“Oh come on. That was the worst opening line ever.”

“Well it isn’t like this is our first date and I need to impress you.”

She ran her tongue across her top teeth and nodded, “No that’s right. You threw me out of our first date Langley.”

He nodded with a serious look and replied, “Well you were being mean to me.”

She was still smiling at him, which he now knew was a huge accomplishment on his part, so he continued playing with her, “You hurt my feelings.”

“Did I?”

He nodded, “I think you should make it up to me.”

Her left eyebrow arched up in a way that was now becoming familiar. “I’m almost afraid to ask how, but ok you win, how?”

He looked over toward the band then back at her. She followed his gaze then turned to him shaking her head. “No.”

“Yes.” he replied standing and signaling the bartender. When a young blond girl stopped in front of him he gestured to his coat. “Do you stow the coats for us so we can dance?”

As the bartender nodded and took his he heard Lena protesting through gritted teeth.

“No! Mason.”

He reached over past her and grabbed her coat giving it to the bartender as well just as Liam walked by. “Oh stop giving the boy a hard time Maggie and go dance with him.”

Mason stopped and pivoted slowly towards her, “Maggie?” he asked slowly.

Narrowing her eyes at him she stood, “Don’t even think about it Langley.” and with that she stormed off toward the band leaving him to follow.


Great! She thought as she marched toward the dance floor as though it was her execution. Just what she needed, him closer to her. Wasn’t it bad enough he knew she thought he was attractive? Now she had to press up against him for, how long was a song anyway, around three minutes? Fantastic. As she reached the edge of the dance floor she noticed other couples swaying to the slow beat that was now pulsing through the pub. The women with their arms wrapped around the men, their legs tangling as they moved about the floor. It all looked so intimate and it made Lena want to run. She was just about to turn and bolt for the nearest exit when she felt two big hands gently rest on her upper arms. She could feel the warmth of him seep through her blouse and skirt to stroke her skin and all she wanted to do was lean back into him. Instead she stiffened and felt him tighten his grip as he leaned down to her. “Not this time. This time you don’t get to leave until we’re done.”

The threat shivered down her spine and he moved in front of her released one hand while grasping the other and tugging her into the crowd. She moved in close and let him guide her palm to his shoulder. When it was there he looked down at her other hand.

“What do you plan to do with that hand?”

Lena grinned. “Smack you with it?” she watched as a smile tugged the left side of his mouth up.

“Kinky. Maybe later but not in public the first time.”

Rolling her eyes she did the logical thing and lifted her other hand up to rest on his shoulder. She felt him reach down, around her small waist, and tug her forward so she was pressed chest to chest and hip to hip with him. She gasped softly and took a deep breath noticing one other appeal Mason Langley had, he smelled amazing. Whatever cologne he had on made him so damn appealing she almost gave into the urge to run her tongue up his neck. She gripped his shoulders a little tighter trying to keep herself upright incase her knees gave out.

“So why’d the old man call you Maggie?”

She swayed with him as the music throbbed around them then turned her face up to look at him. His eyes twinkled down at her and she was finding it very hard to remember that she did not want to do this with him.

“My full name is Magdalena O’Donnell, the owner of this pub Liam, is one of my dad’s longest and dearest friends.”

“Ah I see. So you’re Irish?”

Losing herself in the joy of the moment she smiled and answered, “I am.”

“So it seems I really didn’t know your name that first night.” he murmured more to himself than to her. The band stopped and Lena went to take a step back when over the speakers came Dave Matthews Band singing “Crash”. Lena looked up at him when he started to sing the lyrics.

“You like Dave Matthews Band?”

Mason nodded. “I’m a big fan. You?”

She dipped her head down hating that he’d zeroed in on something they did have in common. “Yes. I like them very much.”

He moved them back around the floor until the were out from under the bright lights overhead. She watched him closely as he gracefully pulled her around in a slow spin.

“Tell me something Lena. If you’d walked into my restaurant that night and we’d never met, would you have gone out with me?”

She looked up at him and answered honestly. “Not on a date.”

