Tempting The Best Man

Even in the dim lighting, Daniel’s wide-eyed gape was obvious. But he recovered quickly. “What kind of fantasies?” His voice was silky, coaxing.

“Maybe I’ll tell you. Someday.”

The air between them crackled. His intent expression was heady, the thrill that shot through her even more delicious than plantain s’mores. Self-preservation had her climbing out of the car before she did something crazy. Like front-seat sex in the office parking lot?

It was a beautiful, clear winter night. An impressive number of stars twinkled down on them despite the city’s lights. Shoving her hands in the pockets of her coat, she sat on the hood of her car and took a moment to appreciate the view. Daniel joined her, standing with his elbow against the hood. How would he react if she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss?

“Flirting lesson number one,” she said lightly. “If a woman admits you’ve starred in her fantasies, she’s probably interested.”

His mouth curved in a sensual smile. “Probably?”

Damn, he had a great mouth. For all that she’d scoffed at him in the past about being an unimaginative rule follower, he had full lips more reminiscent of sweaty carnal weekends than stuffy classroom lectures.

“Gaze can be a good indication of desire,” she murmured. Had he noticed her staring? “If a woman’s uncomfortable, she might glance around for exits or possible rescue. If she’s attracted, there’s often a lot of eye contact.”

He leaned close enough for her to breathe in peppermint and the faint, pleasant scent of sandalwood soap. “And if she’s looking at my lips like she wants to taste them?”

So, yeah, he’d noticed. Since she was busted anyway, she gave in to impulse and traced his bottom lip with her finger. He shuddered out a breath, warm on her skin, his pupils dilated in dark contrast to his silvery eyes.

Her own breathing was unsteady as she slid her hand down his chest. “Go with your instincts.”

With a sound that was part sigh, part groan, he cupped the nape of her neck and bent toward her. He traced her lips, as she had his, but with his tongue, teasing, enticing, before he angled his head and deepened their kiss, thrusting into her mouth. A jolt went through her, like a small static-electricity shock without the sting. This was pure pleasure.

She’d entertained dozens of naughty thoughts about Daniel Keegan, yet she’d never believed she would actually be in his arms, hungrily kissing him. It had been worth the wait. He wasn’t just good at this; he was wickedly skilled, setting off hot prickling need through her body. Her knees fell to either side as he stepped closer, breaking their kiss to scrape his teeth over the column of her throat. Clutching his shoulders, she tilted her head to give him better access. He supported her with one strong arm behind her back.

His other hand had pushed aside her jacket and was sliding over the slope of her breast. She closed her eyes as he palmed her through the layers of clothing. Aching desire built, her nipples hard and seeking attention. He stroked one with his thumb, and she tugged him close for a frantic kiss. When he pinched the sensitive peak, his mouth muffled her involuntary cry. It was all she could do not to pull him across her and have sex right there on the hood of her—

“What do you kids— Oh...” A man cleared his throat as a beam of light hit Mia’s face.

She blinked, dazed by sensation and confused by the disembodied voice. Daniel was much quicker to react. While she was still mentally processing that they’d been interrupted by the night security guard who patrolled the property, Daniel had already straightened, tugging her wrist to pull her off of the car and partially behind him. He stood between her and the glare of the flashlight.

The stout security guard sounded as flustered as she felt. “Mistook you for a couple of teenagers. You shouldn’t be here.” Suddenly, he rocked back on his heels. “Ms. Hayes?”

It wasn’t uncommon for her to work late hours, and the guard had offered to walk her to her car on more than one occasion. She raised her hand in a limp wave. “Hey, Myron.”

He locked his gaze on the pavement, stammering, “I, ah...”

“We were just saying good-night,” Daniel said. “We’ll be on our way now.”

Myron’s head bobbed in relieved agreement. “Good, good. Y’all drive safe.” He got back into the little golf cart he used to cover the spacious lot.

Mia pulled her trench coat tight across her body, feeling exposed. But it occurred to her that Myron hadn’t really seen anything other than some intense kissing. Nobody had been undressed. Yet. Now that she’d had a chance to regain her composure, she was able to see humor in being mistaken for a couple of kids necking.

She turned toward Daniel, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Well, that was—”

“Unacceptable.” His tone was grim. Bordering on angry.

