“I’ll pass. Now get out of here before you do toss your cookies all over me.”
She laughed. “Please stay. I don’t want your night to be ruined because of me.”
“Nothing is ruined.”
“Congrats again. Have I told you how proud of you I am?”
I smiled. I wouldn’t cry. “Only about a few million times.”
“Good.” She took a deep breath. “You know, if you wanted to want him too, it wouldn’t exactly be the end of the world.” She turned her head, and I followed the trail of her gaze to where Reed stood.
“Carrie …”
She held up a hand. “I know. I heard what you said earlier, but I know you’re a stubborn soul, Meela Davis. Sometimes, the only thing that holds you back is you. I’m letting you know you have my blessing, permission, or whatever you want to call it, to let loose ... if only just for one night.”
I laughed. “Thank you, and feel better,” I scolded and kissed her forehead. “Take her home, Dillon. Oh and don’t hurt that baby’s head, for the love of god!”
“Oh, my god, Meela!” Carrie blushed, and Dillon and I laughed out loud.
She hugged me tight and said she would be spending the night at Dillon’s, but promised to be at the apartment in the morning to celebrate. I watched her walk away with Dillon and sadness settled over me.
I’d spent many nights at the apartment alone, but I knew she’d always come back. Tonight would be different, and I wasn’t ready for the change of her not being there. I wasn’t ready to lose my best friend. So many things were changing, and I’d come to realize in the past twelve hours that change effing sucked.
I didn’t know why Carrie and Kaylee were suddenly Team Reed and why it was suddenly a good idea to get screwed by him in a different way this time. I had an agenda, a plan, and none of that included forgiving or fucking Reed Pierce. No matter that he suddenly made me feel things he of all men shouldn’t be making me feel.
The way my body responded to him and begged my mind to let go.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I watched Carrie and Dillon disappear out the door and into the heated Charleston air. They were the last thing that stood between me and all my irrational, lustful thoughts of Reed. I turned away before I started to cry in the middle of the bar and searched the crowd for Taylor and Kaylee so I could tell them I was leaving.
Despite Carrie’s request, there was no way I would stick around just to take care of my drunk sister and her drunk friend. As I searched for them, I spotted Reed again. His back was to me, but I knew it was him. He was still with the women who had called him away earlier, and I told myself I was glad I’d be able to get out of here without having to engage with the enemy any more than I already had in the past twenty-four hours.
When I finally spotted Kaylee and Taylor, they had spotted me first and were making their way toward me with an entourage of male companions, so I just waited at the bar.
“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Kaylee mouthed as she stopped in front of me.
“Meme, this is Kevin. Kevin, this is my fancy lawyer sister I was telling you about.”
The guy farthest in the back stepped forward, extending his hand toward me. I put on my polite smile I had perfected as a lawyer and took his hand.
He was eye level with me, and his light brown eyes stood out. He was good looking, brown hair, nice build, and I knew what Kaylee was doing, but I wasn’t interested. I didn’t know why tonight’s mission had become get Meela laid, but I was perfectly fine. I had me, myself, and I, and right now, that was exactly how I preferred it.
“Dave here,” Taylor said, pushing herself against the guy standing next to her, “has a boat, and he’s invited us all to come have a drink on it.”
Everyone was looking at me. Taylor and Kaylee were practically holding their breath waiting for me to answer. I didn’t want to be Debbie Downer, but I didn’t know how I was going to get out of this one.
“Are you ready?” I felt the warmth of his hand low on my back, and the slight pressure he applied there made my spine tingle.
I looked up to see Reed standing there smiling down at me as if we did this often and I wasn’t someone who’d hated him for the past year.
“Ready for what?” Kaylee asked, popping the bubble I’d been in.
“Some case work stuff,” Reed supplied to further his lie. “I asked Meela to help me, and she agreed.”
“On a Friday night?” Taylor whined.
