by Shae Ross
This does not look good.
“You oughta get her out of here,” I say to Ryan, who turns to see what the problem is.
Ben’s already standing next to the front door, chatting with the bouncer, waiting for me. I turn and head his way. The conversation between Devi and the troll has escalated to the point that I can hear the troll’s voice five feet away.
“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me no one’s ever told you that you need to lose some weight?” he asks.
Are you shitting me?
As if that’s not bad enough, the moron keeps talking. “I’m just saying, you’d be super hot if you lost twenty pounds, babe.”
Any guy knows you don’t talk to a woman about her weight. The atmosphere around the girls is shifting. I’m about to turn back and insist they leave with us when I see Ben hurtling through the crowd with a pissed look on his face. Shit. Here we go.
Ryan’s voice pierces the air with a warning shriek. “Devi! No!”
I hear the dull thud of skin connecting with bone and turn just in time to see the backside of Devi’s fist retracting from the troll’s wincing face. For a moment I want to laugh—until Ryan jumps into the fray. My body explodes into overdrive, and I vault toward her. Devi may be able to hold her own with some of those clowns, but I know Ryan can’t. She’s a good foot shorter than most of the people surrounding her. There’s no way she could hold off any of these guys, even for a second. One misplaced swing and she’s out.
The troll is erupting. His forearm has connected with Devi’s neck, and he’s pushing her down until she’s back-bending over the bar.
“Hey!” I spring back toward them, trying to get the guys’ attention. Devi reaches over her head and her fingers knock over an empty beer bottle as they fumble to get a grip on it. This is not good. The troll is shouting jumbled words and shaking a threatening fist above her face. I’m frantically shoving people out of the way, trying to get there when I see Ryan. She’s a good ten steps ahead of me, screaming something and moving closer to Devi. The crowd bumps and jostles her and I yell her name.
She jumps in and clings to the troll’s thick arm, hanging all of her weight off the thick appendage, trying to keep his fist from connecting with Devi’s face. The crowd around her continues to push and jeer. My heart is hammering in my chest and my breath catches. I’ll never reach her in time.
The troll jabs his elbow back and it connects with Ryan’s face. I watch in horror as her head snaps sideways. She crumbles onto the floor clutching her eye. Fuck!
I see a flash of Ben fly over my shoulder. He lands on the troll and they both sail to the floor. I feel the floor shake as they land, Ben’s huge frame half on top of his prey. Arms and legs flail through the air as Ben pulls him up, lands a solid punch on the square jaw, and sends him sputtering into the crowd.
Feet are shuffling, scrambling to get out of the way. Ryan is still on her knees, bodies looming over her, perilously close to caving in. Her palms slap against the floor but her movements are slow, making it look as if she’s having a hard time getting up. I lunge and straddle my legs around her, trying to shield her from the swaying crowd. My forearm blocks and shoves, and I press a hand to her back.
“Just stay there,” I yell into her startled face. I need a minute to clear some space before I pull her up. A beer bottle skitters into her ankle. She wraps an arm around my leg and makes a shaky effort to move herself against me. I’ve cleared enough space to pull her up and I try to get a look at her eye but her hand is covering half her face as if she’s in pain. I wrap my arms around her, turning her into my chest and away from the crowd.
Someone shrieks and I look up to see three of the troll’s friends weaving their way through the crowd and they are all looking at Ben. Fuck!
“Ben!” He’s glaring at them with his “bring it on” look. I yell to him again and he glances over.
“I got the two on the right,” Ben says, nodding toward them.
I’m all for standing behind my buddy, and I’ve been in this situation with Ben a dozen times, but we’ve got the girls with us and Ryan’s hurt already. Not to mention we could all end up thrown in jail. I shake my head. “I gotta get Ryan out of here, Ben.”
He nods and steps toward the advancing trio, fully prepared to throw down without his usual wingman.
