss. Nothing else. Think natural. Just ran through the rain. Wait, I’ve got it. You should walk over there. You’ll look all dewy and windswept. And if the storm gets worse, you’ll be stuck there. Just like Jane in Pride and Prejudice. Your Mr. Bingley won’t be able to resist.”
“And do you realize you’re casting yourself as Mrs. Bennet in this scenario?” Maggie yelled through the bathroom door.
“No, I would like to think of myself as a slightly more attractive and much more modern Lizzie,” she said. “Now, let’s see you. Justyn went downstairs, so don’t worry. Open the door.”
Maggie swung the bathroom door, first revealing one long sun-kissed leg and then the other. The red lace complemented her golden-hued skin. Blair surveyed her from head to toe, and let out a slow whistle.
“That boy won’t be ready to leave the house for at least two days. You’ll make him forget all about the rain and the numbers.”
“Now here’s your coat,” Blair said, handing Maggie the calf-length London Fog trench. “And we need to pick the perfect shoes. Normally, I’d say you need a black or red high heel, but if you’re going to pull a Jane Bennett, we don’t want you to fall down in the mud or ruin a perfectly good pair of heels.”
Maggie finished tying the coat’s belt and walked over to her closet. She bent down to the shoe rack on the left side. “Maybe these? Not exactly sexy, but they match. Kinda cute?” She held up her red Keds. “Red shoes do always make me happy. If you and Justyn are right about this crazy plan, maybe these will be my lucky charm today.”
“That works,” Blair agreed. “Get going, girl. You have an important ambush seduction to begin.”
“Blair, I don’t know,” Maggie said. “This is ridiculous. What if he says no? What if he doesn’t want me?”
“What’s ridiculous is that you would even think that,” she told her friend. “Did you see yourself in that red lace? You are a hottie.” She winked.
“But what if he says no?” Maggie insisted.
“You’ll be no worse off than you have been the last three days, right?”
“True,” Maggie said. “Wait, I need something if I’m actually going to do this.”
Blair followed Maggie downstairs and to the kitchen. She watched as her friend pulled a bottle of vodka from the cabinet and a shot glass. A steady stream of vodka filled the glass before Maggie tipped the drink back.
“Wow, you really do need some reinforcement,” Blair teased.
“Not a word.” Maggie shot Blair a look, and pulled the ties tighter on the coat. She walked toward the door.
“Let’s do this,” Maggie called back to her friends. “Jane Bennett, Mr. Bingley, eat your heart out. Jane Austen would roll over in her grave, by the way.”
Eight
Maggie
Maggie pulled the strings of her hood tighter around her neck in an attempt to keep the rain from dripping down her neck and soaking her hair. She was going for the dewy look, not the drowned rat look. This was crazy, she thought for the thousandth time as she power walked down the rocky beach toward Reid’s cottage. She should turn around, march upstairs, and crawl into her warm bed. What was she thinking listening to Blair and Justyn? Those two were high on the afterglow of lots of rainy day sex.
Yet, Justyn’s words played over in her head. An important meeting with investors. Reid was obviously worried if he had been sitting in front of the computer all afternoon. Maybe she could help. He needed a distraction, according to Justyn. Why not trust the guy’s best friend? And her best friend had way more successful experience with the opposite sex than Maggie. For once, she decided to put her complete trust in her spirited, blond friend. She did look cute after all. She had been waiting for months to sport the red bra and panties. She clutched the plastic container of cupcakes she was planning to present to Reid against her chest and marched on in the rain.
She hoisted herself over the rocks and toward the three narrow steps that would lead her up the bulkhead and onto Reid’s front lawn.
By the time she made it across the treacherously slick deck and to the sliding glass doors of Reid’s whitewashed saltbox cottage, the rain was pouring. Maggie just wanted to get inside where it was warm and dry. Even if she didn’t carry out the planned seduction. Her objective was to find shelter from this onslaught.
She pounded on the glass. The lights were off, and she didn’t see any signs that Reid was home. “Reid! Reid! Let me in!” she yelled over the howling wind and relentless rain. “Reid!”
“Maggie?” His voice wasn’t coming from the house, but from across the yard toward the boatyard.
Feeling like somehow he had caught her doing something she shouldn’t, she turned in his direction.
“Come on in. Get out of that mess,” he called across the yard.
Maggie clutched the cupcake container against her chest and had a sudden rush of panic, remembering that underneath her raincoat was absolutely nothing. What had Blair talked her into? She dodged as many raindrops as she could and raced to the open door of the boathouse.
