Now or Never

by A. J. Bennett

  “Ready?” Luna asked.

  Grayson grinned slyly. “Let’s go.”

  The night was cool and smelled like rain beneath a cloudy sky, but that didn’t stop most people from coming out in their summer clothes. Grayson wasn’t sure if the two girls in front of them in line were wearing dresses or handkerchiefs for all the coverage the shiny cloth gave them. She looked down at her own demure blue jeans and sweater. At least, her jeans were tight and the sweater form-fitting, so she didn’t look too frumpy. She certainly felt underdressed, though.

  At the doorway, a burly security guard checked IDs. His dark eyes did a double-take when they walked up, and he let out a wolf whistle. “Damn girl. I didn’t know there were two of you.”

  Luna tossed her long red-gold hair over her shoulder and preened. “Tiny, this is my little sister, Grayson.”

  Tiny? Grayson thought, eyeing his over six-foot frame, all muscles and beef.

  Tiny nodded, his bald head shining under the neon lights as he accepted Grayson’s ID, giving it a passing glance. “I don’t know if this town is big enough for both of you. You’re going to give the guys a heart attack when you walk in there.”

  Luna flashed a wicked grin. “That’s the plan.”

  Grayson was sure her cheeks were red as roses. How had Luna been granted all the confidence, and Grayson hadn’t?

  She must have taken all of that characteristic in the womb.

  Tiny handed their IDs back. “Have fun ladies.”

  “Oh, we will Tiny.” Luna laced her arm through Grayson’s and pulled her inside, with a little excited skip in her step.

  They were immediately assaulted by the noise and the smell of cigarettes and alcohol. “The Trap” was just like any other old bar—dingy, smoky, and full of shifting bodies and music so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think. A group of guys turned to stare at them. Grayson shifted her feet and looked down, her automatic response to attention.

  Luna elbowed her in the side. “No one knows you.”

  The reminder hit home, and Grayson stood up straighter, willing the confidence to take over. She even found the courage to smile, though whether it was a nervous grin or a sexy one, there was no way to tell. Arms still linked, Luna led the way, squeezing through the crowd to the bar. A group of clean-shaven guys parted to make room for them, flashing smiles in their direction. A couple of girls with short skirts and low cut shirts glared daggers at them, but Luna just smiled and waved.

  Behind the bar, a good-looking bartender with huge tattooed arms turned to face them. He had dark hair and pale green eyes. “Whoa. I’m seeing double here. I obviously need more sleep.” He winked.

  Grayson fought the urge to groan. A lifetime of twin jokes got old long ago.

  “The usual, Luna? Times two?”

  Great. Luna was on first name basis with the bouncer and the bartender. Had her sister turned into a lush while she was away? Scratch that, even more of a lush than she already was.

  “We may look alike, but the similarity truly ends there.” Luna tapped her fingers on the counter. “I’ll take the usual, and she’ll have a Jack and Coke.”

  The bartender nodded and pulled out a bottle of beer from the cooler beneath the counter, then slid it across to Luna. As the bartender mixed Grayson’s drink, a broad-shouldered guy much older than they were threw money down. “On me,” he blurted out.

  Luna turned and gave him one of her hundred-watt smiles. “Thank you, but buying our drinks doesn’t mean you will be getting us into bed,” she yelled over the music.

  Grayson sucked in a breath, dropping her head low willing herself to disappear. Her sister was so over the top. She always said the unexpected. For the tenth time since they’d pulled into the lot, Grayson felt her face get warm.

  The man laughed. “Just watching the two of you is enough for me.”

  Luna tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek, and then led Grayson by the hand over to the only empty table. Within moments, a waitress came by, setting down more drinks. “The guy at the pool table sent them over.”

  Grayson turned to where she indicated. A tall, skinny guy tipped his cowboy hat with a smile, and then turned back to his game.