“I can take the guy on the left if you can get the other two,” Devi says, stepping up behind him. Ben flinches as if he’d forgotten she was there. He turns and sees the upside-down beer bottle she’s holding. His neck draws back and he looks at her as if she’s lost her mind.
“Ahhhh, hell no,” he shouts, grabbing her wrist. “Put that down.”
The bouncers have intercepted the Jersey trolls, giving us the time we need to exit this shit show before it gets any worse, and I’m breathing a sigh of relief that Mr. Trott won’t have to bail us out of jail tomorrow morning. I’d like to think the kids from Michigan can make a better showing than that this week.
Ryan leans against me, clutching her cheek.
“We’re getting out of here,” I say to her, grabbing her jacket from the barstool. I follow Ben, knowing his strategy. I follow Ben, knowing his strategy is to exit through the back to avoid being detained by the bouncers. Ryan and I split off toward a side door and tumble out. Ryan gasps out a breath as we step out into the cool air.
I turn her toward me, anxious to assess her condition but can’t see much in the dim glow of the streetlights.
“Are you all right?” I ask, tilting her head into my hand.
“I think so.”
It’s the first words I’ve heard her speak. Relief floods through me even though her voice sounds faint. I shake my head as I think about the scene that just went down. If that guy had turned around and punched Ryan in the face rather than just letting his elbow fly, she would have been in serious trouble. They both should have known better than to have started a bar fight.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I bite out.
She looks at me, and her eyes widen. I don’t know if she’s reacting to my angry words or replaying the sequence of events in her mind, but I don’t care. She tries to say something and then clamps her mouth shut and shakes her head.
“I was just trying to help Devi.”
“Help Devi? How? If your friend is stupid enough to start a bar fight, you shouldn’t be stupid enough to follow her into it!”
She blanches at my words and stares up at me, blinking. I’m waiting for an acknowledgement, but the hurt look on her face softens my resolve to impress upon her the stupidity of jumping into the middle of a bar fight with a bunch of guys twice her size.
“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” She takes a hesitant step and her mouth is trembling.
My stomach twists. Christ. I’ve got to calm down. Her hand comes up to her forehead and she looks lost for a moment. She turns her back on me and murmurs another apology. Her head lifts left and right as if she’s looking for the best way out of the alley we’re in. She’s going to walk out on me.
“Hey,” I say, taking a step to follow her. I catch her arm and turn her back into my chest. Her shoulders are shaking, which makes me feel like a heel.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, trying to soften my tone. “I shouldn’t be barking at you.” My arms circle around her, and I hold her to my chest.
After a time, I feel her exhale and her body collapses against me. I rest my jaw on her hair and breathe in the scent of lavender.
My mouth brushes her temple, and she nods. “I’ll take you back to the hotel.” I pull her close and we walk in silence.
I see the streetlight silhouette of Ben and Devi ducking into an all-night diner, and I glance over my shoulder trying to recall where I last saw Vaughn and Jade. It’s possible they didn’t even see the brawl from the other room—or if they did, they might not have known we were at the core of the mess.
This whole night seems wrong, all of us staring across the bar at each other, trying to get on each other
’s last nerves. I’m glad tomorrow ends our competition. This up-and-down, emotional roller-coaster ride I’m on with Ryan is driving me crazy. I don’t want to be competing with her anymore. It’s ironic to me; I’ve never let myself get that involved in any relationship—even with Jess, who I dated off and on for over a year. It was really more about having a date when I needed one. And now that I want to be involved with Ryan, there’s a huge issue looming between us with this competition.
Every feeling I have involving Ryan is striking deeper and resonating. The attraction between us has only grown—nothing’s gone away. Not only am I nervous about losing this competition, I’m starting to get nervous about winning.
I look down at her walking beside me—beautiful, intelligent, and anything but easy. I wonder if she’d consider dating me once it’s all over. I’ll be lucky if she even speaks to me if we win. I try to visualize Mr. Trott announcing Team Jett as the winner and her face. The thought of it makes me sick.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” I ask her again, pulling her closer.
She nods her head. “Face hurts.”