Unacceptable? Not what a girl hoped to hear after a first kiss. The last of the pleasure she’d felt faded, making her newly aware of how cold the night had become.

“I apologize for my behavior.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “That wasn’t me. I never—You...”

She started to point out he hadn’t acted alone, but maybe that was the point. Was he blaming her for their kisses? Why was he even upset? He wasn’t the one who’d have to face Myron again. She stared, trying to understand what Daniel was feeling. But his expression was shuttered. He looked nothing like the playful man she’d spent the evening with.

Because he’s reverted to form. Right now, he bore entirely too much resemblance to the remote, critical classmate who’d tried to shame her for her actions in the past. One would never guess by looking at him that he’d been aroused.

His voice was downright impersonal as he asked, “Are you okay to drive?”

“Fine.” She’d been temporarily dazed, not drunk. That haze of desire she’d experienced was embarrassing next to Daniel’s calm clarity when they’d been interrupted. While she’d been writhing against the car and losing her mind, had he been unaffected? No, not unaffected, not with the way he’d kissed her. But he hardly seemed swept away by passion.

He looked like a man who faulted her for his temporary loss of dignity. That wasn’t me, he’d said. You... Sure. Why not wash his hands of all responsibility and dump it on her? An unpleasant sense of déjà vu stung her chest like heartburn. Why couldn’t grown men be accountable for their own actions?

Teeth clenched, she unlocked her car door. “Good night, Daniel.”

He hesitated, and she willed him to say something—anything—that made her feel like he didn’t regret what they’d shared, that she hadn’t been the only one caught up in the moment. Instead, he nodded stiffly. “Night.”

Inside her car, she let loose a few choice expletives before putting the vehicle in reverse. That was a humiliating end to the evening.

It could have been worse, though. At least he’d delivered her back to her car after dinner and hadn’t driven her home. Because, if they’d been in proximity of a bed and he’d kissed her like that... Given the disdainful way he’d eyed her after making out, she could just imagine how charming he’d be after they slept together. Forget the question of whether he’d respect her in the morning—he barely respected her now.

Past college fantasies be damned, sex with Daniel Keegan was out of the question.

4

“WHAT THE HELL, KEEGAN?” Eli scowled. Across the court, Sean’s teammate jogged after the basketball. “Were you aiming anywhere near the basket?”

They were playing two-on-two, but given Daniel’s performance, Eli might have been better off taking on the other team alone.

Sounding more concerned than annoyed, Eli asked, “What’s with you this morning? Lack of caffeine?”

In order to have the campus gym to themselves, they met at five forty-five. Sean declared it an unholy hour, but the time didn’t bother Daniel. Since his insomnia problems had started, he was always out of bed by five anyway. Today, he’d jolted awake around four, pulled from scorching hot dreams of Mia and the kisses they’d shared last night.

In his dreams, there had been no security guard. And no stopping.

He’d awakened sexually frustrated, which was no less than he deserved, and still furious with himself. After a lifetime of prioritizing proper behavior, he’d let the lure of Mia’s mouth turn him into a ravening beast. He hadn’t spared a second’s concern for whether someone would see them or how that could affect her. They’d been right outside her place of business, for God’s sake. What were you thinking?

The beam of the guard’s flashlight had sliced through the night like an accusation. Daniel had recoiled immediately, running on autopilot as a hundred lectures from his parents rang in his ears. He’d been so chagrined over his undisciplined behavior that he could hardly recall what he’d said to Mia. He did remember her stricken expression, though—the one she’d tried to hide before climbing into her car. She must think he was a total ass, no better than the men she’d described who groped and pawed at women.

“Sorry,” Daniel said. “Been distracted lately.” Lately meaning since last night, and distracted meaning he was unable to concentrate on a damn thing besides Mia’s enthusiasm and the heat of her mouth.

Eli knelt to tighten his shoelaces. “Still obsessing about the committee recommendation? You know the provost’s in your corner. I get that waiting sucks, but the decision’s in the hands of the president and the board of regents now. Don’t make yourself crazy in the meantime.”

Tenure. Right. That goal he’d busted his ass to attain. “Actually, work was the furthest thing from my mind.”

Eli stood, his expression perplexed.

