Free Pushing Her Boundaries by Julia Rachel Barrett Page A

fruit.
    Went for a run. I have a lot to do today. Feel free to borrow Lynn’s car to get back to Jeff’s. Have a safe trip to California.
    Doesn’t mince words, does she? Wait a minute, she has no idea I’m coming along on this canoe trip. With Jeff and Lynn staying back at the cabin, it’ll just be the two of us. Mace snorted. This ought to be interesting .
    Mace sauntered over to the couch. Maggie had moved it back into place, and if his nose was any judge, she’d sprayed it with fabric cleaner. The little minx. She’d been busy. He glanced at the clock on the stovetop, wondering what time she’d left on her run. He touched the back of the couch. It was still wet. She’d probably taken off just a few minutes before he woke up. In fact, it was probably the closing door that woke him in the first place.
    She’ll be pissed as hell when she learns I’m going canoeing. I better talk to Jeff, ride up with him in a separate car. That’s the only way it’ll work. Otherwise, she’ll run as fast as those long legs will carry her. Long legs … Mace closed his eyes for a moment, his penis rising to half mast as remembered the feel of those long legs around his hips, her heels digging into his ass. He shook his head and searched for his cell phone.
    He gave Jeff a quick call, waking him. “Jeff, sorry to call so early, but I’ll be driving Lynn’s car over there. Can she drive it back? Yeah? I need to talk to you about something, a small change in plans. All right, wait for me. I’ll be there in forty minutes or so.” He clicked off and set his coffee cup in the sink.
    Mace tossed the towels in the hamper and remade the bed. He searched the apartment for the rest of his clothes, got dressed, and found the keys to Lynn’s car—Maggie had taken the apartment key off the key ring. Thinks of everything, doesn’t she? Mace smiled. Well, not everything .

    * * * *

    Maggie watched from a park bench as Lynn’s car drove by, Mace behind the wheel. I am such a fucking coward. She didn’t think he’d seen her, but if he had, he’d obviously decided to ignore her.
    Great, we can ignore each other until the wedding. I’m the maid of honor, he’s the best man. We’re going to have to walk up and down the aisle together. Make a toast. Dance together. And I’m going to try to pretend this night never happened . Maggie snorted. Yeah, right. And the sky is lime green. There’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to forget this.
    Her stomach clenched as she thought about what they’d done to each other. Mace Williams had rocked her world. Too bad her world no longer included commitment because he was the kind of man she’d always dreamed… Stop it! You know how this ends. You fall in love, you give your trust to a man, and what does he do? He cheats, he lies, and he treats you like gum stuck to his shoe. He asks you to marry him and then you find out the son of a bitch is already married. No, you are not falling into the same old trap all over again. For all you know, Mace has a girlfriend back home and he just cheated on her with you. Deep in her heart, Maggie didn’t believe that was the case, but she told her heart to shut up.
    With a sigh, Maggie rose from the bench and jogged to the door of the apartment building. She let herself into the main door with her key and ran up the stairs. Unlocking the door to Lynn’s apartment, she inhaled. The room still smelled like him. Like sex.
    Wishful thinking?
    Maggie picked up the coffee mug he’d left in the sink. It was two-thirds full. She saw the note. He’d probably been drinking the coffee when he read the note. Mace must think I’m the biggest bitch, like the ice queen or something. He’s probably so pissed off. No, he has no reason to be pissed. You offered him one night and one night only. He accepted.
    Oh my god, what a night it was. Maggie looked down and saw that her fingers caressed the edge of the coffee mug, the edge where Mace’s mouth might have been,