“I want to get a better look when we get back to the hotel. I’ll help you get some ice on it.”
We walk under the night sky. The street is quiet except for the hum of the streetlights. “I’ve got some Advil in my room,” I say as we arrive at the hotel and take the elevator up. I push open the door to our suite. We’re the first ones back to the room, and I flip on the bathroom light and lead her in. I kick a small pile of discarded clothes out from under my feet. “Sorry about the mess,” I say as I shuffle through my shaving case. I hold her hand in mine and tip the white plastic bottle into her palm. “It will keep the swelling down.”
“How many?”
“Start with two every four hours.” The light illuminates the side of her face. “Let me have a better look.” I take her face in my hands and turn it to the light. I grab a washcloth and run it under some cold water. “Here.”
She stops my hand with both of hers. “Jett, I’m sorry.”
I meet her gaze and see the deep sincerity in her eyes. I go back to pressing the cloth against her flawless skin.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is. We were flirting with those guys on purpose. Devi was pissed at Ben and I went along with it and…it just got out of control.”
She looks so sweet and innocent, confessing to me what I knew was happening all night. She pulls my hand away from her face and holds it.
Her voice sounds close to breaking as she says my name, “Jett, I just wish we weren’t enemies.”
“We’re not enemies, Ryan.”
“Will you kiss me?” she whispers.
Like I’m going to say no to that. I thread my hands through her hair and kiss her face, forgetting about her injury for a moment. My lips touch hers and she immediately winces and pulls back.
“Ouch.”
“Sorry. Sorry.”
“How does it look?”
There’s a bruise the shape of an elbow already appearing above her cheek, but my eyes have moved on and I stare at the curve of her neck. “Fine. It looks fine.”
“You’re lying.” She pouts and turns to the mirror.
I step back and shake my head, the thought of tomorrow weighing heavily. There’s a small voice telling me I really should get through this competition before I let this go any further. Step back, Jett. Don’t make a complicated situation worse.
“I’m going to get you some ice,” I say, grabbing the silver bucket. I flip the lock inside the doorjamb and head out in search of the machine.
When I come back in, she’s standing, staring out the picture window at the city. I haven’t turned on the lights in the room, and neither has she. I grab another washcloth from the bathroom and set the ice bucket on the coffee table in front of the couch.
“C’mere,” I say, packing the cloth with ice. “Sit.” I nod toward the couch. She drops down, and I slide half behind her. I wrap my arm around her, holding the ice pack above her head. “Lean your head on my shoulder,” I say, adjusting my frame down for her. She lays back, and I bring my arm around her, pressing the ice pack to her cheek.
“Feel okay?”
“Ummm-hmmm.” We sit that way for a long time, staring out the picture window at the lights of the city. Her breathing is soft and relaxed, and from my vantage point over her shoulder I can see right down her shirt. Shit. I try to turn away, but I keep looking back, so I finally give up the battle and feast. Her chest rises and falls with each gentle breath. In the shadows, I can almost see her nipples pressing against the center of the cream silk. I envision my hand reaching in, fingers circling the tightness. I feel a quick pulse in my groin. She sits up and turns to me with a confused look on her face, and for a moment I think she’s caught me staring.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. She adjusts her position, turning her body to face me on the couch.
“What do you think would have happened between us if we’d met each other on campus, or in a class…somewhere other than this competition?”
The thought I’ve been having for the last two days has just been whispered to me through her soft pale lips, moving sweetly through the darkness with temptation. The need I have for her is spreading through my mind and body, a rush of hot blood pulling my skin tight. I want to kiss her until she groans and feel her body move underneath mine.
My hand touches the unhurt side of her face, and I thread my fingers through her hair. My expression leaves no room for question. “I would have begged you to give me a chance to show you I’m not the asshole you think I am.”