  Luna tapped her fingernails on the neck of her new beer. “Another good thing about this place, I never pay to get in, and I never pay for a drink. They like the eye candy. This is a military town. The guy to girl ratio is ridiculous, I love it.”

  Grayson wasn’t comfortable with the attention at all. She took a huge swig of her drink, and the liquid went down smoothly, loosening some of her muscles. She’d need a couple for liquid courage, but she’d have to watch her intake. It was a long time since she’d last gone out drinking, and she knew her sister could drink her, and some grown men, under the table. All Grayson needed was to get drunk and make a fool of herself.

  Luna leaned upon her elbows across the table, her blue eyes sparkling. She motioned to the bar. “Pick one.”

  “Pick one?”

  “Yeah, you can have any one of these guys. All you gotta do is decide which one you want, it’s that easy.”

  Grayson looked at her sister like she’d lost her damn mind, but she did scan the bar. It was dimly lit and packed. Some people were out on the dance floor dancing to the local band playing, while a bunch crowded the bar, yelling to get the bartender’s attention.

  She honed in on a group of men gathered at the corner, all of them a bit more chill looking than the rest of the rowdy bar. There wasn’t one woman near them, which was odd considering they were an attractive group. Grayson noticed a single guy standing off to the side of the group. He was obviously with them but hung back, one hand holding a beer bottle as his eyes scanned the bar.

  Perfect, Grayson thought. He was tall and lean with short-cropped dark hair; completely opposite of Josh.

  Grayson nodded towards his direction.

  “That one.”

  She didn’t really think it was as easy as picking a man out by appearance and guaranteeing to nab him. It was true that genetics had been good to Grayson and her sister, but there were a lot of pretty women at the bar. She felt like they were ten again and playing some silly game, humoring her sister because it was easier than ignoring her.

  Luna nodded her approval. “Should have known, the leader of the pack.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Those guys are Marines. He’s in charge; that’s why he’s standing back and watching.”

  “Marines? I thought this was an army town.”

  “Marines,” Luna said matter-of-factly.

  “What the hell would Marines be doing at an Army base?”

  Luna laughed. “Training. All branches come here. I told you, hot bed for sexy beasts. Believe me now?”

  “How do you know all this anyway?” Grayson asked, surprised that her sister had some kind of secret life she never knew about. She held up a hand. “On second thought, never mind. I don’t think I want to know.” She gazed at him thoughtfully. “He looks a lot older than me though.”

  Luna narrowed her eyes. “I’m sure he is. At least, mid-thirties, I’d guess. However little sister, one tip I will share with you from my experiences, the older ones are much better in bed.”

  Excitement raced through Grayson’s body. Could she do it? Have a little bit of fun for once? Let herself let go of her inhibitions? She could kill two birds with one stone: a one-night stand and sex with an older man. She wasn’t as confident as Luna that she could just pick a man and have him take her to his hotel, but she figured it would be fun to try. Worst case, she went home alone. Not the end of the world. Plus, her liquid courage stepped up a few notches, so why the hell not?

  Grayson leaned to whisper in her sister’s ear. “What about protection?”

  Luna patted her purse, looking delighted as hell. “I got you covered.”

  Grayson’s heart hammered at the thought. “Who did you pick?”

  “Three guys over from yours.”

  Grayson counted an
d saw a guy who was much shorter with blond hair. He was laughing, his wide shoulders shaking and his head tossed back easily. She wondered what had made her sister pick him. She thought he looked way too much like Josh, and that was a total turn off.

  Her eyes darted back to the dark-haired guy. He didn’t seem to notice her. On the other hand, he didn’t seem to notice anyone else either.

  Luna stood up, and Grayson grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Grayson had to pick her jaw up off the table as she watched her sister walk over to the group of guys like she was some sort of celebrity. She leaned over and whispered something into the blond guy’s ear. He turned and smiled, looking Luna up and down. Then she saw Luna point at her, and Grayson groaned. What was she thinking, following her crazy sister around? Hadn’t she learned anything in twenty-one years? Her sister always got her into trouble.

