Fated Hearts

by Elliott, Kelly

  “What’s the matter?” Roger asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing, just silly thoughts running through my mind.”

  He raised a brow. “Care to share?”

  “No, I do not.”

  He winked and my stomach flipped. Damn this man and the way he makes me feel.

  Roger and I rode up in the elevator in silence as the rest of our group chatted on and on about the club we were going to and how amazing it would be. I exchanged a look with Roger as we were getting off the elevator and nearly tripped. He was smiling at me. With those dimples. Ugh.

  Quickly looking away, I focused on the entrance to the club in front of me. Roby would be standing on the other side of the door, and I suddenly realized how stupid it was of me to agree to meet him here. I had done it purely out of spite because Roger had been talking to Lynn in the bar earlier. Why, hello there, jealousy. I see you’re back again already.

  “You’re a little early if you’re supposed to meet him at eleven,” Mary said as she walked up next to me.

  I glanced at her and said, “I’m not that worried about it—it was just an excuse to get out, to be honest.”

  Mary nodded and looked back over her shoulder at Dylan. “I’m really glad you came into that workout room this morning. If you hadn’t, I would have never even spoken to Dylan.”

  I followed her gaze. “You like him?”

  Her eyes met mine, and she smiled brightly. “I really do. We’ve spent all day together. Talking, walking around the hotel, and getting to know each other. I’m sorta hoping Lynn hooks up with Monty so Dylan and I can be alone tonight.”

  My brows shot up in surprise. “Oh, wow! You really…really like him.”

  Mary blushed. “Yeah, I think the feeling is mutual.”

  I glanced over to where Dylan stood, talking to Roger.

  “But where does he live? Where do you live?” I asked.

  “He lives in Philadelphia, and I live in Houston.”

  “So, it would be long-distance.”

  She nodded. “But I can work anywhere for my job, which is a plus.”

  “What is it you do?”

  “I design websites, so I work one-hundred percent from home. Not that I’m saying I would up and move. I haven’t even known him for twenty-four hours,” she said with a chuckle. “At first, I thought it might be a fun adventure to have a bit of a love affair, and for all I know, it could still turn out to be just that. For once, I’m not going to listen to my head. I’m going to live in a fairy tale land for a while.”

  I nodded and stole a look at Roger. Chewing on my lip, I let myself wonder what it would be like to have a love affair, as Mary called it, with Roger. No strings attached, just sex. Hot, amazing sex, because if the man could make my body burn with desire simply from smiling at me and touching my back, what in the hell would he do to me in bed?

  Mary leaned in closer to me. “Just do it, Annalise. I see the way the two of you look at each other. Have you never had a one-night stand?”

  “I have, and I regretted it the moment I did the walk of shame the next morning. This time, I’d still be stuck with him and not even able to leave if I wanted to.”

  We both laughed as Mary intertwined her arm in mine and walked us toward the nightclub’s entrance. “Well, if you want my vote, I say go for it. You only live once, right? Besides, after this snowstorm is over, you’ll never see Roger again.”

  I forced a smile. Why did the thought of not ever seeing Roger again make me feel…sad?

  Good Lord, maybe I did need to get laid.

  After we all showed our IDs and paid to get in, we stepped through a door that led into the nightclub. It was dark in the club, but not dark enough that you couldn’t glance around and see everyone. I was impressed that you couldn’t hear the music outside in the hallway except for a slight beat of the bass. A bar ran along the back and sides of the club, with a large dance floor in the middle. Not very many tables and booths were scattered about, leaving more room for the dance floor. There weren’t a lot of people in the club since it was most likely only the guests of the hotel and maybe some hotel employees. Yet the few tables they had were mostly all taken. There were people of all ages here.

  Lynn let out a squeal, and then she and Monty took off toward the dance floor and never looked back.

  The bass of the music moved through my already-tense body, and I felt a strange sensation as I drew in a slow breath. I felt eyes on me, and I swore I could feel the heat of them boring into me. Was it Roby, maybe?

