MacNamarasLady (3 page)

There was plenty of time for her to find a
man when she was ready. She had a ten-step plan and she was on about step five.
She’d gotten her education, left home for good, gotten a job, her own apartment
and a car. Her next step was to work up the corporate ladder a bit farther, get
her salary where she wanted it to be. That might take a while longer than she’d
anticipated. With the economy being what it was she’d been lucky not to lose
her job as so many others had. Publishing wasn’t exactly a stable business and,
with the cutbacks, editing jobs were in short supply.

She’d thought about looking for a job
elsewhere, of leaving Chicago permanently, but in the end, she hadn’t been able
to do it. She loved her job and Candy was the best friend she’d ever had.

T.S. put a hand on the small of her back
and clasped her fingers with his other one, pulling her back to the problem at
hand. And he was a very big problem.

As their bodies slowly moved to the low,
bluesy tune she felt herself wanting to snuggle closer to him and that just
wouldn’t do. He wasn’t part of her plan.

Like everything else in her life, Missy
knew exactly what she wanted in a man. He’d be in business, maybe a lawyer or a
banker. He’d make a good salary, own his own home and be established in his career.
He’d be cultured and like classical music, the arts and theatre. He’d drink
fine wines and appreciate gourmet food. In short, he’d be the male version of
her.

T.S. MacNamara did not fit that definition
by any stretch of her imagination. The man worked in construction and drank
domestic beer from the bottle. Not that she was a snob. Not really. She liked
him fine. After all, he was Lucas’ friend.

He was also very easy on the eyes. One
thing all that construction work had done for him was build one hell of a body.
She let her hand slide down from his shoulder to rest on his biceps. It was
huge. She’d seen them plenty while he was working on the downstairs addition to
Lucas and Candy’s home. She’d intentionally dropped by to visit Candy several
times when she’d known he’d be there.

And there was nothing wrong with looking.
Admiring the way his butt filled out a tight pair of jeans or how the well-worn
material lovingly cupped his male attributes. But long-term, she wanted a man
she had more in common with. Better chance of having a marriage that lasted.

Right now she was doing her best to ignore
the fact she was actually in his arms. It wasn’t working. The palm on the small
of her back was practically burning a hole through her dress. The man gave off
enough heat to send her temperature soaring.

Beneath her dress, her bra and panties felt
tight and confining. Her nipples were currently pebbled against the fabric just
like they’d been at the chapel. Missy was very afraid they would be visible if
she took a step back.

“Everything okay?” His deep, sexy rumble
set her skin to tingling. Her stomach fluttered and it wasn’t with hunger.
Well, maybe it was hunger, but not the kind that could be sated with a brownie,
no matter how divine it was.

He moved his hand, rubbing it in a slow
sweep up and down the long length of her spine, sliding it over the nape of her
neck, which was exposed by her short hairstyle. Missy swallowed hard and bit
her bottom lip to keep from moaning aloud. She nodded. “Fine. Everything is just
fine.”

She was proud of the way she held herself
together. Then he tightened his fingers around hers and pulled her closer. When
her stomach brushed against his, she felt a distinct bulge. A very substantial
bulge.

She creamed her panties at the very tangible
sign of his arousal and had to fight to keep from throwing herself at him. He
might not be her dream man but he certainly pushed all her buttons. No doubt
about it. She wanted him. Bad.

He was so close. She could smell his
aftershave, something woodsy and earthy. She wanted to bury her nose against
his neck and simply inhale him. His lips were inches from hers. His breathing
was getting deeper and more ragged.

Usually men were shorter than her when she
wore high heels. She did it on purpose, a defensive mechanism. She didn’t want
a man in her life right now. It wasn’t part of the plan. She was the one to
pick and choose if she wanted to date a man.

But T.S. overwhelmed her.

His breath was warm and moist against the
curve of her neck, his lips soft as they grazed the skin beneath her ear. Her
fingers tightened reflexively around his. He nuzzled her hair and whispered in
her ear, “Let’s get out of here. Go somewhere quiet.”