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re the best lawyer there is,” I teased. “Besides, Carrie went home, she wasn’t feeling well. You guys go, have fun.”
“Are you sure, Meela?” Kaylee gave me her sisterly stare down, and I knew she wasn’t asking about going on Dave’s boat.
“Yes, I’m sure. Call me in the morning.”
“I will.”
I could have killed my sister right there as I avoided looking at Reed when I heard him chuckle next to me.
“I guess I’d better make it interesting then.”
“Okay, you guys have fun.” My voice was a little too high as I rushed them off.
I just wanted them to get out of here before they gave Reed any more ammunition to use against me later.
“Hopefully, I’ll get a rain check?” Kevin asked from the background, surprising us all.
“Oh, sure. That sounds nice.” I smiled.
Of course, it was never going to happen, but I didn’t want to embarrass the guy in front of everyone.
“May I?” he asked, pointing at my phone in my hand on the bar. I looked at him as if he’d sprouted another head. “I’m going to leave my phone number in your phone,” he explained.
“Oh, okay …” I didn’t stop him when he took it and began to operate the smartphone I had yet to fully master in the past six months I’d had it.
“I’m under Kevin.” He smiled at me. “Awkward guy from the bar.”
He laughed as he handed me back my phone, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him. He was cute and charming, which was never a good combination, but maybe it was the shots that I’d taken with Taylor and Kaylee earlier that were clouding my better judgment. After all, I had just allowed Reed to be my alibi.
Kevin never had a chance, and as soon as I was sober, I’d delete his number. In this case, it really wasn’t him, it was me—me and my weird phobia with the opposite sex and relationships. But at this second, it was nice to indulge him for the moment.
“Talk to you soon, Meela.”
He winked, and I was too distracted to notice the small but alpha wrestle exchange between Kevin and Reed.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I watched them disappear into the crowd, and a small part of me wondered what would’ve happened if I’d gone with them.
“You’re not buying into his schoolboy act, are you?” Reed whispered next to me.
I looked over at him and frowned. I’d almost forgotten he was there and that I’d just put myself in the awkward situation of being practically alone with him.
I looked up, my eyes clashing with his before they landed on his smile. His lips were full and inviting, smooth and perfectly shaped.
Why the hell was I thinking about his lips again?
“What are you talking about?” I frowned at him.
“Oh, come on.” He turned to face me, his hands in his pockets. “I’m sure he uses that act on every girl he meets in a bar.”
I scowled. “I don’t know what act you’re talking about, and I’m not a girl. I’m a woman. Unlike the little plaything you were talking to earlier.”
His greens eyes burned, and my skin went up in flames as he took a step toward me. “A fact I’m already a hundred percent aware of, Meela. I promise you.”
And just like that, his words were like a bucket of cold water, and I remembered who he was and why I never let my guard down with Reed. I wouldn’t make that same mistake twice.
“I guess it’s easy to spot the performers when you’re the mas
ter of them, but I don’t want to be any part of this show. Thanks for helping me out, not that I asked for your help, but I’ve got it from here.”
I didn’t wait for him to respond as I turned to the bar one last time. One more shot, one long cab ride home, and one torturous night ahead of me—that was all I emotionally had time for tonight.
I ordered my shot and waited for the bartender, glad Reed had taken my hint and left quietly. It wasn’t like him to surrender so easily, but tonight I told myself I was happy he had. I felt like I was having to convince myself a lot tonight that I was happy whenever Reed did or didn’t do something.
When the bartender returned with my shot, I wasted no time as I downed it. It burned my throat going down, but it was a good burn, and I knew by the time I got home that my mind would be completely numb. I turned to make my cab call and bumped into a wall of muscle, heat, and male scent. Putting his hands on the bar, Reed trapped me, and my easy, quick escape vanished.
“I fucked up, Meela. Royally fucked up,” he said for only me to hear. His confession washed over my lips, and he tasted like whiskey and lust. “Are you going to hate me forever, Meela?”