What did it say about Daniel’s life that his friends assumed his career was the only thing he had going for him? “I had a date last night. Dinner with Mia.”

“No kidding? That’s fantas—”

Daniel grimaced.

“Not fantastic?”

“Actually, it was. Until the very end. I...” ...fell on her like a sex-starved maniac? They’d been only a few feet from passing traffic, and he’d gone for second base like a horny teenager. Lord knew what he would have done without Myron’s fortuitous interruption. “I screwed up.”

“Hey!” Sean dribbled the ball, scowling at them. “Considering the embarrassing score, I get the need to talk strategy. But could we return to our game sometime before spring break?”

“Surprised you’re in such a hurry to give up your lead,” Eli called back. “Might as well savor it while you’ve still got it. Ready, Daniel?”

He nodded.

“FYI,” Eli added under his breath, “I’ve screwed up a time or two with Bex. In my experience, flowers help.”

“Thanks.” But Daniel doubted an assortment of plant life was going to make up for his boorish behavior.

“Now focus. Quit throwing away your shots.”

Unfortunately, Daniel couldn’t shake the feeling he already had—not on the basketball court, but with the sexy-as-hell event coordinator. She’d given him a look of near loathing before she’d driven away.

He wasn’t sure what he could say to convince her to ever go out with him again. Considering his wildly undisciplined reaction to her, maybe it was best if he stayed away from her. Kept his distance. It was sound logic, but on some primal level, he rejected the idea even as he had it. Never kiss Mia again? Never touch her?

With an inward snarl, he lunged for Sean to steal the ball, knocking his friend on his ass.

Sean grunted a surprised expletive before propping himself up on his elbow. “Foul.”

Eli fought a smile. “Dude, I said ‘focus,’ not ‘maim.’”

“Right. Sorry. I lost my head for a moment.” A moment? Ha. He hadn’t felt like himself since Mia turned around at that bachelor party, meeting his gaze. Avoiding her might be the only way to return to normal.

Screw normal. The restless part of him he habitually stifled refused to stay silent. Maybe it was time to admit he didn’t want “normal.” He wanted change. He wanted excitement. And he desperately wanted Mia Hayes.

* * *

“BRANT IS PERFECT,” Wren gushed as she unrolled her mat along the studio wall. “Well, perfect for me, anyway.”

Mia and her friend Wren Kendrick had driven to the Tuesday night yoga class together. Wren managed an upscale lingerie store and occasionally gave Mia a generous friends-and-family discount, which was how Mia happened to own the perfect corset and fishnets to work a burlesque party. Both women had been working so hard lately that girl time had been scarce; Mia had yet to meet Wren’s new boyfriend. The bubbly blonde had been chatting about Brant nonstop for the past fifteen minutes. Hopefully, she’d wind down before class started. Otherwise, they were in for another evening of the instructor shooting Wren pointed glances. Talking was not encouraged during the ninety-minute session.

“I’ve never dated a man I have more in common with,” Wren said.

“That’s great,” Mia murmured absently. She was glad for Wren’s joy but running out of supportive things to interject in the conversation.

“Our personalities are just so in sync.”

What must that be like? Annoyingly, Mia’s mind drifted to Daniel. Again. He’d been in her thoughts way too much today—not that she believed for a moment that the preoccupation was mutual. He seemed to have wiped her from his mind before he even drove out of the parking lot. His expression had been so insultingly blank she’d wanted to shake his shoulders. Hi, remember me? Mia? You just had your tongue in my mouth?

Their sizzling kisses might support the generalization of opposites attracting, but she had too much self-respect to share a hot night with a man likely to sneer at her the next morning. Whatever had motivated his stated need for change, modifications to a person’s lifestyle or behavior were often fleeting.

Like temporary insanity. That’s what you experienced, a little hormone-driven insanity. Nothing to obsess over.

It was embarrassing how distracted she’d been today. Thank goodness she’d been able to avoid Shannon and any perceptive questions about Mia’s mood. A dental appointment had kept the woman out of the office that morning, and Mia had been on the go all afternoon. Yoga was the perfect opportunity to regain clarity and perspective. She straightened her legs in front of her, stretching over them as Wren continued her ecstatic Brant-themed babbling.

