Page 66 of A First Sight

I wouldn’t do well lying to her. “I was seeing Maggie McCrae for a while, but it ended a couple of weeks ago.” I risked a glance and confessed. “Actually, it ended badly, and I’m fairly certain she hates me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Judith said, the sincerity in her voice clear. “You’re such a nice man and deserve to be happy.”

I didn’t know if I agreed with that, but I thanked her. And then I changed the subject.

We talked business as we finished our meal, and then Judith excused herself to the restroom. As she left, I could relax and let the smile fade from my face.

I still hoped I could slip out of here unnoticed––if we left soon––but before I could get the waiter’s attention and pay the bill, Judith was back.

“I just had an interesting conversation in the restroom.”

It took a second for her words to register. “Pardon?”

She smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes. “I ran into London McCrae and she was very interested in whether or not I was on a date.”

My eyebrows went up.

“She seemed quite pleased when I told her it was a business dinner.” Judith folded her hands. “Now, I can think of only one reason why she would want that information.”

Hope flared at her words, and despite my efforts to tamp it down, I wondered if maybe all she needed had been time.

I’d give her whatever it took as long as there was still a chance for us.

It wasn’t easy to stay in my seat and continue with my dinner. I tried keeping my attention on Judith, though she didn’t seem to mind when she caught me stealing looks at Maggie. None of the McCrae siblings so much as glanced my way, but a few times as I ate dessert, I felt Maggie’s eyes on me, and I let that feed a spark of hope.

Maybe, just maybe, I hadn’t fucked this up beyond repair after all.

FORTY-EIGHT

MAGGIE

My brother’sapartment wasn’t as posh as Drake’s penthouse, but it was nicer than Dale’s condo.

I could have a place like this. After leaving Dale, I initially thought I’d look for a one-bedroom like London, but as I laid in one of Carson’s guest rooms, staring at the ceiling, having a couple of extra rooms would be good for family members when they visited. And it would keep Carson from being the only one with room for family. I could have nieces and nephews visit.

Then there was the upcoming addition to the family.

I smiled at the thought. I was excited to be an aunt again. Now I could go to LA to visit Eoin’s baby whenever I wanted, with nothing more than my work determining what I could do.

I sighed and pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes, although it was pitch black in the room. The reason I couldn’t sleep had nothing to do with light. My brain wouldn’t turn off. I’d always had bouts of insomnia, even as a kid, usually brought on by stress. The last couple of years were full of sleepless nights.

Tonight, however, the reason for my busy brain wasn’t anxiety.

After London toldus that Drake wasn’t on a date, I couldn’t help sneaking looks at him, and though I never caught him, I felt him watching me. Every time I saw him, a jolt went through me, a reminder of what it was like to be with him. All the good times we spent. How his hands felt on me. His body…

Fuck.

I pushed off the blanket with another sigh. I was suddenly too hot. The heat was inside, stoked by the memories of being with him, and it moved through me, across my nerves. My skin felt too tight, too sensitive. A tension thrummed through me, tightening things low in my belly.

My hand was at the waistband of my pajama pants before I was consciously aware of it, but it only gave me a moment’s pause. There was a surefire way to clear my head and relax.

I closed my eyes and let myself picture Drake Mac Gilleain in all his glory. Soft, thick long hair. Dark blue-gray eyes. Strong, lean body. I imagined it was his hand sliding between my legs, cupping me, parting my folds with a finger. The pad of a single digit slipped over the tip of my clit, sending a shiver down my spine. I brushed across it back and forth a couple of times, then added a second finger, making rapid circles over the swelling bundle of nerves.

I knew exactly how to make myself come quickly without really needing to think about anything or anyone, but I now had the ghost of Drake’s touch, the memory of his mouth. I could picture the heat in his eyes when he was aroused, could imagine the intensity with which he would watch me touch myself. How his hands would rest on my thighs, grip tightening when I pushed a finger inside me. I pressed the heel of my hand against my clit and pushed a second finger in next to the first.

I moaned, biting my bottom lip to stifle the sounds. The walls weren’t exactly thin, but they weren’t soundproofed either.

Drake’s face came to the front of my mind, and I let myself remember more. Let myself remember the emotions of my time with Drake. How cared for, how safe I felt. How right it felt the moment he slid inside me, like I finally understood how incomplete I was before that moment.

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