  Here we go again, Grayson thought nervously.

  As Luna casually sauntered back to Grayson, the blond guy spoke to the one Grayson had chosen. The two men turned their attention over to her, and she wanted to sink into the floor. She was going to kill her sister.

  Luna sat back down and smiled as the two men made their way over to the table.

  Shit.

  CHAPTER 9

  Grayson’s stomach flipped when the dark-haired man pulled up a stool beside her. She had no idea what her sister had said to the blond, who in turn had brought this sexy stranger to her side. Thankfully, the bar was dimly lit so he couldn’t see how red her face was.

  He leaned towards her resting his forearms on the table holding her gaze steadily. “What’s your name?”

  Grayson froze, she didn’t want to give her real name. She looked around for inspiration, and then glanced down at the amber and carnelian bracelet around her wrist. “Amber.”

  “Amber.” He rolled the word around as if he was tasting it. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Todd.”

  Grayson raised the glass to her lips finishing her drink, and then pushed it to the side to pick up the next. She wasn’t sure why she’d lied about her name, but it was too late now anyway. Maybe if she pretended like she was someone else, she could actually go through with the madness?

  Luna seductively led the blond out onto the dance floor, leaving Grayson alone with a complete stranger. Bitch.

  “Are you from around here?” Grayson asked loudly.

  He shook his head. “I’m from California. We’re just here for training.”

  “Are you in the military?”

  “Yeah, I’m a Marine.”

  So Luna was right. She usually was, as much as Grace hated to admit it. “How long are you here for?”

  “We’re leaving tomorrow. We’ve been here a couple of weeks already.” He took a swig from his beer. “This is my first night out, a celebration of sorts.” He glanced over at his friends. “I have to make sure the guys don’t get into trouble though.”

  He really could be perfect for what she had in mind. She would never see him again, and he didn’t even know her real name. She stared at his profile. He was a good-looking man, well over six-foot tall. She had always liked tall men. Compared to her five foot two frame, it was a stark contrast.

  “Ah, baby-sitter of the group?” Grayson said sagely. “That’s how I feel about my sister most of the time.”

  “Yeah, something like that.” He leaned in closer.

  “So tell me about yourself, Todd.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “What do you do for fun?”

  Todd’s face lit up. “I love to golf.”

  Oh, boy. Grayson took another drink and could feel the alcohol start to take on even more of an effect. Her body temperature always rose a few degrees when she drank. Suddenly, the room felt very hot and her head was tipsy. But it helped to drown out the golf jargon her ‘date’ was currently spewing. She nodded at the appropriate times as she finished her drink. Todd was really nice, and he was definitely hot, but golf was not an aphrodisiac.

  Turning to the crowd to search for her sister, Grayson was shocked to see Luna full-on making out with her guy on the dance floor. That girl has no shame, Grayson thought, quickly turning back to Todd before her sister realized she was staring for too long.

  A couple of songs, and a few long golf stories later, Luna came back to the table, holding hands with the unknown guy. “We’re out of here.” She eyed Todd. “Hey, what’s your name?”

  “Todd.”

  “Todd, take care of my sister, okay?”

  He looked at Grayson and back at Luna. “Sure.”

  Luna grabbed her purse and kissed Grayson on the cheek. “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  As Grayson watched her twin walk out the door, she promised herself she was going to strangle that girl in the morning.

  “Sorry about that,” she spoke up, turning back to Todd.

  He lifted a dark eyebrow. “Sorry about what?”

  “Her, my sister I mean.” Grayson laughed. “I promise; we’re nothing alike. This is her scene. She just dragged me along.”

  “No problem. I have to stay here until closing anyway. Remember, it’s my job to make sure there’s no trouble. Afterwards, I can drive you home.”

  “It’s okay. Actually, I think I’ll go.” Grayson stood to leave, giving him a smile. “I can catch a cab home.”

