Choosing Happy (Madison Square #2) (11 page)

“These seats are incredible. How did you get them on such short notice?”

Sean smiled. “I worked on the posters and advertising for the theater company. The tickets were a thank you.”

“Perk of the job?” I said, turning to face him.

His smile brightened and he leaned in close. “Tonight it is,” he whispered as he reached for my hand. I looked down at our joined hands in my lap as he slowly threaded our fingers together. His hands were large and slightly rough against my skin. I shifted in my seat and crossed my legs, his eyes following the movement. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving under the smooth skin of his neck.

His thumb brushed against the top of my knee, and I shivered from the contact. I looked up at him, and our eyes locked as the lights in the theater dimmed. His eyes dipped to my lips and he leaned in, his lips brushing gently against mine. I leaned into the kiss as static spread across my skin. The combination of his soft touch and the gentle press of his lips mixed with the sweet woodsy scent of his cologne made me dizzy.

The curtain opened, and the crowd erupted in applause around us. Sean pulled away slightly and smiled before turning toward the stage, leaving me dazed and lightheaded. I looked up at the stage as the lights lit up the set. If that kiss was any indication of how this night would go, then I was in some serious trouble.

***

After the show, we headed to a tapas place around the corner for a little food and some drinks. The restaurant was small with a line of U-shaped booths along the back wall. The entire restaurant was dimly lit. Candles flickered on every table as a soft music floated through the room.

The delicious scent of cilantro and lime wrapped around me as we followed the hostess to a quiet booth in the back. I smiled back at Sean as he guided me through the tables with his hand pressed gently to the small of my back.

Sean slid into the booth beside me and dropped his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him, resting a hand comfortably on his thigh. I was riding a bit of a romantic high from a combination of the atmosphere and the thought he’d put behind this perfect night.

I was never one for PDA. Let me rephrase that, Michael was never one for PDA, and I was raised that ladies never did that sort of thing, but I was enjoying the attention. Sean was so free. He was comfortable in his own skin in a way I never could be. Tonight, it felt good to let loose a bit and just enjoy the moment. Wasn’t that what this whole reinventing myself thing was about? Trying something new?

When the waiter came, Sean ordered us both a glass of the house sangria, a cheese plate, and some hummus.

“What did you think?” he asked, turning his attention back to me.

“It was great,” I said. “You were right. It was much better live. I never realized that Brick was gay.”

Sean nodded. “They couldn’t get it past the censors for the movie, but it changes the whole dynamic between Brick and Maggie,” he said. “I mean, let’s face it, how else could you resist sleeping with Elizabeth Taylor?”

“You have a point there.” I giggled.

The waiter brought our drinks with a smile, and I took a sip, loving the tart fruity flavor as it warmed me from the inside.

“What are you doing on Sunday?” he asked suddenly.

“Just catching up on some work. Why?”

“Well, it’s Gran’s birthday. We’re throwing a party. She wanted me to invite you,” he said as he reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

“She wanted you to invite me?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “It seems you made an impression.”

My cheeks heated just thinking about my last encounter with Gran. “I don’t know,” I said, feeling a little uneasy about him inviting me to a family party. This thing between us was meant to be casual, and family functions just didn’t feel casual to me.

“Hey,” he said, cupping my cheek and gently turning my face toward him. “It’s just a party. Alex and Drew will be there. It’ll be fun. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, okay?”

I stared into his beautiful gray eyes, my heart going into overdrive as the nerves set in. “Okay,” I said.

His smile widened, and he leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. He pulled away and smiled just as the waiter came over with the food. We separated and dug in to the food. I was surprised how hungry I was. Then again, I hadn’t eaten since lunch.

Conversation flowed easily, the food was incredible, and the drinks were doing a good job of helping me to relax. All in all, it was turning into a really great night.

“How did your call go the other day?” he asked.

I drew my eyebrows together, not sure what he was talking about.

He leaned in close, his breath tickling my ear as he spoke. “The one I interrupted.”

Blood instantly rushed to my cheeks, but I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. Sean slipped his hand to my knee as I tried to answer. “It was…it was good. We were discussing a new client that’s coming next week to…” I paused as his hand started to move north to my thigh, “to finalize the contracts.”

He flashed me that wicked smile of his as he leaned closer. “Congratulations,” he said, pressing his lips to the side of my neck. His hand began making its slow advance further north, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. “Maybe,” he continued as he kissed his way to my ear, “we should continue that conversation during your next meeting.” I giggled as his lips tickled my jaw line.

Just as his hand pushed under the hem of my dress, I heard someone clear their throat. I sat up quickly, squeezing my legs together and trapping his hand between my overheated thighs. Sean chuckled and removed his hand from under my dress as we both looked up to see who’d interrupted.

“Well, look who we have here,” Margot said with a smirk, her hand propped on her hip. She looked at Sean, her eyes roaming over him. She made no effort to hide her inspection. I’m guessing he passed by the smirk on her face. She continued to watch him, biting her lip and shifting her weight, still wearing that sly smile.

“I hope I’m interrupting.” Margot winked at me, and I could feel the heat flood my face.

Sean chuckled beside me and tightened his grip around my shoulders. “Nice to see you again, Margot.”

A tall man in a dark suit approached her. “They said it will be twenty minutes before they can seat us,” he said, leaning in close to Margot and resting a hand on her hip.

She nodded and turned back to Sean and me. “Derek, I’d like you to meet my friends Madison Buchanan and Sean…”

“Taylor,” Sean said, reaching to offer Derek his hand.