“Maggie, what are you doing out in this storm?” He rubbed his left eye under his glasses.
Glasses! Reid was wearing black wire-rimmed glasses. Maggie’s heart went to her throat, and her belly did that annoying little tingle again. She absolutely loved a man in glasses. Sure Henry Cavil was hot, but when he donned glasses in a few scenes in Man of Steel, it was
pure sexiness. And that old Kevin Costner movie her mom loved. The one where he built a baseball field in his backyard. There was this scene where Kevin wore a crisp white shirt and glasses. She could still visualize him looking up over his papers in those glasses. All of a sudden, she understood why her mom and all her friends mooned over ole’ Kev.
“Are you ok? What’s wrong? Are Blair and Justyn ok? They’re at your place, right?”
“They’re fine. I didn’t mean to scare you. It wasn’t this bad when I left the house. I was out for a quick walk.” She took her hood off and shook the excess rain from her head before running her fingers through her curls, trying unsuccessfully to tame the unruly mess her hair had become in the five-minute walk.
Reid looked down at her with an amused question in his eye. He hadn’t bothered to put any distance between them after ushering her in the door, and she could feel his breath on her forehead. His smell wafted to her nostrils. Sawdust and sea air with a hint of mint. So Reid. So right. She took it in with a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, steeling herself for what she trekked through the rain to do.
“Here.” She shoved the container of cupcakes toward his chest. “I brought you these.”
“Cupcakes?”
“Strawberry. I baked them myself,” she said. “Justyn really liked them. He said you might want some and that you could use a break.”
“Thanks.” He dropped the box on a nearby table. “I’m just finishing up some measurements for one of the proposals. Can you give me a minute? I’m working inside the cabin.” He had already turned and was walking toward the boat, which was resting on scaffolding and taking up almost the entire workspace.
Maggie had the sinking feeling that her plan was unraveling. She couldn’t let Reid submerge back into work.
“Can I come with you? I’d like to see one of the custom yachts.” Maggie hoped the answer would be yes. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on to this scheme.
“Sure. I can show you around.” Reid turned to help her up the ladder.
“What’s left to do?” Maggie asked.
“Well, this one is almost ready. Just a little more paint and some final touches inside. We’re waiting on the fixtures for the galley and staterooms,” Reid explained.
“Galley? Staterooms?” Maggie asked, walking toward the stern and standing on her tiptoes, trying to get a peek inside. “This isn’t a cruise ship we’re talking about.”
“There’s a small sitting area and kitchen on the first level down. On the second level, there’s cabin big enough to sleep four,” Reid said. “I’ll give you a tour.”
The deck was empty except for a fishing rod platform near the stern of the boat. The deck ended with two steps up that led into the cabin. Just to the right of the cabin door, a raised bench faced the back of the boat where up to four passengers could enjoy a nice view on their cruises. To the left, Maggie spied a ladder.
“What’s up there?” she asked.
“That leads to the bridge and where the captain drives the boat,” Reid explained. “Also a great place to spot fish. A great view when the boat’s in the water, but you wanted to see the luxurious indoor accommodations, right?”
Maggie nodded her head, amazed at the beautiful wood and obvious attention to detail that had gone into crafting this boat.
“This way.” He led her toward the door that was situated between the ladder and the bench.
Down three steps, the duo emerged in a room with a small kitchen area to the left and a built-in sofa on the right. “Reid, this is really amazing. Did you and Justyn do all of this by yourselves?”
“The woodwork and painting. We ordered the engine, the granite for the countertops and of course the cushions and stuff for the couches and seats, but yes, most of it.”
“Y’all are so talented.” She moved closer and placed a hand on his forearm. “This business is going to boom. I just know it.”
“I sure hope you’re right.” Reid moved past Maggie and toward more steps that led down to the boat’s lowest level.
Maggie shook her head. Fun and playful one minute, distant the next. He couldn’t take a compliment. He flirts one minute and shuts out the next. Sometimes this guy was discouraging enough to make her give up her summer plan. Then she remembered the lighthouse, the pier, and the hammock, and how she felt every time those sparkling brown eyes looked her up and down.
“Don’t you want to see the sleeping quarters?” Reid called from below deck.
“Sleeping quarters?” she asked. She adjusted her raincoat again and stepped down. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
Reid met her at the landing. She was still on the second step from the bottom when he approached. He looked up into her eyes for a change, and Maggie could see his were turning that molten amber she’d grown to adore. She could feel the air charge between them, and it had nothing to do with the storm whipping outside. Now. She knew if she didn’t do it now, every ounce of courage would drain from her.
