by M. S. Parker
“It wasn't for Cleo.”
There was something still guarded about his expression, but I could still hear the honesty in his words.
“Who is she?”
He moved closer, his arm sliding around my shoulders. “I don't want to talk about her.”
He bent his head, but I turned away so that his lips brushed against my cheek. He sighed and leaned away.
“We hooked up a couple times, okay?”
I crossed my arms to keep from reaching for him. I wanted answers, and my head knew it was the smart thing to do, but my body just wanted him. “Well, considering that she warned me to stay away from you makes me think it was a little more than just hooking up.”
That got a real reaction as his head jerked up, his eyes wide for a moment before they narrowed. “She did what?” The question was nearly a growl.
“The second time we...” Heat rushed to my face. “Anyway, the next morning, I was going to meet Todd at Tavern on the Green. A woman I didn't know stopped me and told me to stay away from you. Cleo.”
“Did she threaten you?”
Tension radiated off him. “I'm pretty sure her exact words were to 'stay the fuck away' from my man.'”
“I'm not her man.” He took my face between his hands, holding me in place as his mouth came down on mine.
The kiss was fierce and deep, something almost desperate as he pushed his tongue between my lips. I leaned into him, my hands moving to clutch the front of his shirt. The taste of him, scent of him, it was more addictive than anything I ever could have imagined. It was like the moment he touched me, nothing else mattered.
When he broke the kiss at last, he didn't pull away. His hands slid down to either side of my neck as he rested his forehead against mine. I kept my eyes closed, unsure if I could handle looking at him just yet. His thumb brushed over the pulse in my throat.
“I've been thinking about doing that from the moment you walked back into the club the other night.”
I wanted to ask him why he hadn't kissed me then. Why he'd let me go home and ignored me for days. I didn't though. Something in my gut told me that if I pushed too hard, if I asked too much, I would lose him. I didn't know if I was ready to label what we had, but I did know I wasn't ready for it to be over.
There was one thing I did have to know though.
“The mutual friend Cleo mentioned.”
His entire body tensed, and a faint sick feeling curled in my stomach.
“Is it a kid?”
He pulled back, a confused look on his face. “What?”
“Do you and Cleo have a child together?”
The shock on his face was almost an answer itself.
“No!” He stared at me. “What would make you think that?”
I shrugged. “We don't know that much about each other. It's not like that's really a strange question to ask, especially with how secretive Cleo was being.”
He shook his head. “I don't have any kids. I swear.”
Relief rushed through me. I could handle an annoying ex, and even the crazy back and forth as we figured things out. I just didn't want a kid being involved. Not that I disliked them. I just didn’t want to do anything that could possibly hurt a child.
“What about you?” He shot the question back at me. “Any kids?”
“You better hope not.” The comment flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Shit.”
He shifted so that his body was angled toward mine. “What does that mean?”
Shit shit shit shit! I blamed his kiss on making my head too befuddled to remember that I planned on never telling him that he was the only guy I'd ever slept with. I could lie, but I had a feeling he'd know. And he'd never let me not answer at all.
I squared my shoulders and forced myself to keep my head up. I didn't want this to be a big deal.
“The first night we were together was my first time.”
“Bryne–”
I held up a hand as I cut him off. “It was my choice, Dax. I knew what I wanted. I wasn't looking for some special, romantic gesture. I wanted good, hot sex, and that's what I got. It's not a big deal.”
He gave me a hard look, like he was trying to see if I was just saying what he wanted to hear. After a few seconds, he grinned. “Could've fooled me.” His heated gaze ran down my body and back up again. “You're fucking amazing.”
The tension that had tightened my shoulders again eased even as I flushed. “Don't think you can sweet talk me into sex in the back of the car. I don't want to explain that to my uncle.”
Dax laughed, then reached over to take my hand. “While I'd never say no to getting in your pants, I was thinking more along the lines of dinner and a movie.”
