That Night with You (31 page)

“
Mrs. Leder let you
in?”

He faced her, the fatigue evident in
his eyes. “After I thanked her for the handcuffs, she let me in
with her key. She said you went for a run.” He waved down her
running shorts and the slightly damp Dallas Cowboys T-shirt she had
on. “Is that what you were doing…running away from me
again?”

Madison went to her kitchen, eager for
something to drink. “Actually, I was thinking…and I didn’t run
away.”

He followed her. “Thinking about
me?”

“
About us,” she
corrected.

In the kitchen, he took Madison’s arm
and pulled her to him. “Is that why you weren’t at my house when I
got home?”

“
No. I thought perhaps you
might want some time alone after your day.” Madison tried to back
away from him. “I need to change my clothes.”

He held on to her, and the intensity
of his gaze shattered whatever resistance she had left. His lips
moved to within inches of hers. “Talk to me.”

Madison’s lower lip trembled. “Hayden,
do you still love your wife?”

His stern gray eyes analyzed her
features. “How can you possibly think I still have feelings for
Ellen? You saw how we were today.”

“
I know, but she does look
an awful lot like me. Your sister said something about it at the
party, but I was taken aback when I saw her today. It makes me
wonder if I’m just your type.”

“
What? What is my
type?”

“
You know…the kind of woman
you like being with. Green-eyed brunettes, like your ex-wife
mentioned.”

His laughter bounced about the small
kitchen. “Madison, if you only knew….” He let go of her and rested
his hip against the white Formica countertop. “There’s a reason why
Ellen made that remark.” He took a moment, collecting his thoughts.
“After that first night with you, I had a friend in administration
at the UT Arlington Architecture School search the database for
female students named Mary. I was on the verge of hiring a private
detective when the same friend I asked for help announced that he
had found you.” He paused and sucked in a guarded breath. “He told
me he was setting me up on a blind date with the woman I had hoped
would be you, but it wasn’t. It was Ellen.”

“
Did you tell her about
me?”

“
After we began dating,
yes, I told her about Mary. I think it’s always bothered her that I
wanted to find you.”

“
What made you stop looking
for me?”

“
I met Ellen. I thought she
could help me forget about you.” He rubbed his hand over his face.
“For years I’ve wondered if you were all right, who you were with,
if you had married. And then one day you walked into my elevator,
and here we are.”

Madison inched closer to him. “Do you
know how many times I had to stop myself from going back to your
place after that night? I often daydreamed about knocking on your
door and having you sweep me into your arms.”

He wrapped his arms about her. “Why
didn’t you come back to me?”

She delighted in the way the recessed
lights above shadowed the contours of his rugged face. “Because I
thought you were an asshole who wouldn’t remember who I
was.”

“
Maybe I’m still that
asshole.” He kissed her cheek. “When you weren’t at my house, I got
scared; scared that you had run out on me again. Driving here, I
realized I had to change things between us now, and not after I
settle things with Ellen. So let’s start over. Do you still need a
date for your roommate’s wedding?”

“
What about being
discreet?”

“
To hell with being
discreet! I don’t care who knows about us anymore.”

Madison felt the thrill of victory in
her bones. She was making headway with her cool and elusive Mr.
Parr. “Then yes, I still need a date.”

“
Good. I’ll be your date.”
His hands glided over her damp T-shirt. “Now that we have settled
that… how long will it take you to pack a bag so we can head to my
place?”

She curled into him, running her
fingertips along his soft shirt. “Let me jump in the shower and
then—”

“
You can shower at my
place.” He let her go. “Hurry and pack. I have a strange feeling we
need to get out of here before Mrs. Leder returns.”

“
Afraid she’ll stop by
bearing more handcuffs?” Madison teased, exiting the
kitchen.

“
No, she seemed
particularly interested in my plans for you.” He followed her as
she turned down the short hallway that led to her bedroom. “She
even threatened to hire someone to kick my ass if I hurt
you.”

