by Jacob Chance
“Would you like another?” A deep voice to my left asks as a large tan masculine hand appears in front of me. My head spins around to see who’s speaking and I unsteadily brace myself against the wall behind me. The champagne is affecting my balance or maybe it’s the sight of this stranger’s devastatingly handsome face.
He flashes me a quick grin showing straight white teeth that can only be achieved with braces and a possible dimple in his left cheek. “Would you like some more champagne?” he offers again, holding the glass up in front of me.
My father always told me not to accept drinks from strangers, but there’s something kind about his hazel eyes that has me curling my hand around the thin glass. Our fingers brush when he pulls his hand away. His skin so warm to the touch, shoots a mad flurry of excitement from my stomach to my chest like fireworks being set off in a cloudless night sky.
My eyes sweep up his tall stature, connecting with his. Heated interest flickers in the hazel depths before they lazily glide down to linger on my mouth. Licking my suddenly dry lips, I watch as he continues to study every inch of my face.
What is he thinking?
A heated flush washes over me and I let my gaze wander down to his mouth. His lips are masculine, the bottom one fuller than the top. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. I’ve never kissed a complete stranger before.
He holds his hand out in front of me. “I’m N…”
“Don’t tell me your name,” I quickly interrupt.
He quirks an eyebrow. “You don’t want to know my name?”
“No.” I grab his large hand. “Come with me,” I order, moving purposefully toward the exit of the room.
“Okay, you don’t need to ask me twice. Do I get to know your name?” he questions.
“Nope, no names; no details at all.” I set the glass down on a table we pass by.
“I’m all for a little mystery. I’ll even volunteer my body up for your exploration in the name of chemistry. It’s always been my favorite subject.” I can hear the teasing in his tone. I’m glad he’s being a good sport about me whisking him away. To say this is out of character for me is a gross trivialization, but what the hell? I deserve some fun.
Glancing back as we exit the room, I don’t notice anyone looking our way. Good. I don’t want witnesses. I pause to get my bearings and figure out where I should bring him.
“Where are we going and what are you planning to do to me?” His voice is deep and husky with a hint of laughter next to my ear as he leans down. When I turn my face, our lips are only inches apart. They’re close enough to feel his warm exhales and smell the mint on his breath.
Fuck it.
I grip his head and smash our mouths together. He lets out a deep hum of surprise when our teeth clash, but recovers quickly. His hands slide into my hair as he takes over, controlling the kiss. His tongue lashes against mine conjuring up images of us naked in bed, his cock thrusting inside me.
Oh god.
I’ve never been overcome by such a need to kiss someone before. This desire is uncontrollable and it’s impossible to restrain myself. Now that I have his lips on mine, his tongue in my mouth, I know I’ve never experienced anything that can compare.
I want more.
Shamelessly, I rub my breasts against his chest. The thin material of his buttoned shirt doesn’t disguise the rock-hard surface beneath. My hands slide up to explore his thick biceps, nails dig into wide shoulders.
Gripping under my ass, he raises me. Wrapping my legs around lean hips, he groans into my mouth, and presses my back into the cold wall behind me.
We’re in the brightly lit hallway where anyone could witness us grinding against each other, but this kiss is so consuming, I can’t be bothered to care. All I can think of is how incredible his hard cock feels pressing against my clit and how I never want this kiss to end.
His lips leave mine to slide a wet path down my neck as he gently bites the delicate skin below my ear. “Can I know your name, now?” he asks huskily, thrusting his hips into mine.
“No,” I moan. “No names.” My fingers rake through his thick, dark brown hair. It’s softer than it looks and my pussy throbs as I imagine his head between my legs. There’s nothing I want more than to tell him my name and hear it fall from the sexiest lips I’ve ever tasted.
Are all kisses supposed to be this way?
“Then I’m going to call you Candy.”
“Candy?” I question, my voice hoarse. My lids are heavy with passion as my head drops back.
He licks along my collarbone and buries his face in the valley between my breasts. “You look like cotton candy in this dress.” The warmth of his tongue bathes the top curves of my breasts. “You taste sweet like it too,” he murmurs against my skin.
The sharp crack of a door slamming in the distance has his head raising. My legs unwrap from his hips and he places me down. Stepping back, he runs a hand through his rumpled hair while I adjust my dress.
We both quickly glance as someone enters the far end of the hallway and then our guilt coated eyes meet. It’s only one of the employees from the catering company Noah hired, but it’s enough to break the sensual spell between us. Reality has come crashing back in full force and I’m horrified at my actions. I just made out with a total stranger and let him dry hump me against a wall. His face was buried in my boobs and I didn’t tell him my name.
I didn’t want to know his.
I still don’t.