“Reid?”
“Hmm?”
Oh, here goes nothing. “The real reason I stopped by this afternoon.”
She unbuttoned the top button of her coat, and before she could lose her courage, she untied the rest. Maggie stood, waiting for Reid to take in the full picture. Then she shrugged the London Fog off her narrow shoulders and let the raincoat fall quietly to floor.
“What do you think?”
“You have to ask?” he whispered, closing the distance between them and lifting her from the stairs.
Instinctively, she looped her arms around his neck and parted her lips. His kiss was better than she remembered, if that was possible. Reveling in their tongues dancing in rhythm and the heat radiating between them, Maggie moved her hands under the bottom of Reid’s loose shirt and ran her hands up his tight stomach and chest.
She heard a sharp intake of breath. His mouth was at her ear.
“How did you know red is my favorite color?” he growled before nibbling on her throat and dotting kisses along her collarbone and chest. His hand cupped her right breast, and his fingers found their way under the flimsy lace. He deftly unhooked the bra and let it fall to the floor.
Maggie couldn’t formulate a response as she lost herself to what his fingers were doing. The need to feel more of Reid’s skin on hers began to take over. She tugged at his shirt and found the bottom button. Working her way to the top of his chest, she undid each one with shaky hands. The blue cotton shirt fell open enough for Maggie to trail her hands over his chest and down his abs before releasing the button on his shorts.
“It’s not fair that you have on more clothes than me,” she said, absently chewing on her bottom lip.
Reid’s eyes became playful. He eased the shorts off his hips, allowing them to drop to the floor before lifting Maggie off her feet.
“Better?” he asked, bringing her face level to his own.
“Much,” she answered, savoring the feeling of his body pressed against hers. She stared into her favorite pair of brown eyes.
“You’re full of surprises.”
Maggie thought the same thing as he lifted her into his arms. He was certain and confident in how he touched her, in what he wanted.
Maggie knew the room was moving past her, but her eyes were locked on Reid. With each exhale, her breath quickened. It was happening too fast and too slow.
He laid her on the bed in the sleeping nook. “This spot right here.” Reid’s tongue ran along her breast. “Has been on my mind.” His hot breath toyed with her skin.
Maggie couldn’t care less if she was on a plush bed or the hard teak deck outside. She lost all rational thought and felt herself turn into hot liquid. He began to suck and bite along the sensitive skin until she was writing for him to take all of her mouth, but before she could work up the courage to beg for more, his mouth trailed along her stomach.
“And this”—his lips moving to the top of her red lace bikini—“has been keeping me awake at ni
ght.” He clamped the fabric between his teeth and began tugging at it.
She closed her eyes as his hand moved between her legs. Oh my God. She tilted upward, urging him to touch her more.
“Maggie,” Reid whispered into her ear, nuzzling his face along her neck then kissing her shoulder and working his way down to resume the delicious torture on her breasts. “You are so beautiful.”
Running his hand down her thighs, he stripped the red panties away and tossed them to the floor. He eyed her hungrily.
Maggie thought she would start begging if he didn’t do something. She hadn’t thought past walking over in the coat. The plan had completely spun out of control. He had stopped, and he was hovering so close, taking heavy breaths. Before she could form another question, Reid palmed the inner softness of her knee and lightly pressed it to the side. She bit down on her bottom lip, and closed her eyes. He reached for the other knee and hooked it under his arm.
“So soft,” he murmured into her belly, kissing below her navel. She writhed underneath him, and he shook his head.
There was a velvety warm pressure building deep within her, and Maggie knew there was only one way to remedy it. “Please,” she mewed, arching further and squirming as he ran a hand between her legs.
“Please, what?” he demanded, breaking contact with her skin.
“More—you—please,” Maggie urged, pulling at his waist and forcing him down to press against her once again. “I want to feel you everywhere,” she managed.
“Like this?” He dipped a finger between her legs and began to circle, slowly at first.
It felt incredible and it was just enough to drive her crazy for more. But it wasn’t what she wanted. She shook her head.
He added another finger as he slid inside her, creating a deep, exquisite pressure in her core. “Like that?”
Maggie’s head rolled to the side. He was curling his fingers along the inside. She moaned as he wedged her knee to the side and slipped another finger inside.
“I can’t hear you,” he whispered.