Madison stopped at her open bedroom
door. “She said that?”

Hayden came up to the door and rested
his shoulder on the frame. “She said it didn’t matter if I was your
‘hottie boss,’ I still had to treat you right.” He peeked into her
bedroom. “Still think of me as your ‘hottie boss’?”

A blush rose about her cheeks, and she
slowly nodded.

He pushed away from the door and
placed his hands about her waist. “Do you have a desk?”

Madison shook her head. “Sorry.
Charlie had one, but she’s already moved it to her fiancé’s
place.”

Hayden’s eyes took a turn of her small
bedroom. “That’s too bad. I have this urge to bend you over a piece
of large furniture and take you from behind.” He kissed the tip of
her nose. “Get your things and let’s get out of here. I have
something I want to try with you tonight.”

Her gut tingled and a rush of heat
erupted between her legs. “What do you have in mind?”

He shook his head and backed away from
her. “Good little girls wait for their bosses to tell them what to
do. Do you understand?”

“
Yes, Mr. Parr,” she
whispered.

“
Now hurry up.”

Madison dashed for her closet, and
when Hayden’s hand connected with her butt, she yelped, but did not
protest. Madison had a strange feeling she was going to like what
Hayden had in mind for her…she was going to like it a
lot.

Chapter 16

It was after nine when Hayden parked
his Land Rover in the black gravel driveway beside his home.
Madison glanced out the passenger window to the darkened street,
and when her eyes settled on the Martins’ house, she grimaced. The
memory of her encounter with Stevie Martin still left a bitter
taste in her mouth.

“
What did you think of the
property?” Hayden asked, switching off the ignition.

“
The house was hideous.
You’re right, the property was stunning, but….”

He eased back in his seat, keeping his
eyes on her. “But…?”

“
I honestly liked their
property in Turtle Creek better. I think it has more potential than
that.” She thumbed out the window toward the Martins’
home.

“
I agree, but I doubt Pat
is going to sell it to me. He seems pretty set to build on it.” He
opened his car door.

Madison waited as he reached into the
backseat and retrieved her overnight bag. “I want you to bring a
few more things next time you come over. Pack a suitcase with
clothes you can keep here. I don’t want you to have to keep lugging
an overnight bag every time you stay with me.” Slinging her bag
over his shoulder, he shut the door and walked around to her car
door.

“
I don’t mind,” she
asserted when he opened her door for her.

“
But I do. I want you to
feel comfortable in my home.”

“
I am.”

“
We’ll see about that.” He
snickered and turned away.

Madison followed him up the gravel
path toward the front glass doors. Walking behind him, she followed
the curve of his butt beneath his beige suit jacket. Images of
fondling that butt with her hands were distracting her when he
stopped before the glass doors and pointed to the
keypad.

“
Punch in the code,” he
ordered.

“
What difference does it
make if—?”

“
Madison, just do
it.”

She put her hand on keypad. “What was
the code again?”

“
Close your eyes and think
about it. I told you several times this morning.
Remember?”

She closed her eyes, recalling their
conversation earlier that morning about the code. In an instant,
she heard his voice in her head, repeating the numbers.

Opening her eyes, she touched the
keypad and typed in 75336.

The door popped open. “Very
good.”

“
And the point of that was
what?”

“
To make you think. Most
people look to someone else to fill in the gaps for them. I prefer
for someone to fill in the blanks for themselves. I don’t like
dependent people. I want you to be assertive and
confident.”

“
You don’t think I’m
assertive and confident, is that what you’re telling
me?”

“
No.” He pushed the door
open for her. “You don’t think you’re confident or assertive, but
I’m going to change that.”

She stepped through the door and
turned back to him. “How do you plan to do that?”

He followed her in, shut the door, and
pointed to the keypad. “Lock us in.”