  Todd reached for her, his calloused fingers brushing her bare arm. “Why don’t you stay around a while? Keep me company. This isn’t really my scene either.”

  Grayson studied him, looking for any bit of insincerity or humor, but he showed none. Why not? It was stay with Todd or go back to her mom’s empty house full of crazy cats.

  She sat back down.

  They spent the next three hours talking about hobbies—thankfully, no more golf—as well as her sudden move back from Arizona, though she kept all mention of Josh out of it. Todd seemed like a nice guy, and so far he hadn’t made her uncomfortable at all.

  As the band called out ‘last song’ and the bartender followed with ‘last call’, they shared a smile. By now, she’d had a total of five drinks and was buzzed, so her grin was wobbly.

  “Do you want to come and stay in my room? My hotel is right across the street. I promise I won’t try anything.” Todd paused. “You don’t seem like you should be alone in a taxi, and I’ve had too much to drink to drive you home.”

  Bolstered by the alcohol, Grayson ran her eyes over his body and wondered if he was good in bed. It sent a thrill through her, desire uncoiling in her abdomen.

  “Yeah. Taxi’s do kinda creep me out at night,” she agreed. “That would be great.”

  They walked into the cool midnight air and through the parking lot to a hotel across the street. She felt sort of exhilarated, high almost. He didn’t try anything on the walk. No touching at all, not even a move to hold her hand. Grayson couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She wondered if he really planned to be a perfect gentleman. If that was the case, she would have to make the first move. That would be another first she could check off her list if that ended up happening.

  Todd fumbled with the key card as he slipped it in the lock, and he let out a nervous laugh. Grayson thought it was cute. He was cute—even better looking in the light. She could have definitely picked much worse.

  “I can give you a T-shirt to sleep in if you want,” Todd said as they walked into the room. He actually went over to his suitcase to grab a shirt. Was this guy for real?

  Grayson figured if she was going to act like a different person and use an alter ego, she might as well go all out. While his back was turned, she yanked off her shirt and tossed it to the side, then shimmed off her jeans. She stood on the thin carpet in her underwear, shivering from the air conditioning.

  Todd turned around, a white T-shirt in his hand. His eyes widened, and the shirt fluttered to the carpet. The room fell into silence, nothing but the steady, unassuming whir of the air conditioner bet
ween them.

  Grayson steadied herself with a single deep breath. Reaching back, she unhooked her bra and let it fall.

  I kinda like my alter ego, Grayson couldn’t help but think to herself. She felt free, like a confident woman—it felt fucking fantastic.

  CHAPTER 10

  Grayson waited for his reaction, barely breathing.

  For a moment, he seemed speechless. Then he moved his hands into a prayer position across his chest, looked at the ceiling, and whispered, “Thank you.”

  Immediately, Grayson laughed, her insecurity easing. Todd tore off his shirt, exposing washboard abs and a strong, shapely chest as he took a few steps forward, closing the distance.

  Very nice, Grayson thought. She slid her hands up his warm chest as his lips crashed down on hers.

  There was nothing sweet about the kiss. It was raw and carnal from the moment their lips met, and Grayson clung to Todd’s neck, desperate to feel the weight of his body on hers. She opened her mouth beneath his, feeling giddy with desire as his tongue slid against hers with a kind of sensuality Josh had never had.

  She felt reckless and so unlike herself. She fumbled at the buttons on Todd’s cargo pants, her fingers moving over him. He was already hard, which really turned her on.

  She gripped the sides of his pants and tugged, exposing every glorious inch hidden beneath. There was no backing out now. Grayson dropped onto her knees and took the full length of him in her mouth. His skin was velvety soft, the head of him salty as her tongue moved around his shaft.

  He moaned. “Oh my God.”

  Grayson worked his cock, listening to sounds of pleasure from Todd, and felt like a sex goddess. When she finally released him with an audible sucking sound, she stood up and their lips met again. He walked her back to the bed, taking her gently by the waist to push her down onto the comforter.