Command Performance

“I can’t believe you’re seeing someone else,” Derrick continued.

“Not exactly.” Her head and body still spinning from Hunter’s touch, Maggie struggled to find the words to explain her Saturday-night-fling-turned-liaison to the man she’d cast out of her life last week. “We met recently.”

“Who is this guy? What do you know about him?” Derrick demanded, his hand cutting through the air to indicate the Ranger lounging on her porch.

“He’s a friend, Derrick.” She drained her coffee and went for a refill. “What are you doing here? I thought we were done.”

“I want you back. I know I’ve made some mistakes.”

Maggie snorted.

“I’m not always the best with romantic words,” he continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “But I know you, Maggie.”

She looked at the stubborn expression on his face. Not pleading or begging, but pure determination.

“We’re right for each other,” he said. “I understand your career drive and your need to plan and organize everything. I understand you.”

What about the me who wants mind-blowing sex? What about the me who wants more than stable and reliable? Looking at Derrick, she felt the smothering weight of all her responsibilities. A future with Derrick would not offer the relief she craved. The break she’d gone searching for Saturday night? It wasn’t enough. The sex with Hunter had been a temporary fix. She realized that now. She possessed a wild side that was at odds with her need for control. Maggie wasn’t sure how to resolve her inner turmoil, but she knew for a fact that lying, cheating Derrick was not the answer.

She downed another mouthful of coffee. “We belong together,” Derrick continued.

“No, Derrick, we don’t,” she said flatly.

“That man out there,” Derrick said, taking a step toward her. Maggie backed away. “He doesn’t fit in your world, Maggie. He’s not someone you take to a five-star restaurant, and you deserve five stars.”

“No, I don’t.” Her hands tightened around her coffee mug as the anger she’d felt the day she’d found him with his pants down resurfaced. “I deserve a man who cares about me enough to remain faithful. I deserve a man who wants to be the responsible one—”

Derrick let out a mirthless laugh. “You would never let anyone else take charge, Maggie.”

Maybe she didn’t know how yet, but she could learn. She’d let Hunter take control in bed, hadn’t she? Of course, she’d panicked and run away while he slept. Still, it was a first step toward finding what she wanted.

“And orgasms,” Maggie continued, pretending she hadn’t heard Derrick’s interruption. “I deserve orgasms. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Orgasms?” Derrick looked baffled as if her pleasure was a foreign concept. “What are you talking about?”

“I think you should go.”

“But, Maggie, we’re engaged. We’ve told everyone.”

“Not anymore. We’re done.” The anger faded, leaving behind regret and irritation. But she wasn’t only annoyed with Derrick. She was the one who had been a walk down the aisle away from marrying him, all because she thought she needed a man who would let her take charge of everything 24/7. And that wasn’t Derrick’s fault. That was on her.

She’d been too afraid of falling in love. Letting someone in was risky. It could turn her entire life upside down. But settling for common career interests and lousy sex? That was worse.

“I think you should take some time to think this over,” Derrick said.

“No,” she said firmly. “I gave the ring back to you and I told you we were through. I meant what I said. Now please leave, before I ask my friend out there to play bodyguard and show you out. And you can take the muffins.”

* * *

RESTING HIS ELBOWS on his knees, Hunter leaned forward, watching Maggie and the Muffin Man. It didn’t take a highly trained soldier to figure out that this wasn’t a friendly thanks-for-breakfast conversation. Maggie looked stiff and tense. If she’d been a man with a weapon, he would have been worried. But he doubted she’d hurl her coffee mug at her early morning visitor, who looked more like a spoiled child who’d been told “no” than an adult.

Muffin Man? More like Muffin Boy.

Hunter smiled. A spoiled, rich boy was no match for him. While Muffin Boy had been perfecting his golf game, Hunter had completed the physically and mentally challenging Ranger School, hauling around ninety pounds of gear for twenty-plus hours a day. Not that he was competing for Maggie. He couldn’t have her any more than Derrick could—especially after breaking into her computer last night. Actions like that didn’t exactly inspire friendly feelings, never mind romantic ones.

Had her ex been after her heart? He watched Derrick through the glass windows. The man advanced toward Maggie. Hunter stood, ready to interrupt their private conversation, a rush of protectiveness pulsing through him. If Muffin Boy so much as laid a finger on Maggie, Hunter swore he’d tear the guy to pieces. But Maggie stepped away and Derrick stood still, taking the hint. Maggie wasn’t about to let her ex invade her personal space.

Hunter sank back into his chair. She’d let him close. He was still hard from the feel of her body pressed against him. If they hadn’t had an audience, he would have run his hand under her robe up to her breasts and kissed that special spot on her neck until she lost control of her senses. But if Derrick hadn’t shown up on Maggie’s doorstep, she’d never have let Hunter touch her. He’d known the minute she’d picked up the muffin that she was using him to scare off her visitor.