7
“Oh my God. You’ve had sex.” From across the coffee shop table, Haley’s big blue eyes widened as she stared at Madison.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Madison countered and turned her attention to her coffee. After all, she wasn’t one to kiss and tell or to have roof-top, exhibitionist sex or get wild beneath a mirror on a yacht and tell, either.
Refusing to let the subject drop, and clearly not believing her response, Haley leaned in closer, her glance carefully panning Madison’s face in a prudent appraisal. “And really good sex by the looks of you!”
Madison grinned at her friend’s accurate assessment and couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Okay, yeah, I kinda did.”
Haley threw her hands up in the air. “Kinda? Come on, Madison, you don’t just kinda have great sex.”
Haley stared at Madison for a moment longer, and when Madison refused to give details, Haley’s jaw dropped. “It’s Sean, isn’t it? You’ve had sex with Sean.”
“Not had. Am still having,” she teased. “He had some errands to run, then we’re meeting up again later. Actually, the only reason he let me out of his sight was because he knew I was meeting you.”
“And I’m just learning this now?”
“Shhh,” Madison said, and glanced around the coffee shop. “The whole world doesn’t need to know.”
“Maybe not, but I sure as hell do.” She planted one hand on her hip. “Out with it and I want all the details.”
Madison laughed, knowing her friend wasn’t about to let her off the hook so easily. Besides, she couldn’t stop thinking about Sean and really wanted to talk about him.
“Fine then,” she whispered, and lowered her voice even more as she filled Haley in on the situation, keeping the more private details to herself. When she finished, Haley sank into her seat and fanned her face. “Wow.”
“Oh, it was ‘wow’ all right.”
Haley took a slug of her coffee before saying, “It’s about frigging time, don’t you think?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, you’ve liked him since high school, haven’t you? So it’s really about time you went for it.”
Madison toyed with her coffee cup as heated memories of last night raced through her mind and elicited a shiver from deep within. “The thing is, I don’t like him anymore, Haley.”
Haley’s head jerked back with a start. “What?”
As warmth moved through Madison, she said, “I was already half in love with him before this started.” She let loose a long breath and said, “Now I’m totally and utterly in love.”
A worried look moved over Haley’s face. “How does he feel? I mean, sex is one thing. Love is something entirely different.”
While she knew her friend didn’t really believe in love, marriage or happily ever after, Madison thought about the things Sean had said to her, the things he’d done to her—for her. Things like taking her out on the yacht and going against his own best interests to show her how beautiful and desirable she was, how much she meant to him. No man had ever gone to such lengths for her before.
He made her feel special, cherished, like she was the most important woman in the world. When he first began to seduce her on the yacht, she remembered the troubled look on his face when he thought she was about to flee. Everything in the way he touched her and looked at her confirmed that he wanted her, that her scar hadn’t bothered him and that he’d never been pitying her. And Madison didn’t care what Tara claimed, no man would go to such extremes if he didn’t feel something deeper. She hugged herself and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to wipe the silly smile from her mouth.
“Forget I asked,” Haley said and gave a long slow whistle. “Jeez, I never thought I’d see the day when Beachville’s bad boy turned into a one-woman kind of guy.” Haley touched Madison’s hand. “I’m thrilled for you, Madison, and maybe just a little jealous that you’re having great sex and I’m not. Jesus, the guys in this town are so boring. I mean, if I wanted to settle down and have dull sex for the rest of my life, then I don’t have to look any farther than Beachville. But I don’t.”
Just then Cole Landon sauntered into the coffee shop. He gave them a quick nod as he hobbled up to the counter.
Haley sighed. “Jesus, that guy is smoking hot.”
Madison glanced at Cole. “And not at all boring.” She made a tsking sound and added, “He really does have that whole bad-boy thing working for him, doesn’t he? It’s a shame his injury shortened his soccer season. But now that he’s back in town…”
When her voice fell off, Haley asked, “What about it?”
Madison pointed her finger at her friend. “So when are you going to go for it?”
“Excuse me?”
“Come on. You know you want him. You’ve always wanted him.”
“Yeah, but you remember what it was like in high school. Jocks slept with cheerleaders, not good girls on student council.”
“We’re not in high school anymore. And really, you’re not that good of a girl.”
Haley feigned hurt. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”
Madison arched a brow. “I don’t think you want me to go into details, but let me just remind you I was there when you ‘borrowed’ the camera from the audio visual room. And I know what you did with it.”
“Okay, okay, enough said,” Haley rushed out, holding her hands up in surrender.
“So why not have some fun with the jock while he’s back in town. A summer fling to show him what he’s missed out on by underestimating little miss co-president.”
Mischief lit her friend’s eyes. “Well, he is coming in for physical therapy next week.”
When Cole left, Madison finished her coffee and stood. “You. Cole. A private room with a bed. Among other props. Yeah, I think I’ll leave the rest to you.”
They stepped
