The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date, #3)(15)

It was weird: any other time if she’d woken up in a guy’s bed after a night of really good sex—or honestly, even moderately good sex—and was now in his kitchen drinking coffee with him, she’d be hoping he’d bring up when he was going to see her again. She’d certainly figure out a chill way to make sure he had her number. And now it was the opposite—she was trying to figure out a chill way to make sure he knew this was never going to happen again, despite what it had seemed like in his bed this morning . . . and last night . . . and that night six weeks ago.

But he beat her to the punch.

“Look, Maddie,” he said. “This was really fun, but we both know—”

“That we can’t do this again.” She nodded vigorously at him. “We absolutely both do know that. It was the fairy dust, remember?”

He smiled and took another sip of coffee.

“It was.” He wrapped both of his hands around his mug. “Okay, great. I just didn’t want it to be weird. I mean, next time we ran into each other.”

She shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” She drank from her mug, barely tasting the coffee. “What time is it?”

He looked down at his phone.

“Almost eight thirty.”

She gulped down the rest of her coffee and set her mug on the counter.

“I have to go. I have a client coming by at ten thirty, and I need to look presentable by then.”

He looked her over as he raised his mug to his lips. She could tell he was smiling even with his mouth hidden.

“You look great to me.”

She ignored the warm feeling that spread over her.

“Mmm, yes, high praise from the half-naked guy over here.” She changed the subject. “Oh, do you have any idea where my purse is? I didn’t see it in your bedroom. I didn’t leave it in the car, did I?”

He thought for a second, and a sly smile broke out across his face.

“I think you may have dropped it by the front door?”

“Oh.” Right. Yes. When they’d first walked into his apartment the night before, he’d pushed her up against the door and pulled down her panties and . . . Right. She must have dropped her purse then. No wonder she couldn’t find her panties in his bedroom, either. “That, um, makes sense.”

He grinned at her, and she blushed and looked away.

“Here, I’ll walk you to the door.” He set down his coffee cup and they walked to his front door. She scooped up her hot pink underwear from the floor by the door, and put it in her purse, abandoned in the corner.

“Okay, good luck with work today. See you around,” she said.

He opened his front door for her.

“You, too.”

Maddie got in her car, still blushing as she remembered exactly how her pink underwear had ended up in the hallway. She’d never expected Theo to be quite so . . . forceful. It was too bad that all of that was wrapped up in someone as pedantic and annoying as Theo.

Why did he have to be so condescending in the kitchen this morning anyway? “This was really fun,” like he was letting her down easy. The gall of him. He’d been eager less than an hour before to have sex with her again, and then he handed her a cup of coffee and sent her on her way like her time had run out? How the hell had she ever let herself sleep with someone who thought he was so much better than her? She deserved better than him!

Men. Why hadn’t women invented a world without them yet?





Chapter Four




Ten months later

THEO KNOCKED ON ALEXA’S DOOR, WAITED FOR A FEW SECONDS AS HE listened to the music and laughter inside, and then pulled it open. The engagement party was in full swing. He walked in and waved to a handful of his coworkers as he looked around for Alexa or Drew. Or Maddie.

He knew she was going to be there tonight. Maybe tonight would be the night she would seem just annoying and bitchy and full of herself again. Instead of all those things and also the hottest woman he’d ever seen.

He’d spent, conservatively, at least an hour a day for the past ten months kicking himself for letting her leave his apartment that morning like that. Why had he even said that thing about how they both knew it couldn’t happen again? They both didn’t know that! He didn’t know that! He’d be thrilled for it to happen again, even though, yes, it was a bad idea for so many reasons. But no matter how bad of an idea it was, he couldn’t get her out of his head.

It’s not like—he got to this point every time he thought about that morning—if he hadn’t said something, Maddie would have been all in. She didn’t like him! She’d made that clear repeatedly! He needed to get over this.

“Theo!” There was Alexa, talking to her mom in the living room.

“Congratulations again.” He handed her the bottle of champagne he’d brought and hugged her. “You know how happy I am for you.”

She hugged him back.

“I do. Mom, you remember Theo, don’t you?”

Her mom hugged him, too.

“Of course I do. I always sort of hoped . . . well, never mind that now. Good to see you again, Theo!”

Alexa shook her head and walked away. She beckoned him to follow her.

“Come to the kitchen with me. I’ll get this in ice and show you where all the snacks are.”