“Secrets and sex.” I roll the words around on my tongue, testing them. “With you?” I know the skepticism is clear in my tone, but she doesn’t seem to care.
She nods eagerly and introduces herself. “Elena,” she says with a smile. “I think you and I would have a nice time, Sterling.”
Ah, so she knows who I am. Can’t say I’m surprised, but I wonder if she’s sought me out for my cock or my money. Probably both, but if she’s willing to be my entertainment for the night, it’s on her if she gets burned.
“Well, Elena, why don’t you prove it?” My words are soft, but the challenge is clear.
Her eyes flare in surprise, but she quickly gathers herself and can barely smother her victorious smile. She thinks she’s hooked me, but it’s not that easy. She steps forward and places both hands on my chest over my shirt, running them up and down my torso and abs.
“My pleasure,” she breathes excitedly. “You’re so sexy. I’m going to show you a great time.”
It’s the second time I’ve heard that tonight, and I have yet for anyone to follow through. I don’t say anything and wait to see what she’ll do. Her fingers drift down over the front of my pants, and my cock doesn’t so much as twitch at her touch. She starts to rub her palm against me and starts to moan, and I look down at her with disinterest. I’ve had so many women come on to me over the years because of my looks, wealth, and social standing that it’s become fucking old. There’s no excitement anymore, and I find myself longing for the chance to pursue someone.
My thoughts drift to Perrie, and my dick finally starts to stir to life. Of course, it fucking comes to life when I think of the one woman expressly off limits to me. She’s my ex’s childhood best friend who isn’t on the same rung of the social ladder as me, and she fights her attraction to me. Something about her gets under my skin, and I hate it. My lips turn down as I think about her, and when I focus on Elena again, she’s still trying to show me she’s worth my time. Her smile widens when I glance at her, and I know she misinterprets my body’s reaction to her touch. I decide I’d rather fuck my hand than this woman, and I finally decide to tell her it isn’t happening. My lips are parting to tell her to go away, and just as I’m about to take a step away from her, a voice cracks into the silence like a whip.
“I can’t leave you alone for five fucking minutes, can I?”
I turn my head slowly, step back so I extricate myself from Elena’s grasp, and lean against the railing. I take another lazy sip of my whiskey, ready for the show. This should be good. I raise my eyebrow in question, and Elena and I just stare in silence at the woman who is fucking with my thoughts.
Perrie’s chest is heaving, and even though her hair is a mess and there’s sand on her jeans, she looks gorgeous. And pissed. My dick takes notice, and I inwardly groan at my body’s response to her.
“You need to leave,” she growls as she crosses her arms under her ample breasts.
I don’t move to leave, and Elena looks at me, clearly awaiting my direction. I can’t help myself, so I lean down to whisper in her ear, which I know will piss Perrie off further. “She’s talking to you. You should go. It wasn’t going to happen anyway.”
She draws back to look me in the eyes, and I can tell she doesn’t believe me. “But you were getting hard. We can continue our fun later,” she purrs under her breath.
I fight a sigh and kill any hope she’s harboring. “I was getting hard thinking of her.” I flick my head in Perrie’s direction. “You’re too easy.”
Her mouth opens and closes like a fish without air, and I give her a look of indifference before taking up my relaxed posture from a moment ago. Ignoring her and presenting her with my profile finally does the trick, and she sashays off in indignation without saying a word. On top of being too easy, she’s got no fire, unlike the fuming woman before me.
Once Elena is out of sight, Perrie strides up to me. “Having fun, Sterling?” she spits out.
I can’t help but goad her. “I was, until you interrupted,” I lie.
“I didn’t invite you here so you could fuck with my client’s friend.” The color is rising in her cheeks, and I’d bet money she’s seconds away from stomping her foot.
“If I remember correctly, you said this party was so everyone had an excuse to get together and drink. I think your words were to ‘find connections of a different variety,’ so why can others do it and not me?”
My words are direct, and I know she’s a little too honest for her own good when she’s knocked a few back, so I’m hoping her answer is equally direct.
I’m not disappointed when she stomps her foot and huffs out, “Because you’re supposed to make a connection with me.”
I give her a questioning look. “We’re just friends, Perrie. You said so yourself.”
She hiccups before slapping her hand against her forehead and groaning. “I didn’t mean to say that so bluntly, but I was thinking when I was on the beach.” Hiccup. “Great, now I’m nervous.”
“Spit it out, Perrie,” I say gently.
“We obviously have an intense attraction to each other, so let’s scratch that itch”—hiccup—“and see what happens. No strings.”
“What about girl code?”
“Fuck”—hiccup—“girl code. I want you to fuck me, Sterling.”
My body heats at her words and at hearing her admit she’s attracted to me and wants to do something about it, but my brain is shouting at me to reign it in. Before I can respond, she presses herself against me and wraps her arms around my neck. I can smell the tequila on her breath, and her eyes look too glazed for my liking. If we’re going to do this, I damn sure don’t want her forgetting or regretting it.
Her hands press down on the back of my neck, urging me to bend down, so I oblige but still keep my lips out of reach of hers. She hiccups again and starts to ramble.