He was close.
So freaking close and it was all too much.
His presence, dear god, his presence, the alcohol, the noise. I couldn’t handle it, and I definitely couldn’t handle the way Reed was looking at me right now.
“Yes,” I managed to get out. “Yes,” I whispered once more for my own sake.
He smiled, and I actually got weak in the freaking knees.
Don’t be a cliché, Meela, don’t be a cliché.
It’s not Reed’s smile, I told myself. It’s the alcohol. I just needed to keep repeating that to myself, and everything would be okay.
I hoped.
“Where’s your friend?” I said trying to peek around him.
His hand came up, and I felt myself holding my breath in anticipation of what he would do next. His fingers curled under my chin as he sought and found my gaze. His thumb brushed across my bottom lip, and his touch was almost electrifying.
“She’s not my friend.”
“You both seemed pretty friendly to me.”
“That’s the second comment you’ve made about that. Are you jealous, Meela?”
“Hardly.” I scoffed.
“Would it make you feel better if I told you you’re the only woman I want to take home tonight?”
My breath caught, and our eyes collided in a lethal stare down.
“What are you doing?” I asked, and I prayed it didn’t sound like a plea.
“Playing dirty.” He moved so close his lips brushed my cheek when he whispered, “What do I have to lose?”
That was exactly what he was doing.
Shaking myself, I tried to push past the unwelcomed thoughts as far away as I could. I had to maintain my stance. I was Meela Davis, kick-ass lawyer extraordinaire, and I was dealing with a predator. But not just any predator. One who took confidence in the stalk, took pride in the chase, and took pleasure in the kill. I couldn’t allow myself to become another casualty of Reed Pierce.
“This isn’t a contest, Reed. I’m not trying to play hard to get. There is no winning or losing. I don’t feel that way about you.”
“Liar,” he accused and shifted, fitting our bodies together like two puzzle pieces. The pressure of his body indicated he was muscle and heat and solid. “That day in the elevator, you felt something. I fucking felt it too, then and now.”
At that moment, a waitress walked by with the tray containing the black and pink tube shots. Stopping her, he grabbed one of each and held them up.
“Prove it,” he said, licking the edge of one of the shots as if he was about to down it. “Lust or … what’s the other one again?” Reed asked the waitress and then added, “Not that she’ll need it.” He winked, and the waitress giggled.
He was always on point when it came to charm.
“Bust,” she supplied and then gave me a look that begged me to pick it, so she could happily take my spot.
“Thanks,” he said, basically dismissing her.
Looking at the two shots in front of me, one pink and full of passion and the other black as the night outside the doors, I chewed on the inside of my lip.
“Come on, Meela. Have fun. I’m only asking for one night. What’s it going to hurt?”
Meeting Reed’s eyes, I contemplated his words. He was right. As long as no one knew, what could it hurt? And even if someone did find out, I could always plead insanity, or better yet, I’d blame it on the alcohol.
“One drink. One night. I dare you,” he purred.
I reached out and plunked the pink shot from his fingers. Keeping my eyes on his, I put the tube to my lips and downed the shot.
He swallowed hard, watching as I licked the rest of the shot from my lips. “Good choice. Now, how about we get out of here?”
Ten
Meela
Reed’s living room became a tornado of discarded fabric as we undressed each other like our clothes were on fire.
In a sense, that was entirely true; my body had never felt this hot before, and Reed’s hands had definitely become kerosene.
His mouth was everywhere, and I didn’t know how it was possible to lick and bite and suck all at once, but Reed had mastered the art. I was out of my element, and as my hands shook as I fisted handfuls of Reed’s hair, I prayed he wouldn’t notice.
I knew I’d hate myself tomorrow, but everything he was doing at this very moment felt so damn right. I couldn’t make him stop even if I wanted to. The only thing I wanted was Reed, which made absolutely no sense when he was the man I’d plotted against and hated for the past year. Right now, he managed to consume every rational thought I had, and in its place was a desire so heavy I could barely stand.