  No. He wouldn’t make me feel like that.

  Turning, those blue eyes met mine, and I knew the heat I was feeling was from Roger. Then he looked past me and frowned.

  Following his gaze, I saw Roby in a small crowd. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight before me.

  “Looks like he didn’t want to wait,” Roger quipped.

  Roby was locked in a kiss with a woman who appeared to be closer to his own age. A sense of relief washed over me, and I turned back to look at Roger. “I actually feel relieved.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Drink?”

  Nodding, I let him take my hand and lead us over to the bar. Mary came rushing up to us.

  “Dylan found a table. Do you mind getting us drinks?”

  Roger shook his head. “Don’t mind at all.”

  “Same as what we had at dinner, please. We’re over in the corner right there!” Mary pointed. I stood on the balls of my heels but couldn’t see anything. Roger, on the other hand, nodded.

  Looking down at me, he asked, “What do you want, princess?”

  Normally, a guy calling me princess would drive me up the wall, but when Roger said it, it actually made me feel like one. When most guys said it, they were trying to get under my skin, knowing that people always told me I looked like Cinderella. And then, of course, when a former boss of mine began saying it, all it did was creep me out. Maybe I was already in that fairy tale land Mary had talked about. I had always been a sucker for the whole happily ever after. I tried to hide my smile behind a deep sigh. “Whatever beer you’re drinking, please.” Turning to Mary, I said, “I’ll help Roger bring back the drinks.”

  Mary glanced around quickly and then shouted, “Nothing for Lynn and Monty—I have no idea where they went.”

  Nodding, I placed my hand on Roger’s arm and nearly gasped. Lord Almighty, the man was built like a brick house. He dropped his head to hear me better.

  “Nothing for Lynn and Monty.”

  He gave me a thumbs-up before stepping closer to the bar and yelling out our order. I reached into my purse to pull out my credit card, but he brushed my hand to the side. “I’ve got the first round.”

  “Thank you,” I replied with a smile.

  Soon we had our arms full of drinks, and I tried not to spill mine as we made our way through the people and over to the table. Bodies pressed against me, and I quickly remembered why I stopped going to clubs. I hated crowds. Big or small ones. Finally, I saw our table. Mary and Dylan had their heads together, deep in conversation.

  After handing them their drinks, Roger motioned for me to slide into the booth, and then he slid in next to me. The feel of his body so close to mine caused a rush of emotions. Lust, excitement, nervousness, curiosity… You name it, I felt it. There was no denying the reason I felt so hot, and it had nothing to do with the heat of the club.

  The music vibrated through my entire body, and the longer I sat there, the more I realized how much I wanted to dance. I slid my gaze over to Roger, who was looking out over the dance floor. He must have sensed me staring because his eyes moved to me.

  He bent closer and placed his mouth against my ear, and the warmth of his breath made me shiver. “Want to make a bet?”

  “What kind of bet?” I asked with a suspicious look.

  He laughed. “I’m going to guess that your bartender boy toy is keeping a close eye on the time and will indeed be waiting for you to meet him.”

  I g
lanced out over the crowd to where I had last seen Roby. I couldn’t see him since the nightclub was darker and there was a good group of people in the place, but from the way he’d been lip-locked with that girl, I highly doubted he’d be looking for me still.

  Turning back to Roger, I asked, “How much?”

  His eyes sparkled with excitement. I loved that he got just as much of a thrill out of betting as I did.

  “A hundred dollars says he’ll be there at eleven.”

  My eyes drifted down to the wide smile on his mouth. I couldn’t help but wonder if his lips would be as soft as they looked.

  “Fine. A hundred on him not being there,” I stated.

  Roger slowly shook his head. “Princess, have you looked in the mirror lately? Why do you think he won’t be there?”

  I gave a half-shrug. “I think he likes to flirt and will most likely assume I’m a no-show, especially considering I’m older.”