His words were as effective as a bucket of
cold water in the face. She snapped back to her senses, which wasn’t easy
considering her wayward hormones desperately wanted to take him up on his
offer. Oh yeah, her body was on board with the plan. But her brain was
screaming for her to proceed with caution.

“I don’t think so.” She took a step back
and was slightly disappointed when he immediately released her.

It wasn’t fair the way this man could
overwhelm her senses without even trying. She was no easy one-night stand. She
dated men first. They went to dinner. They went to the theatre and popular
clubs. If a man lasted three months, she’d consider taking the relationship
into the bedroom.

That attitude had given her a reputation.
She knew some thought she was cold. She preferred to think of it as smart.
Because she dated so much, many of her colleagues at work assumed she was very
sexually active. Heck, even Candy thought so. But Missy had always been
reserved when it came to her sexuality. Oh, she put up a very believable front.
She could talk the talk, but she walked slowly and carefully.

“Thanks for the dance.” She turned away
from him and made her way to Candy’s side. Once she’d said her goodbyes to the
bride and groom, she’d gather her belongings and leave. It was time to go home.

Chapter Two

Well, that had gone well. Not.

T.S. tried his best to ignore his raging
hard-on as he watched Missy walk away from him. No, not walk. Saunter. The
woman could move like water, flowing around a room, her hips working from side
to side as she went. He swore under his breath as she leaned down to talk to
Candy.

He hadn’t misread her signals. He knew he
hadn’t.

She was as attracted to him as he was to
her. Her nipples were poking out from the silky fabric of her dress like
soldiers at attention. He’d felt her sway toward him, heard the catch in her
breath when her stomach had brushed against his erection.

She hadn’t pulled away then. No, she’d only
done that when he’d suggested they leave. He should have kept his mouth shut.
If he’d played his cards right they might have left together a little later.
But like a callow youth, he’d rushed things.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath as he
stalked to the buffet table and grabbed a soda from the ice chest. He’d already
had one beer. That was his limit when he was going to be driving.

He stood in a shadowy corner of the room
and did his best to ignore the heavy throbbing of his cock, willing it back
into submission. He took a long pull of the fizzy soft drink, wishing like hell
it was a double scotch. All the more reason not to drink, he decided. He didn’t
like to be out of control. Ever. He’d allowed hormones to control him once in
his life and that had led to disaster.

The situation was laughable. He, who did
his best to avoid women when he was forced to attend a wedding, wanted to go
home with one. But not just any one would do. It had to be Missy.

T.S. raked his fingers through his hair and
sighed. Damn, he was acting pathetic. So a woman didn’t want him. No, that
wasn’t quite true. She sure as hell wanted him. She just wasn’t willing to act
on it. That was okay. He was a big boy and could handle a no. Wasn’t the first
time he’d gotten one and probably wouldn’t be the last.

Tomorrow, he’d probably laugh his ass off
at his predicament. Tonight, however, he was finding little humor in his
hard-on that just wouldn’t go away.

Missy and Candy were still talking.
Whatever they were discussing, Candy was becoming more animated by the second,
waving her hand in the air. She grabbed Missy’s hand and dragged her toward the
master bedroom. Probably some secret wedding stuff that was so important to
women.

He watched until Missy disappeared from
sight. Then he took a deep breath. Immediately, he felt more in control of his
body. The muscles in his arms and legs relaxed and his erection slowly
dissipated.

Back in control, he worked his way around
the room, chatting and laughing with the other guests. T.S. hated crowds, but
no one in the room would ever know that. They’d see a man who was comfortable
in his own skin, someone with an easy smile and a ready laugh. He’d worked hard
to cultivate that image. He’d learned early on that such a persona made life
easier and kept folks from asking too many questions.

Very few people knew the real him.

And he liked it that way.

