Suddenly Sexy(44)

"I get the message." He put on his shirt, picked up his shoes and strode out of the bedroom and out of her house. He threw his shoes on the passenger seat of his Porsche and got in, slamming the door.

Maddie Clarke was the most frustrating woman he'd ever met. He thumped the steering wheel and took off down the street too fast.

She was also the only woman who'd ever pressed all his buttons at once, the only woman he'd ever wanted to spend all day in bed with, the only woman who made his heart and body crave her touch. It was going to take one hell of an effort to get her out of his head. Especially after the incredible afternoon he'd just spent in her bed.

***

Mondays sucked. But this Monday sucked even more than usual. Maddie couldn’t concentrate. She’d somehow got to the lab without breaking any road laws despite not thinking straight. Not even two cups of coffee helped her to face her emails. It was definitely a three-cup morning.

She couldn't stop thinking about Sam. Specifically, sex with Sam. It had been amazing. It had also been very, very wrong of her to go through with it considering she knew the fling wasn't going to last. But she was only human and he was gorgeous. And nice. In her experience those two words couldn’t be attributed to the same man, but Sam was proving her wrong. He’d definitely matured.

Which made it so hard to do what she had to do. She had to face him one more time. Now that Pheramour had completely worn off, he'd take one look at her—or whiff—and realize she wasn't the woman for him after all. That part was going to hurt most. For her. Probably he'd be relieved to know he wasn't turning into a nerd because he was in love with one, or thought he was.

Stupid conscience. If only she had none and could bathe in Pheramour for the rest of her life. But then that would make her just like—

Miles popped his head around her office door. "How'd it go?" He looked like a puppy with a new toy, anxious and excited at the same time. Any more eager and he'd be salivating all over the floor.

"Good morning to you too."

He sat on the edge of her desk. "Yada yada yada." He took one of her pens out of the holder and tapped it on the desk. "Well?"

She shrugged. "Good, I guess. I got a few dates."

"Really? How many? With more than one man? How far did he want to go?"

She rolled her eyes. "You sound like my sister." She filled him in on Sam's response plus the men at the market, leaving out the amazing sex part.

"That's fantastic!"

Beaker entered, cup of coffee in hand. "You told him huh?"

"She sure did!" Miles grinned, and Beaker and Maddie recoiled. It was an unnatural sight. "And if you'd stuck around on Friday night we could have tested the response of females."

"Sorry," Beaker said and dipped his head. He wasn’t good with authority figures and Miles had a habit of reminding everyone who was in charge just by a look or a word.

"It was after five-thirty," said Maddie, compelled to stand up for her junior scientist. "And he had a date, didn't you, Beaker. How'd it go, by the way?"

He lifted one shoulder. "Okay, I guess, but—"

"Forget about your date," said Miles, tapping faster. "I want you to use Pheramour for the next few days. Maddie's results will have to do until you can give me a report." The pencil stopped and he smacked his hand on his thigh. "I think Fleur Elise will be happy." He slapped Beaker on the shoulder as he strode towards the door. "I'll come by tomorrow morning to see how you went."

He left and Beaker sighed. "I had a feeling he'd say that." He sat at his desk and opened his notebook, sighing at every turn of the page. "Annie's not going to like this."

"Your girlfriend?"

"Sort of. She gets jealous."

Maddie nearly spewed coffee over her keyboard. "Of whom?"

"Other women. She says they look at me like they want me."

Probably they think he can do their taxes or fix their computers. She couldn't imagine them wanting him for sex. But who was she to burst Beaker's bubble? She was made from the same mold anyway. Two nerds fooling themselves.

"If Pheramour works as well on me as it did on you, it's going to be real hard to convince her I'm not cheating," he said.

"I'm sure she'll understand when you explain it to her."

He shrugged and shoved the notepad away. "It's done amazing things for you, Maddie. You look great. I can't put my finger on what it is, but you definitely seem different."

She frowned. Either Pheramour was still in her skin and he was sensitive to it, or she was still glowing from getting laid. She'd go with the latter. The thought of Beaker being interested in her was creepy.