My hand trembles, before coasting over my brow. I just want to get the hell out of here and forget this happened. I can always blame it on the champagne.
“I have to go,” I blurt out. Unsteadily scurrying down the long tiled hallway toward the exit on my high heels, each step I take taps out like a message in Morse Code on a telegraph.
“Wait,” he shouts, but I keep moving. “Candy, where are you going?”
I don’t answer him or look back. I hurry around the corner and find a ladies restroom I can disappear inside. Once the door thumps closed behind me, I sigh with relief. Moving over to the sink, I stare at myself in the mirror. My cheeks are pinker than I’ve ever seen them, a combination of passion and embarrassment. My hair was neat and orderly at the beginning of the party, but now it’s a long, light brown mess from the sexy stranger’s fingers. I don’t even look like myself. My pink dress is askew, the edge of my white lace bra exposed. Skimming over my hair with both hands helps to restore some order. Adjusting my dress, I make sure all my parts are covered.
Glancing down at the diamond encrusted platinum Rolex Joseph bought me almost two years ago for my twenty-fourth birthday, I realize it’s too early for me to leave. I don’t want to disappoint Reagan. Sighing, I resign myself to returning to the party room and retrace my steps. I’ll have to ignore the handsome stranger for the rest of the night. Drawing a deep breath, my hand closes around the doorknob; here goes nothing.
Once inside, my eyes cautiously scan the space, seeking out his tall form. I’m disappointed he’s not anywhere to be seen, but I know it’s for the best. It’s not like anything could ever come of it.
Spontaneously kissing one stranger doesn’t change anything. I’m still me; Joseph’s ex-girlfriend. The girl who’s forgotten how to be anything else.
Chapter One
Nick
Late May
There’s nothing better than the first sip of an ice-cold brew after a ball busting workout. And with the ass kicking I just suffered at the hands of my trainer, I need all the help I can get.
“Dude, what was up with Jimmy today? He was all over everyone, even you and you’re marrying into the family,” I ask my buddy Noah, who’s engaged to Jimmy’s youngest daughter, Reagan. He’s one of my best friends and a fellow fighter. Eight months ago, he won a national title and has become somewhat of a celebrity. It’s surreal to see random people walk up to him and ask for autographs or pictures.
“I’m not sure. Reagan mentioned something about her sister going through a tou
gh time. Her ex-boyfriend is giving her problems. I don’t know the details, but I know Jimmy threatened to kick his ass and I volunteered to help.”
My ears perk up at the mention of Reagan’s sister. “Which sister?” I ask. Noah introduced me to Kennedy the night of the engagement party. I still don’t know the other sister’s name, but I do like thinking of her as ‘Candy.’ Reagan warned me to stay away when she noticed my heated stare locked on like I wanted to devour her. Which I did want to and still do.
“It’s Kennedy, the oldest sister.”
Nodding my head, I breathe a sigh of relief that it’s not Candy. I’d hate to think of anyone giving her a hard time and if I found out they were I’d feel obligated to do something about it. We shared the hottest kiss of my life and since then there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I haven’t thought about the minutes we spent together. God knows I’ve tried to forget. I don’t want to be hung up on some girl who wouldn’t even give me her name. Not to mention she’s my trainer’s daughter and he’d be a nightmare to deal with if he knew I was interested in her. He’s already tough on a good day. If we were dating he’d make my life hell every opportunity he got.
“Hey, are you coming to our party?” Noah asks, then takes a small sip of his Sam Adams draft.
“What’s it for again?”
“It’s for Carter’s twenty-sixth birthday. Reagan wants to make a big deal of it.” Damn, I didn’t realize that I’m crazy about an older woman. Biting on my lower lip, I suppress the grin that wants to break free.
“Yeah, I’ll be there man. I wouldn’t miss it. Free booze and food, that’s all me.” My pulse races at the possibility of seeing Candy again. “Are any of Reagan’s friends coming?” I ask, paranoid that Noah can tell how much the thought of seeing her again excites me - even though he doesn’t know we’ve met.
“Moira will be there,” he says, his lips hidden behind the glass of golden beer when he takes a sip.
“She’s hot, but she’s got crazy written all over her. She asked me if my sperm were strong swimmers when we met and mentioned something about me being a good substitute father for her future children.” I shake my head. “The girl’s whacked.”
Noah laughs. “She’s a little out there, but she’s good to Reagan and that’s all that matters.”
Lifting the bottle of Heineken to my lips, I swallow a gulp down. The cold brew hits the spot, quenching my thirst and helping me relax after my workout.
“How are you feeling about the upcoming fight?” I ask.