He stopped dancing abruptly then moved them a little to the left effectively cornering her in the shadows with a wall to her back.

“Why’d you stop?” she asked, suddenly realizing he’d lost his easy going sway and was now holding himself tense while his blue eyes burned as they looked down at her.

“You say not on a date. What do you mean by that?”

She looked around to see everyone still swaying and not paying any attention to the man looming over her in a way that was about to get her in all kinds of trouble.

“I didn’t mean anything.” she denied quickly.

He moved a step closer. “Yes you did.” he licked his bottom lip and god help her but Lena wanted to do that for him and maybe bite it to. “What did you mean?”

Sighing knowing she’d never get out of this without confessing she spoke quickly and softly. “I would’ve just gone home with you and then never seen you again.”

It felt like time stopped and she was frozen to the spot, because she certainly didn’t make any kind of move, as she watched Mason raise his palms and rest them on either side of her head. He leaned his body in close and there was no mistaking his intention to crowd her this time. She was glued to the wall and he was glued to her. She was mesmerized as he leaned down close and when he was a whisper away from her mouth she blurted out, “It’s not as though I’m really your type.”

She watched his lips as they pulled into a wicked smile and he rubbed his hips up against her proving how very wrong she was. She was sure she was about to find the fortitude to push him off of her sex starved body when he whispered.

“Shh Lena. This is my favorite part of the song.” and then he proceeded to sing the famously dirty lyrics, “Hike up your skirt a little more and show your world to me.” right before her leaned down and nipped her bottom lip with his teeth.


Mason couldn’t believe he had the prickly doctor up against a wall staring at him like she really would show him the world. When he’d gone into this dance he’d just wanted to get his hands on her, but the more they swayed and the more she talked, her scent of vanilla had gotten under his skin and he wanted to taste. She hadn’t pushed him away yet and he was as close as he could get with his clothes still on. Her eyes had widened, when he’d leaned in and nipped her bottom lip with his teeth, but she hadn’t moved. When he tilted his head back a fraction she licked the spot he’d bitten then floored him with what came out of her mouth.

“Was that a statement or a request?”

He grinned at her audacity, “Which way will get me what I want?”

She looked down at their bodies pressed intimately together then brought her gaze back to him. “And what do you want Langley?”

He thought his answer to that would be quick. He thought he’d be smooth and lean down and kiss her brains out then proceed to hike her skirt up around her hips and make her scream. What he didn’t expect, was to find himself straightening up and taking a step back. He watched her raise that familiar eyebrow at him and then he floored her.

“A second date.”


Lena stormed into her house at 11pm and kicked her shoes off. She flung her purse down on the counter and walked into the kitchen reaching for the wine. She was going to kill him, she decided as she took a gulp. She was going to strangle him with her bare hands. How dare he get her all fired up and then just flip a switch and say, nope I want a second date. Fuming she stormed down the hall into the bathroom. She twisted the taps on her bath and watched as the water started to steam up around the room. She turned, placed the glass on the counter, and unzipped her skirt. As it fell down her hips she reached up and unbuttoned the blouse letting it fall to the ground. She couldn’t push away the imprint of his body as it had pushed into hers all hard and warm as he backed her into the wall and that pissed her off further. Infuriating man, who says no to a sure thing? Since when does he, Mr. I’ve dated thirty three women, say no! Flinging her underwear over into the hamper she tied her hair up in a messy bun grabbed the wine and dipped her big toe in the bubbles, she sighed as the water engulfed her and she leaned back against the porcelain. She was well on her way to fantasy mode, since reality was apparently out of her reach, when her phone shrilled loudly through the air. Figuring it was Shelly for an update she put the wine down and picked it up.

“What? I told you we’re not friends anymore.”

“Now that’s a shame. We’d come so far.”

Gasping Lena sat up, sloshing the water around her, watching as a bit of it went over the tub’s edge.

“Oh shit!” she yelped as she reached for a towel and threw it over the puddle. She looked down at her naked body then realized, hello idiot he’s on the phone he can’t see you, so with that thought she lay back down and pressed the phone to her ear. “What do you want Langley?”