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Maggie was tempted to do just that. With him smiling down at her and his hands against her skin, the heat was back, and the lack of oxygen felt exciting. One of Mac’s hands slid under her hair at her nape, his fingers massaging into her scalp. She wanted to crawl under the mussed sheets of his bed, breathe in his pine and iron scent from his pillow, and skip the talking parts that were coming next.
“I shouldn’t.” Maggie closed her eyes as her head flopped back into the steady pressure of Mac’s hand. Even as she said the words, she was already thinking about the next time she could see him again.
“You’re right,” Mac dropped a sweet kiss onto her parted lips. “Too much, too soon. Next time.”
Maggie kissed him back, her whole body flushing at the idea that Mac wanted to do this again.
“I don’t want to scare you off.” His next kiss brushed the column of her throat. “I also don’t want you to think I would take advantage of you.”
“I don’t think that,” Maggie said, “but I wasn’t planning on an overnight. I have work tomorrow, and some edits I need to work on.”
“I haven’t asked,” Mac said, frown reappearing. He picked up Maggie’s discarded leggings and undies, helping her get dressed. “How’s your book going? Make any headway on your characters?”
Maggie let Mac pull her shirt and his sweater over her head. Her bra hadn’t been located, but if he wanted to keep it, that was kind of hot, and she wasn’t complaining.
“It was slow going,” she said, “but I think I’m getting somewhere now. Actually, I want to go home and write a little tonight.”
“Really?” Mac let her stand, but pulled her into a firm hug the minute she was on her feet. Maggie nodded, head tipped back to look up at Mac’s handsome face and kind eyes.
“I was struggling because I didn’t understand real chemistry before, but I definitely get it now.”
“We were so hot we’re making it into your book?” Mac asked.
“Sort of. We assumed I struggled to write good relationships because I didn’t understand them. I dated Dean, and I thought I’d understand since I thought I loved him for forever, but the chemistry wasn’t there.”
“We?”
“Audrey and me. She thought I should try for some white-hot attraction, and well…” She gestured between their bodies. “I think we both know how that ended.” She grinned up at him, not embarrassed at all about how quickly he’d set her body on fire and how much she’d liked it. Liked him.
“So, this was planned research?”
Maggie studied Mac’s face. His smile had dimmed, but he hadn’t moved away from her, arms still wrapped around her waist.
“More like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. You’re safe.” She wanted to add, You’re sexy, and kind, and I think about you more than I should, and you’re still safe because you won’t ever hurt me. “We’re friends, and—”
“Friends,” Mac said, with a nod.
To be honest, Maggie thought of Mac as much more than that. She’d planned on saying so before he cut her off. Maybe he wasn’t ready for more yet. She could respect that. Love was a complicated and terrifying emotion. She thought she’d been in warm, comfortable love before, and she’d been so wrong it was almost laughable. It was almost inconceivable that she was sure she’d tumbled head over heels into the same scary emotion for Mac this quickly. So maybe he was right to protect them both and cut her off before she could finish. Because she was pretty sure she was in love with Mac, but she also knew she considered him one of her friends.
Maggie didn’t have a lot of friends. She had Audrey, Dean, and Shay. It was only recently that she’d started seeing Mac as one of her them and not just the brother of a friend. She genuinely liked Mac. Genuinely cared for him. He’d snuck his way into her inner sanctum, and she now considered him part of her closest circle. Part of the small group that she’d go to hell and back for.
“Thank you,” Maggie smiled up at him. “Tonight was more than I could have imagined, but I do have to get home so I can write while everything is fresh in my brain.”
And because if she stayed any longer she’d slide tackle him back onto the bed, and she couldn’t be greedy after three orgasms.
“I’ll walk you down.” Mac pulled on a pair of sweatpants and grabbed a t-shirt from his dresser.
Cal’s friends had left when they made it down the stairs, but Audrey sat at the kitchen counter while Cal dug something out of the fridge. Maggie prepared herself for a public interrogation, but Audrey just smiled and sipped her drink.
“Thanks for joining us,” Cal said, grin splitting his face. He was holding a Tupperware filled with rice and broccoli.
Maggie fought the blush and looked at Mac. His glare was back in place and trained on his younger brother.
“Don’t.” The sound of his voice sent shivers along Maggie’s spine. She wanted to lean back into him and bask in the tiny flips her stomach wouldn’t stop performing.
“I’m just saying Maggie disappeared for a long time. Then you come back together, both smiling…”
“How can you tell?” Audrey studied them.