“I do want to be your friend, but I can’t stop thinking about how much I need to get laid and how much I want you to do it. I’m not imagining this, right? You’re”—hiccup—“attracted to me too?”
I barely restrain myself from pressing my burgeoning erection against her stomach to show her just how attracted I am to her. “Yes, I’m attracted to you,” I say instead.
“Then what about that woman earlier?” I can tell she regrets asking, and I catch a hint of vulnerability in her tone.
“A temporary distraction. I was just about to ask her to leave.”
She eyes me, as if trying to judge the sincerity of my words. She must know by now I’m not one to bullshit, and she nods. “Then let’s do something about it. Let me show you a great time.”
Her words are the same as the whispered declaration from Elena, and a cold splash of reality douses me. Holding her steady with one hand, I gently place my tumbler on the ground, straighten, and spin her around so she’s the one pressed against the balcony.
She lets out a soft gasp I feel throughout the length of my body, and I grip the railing on both sides of her so I can avoid touching her all over.
“You’re drunk, Perrie.”
“So?” she says on a hiccup. A look of determination crosses her face, and she grasps the front of my shirt and tries to lift herself up for a kiss. Thank God she’s so short, or else her lips would be meeting mine and we’d be making a whole slew of bad decisions. “Sterling,” she whines.
I sigh as I look down at her. “So? If or when we fuck—let alone kiss—I want to make sure you’re stone-cold sober.”
“That’s no fun, Sterling.”
“Trust me, it’ll be more fun this way.”
“How so?” she asks, and the innocence in her gaze breaks some of my restraint.
I lean down against my better judgment and speak against the soft shell of her ear. “Because I’ll be the one giving you the best night of your life. I know you’re usually not so forward, and you wouldn’t dare dream of doing this sober. I fucking love that, and I like the chase, Perrie. Let me chase you,” I whisper roughly, m
y words ending on a groan when I feel her body tremble against my lips.
A whispered “oh” tumbles off her tongue, and I smile against her ear.
“Yes, ‘oh’ is just the beginning of what I’ll have you saying. I can’t wait to see how wild Esperanza Ayala can get,” I say, mimicking her words from earlier in the night.
Her breathing has become shallow, and when I pull back to look at her, she looks tipsy, turned on, and out of her element. I already know I’ll fucking ruin her, and I can’t wait until the alcohol is clear of her system. If she’s still receptive when she’s sober, all bets are fucking off.
“Does that work for you, Perrie?”
“Mmhmm,” she sounds out.
“What was that? I need your words.”
She draws in a shuddered breath. “That”—hiccup—“works. I hope you live up to all the hype you’re building for yourself, Sterling.”
My mouth quirks up on one side at the sass I like so much. “I’m going to fucking ruin you, Perrie,” I say, echoing my thoughts from a few moments ago. “We’ll see if you can handle me. If not, I’ll make sure you can by the time I’m done with you.”
Her eyes widen, and I see her throat swallow in shock as she stares at me and nods. Before things go further than they’re supposed to, I decide to get us back onto safe ground.
“How long do you have the house rented for?”
“It belongs to a client who’s out of town, and she said we can use it the whole weekend. Blake and I planned on staying the night and cleaning tomorrow.”
I nod in acknowledgment, bend down, and lift her into my arms. She gives a surprised gasp that turns into a hiccup, and I carry her back into the house.
“Where’s your room?”
“I thought”—hiccup—“you were waiting till I was sober.”
“I am,” I clarify as I walk. “I’m putting you to bed so you can sleep off this alcohol. I promise, I’ll be a gentleman, but only for tonight. Now, where’s your room?”
She directs me to where she’s staying, and I’m surprised we don’t run into anyone else on the way there. Everyone must’ve already left, or there are a few people continuing the night’s festivities in some of the other rooms.
Once I find her room, I enter and lock the door behind me and gently deposit her on the bed. Perrie’s eyes start to close as soon as I set her down, as if the comfort of the bed beneath her was all she needed to call it a night, and she maneuvers her body until she’s comfortable. She looks so small on the big bed, and a foreign feeling of genuine affection and protectiveness floods through me as I look at her.
As I watch, a hiccup turns into a soft snore, and I smile softly at the sound. I don’t want to leave her alone in this state, so I make my way over to the chaise lounge on the opposite end of the room and stretch out. I think about the day’s events and how quickly we went from trying to be friends to talking about fucking, because that’s all it would be. As much as I want to deliver on everything I promised tonight on the balcony, only time will tell if sober Perrie will agree with drunk Perrie.
I place my arms up and behind my head and shut my eyes. I guess I’ll just have to wait until she wakes up to see what happens. The ball may be in her court for now, but I’ll be the one to call the shots.
13
Perrie
I wake with a start and the urge to pee, and I sit up abruptly, not recognizing my surroundings. My body relaxes when I realize I’m still at the beach house, which makes sense because Blake and I planned on getting a head start on cleaning before the actual cleanup crew got here. I wasn’t raised to leave my mess for someone else, even if it was their job, so I made an effort to at least organize the chaos, that way all they’d really need to do was clear the bags out.