He glanced at his watch. It was just after
ten. By his estimation, he’d put in enough time so as not to be considered rude
if he split. He found Lucas chatting to Justin. T.S. nodded at Justin and spoke
to Lucas. “I’m heading out now.”

“I’m surprised you lasted this long.” Lucas
didn’t sound the least bit offended by the fact he was leaving.

“Me too.” He grinned and slapped his buddy
on the back before turning to Justin. “Day after tomorrow we start work on your
place.”

“I’ll be there,” Justin promised.

T.S. made his way to the front door with
Lucas by his side. “I’ll catch you then, too.”

Lucas just smiled. “Maybe.”

“Be happy, my friend.” Things would be
different now. T.S. wasn’t stupid enough to think otherwise. Their nights of
drinking together when the memories got too bad were over. Football Sundays
were probably a thing of the past. Lucas was a married man now. Candy’s
presence changed their friendship. But he was glad for Lucas even as he mourned
the passing of an era.

“You too.”

T.S.’ smile faded as he walked down the
stairs. Alone. He felt more alone now than he had that first night in prison
when the large metal doors had clanged shut for the first time.

“Stop being an idiot.” He wished Missy had
agreed to go home with him. She certainly would have taken his mind off other
matters. Thoughts of her filled his head, driving out all other thoughts. That
was good. That was exactly what he needed.

* * * * *

“What do you think?” Candy held up the
slinky white nightgown she’d purchased for tonight.

They were in the master bedroom, which had
been transformed for the occasion. Silver candlesticks sat atop the nightstands
with thick white pillar candles waiting to be lit. A crystal vase, filled with
the pink roses from her bouquet perfumed the air. The linens on the bed were
new. Missy knew that for sure because she’d helped Candy pick them out. A
bucket of champagne and two glasses rested on top of a trunk beneath the
window. All was ready for the happy couple.

Missy studied the frothy lingerie Candy
held in her hands. “Girl, I don’t think you’re going to be wearing it very
long. Your new husband is going to have that off you before you can blink.”

Candy laughed. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Missy touched the silky
fabric, letting it slide through her fingers. It was soft and sexy. “I’ve seen
how he looks at you.” It wouldn’t matter to Lucas what Candy was wearing as
long as he could get it off her, and fast.

“It’s different now, though.” Candy sat on
the end of the bed, her eyes soft and dreamy.

Missy sat beside her friend. “How so?”

“I know we’ve been living together for a
few months now, but being married makes a difference.” She shrugged. “I’m not
quite sure how to explain it. We’ve made a formal commitment in front of
friends. It just feels different. More solid. Real.”

Missy put her arms around Candy and hugged
her. “You did good.”

A slow smile split Candy’s face. “I did,
didn’t I?” She returned the hug. “I was so afraid I’d mess this up and so glad
I didn’t. Thanks for everything.”

“I didn’t do much.” She hadn’t minded
helping with the preparations, had been honored to be asked.

Candy shook her head, making the curls in
her upswept style bounce wildly. “You encouraged me to go out with Lucas.”

“I told you to get laid, not to get
married,” she said wryly. “You didn’t pay attention.”

They looked at one another and burst out
laughing. They laughed so hard tears filled their eyes. Candy dabbed at her
face, trying not to smudge her makeup. Missy leaned over and plucked a tissue
from the box on the nightstand. “Let me.” She wiped away all the mess and
blended the remaining makeup until it was flawless. “There. Good as new.”

Candy grabbed her hand and held it.
“Seriously, though, thank you for everything. You’ve been a huge help these
past few months helping me get everything ready for today.”

“It was my pleasure.” And it was. Candy was
the best friend she’d ever had. Planning the wedding together had been fun even
though Missy knew it signaled a change in their relationship. Candy had Lucas
to spend her nights with now. Sure they’d still spend time together. After all,
they were best girlfriends. But all-night sessions of movie watching and
drinking wine while they gossiped about anything and everything were behind
them.