Up until this moment, he hadn’t really considered the possibility that she wouldn’t want to see him eventually, after her embarrassment died down. Considering the way she ran off, odds were good that she was experiencing some measure of regret about sleeping with him. The realization left him with a bad feeling in his gut. Even so, he still had to do this. Had to make sure she was okay, both physically and mentally, and somehow, someway, convince her that what happened between them wasn’t a mistake.
Or remain a one-time deal.
Chapter Eight
“Willa, have you listened to a single word I’ve said?”
Domino Blanchard’s familiar nasally whine hammered through Willa’s thoughts and jerked her blank stare from the blinking cursor on her monitor. She gaped at Domino. “Er…what?”
“I said I’m leaving for my yoga class and I’ve set my calls to transfer to my cell phone.”
It was on the tip of Willa’s tongue to ask why, since she’d be there to field any of Domino’s messages, but then she remembered the head matron from the San Francisco offices was due to call. There were at least four other guild leaders in attendance today and available to speak with the woman, but no doubt Domino—in her infinitely controlling and paranoid wisdom—had decided it would be far better to huff and puff her way through a conversation with the head matron while doing the downward-dog pose.
“Do you think you’ll have the rest of the notes from this morning typed and ready before you leave tonight?”
Probably not. “Yes.”
Domino nodded before swinging her purse over her shoulder and trotting through the entry. Exactly three minutes later, Marabella Blanchard slunk through the front door. Willa narrowed her eyes at her best friend. “Were you hiding in the bushes again waiting for your mom to leave?”
A pink stain crawled along Marabella’s fair skin. “How much of a pathetic loser will it make me look like if I say yes?” Sighing, she plunked her fanny on the edge of Willa’s desk. “Sorry, I know you’re sick of hearing me bitch and moan about my problems with my mother. So I promise I’ll keep my lips zipped about her at dinner tonight.”
“Dinner? Tonight?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot.” Marabella frowned. “You know, you’ve been doing a lot of that lately. Forgetting, I mean. Is everything okay?”
No. I’m going crazy and forcing gorgeous strangers to let me play naked cowgirl with their penises. “Yeah. Absolutely hunky-dory.”
“Maybe I should talk to my mom. Tell her not to overload you with so much work.”
“That would require you leaving the bushes.”
A stubborn look crossed Marabella’s face. “I mean it. My problems aside, I’d do anything for you. If that means taking my mom on, so be it.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but unnecessary. I-I’m fine.”
Marabella’s expression turned accusing. “You just stuttered.”
She tried for flippancy. “Excuse me, didn’t realize it’s illegal.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me.”
Willa fidgeted with the space bar on her keypad. “You’re imagining things.”
“Spill it.”
She took one look at the stubborn slant of Marabella’s ash-blonde eyebrows—so similar to Domino’s, in many ways—and knew the only option was coming clean. After a quick scan to make sure no one else was within earshot, she scooted closer to Marabella and swallowed, trying to work the shameful admission past her throat. “I attacked a guy.”
Marabella’s mouth dropped. Shaking off her obvious shock, she stared at Willa. “You mean you got into a fight or something? But…but you’re so…tiny. Why would you do that? Unless…” Her eyes widened before taking on a fiery rage. “Did the bastard try to hurt you? Who is he? He’s going to pay—”
“Not that kind of attack,” Willa assured.
Marabella gnawed her bottom lip, her nose twitching. “I don’t understand.”
Damn, this was more difficult and embarrassing than she thought it would be. “I—I jumped him. You know…” When Marabella only continued looking at her with that innocently expectant expression, Willa moaned and hissed the damning word between her teeth. “Sex. I attacked him with sex.”
Marabella’s eyes grew larger than dinner plates. It would have been funny, if it weren’t all so damn awful fessing up to her shameful behavior. “Would you please stop looking at me like that? I already feel bad enough about what happened.”
Marabella dutifully lowered her gaze and cleared her throat. “Wow, that’s so…not like you.”
“Tell me about it.” That was the problem. For the past week or so, she hadn’t been acting like herself in any way. The prospect of what she might do next was damn scary.
“Well, what happened?” The unabashed curiosity sparkling in Marabella’s eyes made it clear she wouldn’t be happy with anything less than a blow-by-blow of the dirty details.
“There isn’t much to tell.”
“You are such a liar.” Marabella stacked her arms over her chest, her left foot giving an impatient tap. “I can tell from the way you’re blushing that it must have been amazing and hot and something I should be insanely jealous over, except I’m so happy for you, I’ll keep my sulking to a minimum.”
“Um, did you not hear the part where I said I attacked Max? Trust me, it wasn’t one of my finer moments.”
“Max who? Do I know him?”
Leave it to Marabella to tune out the unsavory parts. “No, I don’t think so. You guys don’t exactly run around in the same circles.” Unless Marabella had developed a habit of taking a daily dip in the Atlantic.
“Tell me about him.” A conspiratorial smile hugging her mouth, Marabella wiggled closer. “How did you two meet?”
Now there was an interesting story. She hadn’t filled Marabella in on the strange episodes she’d been experiencing lately. It wasn’t that she wanted to be secretive or anything, but she also didn’t want Marabella to worry, since her friend had enough on her plate with the little feud going on with Domino. Best to just leave out the section about being bitten by a leviathan and almost drowning. “Max is a…cop. It was purely coincidence we ran in to each other last night.” At least that wasn’t a total fabrication.
“Wait a minute. You attacked a cop? With sex? Ooh, this is getting good. Did you use his handcuffs on him?”
“Uh, I think you’re missing the point.”
“Come on, don’t hold out on me. I need details, Willa. Details.”
She opened her mouth, fully intending to come up with a reasonable story that would both satisfy Marabella and not completely mortify her, but snapped her lips shut with a hard snap of her teeth when the topic of their conversation strode through the doorway, looking huge, gorgeous and thoroughly pissed.
Max. What the hell was he doing—?
Oh shit. She’d told him where she worked. Brilliant, Willa. So much for moving to Outer Mongolia. His gaze slammed into hers and they stared at each other for what seemed an eternity. The rustling of Marabella’s trousers announced that she’d turned to see what had captured Willa’s consuming focus. A second later Willa detected Marabella’s hard swallow. Not surprising. Max had that kind of affect on a person.
He strode toward her desk, his gait purposeful and predatory. “We need to talk. Now.”
“This isn’t a good time. I’m working.” She glanced toward the corner of her desk where Marabella’s butt was still parked. She sent her friend a silent transmission, hoping Marabella would back her up.