I raised an eyebrow and tried to ignore the way his touch sent tingles of electricity through me. “Really?”
“Hey, I'm not saying I won't be asking to fuck you senseless before the night's over. Let's just get something to eat and check out a movie first.”
Food, movie, sex. Sounded like a great way to unwind. And I was starting to get the impression that this was how things would go between the two of us for a while anyway. As long as I had that in my head, I would be fine with it.
After all, that's all I wanted. Not a commitment or anything like that. I just wanted to know what to expect.
Nothing more.
Chapter Ten
Dax
Seeing Bryne was supposed to make things easier, supposed to help me decide what to do. A part of me was hoping that I would see her, and it wouldn't mean anything. I could tell her that I was just checking up on her, that I wanted to make sure she was okay before I walked away. It wouldn't make me want to do the job for Booker, but I'd at least know that I wouldn't be putting my relationship with her on the line. The risk would be worth the reward.
Except the moment she stepped outside, and I saw that guy's arm around her shoulders, I'd wanted nothing more than to tell Todd to get lost. I didn't care if he was gay. I didn't want anyone but me touching her. Hell, it'd taken all of my self control to wait until we were in the car to kiss her.
Considering how much I needed every penny of my paycheck, my suggestion of dinner and a movie wasn't a good one, but I needed to spend time with her. Needed to know if she was worth me passing up a job and potentially – no, definitely – pissing off Booker. I had a lot to lose.
And now I was pretty sure she was one of those things I didn't want to lose.
Things had gone well once I'd gotten over the shock she'd given me, but even now as we sat next to each other in the theater, I found myself going through it again.
A virgin.
I'd always stayed away from virgins. Never wanted the responsibility that I thought would come with being someone's first.
But Bryne wasn't like that. She hadn't acted upset that we didn't wake up together, or that she hadn't met my mother. She wasn't pushing for more time together or whining for a commitment.
Sure, she'd asked me about Cleo, and then surprised me with a question about kids, but I'd been around enough jealous women to know Bryne wasn't like that. She wanted answers but didn't seem put off when I didn't offer details about where Cleo and I had gone or who we'd talked to.
One thing was for certain, I thought as I glanced over at the woman sitting next to me. Bryne Dawkins wasn't like anyone I'd ever met before.
She'd been enthusiastic about sex, unafraid to say what she wanted, but even though I hadn't suspected her of being a virgin, I hadn't thought she'd slept around either. She wasn't naive, but there was definitely an innocence about her. Sweet, but she clearly didn't take shit from anyone.
And the more time I spent with her, the more I wanted. Wanted to talk to her, touch her. Hell, just being near her did something to me. In the past, I'd wanted a woman's body, and afterwards, I was done. Maybe that made me a bastard, but I never promised them anything else. If we danced or ate or talked, it was all foreplay.
With her, it was more. Sure, I wanted to
fuck her again, but it wasn't like with other women where I was counting down the seconds until I could get my dick inside her.
As the credits began to run, Bryne shifted against me. I tightened my arm around her, wanting to keep her right where she was. Her head on my shoulder. The scent of her floral shampoo surrounding me. The feel of her soft curves. I was pretty sure she'd fallen asleep at some point during the movie, and I didn't even care that I'd spent money on a ticket she wasn't actually using. I would've bought another one if it meant I got to keep her here with me like this.
She sat up as the lights came on, her cheeks turning pink as she glanced at me. “Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep.”
“It's okay.” I shrugged, determined to keep my tone casual. She didn't need to know how much I liked that she trusted me enough to do that. Trust wasn't something I felt very often. Even less now that I'd lost Carrie and Gavin's.
A little voice in the back of my head spoke up, telling me I should have Bryne talk to them for me, see if I could get my job back. I quickly pushed that aside. I didn’t want Bryne thinking I only wanted to be with her to get back in the club, even if it would've helped a lot. Once I told Booker I wouldn’t do the job, maybe I'd go see Carrie myself, make things right. I didn't like the idea of Bryne's family thinking I'd treat her bad.