“You wouldn’t have needed to beg,” she whispers as our mouths come together. We kiss for several minutes. Her teeth tug at my bottom lip, and in my mind I’m telling myself not to go too fast—wait for her to make the first move. When she does, she makes it in a big way, moving to straddle my lap and press every inch of her tight little body to mine. My hands move to the sides of her thighs and then around to the curve of her perfect ass.
I grip and pull her close and then again, harder and closer in a firm jerking motion. She moans. Her lips slanting on mine, open and inviting. My tongue meets hers, and she tastes so sweet. I run my fingers up the sides of her rib cage to soft fullness that fits perfectly in my hands. I slide into her shirt and touch the warmth of her skin, my thumbs grazing over the tightened skin. She lets out a breath, and her head rolls back. Hot fingertips sear me as she reaches under the edge of my shirt, pulling it over my head as I’m unbuttoning hers.
Her hips move on top of me, shyly at first. I shift underneath her to give her more access to what she wants and hold her thighs tight at my sides. My hardness strains against my jeans. She lets out a sharp, low gasp, arches, and shifts on top of me. I know she can feel me between her legs.
I trail a hand down the curve of her neck, over the dip of her collarbone, and she grabs my hand with both of hers. She pulls my index finger up and into her mouth and sucks and teases. She rides me, arching her back, and I feel like I’m going to burst. My hands brace against her rib cage. I can’t take it anymore.
I hold her face in my hands. “Ryan, look at me. Are you ready for this?”
She smiles at me and drops her mouth to my neck. I close my eyes at the feel of her hot mouth on my skin and let out a deep breath. I have to ask the question in a different way.
“Ryan.” I stop her, pulling her face to mine. “If Team Jett wins this competition and we’ve done this, will you hate me?”
“You’re not going to win, Jett,” she says with a tease in her voice, but I need to hear it from her.
“Answer me, Ryan. Do you want me to stop?”
Her hands cup my face, and her blue eyes melt into mine. “I could never hate you, Jett.” She smiles and leans to my ear. “And fuck no I don’t want you to stop.”
That’s it. She’s said it.
A tremor shoots through my chest and into my groin. I stand up, carrying her with
her legs wrapped around my waist and clinging.
I lay her on the bed. Her shirt is open and her skirt is bunched around her legs, revealing everything that’s heavenly about a woman. Her skin glows in the sparkling lights that reflect through the picture window and float into the cloud that I’m on. In the back of my mind, the voice of tomorrow nags me.
I unbutton my pants and find my wallet. When I come back to her ready, her fingers are laced through her hair that’s spread out above her head like a golden halo. She holds her arms out to me, and I lower myself on top of her and cover her mouth with mine. My hands explore over, under, down, and into every softness.
Her fingers trail like hot silk on my body, over my shoulders and back, pressing into the hardness of my thighs and up, gripping me at the core. Her legs open to my touch, and I slide my fingers into her wet heat. She moans and presses her body tighter against me. My mouth finds hers as my fingers explore, curving into softness. Her hips arch. She’s wet and ready for me, breathing soft, low ‘mmmm’ sounds against my ear. I move myself on top of her, spreading her legs with my thighs. I ease myself into her. I’m watching her face for the slightest change in expression. Her eyebrows knit gently together and her mouth lingers in a silent gasp. I lay my mouth on her lips, and her gasp becomes audible, sucking a breath from me.
“Are you all right?” I whisper into her ear. Her head sways back against the mattress. I know I’m not a small man, and her petite frame against mine makes me feel like a beast. She sucks in another seductive breath, deep to the back of her throat. “Ryan, answer me or I’ll stop.” Her eyes open wide and then fall back into a seductive trance.
“Don’t stop,” she whispers.
“I need to know that I’m not hurting you.”
“I’m fine. I just need a minute to adjust.” She smiles and pulls my head down to kiss her mouth again.
We moan into each other, and I feel her muscles relaxing, arching toward me, coaxing me deeper. I brace my knee against the bed and push into her until I’m buried in wet heat. I suck in a breath to keep from exploding. She’s moving underneath me, and I’m trying to stay in the game, but I’m not going to last long.