He shrugs his shoulders. “Good so far. It’s still six weeks away, but I think I’m right on track.” He sips his beer and places the glass back on the bar in front of him. His fingers drum on the wooden surface as he glances around. “What did you decide to do about football for the next school year? Are you going to play or not?”
“Good question. I’m still not sure. If I don’t play, I’ll lose my scholarship, which wouldn’t be the end of the world since it’s my final year.” It’s not like my parents can’t afford it. All they have to do is dip into the trust fund my grandfather set up for me. I don’t have access to the money until I’m twenty-five, but they can use it for my college tuition. “It would be worth losing it to have more training time at the gym.” I run a careless hand through my hair. “Brady and Zeke are both graduating,” I say, mentioning both of my roommates. They’re also two of my closest friends aside from Noah and Griffin, another guy we train with. “I think Owen Dawson; the backup quarterback will take over. He’ll be a sophomore in the fall. The kid has an arm that slings missiles. He’s unbelievably talented. He might even give Brady a run for his money, but don’t tell him I said that.”
“Isn’t Brady’s brother at B.U. now too?” Nick questions.
“Yep, Trevor’s a tight end. The kid’s a beast. The gene pool for athleticism in that family is fucking impressive.”
“Hi, Nick,” a pretty brunette sidles up next to me with a smile and a hand trailing over my shoulder. I can’t remember her name or where we’ve met.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Great. But things could get a lot more interesting now that I know you’re here.” She leans her tits into my arm.
“You’re going to have to remind me where we met. I’m drawing a blank.” Raising my bottle, I draw in a large sip.
“We met at Griff’s party a few months ago.” She smiles knowingly while I try to remember if she’s someone I fucked. I’m not a dog who gets his knob polished by a different girl every night, but there are a few girls I’ve been with in the past that I call when I need to take care of business. Lately, that hasn’t happened at all. I haven’t had sex since before I met Carter, and I’m not sure why. I only know, there’s something special about her that makes it difficult to drive her out of my mind. The chemistry between us was hotter than anything I’ve ever experienced or imagined.
As I study the brunette some more, I remember exactly when I met her, and I’m relieved nothing happened between us. “It’s nice seeing you, but my man here,” I gesture at Noah, “and I are in the middle of an important conversation. I’m going to have to cut this short.” I soften my harsh words with a smile.
“Oh, okay.” She steps back with a look of surprise on her face. I guess she doesn’t usually get turned down. “If you change your mind, I’ll be over there.” She points to the back of the bar where a table of girls stare in our direction.
“Gotcha.” I wink and turn back to Noah.
He chuckles.
“What?” I question.
“My boy’s a heartbreaker.” He claps me on the back.
“I’m not.” I shake my head.
“Dude, you attract them like flies.”
“Most of the time they’re as annoying as them too.” I drink down the rest of my beer and signal the bartender for another. “You want a refill?”
“Nah, I’m gonna’ stick with just one and then hit the road. I promised Reagan I’d be home early.”
“Pussy whipped.” I cough out.
“The hell I am. I just wanna’ see my girl.” The bartender places the beer down in front of me, removing the empty.
“If I had a girl I loved, I’d probably be a pussy whipped bastard like you.” I laugh as he punches me. “Where are the cameras when I need them?” I grab my arm with a pained expression. “That punch could be worth a lot of money.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re worth more than I’ll ever be.”
I grimace at the reminder that he knows about my family’s wealth. I don’t usually share that I have a trust fund, but the details spilled out one night with a bottle of Jim Beam between us and two shot glasses. Noah revealed how his father drank himself to death which is one of the reasons fighting is so important to him. I filled him in on how I’m not sure I want to continue playing football, but my father is pressuring me. He has big dreams that I’ll play in the NFL and honestly, it’s not an unattainable goal for me. I’m pretty damn good at the game, but somewhere along the way, fighting has become my passion and I’m no longer willing to push that aside to please my father.
This is my life, not his.
To Read All of DRIVE, click HERE
Acknowledgments
Thank you to all the reader’s who bought or borrowed Tussle. You’re the reason I write.
Thank you to my PA, Diane Hamilton. You’re amazing D. You make all the extra stuff that goes along with being an author so much easier for me. I couldn’t do any of this without you.
Vivian Freeman, thank you for editing Tussle and being so easy to work with.
Hawkeye’s Proofing, thank you for doing such an awesome job proofing for me.
Popkitty Design, thank you for the awesome cover. You nailed it as usual.
Thank you to Marley Valentine for the great formatting.
Marley, Laura and Jodi, thank you for being such fast working beta readers for me. Your feedback was so helpful.
To all the members of my group, Spo
iled by Chance, you guys are amazing. Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate it more than I can express.
Thank you to all the bloggers and readers who have liked, shared, read and reviewed my books. I couldn’t do this without you and your help is appreciated.