BookNerd: I asked Christina to send.
That, at least, was true, though mostly because Maddie could check if she chose to.
Her instantaneous reply filled his mind with visions of her. Seated on that God awful purple couch in her living room. She was on her laptop for sure, because she spelled out her words. Maddie tended to revert to what everyone else did when texting. He loathed text shorthand. It also didn’t look good coming from the CEO of a publishing company.
MadHatter3000: That explains how you knew my favorite flower.
BookNerd: I asked her to send you something beautiful. But you probably get flowers all the time.
MadHatter3000: LOL. That would require me having a man. Which I don’t.
That made him grin in spite of himself. The thought of her making love to another man made him want to dent something and filled him with a crushing regret. The first year after their break up, he’d lamented that the most—that she wasn’t his anymore.
He might not have a chance in hell of winning Maddie back, but this, at least, gave him hope. That she’d even agreed to this blind date meant she wasn’t seeing anyone, now at least. He shouldn’t ask, and although curiosity might very well have killed the cat, he had to know.
BookNerd: May I ask why not?
Grayson waited for what seemed forever, and her lack of answer grated on his nerves. Had he pushed her too hard? Damn it all to hell. He hated pretending he didn’t know her. There were so many things he yearned to tell her.
Finally, her reply popped onto his screen.
MadHatter3000: What, no comment about this being your lucky break?
Grayson grinned. Unless he was mistaken, she was flirting with him. That was a damn good sign.
He drew a deep breath. Play it cool, Lockwood.
BookNerd: Nope. Figured that was a given, everything considered. It’s really none of my business, but seeing as we’re supposed to be getting to know each other, I figured this was a safe area. Start with the basics.
MadHatter3000: I’m surprised. No sexual comments yet. Impressive. For most men, the basics would’ve started with measurements. That’s how this works, right?
Her words taunted him with all those things he yearned to ask. Memories past lodged themselves in his mind. All those late night chats, when he should have been working but had become distracted by her. An innocent, “Hello, hope you’re having a good night,” from her had launched a thousand e-mails between them, each one hotter than the last, and usually ended in him picking up his phone. He’d tell her everything he wanted to do to her, and the conversations always ended in phenomenal orgasms for both of them. They might not have made love, but they’d done a hell of a lot. To this day the little noise she made when she came still haunted his dreams.
His fingers trembled over the keyboard as he struggled with his reply. What he wanted to say versus what he ought to say.
Don’t say it, Lockwood. Keep it light. Keep it neutral.
That’s what he told himself, at least. His fingers, however, didn’t appear to be listening. Curiosity had downright slayed that cat.
BookNerd: Not necessarily. Are you telling me you’d actually share?
The clock on the wall across from him ticked-tick-ticked out the seconds. His gut knotted and his nerves frayed. He was so damn close yet so far away.
Edgy and restless, he deposited his laptop onto the couch beside him and surged to his feet, pacing the living room spread out before him. He stared out the glass that made up the far wall, at the lights dotting the other houses around him. Lake Union spread out before him, calm and serene. The neighborhood was dead silent and memories echoed around him. All those late night conversations filled his head. Three years ago, he’d have told her, “Describe what you’re wearing tonight, baby…”
For all her bravado, Maddie was a traditional girl. On their first date, she’d told him she didn’t sleep around, that before she made love to him, she had to trust him. It had taken him six months to make it past first base, and he’d considered himself damn lucky for that. Which meant he had to cool his jets and follow her lead this time as well.
Behind him, his laptop pinged with the announcement of a new message. He jogged back to the couch, plopping down with all the finesse of an excited eight year old. His laptop bounced on the soft cushions and a quiet laugh escaped him. Hell. Cassie was right. Maddie had him well and thoroughly by the cock.
He set his laptop once again on his knees and read her message.
MadHatter3000: I might. So long as we get one thing clear.
His heart hammered. Damn, he hadn’t expected her to say that. He’d expected her to shut him down. Now, he was intrigued.
BookNerd: All right. Lay it on me.
MadHatter3000: I’m not looking for permanent. Just some fun. That’s probably TMI, but you asked and I’m an honest kind of girl. When our date at the auction ends, this ends.
Grayson tipped his head back and laughed. It seemed they really were in the same place, neither one really able to move on. It gave him hope, and awakened a certain part of his anatomy he was sure once had shriveled up from lack of use. Christ, he was hopeless. A few words of encouragement and he was hard as steel. His cock strained, pushing uncomfortably against the zipper of his tailored slacks.
BookNerd: Are you telling me you’re just looking for sex?
MadHatter3000: And if I am?
For a moment, Grayson could only stare at his screen, dumbfounded. His cock twitched, encouraging him to pick up that particular breadcrumb and run like hell with it. For the first time in a long time, he’d have a fantasy that didn’t include old memories, but another living, breathing participant.
Well, I’ll be damned.
His fingers shook with a heady mix of adrenaline and arousal as he punched in a reply.
BookNerd: Sweetheart, I’ll admit that little tidbit has me harder than a brass rod. No fair teasing with comments like that. ;) But I think we should take this one step at a time.
He meant that. He had no desire to scare her off before they’d even begun. That her reply once again popped up seconds later, however, didn’t help the snugness of his pants.
MadHatter3000: Please don’t tell me you’re a traditional guy.
Grayson dragged a hand through his hair. Christ. At this rate, he’d never get any sleep tonight. He’d hoped to loosen her up. Never in a million years had he expected her to respond. What the hell did he say to her now?
He drew a deep breath and released it as the answer hit him. Honesty. As much as possible given the circumstances of this charade, honesty was always the best policy.
BookNerd: Actually, I am. But I meant that I don’t want you to think this was my entire plan, to seduce you. That’s not who I am. I’m kind of going with the flow. Though, truth be told, I’m enjoying this.
MadHatter3000: Me, too. So tell me what you look like. Christina was vague on the deets.
Another knot formed in his gut as the answer to her innocent query flitted through his mind. Christina was vague on purpose.
BookNerd: 6’3”, brown hair, brown eyes.
That was the truth, at least.
BookNerd: Your turn.
MadHatter3000: Workout?
A soft laugh escaped him. Apparently, she intended to torture him before she told him what she looked like. Oh, he knew, had long since memorized all the lines and angles of her face, all the natural hues in her hair, and the little gold flecks around her pupils. But he was curious as hell what she’d actually tell him. This was a bold side of Maddie he’d never seen before. It both intrigued and saddened him. What had she been through in the last three years that she’d decided to jump in feet first?