Latching onto the back of his head, I held him close to me as he sucked my sensitive earlobe between his lips and gave it a good flick with his tongue.
I wanted more. I needed more, but he pulled back and looked down at me.
“I wanted to go slow with you,” he said, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on the side of my neck.
“Why?” I exhaled. Slow didn’t exactly seem to quite register with my body right now.
“Because I’ve wanted to do this to you since the first time I met you. I should be savoring it.”
“There’s no time for that,” I rushed.
My insides were begging for him—my body crying, spilling for every touch. I’d never felt so wet before in my life; I’d never been so desperate for a feeling I had no idea even existed.
“We have all night, Meela.”
I silently wished that were true, but the alcohol would wear off eventually and smart Meela would be free and ready to remind me why I didn’t go home with men and sleep with them. Especially when that man’s name was Reed Pierce.
“Don’t think,” Reed said as if he could hear the thoughts racing thoughts my head. “Just feel me, Meela. Feel me,” he growled, and the sound sent a series of sparks through my body until they gathered and exploded between my legs.
His hands moved down my ribs, my hips until they reached the hem of my black dress. His hands moved under the fabric and he was pushing it up and then pulling it off. My lacy, black push-up bra was still in place, and my nipples pushed against the rough texture of the fabric.
“Does this feel good?” he asked, running his tongue across my cleavage.
I was incapable of forming words, so I nodded my answer. My mouth was dry, and my tongue felt thick as soft moans slipped out past my lips.
Backing me into the wall, he trailed kisses down between my breasts and over my stomach. He bit the skin just below my belly button, and a whimper escaped. His eyes found mine as he slowly undid the button of my jeans and pulled down the zipper.
“Don’t panic,” he said before peeling my jeans down my legs. My skin felt like it was on fire, and his lips were the source of the flames.
I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by that, and when he hooked his fingers in my panties, I didn’t really care. His eyes still hadn’t left mine, watching me as he pulled them down my legs. I felt like I should have been nervous, the instinct to cover myself from Reed should have been fierce, but it wasn’t.
He made me feel sexy and wanted, and he looked at me like I was unlike anyone he’d ever seen before, and it made me feel more powerful than I’d ever felt in my life.
His hand ran up the length of my leg, and his fingers circled my calf, squeezing gently before lifting it and placing it on his shoulder. He turned his head so he could kiss the inside of my thigh. The touch of his lips was a shock, and I clawed at the wall behind me.
He moved both hands up the back of my thighs, cupping my ass, and in one fluent move, a move I couldn’t wrap my head around, he stood. My other leg draped over his shoulder. It registered why he had told me not to panic.
I gasped, and my fingers tangled in his hair.
“Reed …”
“I said don’t think, Meela,” he whispered against the inside of my thigh.
His hands pushed my ass forward, and his lips were on me. His tongue swirled, flicking against the sensitive knot at the center of it all, making me squirm in his arms. His mouth searched and discovered—finding and tasting the heat that flowed from my body.
I was feeling things I’d never experienced with a man before. Pawing at his hair, I felt him growl against my softness as he buried his head deeper between my legs and plunged his tongue deep inside me.
“What’s happening to me,” I whimpered.
He moved faster, his head moving back and forth as his tongue flicked quickly over me, bringing me to the edge and preparing to drop me. And then I fell—crashing and crying out with a release like I’d never known.
“That’s right. Scream for me, Meela,” he said, going in to suck and lick until my legs were shaking and my body couldn’t take anymore.
Pulling back, he released my legs, dropping me until my legs were wrapped around his waist and I clung to him, pushing against the hardness between my legs. He was kissing me, allowing me to taste the sweetness he’d pulled from me. I thrust my hips forward, ready and willing to accept him into my body. I could hardly wait any longer.
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