“You know the first time you have sex with someone and he doesn’t know what you like yet, so you’re trying to gently steer him toward what you want without seeming bossy?”

Mia made a noncommittal sound. She spoke her mind, in bed and out of it, and had never much worried about whether she sounded bossy. What would Daniel be like in the bedroom? Willing to follow his lover’s lead, or convinced his way was the right one, just as he had been in college? Stop it. At twenty, she may have fantasized once or twice about the opportunity to help loosen him up, but she was an adult now. She didn’t have time in her life for a man who wouldn’t appreciate her.

“My sisters are scandalized I slept with Brant after knowing him less than a week,” Wren said, unconcerned that the woman one mat over was shamelessly eavesdropping, “but it didn’t feel like our first time. It was like we’d known each other forever, like we were two halves of the same whole.”

Typical Wren. She lived—and loved—boldly. Where Shannon was shy and reserved in her personal life, Wren liked to jump in with both feet. Mia couldn’t imagine ever declaring a guy her other half after a handful of dates, but she respected her friend’s optimistic courage. “I hope he—”

“Good evening, ladies.” The instructor walked into the room.

Hallelujah. Time to begin. Mia wasn’t really in the right headspace to gush about Wren’s new love, even though that was bitchy of her. If things had gone differently last night, Wren would be the first to cheer for her. If things had gone differently... Her imagination started down that path, but she ruthlessly yanked it back as the class opened their session with a collective “Om.”

For about an hour, she was able to push Daniel Keegan from her mind. But toward the end of the session, they went into yin practice, which involved long-held poses and encouraged meditation. It gave her entirely too much time to think. Plus, after sixty minutes of focusing so intently on her body, on her breathing, on the pleasant soreness of muscles as she challenged herself... Well, it only made sense that her thoughts were lured back to the sensual experience of being pressed against Daniel’s body, who’d made her breathing uneven and her skin tingle.

She could tell herself all day long that he didn’t deserve her, but she couldn’t help wondering, if the chance to kiss him again arose, how would she resist? By remembering how aloof he was afterward. Almost as good as a cold shower. She wanted a lover who ran hot. Who looked at her with enough yearning to make her shiver. Who craved her unashamedly. Daniel Keegan was not that man—not based on the evidence of last night.

But heaven help her if he ever got comfortable with his passionate side. Because there’d be no resisting him then.

* * *

“MUST’VE BEEN SOME date Monday.” Shannon flashed a smile over the top of her coffee mug.

Mia froze in the act of removing her coat. “Why do you say that?” She hadn’t pegged Myron as the type who would blab about what he’d seen to other people in the building, but maybe she’d been wrong.

Shannon pointed toward the reception desk. “Because, flowers. You obviously made an impression.”

“Uh-huh.” A slight impression of her butt on the front of her car, maybe. Yet she crossed the room in three long strides to read the card, her curiosity piqued. Given his almost robotic goodbye, she hadn’t expected any further contact from Daniel, much less contact in the form of a square vase filled with carnations, white roses and delicate purple filler flowers.

The note was terse. I’m sorry. Daniel.

For which part, exactly? Asking her to dinner in the first place? Kissing her? Or was he apologizing for Myron’s bad timing?

With a sigh, she crumpled the card.

Shannon’s eyebrows shot skyward. “Dare I ask?”

“I want to discuss my date with Daniel about as much as you want to discuss your progress with Paige.”

“Wow. That bad, huh?”

“Any messages?” Mia asked, officially changing the subject.

They discussed clients and the day’s schedule while Mia fixed her own cup of coffee, although she doubted caffeine was a good idea given her already antsy state of mind. She needed to call Penelope Wainwright this morning, and she needed to be at her most professional when she spoke to the affluent woman. No sense sniping at their biggest client or sounding scattered because she was busy trying to decipher a bouquet of flowers.

Shannon returned to her desk, nodding at the arrangement. “Do you want these in your office?”

“No. Find a place for them out here that isn’t inconvenient for you. They brighten up the lobby.”

“Got it.” She hesitated, her expression apologetic. “Do you want me to put him through or take a message if he calls?”

She thought about his withdrawn manner, the perfunctory message on the card. “He won’t.”

