She should have talked to him. This would have been easier over the phone, but she hadn’t thought about anyone but Deke. “I’m sorry. I was out of town. I went to a spa with my cousin. It was one of those wellness places where you have to lock up your phone so you can be present in the moment or something like that. I was going to call you tonight but time kind of got away from me.”
“I’ve been so worried about you.” He took a long breath. “You just disappeared. Are you sure everything is all right, sweetheart?”
“Yeah. It came up suddenly and we hadn’t talked in a couple of days, so I didn’t think to tell you I was leaving town. We didn’t have a date set up.” She was kind of surprised he was reacting this way. She’d gone days without talking to him before and he hadn’t been worried. Half the time, she thought he was the one avoiding her.
“I’m sorry about that. I had to do some traveling myself,” Dan admitted. “I know I’ve been kind of drifting in and out but I’m clearing my schedule for the next several weeks, and I am going to concentrate on you. I know you’re under a lot of pressure at work, and I’m going to make sure you relax. I was hoping we could spend some time together this weekend, but I’m glad you got away. Did you already eat? I would love to take you out, or we could order something in and you can tell me all about your weekend.”
It was oddly aggressive for Dan. She’d always kind of gotten the idea that he could take her or leave her. Not that he didn’t like her, but he was always so casual. “I’m afraid I’ve got some work to do. We’re scheduled to launch in a couple of weeks, so any time off is going to be hard. It’s why I jumped on this weekend when I had the chance.”
His jaw tightened, and even in the moonlight she could see the resolute look in his eyes. He straightened the glasses he wore and moved in close. “Maddie, I think I’ve played this the wrong way. I’ve played it cool when that’s not at all how I feel about you. I’m sorry. I should have shown you.”
He reached out for her hand, taking it in his.
Alarm bells started to go off in her head, and unlike with Deke, she could hear these perfectly. “I think you played it right because we’ve got a nice, friendly thing going.”
He stepped in, coming into her space. “No, I’ve definitely given you the wrong impression. Let me correct that mistake.”
Suddenly he was leaning over, his nicely shaped lips swooping in to cover hers.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. It felt wrong to have him kiss her. Not an ounce of arousal went through her, just a terrible sense of alarm that she was definitely breaking the rules and her Dom was going to spank her, and maybe not sensually.
She pushed at his chest, and somewhere in the background she heard the door slam open. “No. I don’t want you to kiss me.”
Dan stepped back and started to open his mouth when he looked over and his jaw dropped. “Fuck. Deke, I did not know you were going to be here. I am working and you need to…”
Deke walked right up to Dan and punched him straight in the face.
Maddie gasped. “What are you doing?”
Dan was on the ground, holding his nose. His glasses had come off and they were somewhere on her yard. He couldn’t see, and he would likely call the cops and then it would be all over the neighborhood that Maddie Hill had two men fighting over her on her front yard. One of her coworkers was two doors down. She didn’t know Sharon all that well, but the one thing she did know was that the woman liked to talk. A lot.
Deke stood over Dan, his hands both fists. “How long have you been here? How long have you been trying to fuck her for intel?”
Maddie stopped looking for Dan’s glasses. What the hell did that mean?
Had Dan called Deke by his name?
Dan—who often joked that he wouldn’t recognize a gym if he got lost and walked into one—kicked up and caught Deke in the gut. He did one of those kung fu, Bruce Lee things where he leapt to his feet from his back and turned the tables on his opponent.
Deke was the one on the ground now, and Dan stood over him.
“You know why I’m here. I’m absolutely certain you’re here for the same damn reasons,” Dan said, his tone deeper than she’d ever heard from him. He talked about how bad his eyes were, but he didn’t seem to mind the loss of his glasses.