Shaking her head at his persistence,
she hurriedly punched in the code. After she was done, Hayden went
to the stairs in the foyer and placed her bag on the steps. As he
turned back to her, his eyes grew colder and his lips spread into a
lecherous grin.

“
I want you to take off
your clothes.” His deep voice resonated about the high
foyer.

“
Again? What is it with you
and clothes?”

“
Why are you arguing with
me?” Hayden removed his jacket and set it on top of her bag. “This
isn’t about seeing you naked. It’s about you expressing your inner
desires with me.” He had a seat on the lowest step. “So
strip.”

“
Is this another
lesson?”

He smiled. “If you like,
yes.”

Shaking her head, Madison yanked at
the zipper on her jeans.

“
Not like that. Dance for
me.”

“
Dance? Hayden, why do you
want me—?”

“
Wasn’t it your fantasy to
strip for a man?” He leaned forward on the step. “Well, here’s your
chance.” She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “I don’t want
you to speak. Just dance.”

Madison waved her hand in the air.
“But there’s no music.”

Shaking his head, he sighed. “This
must be your difficult side.” He stood from the step. “Fine, I’ll
get you some music.”

Hayden disappeared under the arch that
led to the living room and kitchen. As she stood there waiting,
Madison wondered why he was doing this. What was the point? Then,
strains of Michael Bublé crooning the opening to “Feelin’ Good”
filled the foyer. She covered her mouth with her hand, hiding her
happy smile. How many times had she danced to this thinking of
him?

“
There’s your music.”
Hayden came back to the steps and took his seat.

His eager eyes made her feel slightly
uneasy. “Hayden, I don’t—”

He placed his fingers over his lips,
demanding silence. “Close your eyes and listen to the music. Seduce
me, Madison. Show me with your body how much you want
me.”

As Madison closed her eyes, the
soulful sound of the horns and straining strings came together in a
crescendo. Swaying her head in time with the beat, she let the
music fill her mind. At first, her shoulders shifted from side to
side, then her hips began to rock back and forth. Keeping her eyes
closed, she moved her feet about the smooth hardwood floor. So many
times she had pictured dancing with her Harry as she listened to
their song, and here she was living out that fantasy.

Her hands went to the fly of her
jeans. Her clothes felt heavy now, and were weighing down her
movements; she needed to be free of them. Easing the thick denim
down her hips, the cool rush of air against her naked legs added to
the tingle building in her stomach. With a kick, she did away with
her jeans, and her hands went to her long-sleeved T-shirt. Shaking
her hips, she dropped the shirt to the floor and quickly unsnapped
her bra.

The steady rhythm was taking over her
senses. Madison felt sexy, empowered…and then she remembered
Hayden. Opening her eyes, she saw him. With his elbows resting on
his knees and his hands clasped together, he was focused intently
on her. She stared at him, but instead of feeling nervous, the way
his eyes were watching her hips set her on fire. She wanted him, to
feel him naked with her, inside of her, taking every part of her.
Madison inched forward, swinging her hips, and when she saw him
hungrily wipe his hand over his mouth, she felt triumphant. He
wasn’t laughing at her; he was turned on, really turned on. Doing a
small spin on her toes, Madison grinded her hips as her fingers
hooked the waistband of her silky beige panties. His eyes burned
with desire, and she had never felt more wanted by a
man.

As she drew closer, Madison ached to
show him how he made her feel. Arriving at the stairway, she
lowered her panties to her ankles and then set her hand on his
shoulder. Pushing him back on the steps, the finale of the song
echoed about the foyer. Her fingers worked the buttons of his shirt
until the fabric gave way, exposing his wide chest. She swayed as
her fingernails raked down his ripped abs. Climbing the bottom
step, she straddled his hips. Hayden sat back, watching her every
move but never touching her. He waited as she lowered her hips onto
his lap. Only when the song ended and she was nestled against him
did he raise his hands. Pushing her brown hair away from her face,
he let go a long, happy sigh.