Meg frowned. “I went out to dinner with my sister and saw him at the restaurant. With his wife.”
“What did you do?”
Meg shrugged. “I waited until he went to the bathroom, confronted him and left. I didn’t have the heart to say anything to his wife.” Meg shrugged. “So I’m totally serious about you setting me up with one of Patton’s cousins.”
“How can you remember that? You were so drunk.”
“Um, have you looked at Patton? Of course I’m going to remember there are men with that DNA available—drunk or not.”
Cady smiled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Must be nice to date a guy who’s so obviously stuck on you.” Meg sounded wistful.
She didn’t have to worry about Patton being married or cheating on her—because he wasn’t hers. She was almost getting used to hurting when she thought about him.
She hit the gym hard. She and Meg parted ways in the parking lot—without a hottie.
Twenty minutes later she was on the side of the road, her car having overheated. So she waited more than an hour before the tow truck came and watched her sports car get pulled away before walking three blocks to a sports bar. She was so hungry she inhaled a burger and some onion rings—getting sucked into the MMA fight on the huge television and drinking way too much before she realized it was getting late. By the time the cab dropped her at her building and she stumbled out of the elevator, she was practically asleep on her feet.
She walked down the hall to find Patton pacing the hall outside her door. His hair was mussed, his shirt rumpled... He looked gorgeous. He froze when he saw her, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, stunned and more than a little excited. Had he been thinking about her? Missing her? Because she had missed him. So much.
“Where have you been?” His gaze was hard, his jaw rigid. He had dark shadows under his eyes and a thick stubble along his jaw. “Bianca said she’s been trying to reach you for the last three hours.”
As if he had any right to be scowling or angry with her. Or hot. So, so hot. “Why are you here?” she asked, wishing she sounded more offended.
“I was picking up the dress from Bianca. She was pretty frantic that she couldn’t reach you,” he explained, his gaze fixed on her.
Bianca didn’t need anything else upsetting her. Poor Bibi... “I didn’t get any messages.” Cady pulled out her phone. It was dead. She shoved it at him. “I’ll call her.”
But he was already texting. “She was very upset.”
“You said that,” she snapped, overwhelmed with disappointment. It shouldn’t matter that he’d been sent here. But it did matter. A lot. She’d thought about him far too much since their blowup in the car. Sometimes she’d wanted to yell at him, maybe even pound on his broad chest... But most of the time, she’d hurt. She’d never ached for another person. But Patton made her ache.
Her wants had nothing to do with his visit. He was only here because Bianca had sent him. Not because he wanted to be here—wanted to be with her, to talk to her, to fix things.
His frown grew. “Have you been drinking?”
She narrowed her eyes. Really? “Among other things.” She didn’t need to explain anything to him. She’d had a hell of a week, no thanks to him. And now he was going to show up, teasing her in his tight pants, and drill her with questions? She fished her keys out of her bag, trying to ignore the heat that rolled off him. Or his delectable scent flooding her senses. She would not turn into him, she would not reach out for him. “I’m a young, single adult, Patton,” she snapped, unlocking her door and brushing past him into her apartment. “I can do what I want. I sure as hell don’t need anyone checking up on me—”
Patton spun her, his hands cupping her cheeks as he kissed her—fiercely, desperately. His mouth parted hers, the stroke of his tongue stealing the air from her lungs. She was vaguely aware of him kicking the door shut as she twined her arms around his neck. Her fingers slid into his hair, pulling him closer. Every inch of her was instantly on fire.
“Cady—” he growled.
This wasn’t going to help her get over him. But she needed this—needed him. Her fingers tugged his head forward, drawing his mouth back to hers. His hands gripped her hips, lifting her. She wrapped her legs around him, grinding against him...
They didn’t make it to the bedroom.
He was impatient, stripping down to nothing before she’d managed to unbutton the blouse she’d worn to work. She sat on the couch, mesmerized by the raw hunger lining his face. And his amazing body... There was no
denying the extent of his need. The sight of him made her ache for him. She reached out, taking the heavy length of his erection in her hand.
He stopped her, his fingers wrapping around her wrist. “I need you.” He pulled her up, removing her clothes with a single-minded determination that ratcheted up her hunger. In the back of her mind she knew this was wrong, that this needed to stop before her heart was shredded all over again. But then she was naked and the contact of him, skin on skin, was all that mattered. “Cady... Damn I need you.”
She nodded, moaning when he filled her. It was hard and fast. His hands. His mouth. Every thrust. He consumed her and she loved it. She clung to him, gripping his arms as he drove into her. She pressed her lips to his neck, savoring his rough stubble and heady scent. Every nerve, every sense, was flooded with Patton. His fingers brushed over the heated nub between her legs and sent her over the edge. Her release rolled over her, dragging a raw cry from her lips. When they were still breathing heavy, legs and arms tangled together, she looked at him. His eyes were closed, but his face was rigid.
The prick of tears stinging her eyes terrified her. “You should go,” she spoke quickly, desperately.