You never even said you were sorry.
Her words haunted him, would probably always haunt him now. “Fuck!” Sam slammed his fist against the steering wheel in frustration. Nope. He hadn’t ever said he was sorry. Then again, he hadn’t been able to say it back then. Still, he should have said it, found a way to apologize later. It hadn’t been possible after the incident had taken place, and he had just blown his second chance a few minutes ago.
What was it about Maddie that made him lose his reason?
You’re acting like an ass**le because she doesn’t really care about you anymore and it’s eating you alive. You might be able to have her body if you seduce her…but never her heart. Never again.
Once, years ago, Maddie had looked at him with eyes that sparkled with admiration, adoration. One brief incident, and he had washed that look from her beautiful eyes forever.
Leaning his forehead against the steering wheel, he closed his eyes, still able to picture the Maddie who had looked at him with respect and affection even when he hadn’t had two pennies to rub together. It was ironic, now that he was one of the wealthiest men in the world, she eyed him like a bug that needed to be squashed, a rodent that needed to be exterminated.
You’ll see her again. She’ll be forced to talk to you for Simon and Kara’s wedding. The wedding was being held in his home, so Maddie wouldn’t have a choice. He was the best man and she was the maid of honor. Maddie would have to at least be civil, and Sam knew she would. She was considerate and loyal to anyone she considered a friend. Her own feelings would take a back seat to making sure Kara had a happy wedding, one with no hassles or ugliness.
And no matter how Maddie treats me, no matter how she looks at me, I won’t be a dick to her. Shit. I hope she doesn’t bring a guy with her. I never asked Simon if she was involved with anyone.
Sam sat back in his seat with a heavy sigh and put his car in gear, wondering if it was even possible anymore for him not to be an ass**le. Truth was, the years had changed him, made him into a man who he wasn’t at all certain he liked anymore. And if Maddie had a man in her life, he was even more likely to lose it.
Find a woman, someone to take your mind off Maddie.
Snapping his seatbelt on as he backed out of the parking space, Sam took a deep breath and ran through a mental list of possible willing females…until he caught a tantalizing smell, an elusive scent that clung tenaciously to his sweater. Her fragrance. A reminder of what had just occurred in her office.
“Fuck! I can’t do it. I can’t be with another woman. Not now,” he whispered to himself, pissed off that he had kissed her, that he had felt her lush curves against his body. Now, the thought of spending the night in the bed of any other woman but Maddie left him cold. Honestly, it had left him cold since the moment he had seen Madeline again over a year ago.
Sam braked his vehicle at the exit of the parking lot, glancing quickly at his watch, grinning as he turned left instead of right, headed toward Simon’s condo.
It was time.
Simon had called him earlier, informing Sam that he was going to be an uncle, and asking for a favor, which was a complete rarity for Simon. There was nothing Sam wouldn’t do for his little brother. He had failed to protect Simon once, and it wasn’t happening ever again. Whatever Simon needed, he’d be there for him.
Thank God Simon had found Kara. Sam adored his brother’s fiancée, wanting to kiss the ground she walked on, simply because she loved his little brother unconditionally, made Simon happier than Sam had ever seen him. And Simon deserved that happiness, that kind of devotion from a woman. Unfortunately, watching Simon and Kara together made Sam realize just how empty his own life was, how desolate and superficial his existence had become.
Like I haven’t always known that? Nothing has been real since I lost Maddie.
Kissing Maddie, holding her again after all those years, had made things even worse. It was like something was awakening deep inside of him, a sensation that was familiar, yet not. Certainly, it wasn’t comfortable.
Forget her. Forget what it felt like to lose yourself in Maddie’s softness, her scent, the feel of her lush curves and deliciously eager mouth.
Sam cursed, knowing he’d be sleeping alone tonight, taking himself in hand as he fantasized about Maddie. And this time, those memories would be much more vivid, newer, more real than ever before.
Fuck! He was so completely screwed…and definitely not in a good way.
*****
Maddie turned the page of the book on her lap, wondering why she just didn’t give up and go to bed. It wasn’t like she was really absorbing any of the written words.
“Damn it,” she whispered, slamming the book closed and dropping it on the table beside the sofa. Honestly, she didn’t want to go to bed. If she did, she would just keep remembering her encounter with Sam, torturing herself with memories of that scorching hot kiss earlier in the evening.
Swiping the remote control from the table, she pushed the button to activate the television, hoping she could drown out her thoughts with the ten o’clock news.
Her doorbell rang just as the news anchor starting recounting the top stories of the day.
Who the hell could it be? She had no family and none of her friends would come to her door at this time of night unless it was an emergency. She sprang to her feet and sprinted to the door, her heart racing. Looking through the peephole, she saw a man in uniform, a Hudson security uniform.
“Who is it and what do you want?” she called loudly through the door.
“Special Valentine’s Day delivery for Dr. Reynolds.” The man called back.
“Leave it and go.” There was no way she opening her door, even if the guy was apparently from Hudson.
“I understand, ma’am. I’ll just leave it here on the doorstep.” He bent, then straightened again and left.
Maddie opened the door a crack, leaving the security chain in place. She watched the man get into his truck and drive away. She lifted the chain and opened the door completely, her eyes widening.
On her doorstep was the most incredible bouquet of red roses she had ever seen. There were several dozen flowers, too many for her to count in her stunned condition. Lifting the heavy, sturdy vase that appeared to be made of crystal, she secured the door behind her and lugged the roses to her dining room table. Placing them in the middle of the circular oak surface, she plucked the card from the center of the arrangement.
She sat, her shaky knees barely able to support her legs. The card was small, the outside of the tiny envelope decorated with hearts and a cute little Cupid in the corner. The only thing on the front was her name. She opened it with trembling fingers, yanking the notecard from its surrounding paper. There, in handwriting she still recognized, were only two words.