“Derek Wayburn,” the man supplied with a firm handshake.

“Why don’t you join us?” Sean asked.

“We don’t want to intrude…” Derek started.

“We’d love to,” Margot said, interrupting him. She slid into the booth beside me, and Derek reluctantly followed.

“So, what have you two kids been up to tonight?” Margot asked, waving her hand to get the waiter’s attention.

“We went to see
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
at the Roosevelt,” Sean said.

“I heard it was pretty good,” Derek said.

Sean looked at me and smiled. “It was.” He rested his hand on my thigh, his thumb making lazy circles on my skin. My body heated instantly from the slightest touch. I swallowed and crossed my legs beneath the table. Margot’s interruption had done little to tone down my arousal, and the soft stroke of his thumb was only making things worse.

The waiter approached, and Margot and Derek began drilling him on the specials. Sean smiled at me and slid closer to me so we were pressed against each other completely. His knuckles gently brushed against the skin of my neck and I inhaled, closing my eyes as the soft touch sent shock waves through my body.

He leaned in close and pressed a gentle kiss to my neck. “I love making you blush,” he whispered as he tickled the short hairs at the back of my neck.

“Madison,” Margot said. I jumped and pulled my attention away from Sean.

“Ladies room?” she asked. Her face was serious, and it was pretty clear that it was more of a demand than a request.

“Right,” I squeaked. I turned back to Sean with a smile. “Be right back.”

Margot was already pushing Derek out of the booth so we could get out. I scooted out of the booth and stood, smoothing my dress down from where it had ridden up, and looked over at Sean. He winked and I gave him a shy smile before following Margot to the ladies’ room.

I’d barely made it through the bathroom door before Margot was on me.

“You two were looking pretty cozy in that booth,” she said, adjusting her cleavage in the mirror.

“So?” I asked, heading into the stall and locking the door behind me. I didn’t really have to go, but I needed to take a breather and get myself back under control away from Margot’s prying eyes.

“So, I thought you wanted to keep things casual,” she said through the door.

“I do…I mean, I am,” I said, frowning at the stall door.

“You sure he knows that?”

“Yes, I made myself perfectly clear.” I came out of the stall and stood beside her at the sink, washing my hands as she touched up her lip gloss.

“He seems to be quite smitten with you,” she said, dropping her gloss into her clutch.

I raised an eyebrow at her. Smitten? Really?

She raised her hands in defense. “Hey, I could be wrong, but from the way that boy has been looking at you, he’s one step away from bringing you home to Mama.”

I flinched and continued drying my hands that were already bone dry, refusing to meet her eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“He invited me to his grandmother’s birthday party.”

“You’re not actually going, are you?”

“I already told him I would.”

“You can’t meet his family. Why did he even ask you? Who brings a fuck buddy home to grandma?”

“First, I am not a fuck buddy. Second, I kind of already met them.”

“You met his family. Are you kidding?”

“Well, the first time we went out, he took me to his grandmother’s restaurant. So meeting her was unavoidable,” I said, checking my lipstick in the mirror.

I looked up and Margot was staring at me, her lips pursed. “Madison,” she began “I’m worried. It sounds to me like he’s pushing this fling into relationship territory. You need to do everything you can to keep it in the sex zone. You fuck guys like Sean to get over your ex, get your mojo back. You don’t actually date them. Dinner before sex, sure, keep it classy, but grandma’s birthday, meeting his friends? That’s some girlfriend shit you need to avoid at all costs.”

“So what do you suggest I do?” I asked, turning toward her with a hand on my hip.

“Go to the party, but make it clear to everyone there, Sean included, that you are not together.”

“How do I do that?”

“Ignore him, talk to other people, flirt with someone else,” she said, waving a hand at me like it was obvious.

“I can’t embarrass him like that,” I said. “Besides, all the men that will be there are either married or engaged.”

Margot was doing the staring thing again. “You like him,” she said, pointing her finger at me.

“Of course I like him. You don’t expect me to sleep with someone I don’t like.”

“No,” she said. “You like him, like him.”

“What is this, junior high?”

“You need to be careful, Madison.” Margot shot me a wicked smile, cocking her head to the side. The look in her eyes told me she was about to let loose with something I didn’t want to hear. “You know what you need?”

“Oh no, don’t start that with me. Last thing you told me I needed was Sean.”

She continued like I never even spoke “You need a real date. Someone with potential.”

“No, Margot. Absolutely not!” I said, louder than I intended. “I’m on a date with Sean, and you are talking about setting me up with someone else?”

Margot held up her hands in surrender. “Fine,” she said, “then at least make sure junior knows his place. Make sure that he knows that you are not exclusive.”

She gave me a pointed look and headed for the door. I took a deep breath and followed.

When we got back, Sean stood to let me slide into the booth. He slid in next to me, watching me with concern.

“You okay?” he asked.

I swallowed my nerves, forced a smile to my face, and nodded. He seemed less than convinced but didn’t push.

The rest of dinner went pretty well. Derek seemed like a nice enough guy, funny and charming, but knowing Margot he would be gone by the end of the week. Sean continued to watch me, and I did my best to ease his concern, but I was freaking out. Margot was right. Family things like Gran’s party were something you brought a girlfriend to, not a casual date.

The waiter brought the check, and Sean and Derek argued over who would pick it up. Derek won, insisting that he should pay since he and Margot had interrupted on our evening.

We said our good-byes, and Sean and I headed back toward the theater.

“Want to tell me what happened?” Sean said, focusing on the ground as he unbuttoned his suit jacket.