* * *

GLANCING FROM THE stack of tests on his desk to the clock on the wall, Daniel felt a tug of dread in the pit of his stomach. “You have officially overextended yourself,” he muttered. In addition to the classes he taught and the articles he was scheduled to publish this year, he’d signed on for some extra volunteer activities, hoping they’d help him stand out as a tenure candidate. He was the faculty advisor for two student clubs and was serving on the curriculum review committee which met every Wednesday. In ten minutes, as a matter of fact.

Grade faster.

When his office phone rang, his first impulse was to let the call go to voice mail. He didn’t have time to talk to anyone. But what if it was Mia? She should’ve received the flowers by now, so she could be calling to thank him.

He grabbed for the phone, almost fumbling the receiver. “Professor Keegan speaking.”

“Daniel?”

“Felicity.” He was shocked to hear her voice; he was also a little stunned to realize she hadn’t even crossed his mind in the past two days. His thoughts had been too full of Mia. “How are you? Wait, I should let you know, I have a meeting to get to in a few minutes.” When he abruptly ended the call, he didn’t want her to take it personally.

“I’m fine, thanks. And this won’t take long. I just wanted to let you know I won’t be at the wedding this weekend. I RSVPed yes before the holidays, but obviously that was when I’d planned to be your date.”

“Felicity, you don’t have to cancel because of me.” Running into her was no longer the awkward proposition it would have been a week ago. Not just because he’d gone out with someone else but because his response to Mia had helped demonstrate that his relationship with Felicity had lacked passion. “Eli and Bex are your friends, too.” The four of them had double-dated often, spent holiday weekends together, celebrated promotions and other milestones.

“And I wish them every happiness. It’s Rebekah’s big day. I want her to be able to focus on that, not worried about any confrontations between us.”

He almost laughed. Neither he nor Felicity were the type for angry confrontations. “I trust us to be cordial. Maybe even friends, eventually.” Down the road, once his pride had fully recovered and he was no longer worried that friendship between them would give their manipulative families false hope. “After all, we’ve known each other for most of our lives.”

“Friends,” she echoed. “Then you aren’t mad at me for breaking up with you?”

“No. I wish you’d told me sooner that you were unhappy, but I’m not mad.”

“I...” She chose her words carefully, haltingly. “I wasn’t unhappy, exactly. I care a lot about you. We had a very comfortable relationship built on mutual respect. It just...wasn’t enough.”

“Yeah. I get that.” His scandal-phobic family, still reeling from the antics of his infamous uncle, had always encouraged Daniel to live a muted existence, but why should Felicity settle for that? Why should I? “Look, I really have to get to this meeting, but please know that you’re welcome at the wedding if you change your mind.”

“Thank you.”

He hung up the phone thinking half a dozen things at once—from wondering whether he’d convinced her to attend the wedding to being relieved that hearing her voice hadn’t hurt. But his strongest reaction was disappointment that it hadn’t been Mia on the other end. He made himself a deal as he caught the elevator downstairs: if Mia hadn’t gotten in touch by the time his committee meeting ended, he would call her.

They’d had a lot of fun during dinner the other night. Yes, he’d screwed up the last twenty minutes of the date, but if Eli was right about flowers smoothing over social gaffes, maybe Mia would be willing to see him again.

Curriculum meetings were long and boring. Daniel usually resented the intrusion on his schedule. But leaning back in his chair and imagining the best-case scenarios of his upcoming conversation with Mia made it the most enjoyable hour of his day.

* * *

AS IT TURNED OUT, Shannon needn’t have worried about what to do if Daniel called the office phone because he called Mia’s cell phone directly. When she saw his name on the caller display, she briefly considered ignoring him to continue the email she was typing. Avoidance is the coward’s way out.

With a sigh, she hit the accept button. “Hello,” she said flatly.

“Hi. It’s Daniel. I, uh... Did you get the flowers I sent?”

“I did.” What she didn’t get was why. What were they supposed to accomplish? “They add a nice splash of color to the office.”

“Good.”

A long pause stretched between them, an almost expectant silence. If she’d opened solitaire on her computer, she could be halfway through a game by now. “Thank you for the flowers, Daniel.” Was that why he’d called, to give her the opportunity to express socially mandated gratitude? If so, mission accomplished. Now he could go away. “But I have a lot to do and—”