I stood and ran a hand over my face. I needed to quit thinking like that. Bryne and I were having a good time. That was all. Telling Booker no was because of my mom, not her.
She smiled up at me, her eyes still a little hazy with sleep.
Okay, maybe not only because of Bryne.
“I need to go to the restroom,” she said as we started to walk toward the door. “Splash some cold water on my face.”
“I'll wait over there.” I gestured toward an out of the way spot. I watched Bryne disappear, then moved over to lean against the wall.
I hadn't been there more than a minute when a familiar voice caught my attention.
“Aren't the two of you sweet?”
I scowled as Cleo sauntered over, wondering how the hell she'd located me here. She seemed to be able to locate me most everywhere, something I’d need to look in to. The bitch looked pretty pleased with herself. She wore far too few clothes for the weather, and swung her hips as she walked, clearly enjoying the stares she was getting.
“What do you want?” I snapped. “Georgie didn't say we were meeting tonight.”
“Oh, I'm not here for Georgie.” She stepped into my personal space, her breasts pressing against my arm.
I ignored it, knowing a reaction was what she was looking for. “What then?”
“Booker.”
My jaw clenched.
“He's worried you're gonna get cold feet.”
Fuck. I thought I'd been careful to keep my opinion about the job to myself.
“I'll do what I need to do.” That was vague enough that no matter what I did, I wouldn't be lying.
“Good.” She glanced toward the bathroom. “Because if you don't, your new little bitch is gonna be the one to pay.”
I pushed off the wall, glowering down at Cleo. “What'd you say?” I growled, my hands curling into fists.
“Not me. Booker. He says that if you don't do your job, he'll take it out on her.”
A flash of panic went through me, and I drew on my anger to keep it at bay. Cleo could smell fear or anything like it. I couldn't let her go back to Booker saying that his threat had gotten a reaction out of me. Better I make him think I didn't care.
“What? Did you go bitching to him that I didn't want to fuck you, so you think she's something special?”
A wicked smile curved Cleo's blood-red lips. “Yeah, I told him that you were fucking some rich cunt.”
I took a step toward her, and she stumbled back. Anger twisted her face, but I could see the embarrassment behind it. “It's no one's business who I fuck, Cleo. And I don't need threats to do my job. You go ahead and tell Booker that I'll be there, but you keep your mouth shut about Bryne.”
The glint in Cleo's eyes said she saw more than I wanted her to, but before I could say anything else, she nodded. “Have fun with your girl, Dax, but make sure your head's in the game, or she'll be sorry.”
As she disappeared around the corner, I willed myself to calm down. As much as I wanted to go after her, wanted to go find Booker and tell him to stay the hell away from Bryne, I knew that wasn't the smart thing to do. And I had to be smart about it. No matter how much I told myself that this thing with Bryne wasn't anything important, I couldn't stand thinking that she could be hurt because of me.
“I'm ready to go.” Bryne wrapped her arm around mine. “You want me to take a car home, or did you want to go somewhere else?”
I looked down at her, saw her open expression. This wasn't some passive-aggressive shit. She really would be okay with whatever I wanted to do. I wrapped my arm around her waist as I made my decision.
“Let's get to a hotel. I want you naked and under me.”
Chapter Eleven
Bryne
I leaned back against Dax while ignoring the look he was giving me. I wasn't an idiot. I knew he didn't have a lot of money, especially since he wasn't working at the club anymore, and he'd already paid for our meal and the movie. I wouldn’t make him add a hotel room on top of that.
I wasn't sure if he'd been paying close attention the last time we'd gone to a hotel, or if he'd figured it had something to do with Gavin, but the minute I told the driver where I wanted to go, I'd known we needed to have a little talk.
