Maddie stood inside the entrance to Hegarty's, scanning the cool interior as the door closed behind her.
At this late hour there were a few dozen people filling the tables scattered around the room, with several more sitting on stools at the bar. The raucous conversation taking place between four young guys in the corner competed with the rock music flowing from the chrome and glass jukebox. A drunken woman stumbled alone to the beat, her high heels clacking across the wood floor.
Maddie smiled at the sight and turned her attention to Dean Hegarty, who stood behind the bar pouring a beer. Caught up in conversation with the older guy seated on the stool in front, he hadn't noticed her arrival yet. She let out the breath she'd been holding and took the time to enjoy the view before his gaze swung her way.
His short dark hair was fashioned in its usual scruffy style, matching the permanent stubble on his jaw. He wore a grey t-shirt over his broad chest, and she didn't need to look behind the bar to know a pair of worn jeans would be covering the lower half of his body. His strong hands were quick and capable as he worked, his attention flicking between his customer and the rapidly filling glass.
She wanted those hands on her. It was the only reason she ever came here anymore.
He slid the beer into the man's outstretched palm and glanced up as if he'd sensed her presence. When his brown eyes met her grey ones, Maddie watched the change come over him.
A frown marred that gorgeous face of his, then he checked her out with a cursory glance and returned his attention to his customer. If she didn't know better she would have been under the impression he hadn't noticed the effort she'd put into her appearance tonight, but that flare of heat she saw in his eyes just before he turned his head gave him away.
Her light brown curls flowed loosely down her back and her long legs were bare, ending in a pair of silver stilettos that displayed bright pink toenails. She wore a black mini-dress that dipped low in the front, with just a pair of black lace panties underneath. When she strolled toward him Maddie felt the subtle sway of her breasts with each step.
She took her place on the barstool two seats down from the next occupied one, watching as Dean said a few parting words to the other man, then made his way over to her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking her over. He didn't sigh but the tone of his voice suggested he might as well have. "Wait—scratch that, I know what exactly you're doing here. I don't have time for this, Maddie."
She fought the urge to roll her eyes, knowing it wouldn't do anything to help her cause. With her elbows resting on the bar she leaned forward just enough to have her dress gaping at the front. "Sure about that?" she asked, giving him an eyeful.
His attention lingered on her cleavage a little longer than necessary for someone who was trying to give the impression he wasn't interested. He met her eyes again and shook his head, huffing out a reluctant laugh. "Really subtle. Nice work."
She grinned despite his moodiness. "Thanks. Just out of interest, why do we have to keep going through this same routine?"
Maddie couldn't decide if she wanted it to be different or if the challenge had become a big part of what turned her on. The only thing that bothered her now was that each new seduction took more effort from her with further resistance from him. His apparent loss of interest in this game they'd been playing for the last seven months had begun to concern her lately.
"I show up here," she said, "you pretend you don't want anything to do with me anymore then we go upstairs to your apartment. Can't we just skip to the fucking part?"
The man sitting nearby let out a guffaw. Maddie shot him a look then returned her attention to Dean.
She waited while he considered her for a few long, uncomfortable moments. Any previous signs of amusement disappeared and the muscle ticking in his jaw made her heart thump. She opened her mouth to fill the uncomfortable silence but the expression on his face stopped her. The tension built between them until she felt the need to brace herself, then he finally put her out of her misery. "You've gotta go," he said.
Surprise came over her and her eyes widened. "Why?" She tried to ignore the twinge of desperation in her stomach.
"I'm done. The last time... that was it for me. I'm tired of being your personal sex toy."
Her pulse fluttered in her throat. Maddie stared at him, not sure where to go from here. He'd never mentioned anything when they were last together. They'd spent their usual couple of hours fulfilling each other's physical needs while touching on none of the emotional ones, then she'd left his apartment while he slept to avoid the awkward goodbyes—just like every other time.
"What? So... that's it?" she asked. It felt like a door had been slammed in her face. She wanted to crumple before him but forced herself to keep it together.
He met her eyes and nodded.
"You can't. We—I... " Emotion welled up inside her, her confusion only making things worse. She glanced around in a futile effort to find something to anchor to but it only left her feeling more alone. Why did she care? There had never been anything between them beyond the physical. They'd made no promises to each other or discussed the idea of turning this casual connection into something more permanent. In the back of her mind she'd known it would have to end at some point. She'd just hoped it would be later rather than sooner.
Maddie swallowed and forced herself to remain calm, but she couldn't stop herself from wanting to inflict a little hurt on him in the hope it might lessen some of hers. "I'll find someone else," she said, then it hit her all of a sudden that there would never be anyone quite like him.
His gaze remained locked with hers. "I know."
She twisted the strap on the small handbag tucked under her arm, wondering how it had come to this.
They'd first met when she worked at her previous job in an office building just a block from here. The staff had come in to Hegarty's every Friday night to wind down at the end of the busy work week. Even though three Fridays had passed before she and Dean finally got together, there had been something between them right from the beginning.
She still remembered the way he'd held her gaze, his mouth kicking up at one corner while she tried her best to hide her flustered reaction. He'd made her heart thump faster just being near him, but when he'd touched her that first time... God, he'd filled her body with a jumble of sensations she could still clearly remember now.
Maddie had stopped coming here on Fridays, and now her only visits were whenever she experienced the craving that only Dean seemed able to fill. She'd been under the impression the arrangement worked for both of them but his expression had a look of finality about it that made her want to beg him for just a little more time.