  Roger reached for his beer and took a long, slow drink before he placed it back down. He looked at his watch and then back out over the crowd.

  “I guess we’ll find out in five minutes,” he shouted as he kept scanning the dance floor.

  “Five minutes!? How long were we up at the bar?” I called over the music.

  Mary gestured to me. “Are you going to go and see if he shows up?”

  I nodded and jammed my thumb toward Roger. “Made a bet with Roger, so I need to go see. He says he’ll show. I say he won’t.”

  Dylan laughed and shouted back, “He’ll show!”

  Mary nodded. “Hell, yeah, he will. Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

  I felt my cheeks heat at Mary’s compliment, or maybe it was from Roger leaning into me as he said, “I told you.”

  Glancing back at him, I sucked in a breath at how close we were. All I had to do was lean into him a little bit more, and our lips would meet. Roger’s eyes fell to my mouth, and I instinctively swept my tongue out over my lips. His gaze jerked back up, and for a moment I swore he was going to kiss me. Instead, he grinned wickedly and leaned back, once again scanning the dance floor.

  It was only when he took his eyes off me that I realized I had been holding my breath. I exhaled slowly and leaned against the back of the booth.

  “Jesus Christ, the sexual tension between the two of you is off the charts!” Mary said into my ear. “Just fuck him already and put both of you out of your misery.”

  Laughing, I pushed her away. “You’re crazy!”

  She tilted her head and regarded me before she said, “Maybe, but I know I’m getting laid tonight.”

  Her voice was a bit loud since there was a slower song playing now, and Roger and Dylan both looked at us.

  Dylan grinned from ear to ear and then focused on me. “Mary and I’ll stay here while you two go see if your date arrived. That way we don’t lose the booth.”

  Roger slid out and reached for my hand. The moment our fingers touched, I felt that jolt. Roger’s eyes met mine, and there was no doubt about it—I saw the desire in them, and I was positive mine mirrored it back.

  Or he was simply excited to see who was going to win the next bet. That thought wasn’t as thrilling, though, so I pushed it away.

  Roger laced our fingers together as he guided us toward the entrance, pushing through the crowd of people. I glanced over to where I had seen Roby, but he was gone.

  “Wait,” I called out, pulling Roger to a stop.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Dance with me!” I shouted.

  His brows snapped down in confusion. “What?”

  I pulled him toward the dance floor. “Dance with me.”

  With a slight shake of his head, he glanced toward the entrance and then back to me. “What about Roby?”

  “It doesn’t matter to me if he’s there or not. I don’t want to see him.”

  Roger looked confused. “Why not?”

  I swallowed hard and decided to follow Mary’s advice. “I’d rather spend the night with you.”

  He pulled his head back in surprise, and I felt my stomach drop in horror. It didn’t even occur to me that maybe Roger wanted me to meet up with Roby so he could…

  “I mean, unless you’d rather be free to um…um…”

  He tugged at my hand and pulled me up against him. “No, I’d rather dance with you—and only you.”

  A heated pool of desire built in my lower stomach, and I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my face.

  The song ended; “Coño” by Jason Derulo started. My goodness, the heavens were on my side tonight. Roger must have thought so, as well, because his sexy grin with those full dimples appeared, and he backed me toward the dance floor. My heartbeat matched the rhythm of the song as Roger pulled my body against his and proceeded to move in ways I would have never imagined. He moved his hips like we were in the middle of one of those hot salsa dances.

  Good God, can this man dance.

  It wasn’t long before I relaxed and matched his movements with my own. When his hands traveled up my sides, then my arms, then back down in a slow, sensual way, I followed his lead. For someone so big and built, he moved fluidly.

  I turned and pressed my ass against him and nearly lost my ability to think when I felt how hard he was. Roger placed his hands on my hips and moved us in ways that should honestly be illegal to do in public.

  If we kept this up, I’d be dragging him back down to our room.