“Bryne.” Dax's voice was tight. “I can't–”
“I know a little bit about your background.” I cut him off but still didn't look at him. “But you don't know a lot about mine.”
“I don't see–”
“I wasn't raised with money.” I opted for the short version since the long one was a bit too personal. We weren't there yet. “But my mom's family has it. After my dad died, Mom and I moved in with her grandparents.” A faint smile curved my lips even as a wave of sadness swept over me. “After Nana and Papa passed, I inherited everything.”
Seconds passed by as he absorbed this new information. Finally, he asked, “How much is everything?”
“Enough,” I said. “The room's on me.”
“Like hell it is.”
Great. Petulant Dax wouldn’t be any fun. I needed to nip this in the bud, or there'd be no point to getting a room.
“You're not my boyfriend.” I kept my tone gentle, but firm. “We were really clear about that, right? We aren't in a relationship, which means you can't pull the money card. I want to go here, so I'll pay for it.”
I expected an argument, and when I finally glanced at him, he didn't look happy. Before he could say anything though, I decided to play dirty. I reached over and ran my hand up his leg. The muscles under my hand tensed, then he sucked in a breath as I brushed my hand across his crotch.
The heat in his eyes as he turned toward me made my stomach clench, but I didn't back off. I wanted him so much that it almost hurt. If I had to be forward to make him see that the money didn't matter, then that's what I would do. If I had to emphasize the fact that we weren't a couple, I'd do that too.
“You trying to buy me off?”
“Depends,” I said.
“On what?”
“On what gets you naked the fastest.”
He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me against him, a wicked grin curving his lips a moment before his mouth came down on mine. His teeth scraped then bit my bottom lip until it throbbed. His fingers dug into me, as if he couldn't get me close enough. I understood the feeling, needing to move until I was straddling his lap, feeling his body hard against and beneath mine. I dug my nails into his chest, my other hand in his hair even as he fisted mine, using it to turn my head, deepen our kiss. His other hand splayed across the small of my back, his heat burning through my clothes. The strength I felt in his fingers made me shiver.
Todd was strong,
and his touch had been pleasant. But nothing more than that. The relief I'd felt from his massage wasn’t sexual at all. With Dax, every touch was sexual. Every touch made me crave more, made intimate parts of my body throb and ache. I thought I knew what it was like to be turned on, to have my body need release.
And then I met Dax and realized I'd known nothing.
I ground down on him, my moan mingling with his. We had layers between us, but the memory of him inside me was so strong that I could almost feel it.
“Miss Bryne.”
Dax growled at the man's voice, his hands gripping me possessively. I might not have been his girlfriend, but his reaction left no doubt that I was his, if only for right now.
“Miss Bryne, we're here.”
Here? It took me another moment for the statement to get through, and only then did I break the kiss. Dax made an annoyed sound.
“We're at the hotel.” My voice was breathless, raw. “The quicker we get checked in, the quicker we can get to a room.”
I heard the driver laugh as Dax pulled me after him, barely taking the time to shut the door. I didn't pay much attention to it because as soon as we stepped inside the lobby, Dax's hand went from holding mine, to sliding around my waist and under my shirt. My stomach muscles fluttered as his fingers caressed my ribcage.
By the time we practically fell out of the elevator and into our hallway, everything about me was burning. Butterflies in my stomach. Arousal throbbing between my legs. Skin tingling. My hands shook as I unlocked the door, and none of it was because of nerves.
“Clothes off,” Dax ordered as he reached for the back of his shirt, pulling it over his head. “I need you naked. Now.”
He finished first, crowding into me even as I was still trying to get out of my bra. He picked me up and my legs went around his waist, only the thin fabric of my panties keeping us from full skin-on-skin contact. He grabbed my hair, yanking it back so he could have access to my neck. Teeth and tongue on my skin made me moan and gasp, commanding my attention until he dropped me onto the plush armchair just a few feet from the door.