I blink past the sleep in my eyes and squint until my sight adjusts to the darkness in the room. There’s some light from the moonlight streaming through the curtains, but other than that, the room is practically blanketed in darkness.
Based on my cotton mouth and light headache, I’d venture that I drank a little more than I should have. It was actually a good time though, so it was well worth it. Except for the parts where my drunk self embarrassed me in front of Sterling and threw herself at him. But, to be honest, if I had that much bravado while I was sober, I would have jumped his bones that first night at the bar, despite who he is.
I do a little stretch and slide off the bed, running into the bathroom connected to the room. I don’t bother turning the light on as I slide off my jeans, thankful for the small reprieve from their tightness. I drain my bladder and quickly wash my hands. I use my finger and some mouthwash to make myself feel somewhat clean. I rush to find sleep again, but I halt when I notice someone on the other side of the room sleeping on what looks like a fancy lounge chair.
There’s only one of two people I can think of who would be in this room right now and because I know Blake has her own room for the night here, there’s only one other person it can be.
Sterling.
My stomach flips as the memories of how the night ended force themselves to the forefront of my mind. I would have had sex with him. Well, had he let me anyway. I’m actually grateful he didn’t. As determined as I was, I would have felt like shit right now. But surprisingly—or unsurprisingly—it’s only made me want him more. In the darkness, with him so close, I’m not sure I can control myself. I’m buzzing too hard, tired of fighting what my body wants and needs.
I squint at the time on the bedside clock. It’s three o’clock in the morning, also known as the start of the witching hour.
I cross the room, taking small, uneasy steps toward Sterling. He’s snoring lightly, and his chest rises and falls with each intake and release of breath. It’s cliché, but there’s something about this guy. I’m drawn to him, completely and uncontrollably, and I hate it, but not enough to stop myself from what I’m about to do.
I glance at the clock again. Just a few minutes past three.
I stop beside him and continue to stare at him, as creepy as that may be, and just as I’m about to run through the pros and cons of hooking up with Sterling Montgomery, I stop myself.
“Fuck it,” I whisper before doing what I’m sure I’ll overanalyze once it’s all over.
I gently set my hands onto his chest and place my knees on either side of his waist, careful not to put my weight on him just yet.
I need to do this. For me. Life’s too short, and it’s exhausting denying your body of something so natural as sex.
Sure, blame it on the length of life and exhaustion that you’re about to break code.
I shut my eyes for a moment, forcing the voice to stay silent, and as I’m about to start second-guessing this out of character decision of mine, two hands grip my waist. I gasp, surprised.
My eyes fly open and slowly trail up until they’re connected with crystal blues. He’s wide awake, staring at me with a look filled with desire and patience that’s almost intimidating.
“You’re awake,” I gasp, not knowing what else to say.
“I heard you get up to use the restroom,” he says nonchalantly, fingers lightly digging into my sides.
“Oh, did I interrupt your beauty sleep?” I ask through a sharp intake of breath, struggling to not press my body against his.
He shakes his head, remaining silent, eyes never drifting from mine.
“Didn’t you say something about being the perfect gentleman for the night?” I squeak, the little he’s touching my body making me want to melt into him.
“I did.” He nods slowly. “Do you know what time it is?”
His fingers toy with the edge of my shirt, flirting dangerously close to my bare thighs. Goosebumps spread along my skin, and he hasn’t even really touched me yet.
“Just after three,” I manage.
“Hmm, and what’d you hope to accomplish with this, Perrie?” His hands travel toward my thighs and gently apply pressure, causing my body to fall onto his so that I’m sittin
g fully on his lap.
“Why do you keep saying my name like that?” I breathe out. “Like you already know my body inside and out, like you already have me figured out?”
“Because I do. I’ve had you pegged since that night at the bar, maybe even before then.”
My breathing is erratic, the closeness of our bodies making my heart pound hard against my chest.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
He leans up, and his lips stop just above my collarbone. He’s teasing me, slowly testing. I pull my hands back from his chest, and his eyes darken at the loss of contact. I wish I could see more of him because what little light there is from the moon is barely giving me glimpses of his facial expressions. He’s careful, and his moves are well thought out. I need to see him, need to be closer.
“I never did give you your towel back,” I blurt out, then quickly curse myself for doing it.
He chuckles, the husky sound causing my thighs to clench around him. I bite back a groan, and before he can say something, I rush out, “I was supposed to be the one in control right now, but you haven’t even really touched me, and I’m already at your command. How pathetic is that? But I don’t want to think or analyze, I just want to feel, and I can’t even do that right because my mind is racing, and my heart feels like it’s about to explode.”
I feel vulnerable and open and slightly nauseous, and I’m not even sure why.
That’s a lie. I do know why. Sterling unnerves me, and this feels like more, like something I won’t easily be able to forget once it’s finished. But I meant what I said, I don’t want to think, I just need to feel—for him to feel me back.
He’s hard to read. He remains motionless and quiet, and I move to slide off him, to stop it before it even starts, but he shakes his head, stopping my movements. That silent command sends a fresh set of goosebumps throughout my body.
Don't Let Me Be Yours Page 8