  Roger turned to me and drew my body up against his as the song changed again. “My Oh My” started. He gave me a crooked smile that said his thoughts were as wicked as mine, and my knees nearly buckled out from under me. That smile said so many things, and I found myself returning one of my own. Or at least, I sure hoped mine came across as sexy.

  He placed his hand behind my neck, threaded his fingers into my hair, and then pulled, causing my head to fall back. I gasped at the shock of the slight pain and pleasure mixed together that came over me.

  My chest lifted and fell, and it had nothing to do with dancing.

  God, kiss me already!

  Apparently, the man could read minds as well. Roger pulled me closer and lowered his mouth to mine.

  His tongue swept over my lips, prompting me to open to him. The moment I did, and his tongue met mine, I moaned in glorious delight. A growling sound from deep in Roger’s throat made me stretch up to deepen the kiss, while his other hand pressed against my lower back, drawing my body to his. He obviously needed us closer in the same way I did. If I could have, I would have crawled into his body and explored it all night long.

  Roger tore his mouth away, and we both opened our eyes and locked gazes. He was breathing just as hard as I was.

  His eyes searched my face as if making sure he was reading all the signs right.

  Hell to the yes, he is. What was it Mary had said? You only live once?

  Drawing in a breath, I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew those soft, luscious lips back to mine in another mind-blowing, heated kiss. In my entire thirty-one years, no one had kissed me as senseless as Roger Carter was doing.

  That should have been my first warning sign.

  Roger

  WHEN ANNALISE PULLED me back down to kiss her, I had to fight the urge to push her into a dark corner and explore more of her body. Yes, I wanted to sink deep inside of her, but what I wanted to do most of all was strip her dress off and kiss every fucking inch of her soft skin. She was perfect in every way, and God, did I want to learn more. Never mind the fact that she smelled like a springtime garden. Roses and something else had been hitting me all night, nearly driving me mad.

  “Roger,” she murmured against my mouth as I pulled us off the dance floor and over to a nearby wall. I pressed her body to the hard surface and captured her lips once more. Her hands moved up my chest, and we both moaned at the added contact between our bodies.

  Dragging her mouth from mine, Annalise gasped for air while I placed kisses down her neck.

  “
We need…to leave,” she shouted over the roar of the nightclub.

  I slowly drew back and looked down into her eyes. “If we go back to the hotel room right now, Annalise, I’m going to strip that dress off of you and fuck you until you’re so damn exhausted your body can’t even move.”

  Her mouth fell open slightly before she closed it, swallowed hard, and then whispered what I thought was a yes.

  “Is that a yes, you do want me to take you back to the room?”

  Her head bobbed up and down. “Yes. I desperately want and need for you to take me back to the room. Now!”

  Clasping her hand in mine, I pulled her through the nightclub and to the exit.

  Once outside, my pounding heart competed with the bass of the music drifting through the entrance.

  “Wait,” Annalise said, yanking me to a stop. Shit, if she told me that we needed to slow down, I was going to have to go take a very cold shower.

  “Shouldn’t we let the others know we’re leaving?”

  I stared at her like she’d lost her damn mind. “I think it’s okay, Annalise. I highly doubt they’ll miss us.”

  A smile appeared on her face, followed by a slight blush on her cheeks. My God, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. I couldn’t wait to see where else on her body she blushed.

  She giggled. “Right. Let’s go.”

  I pressed my hand to her lower back and guided her away from the club and around the corner to the elevators. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the way my body reacted anytime I came in contact with Annalise. Honestly, it should have scared the living hell out of me. But now was not the time to worry about it, so I pushed it aside.

  I motioned for another couple to step into the elevator ahead of us. They did and stood off to the side. When Annalise and I stepped in, it was as if the other couple suddenly had blinders on. They embraced and started kissing.

  Annalise’s mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide as she pulled her gaze from the couple to me. All I could do was wink and fight the urge to show that stupid bastard the correct way to kiss a woman senseless. No, what I wanted to do to the woman standing beside me needed to be done in private.