Ravenous

by L. L. Collins

  “Nice to meet you, Breck. I’m…” I trailed off, realizing my first thought was to give him my correct name. He had me completely off my game. There wasn’t any way I could be Raven with him, and I needed to keep my head on straight and not think with my buzzing libido. “I’m Janie.” I realized belatedly that he already knew that, since he called me that moments before. This man made me act like a fool.

  He smiled, a mouthful of gleaming white teeth dazzling me. “Thank you for coming today. I’m sorry for the deceit.” Breck scanned my body before his gaze settled on my face. I swore I felt everything like he touched me. “I-I’ve never done something like this before.”

  “So why today? And why me? I never met you that night with Porter.”

  Breck blew out a breath and peered back at the tent. “There are a lot of female teachers who always ask me to go out and get dinner. I’m flattered. I just didn’t want to deal with it today. So thank you for coming.” He ran his hand through his short blond hair. “I never met you that night, but I was there. I saw you.”

  I saw you. Those words stroked me like a feather tickling their way up my body.

  “You saw me?”

  6

  Brecken

  I almost screwed this up. Shit, she almost walked away from me when she thought I was Porter. It seemed like she didn’t want to be around him, and it made me wonder why. Then she stayed when she realized I wasn’t him, which confused me even more. I was so out of my league it wasn’t even funny. Seeing her again, this time so close I could see every detail of her gorgeous face and knockout body, had me seriously thrown off. Despite how many times I thought about this moment right here, nothing prepared me for being close to her.

  Janie was even more gorgeous than I remembered, and ten times more than I imagined. She wore her hair down around her shoulders like it had been the night of the hospital benefit. Her skin was flawless, and if she had on any makeup today, it was hard to tell. The small cover-up she wore didn’t hide her voluptuous breasts or trim, toned legs. I could only imagine what would happen once she took it off and I got a peek of her bathing suit.

  If I could get her to stay.

  I tried to remember it was her job to be here, and I paid a shit ton more than I should to have her attention.

  She was here with me.

  Job or not, she made the choice to be here, and she stayed despite the shocked and betrayed expression on her face when she thought I was Porter.

  Now I needed to spend the day with her to see if my attraction was more than just infatuation.

  I wanted to ask her if Janie was her real name, but the words died on my lips. That was too personal, and I knew I couldn’t cross that line, yet. Maybe I could get her to open up later, after we got to know each other more.

  “I saw you at the dinner. I never got the chance to meet you, though.”

  She nodded, and her eyes narrowed on me. She didn’t trust me. I couldn’t really blame her. “You sat at another table.”

  “I did.”

  “So I get why you wanted someone here with you today. But what I don’t get is why me? Penny has a ton of other girls.”

  I didn’t know how to answer her without sounding like some sort of stalker weirdo. “Porter trusted you. You did a great job with him, so he told me I should ask for you.”

  Janie bit her lip, and I wanted to groan. Desire shot through my body. I wanted to watch her chew on her lip as I pounded into her. Brecken Kingsley. I needed to back the hell up and quit having inappropriate thoughts. I sounded like Porter, not myself. This was not supposed to be about sex.

  “So it had nothing to do with…anything else?” Janie crossed her arms in front of her chest, and my gaze immediately dropped. Damn, she oozed sex appeal from every pore in her body.

  “What else would it have to do with?” She had to be thinking I wanted more from her. I wouldn’t lie. My body hummed like a well-tuned instrument in front of her. But I wasn’t that kind of guy. Even if she made me want to be.

  She glanced away for a brief second before jutting her chin up and meeting my gaze. “Okay. So what’s our story?”

  I wanted to take the large sunglasses off her face and peer into her eyes. I wondered if she felt the zing of attraction between us or if this was just another afternoon of work for her.

  I made it my goal to help her have fun while I had her and make her forget this was a job.

  “Our story?”

  A small huff rushed past her pursed lips. “Yes, Brecken. We should have a story for your co-workers. I assume none of them think you have a girlfriend. So are we dating? Have we been together long? Where did we meet?”

  She was a pro. I hadn’t thought of any of this. I only wanted to stand here in this moment with her. I still couldn’t believe I made it happen. It was worth every dime I’d spent. Now I had to convince her it was more than just a job.

  Before I could answer, she threw her head back. The sound of her laughter, coupled with the sight of her smooth neck, and the genuine grin on her face made me weak in the knees. I didn’t know what was so funny or if my naiveté was what made her laugh, but I wanted her to keep doing that.

  “Breck,” I corrected her. I wanted my nickname to roll off her tongue. I wanted to know what it sounded like when she whispered it right before my lips touched hers and yelled it in a moment of passion. She quirked her eyebrow at me but didn’t respond, a smile still playing on her lips. “We met at a restaurant, where you worked as a waitress. We’ve just been together a few weeks.”

  “I no longer work there?”

  I shrugged. “You can decide that.”

  Janie nodded. “Okay. And how affectionate do you want us to be? Some people aren’t into PDAs, but some are. I just need the ground rules.”

  My heart thumped in my chest. “Whatever you feel comfortable with.” Please want to kiss me. Please.

  She nodded and indicated the tent behind us. “You ready? I think we’re getting some stares.”

  I noticed the same thing the second Janie walked up to me. It was time to put on a show. But really, this was just a ruse. I didn’t care about pretending Janie was my girlfriend so that the other teachers would leave me alone. I would get the third degree by Trent, one of my best friends and co-workers, but I was prepared for that.

  I just wanted to spend the day with her, and I finally got the chance to do that. I just had to forget that I paid big money for her to be here and focus on getting to know the woman she was. If she would open herself up to me, that was.

  She reached her hand over and linked her fingers with mine, pulling me slightly until I started walking. I couldn’t help but notice that my fingers fit perfectly with hers. Her lips lifted in a confident smile as we reached the tent.

  “Breck!” Mr. Mills, my boss, saw us first. “Great to see you. Thanks for coming.” He shifted his attention immediately to Janie.

  “Mr. Mills, this is Janie. Janie, this is my boss.”

  His eyes widened as he registered Janie’s fingers twined with mine.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Mills. Beautiful day for a beach party.” Her soft and friendly voice proved how much of a natural she was.

  He shook her free hand, and I swore I saw the man blush. He was middle-aged with a wife and grown children, but I guessed even he wasn’t immune to Janie’s aura.

  “Please, call me Aaron. I’m glad you could come with Breck. He’s a great part of our faculty.”

  “Thank you, Aaron.” Janie turned to me. “Ready to get some food? I’m starved.” She winked at me, and I swore my head was no longer tethered to my neck and began floating in the clouds.

  “Absolutely. Let’s go feed you.”

  We walked the line, both of us picking out hamburgers, chips, pasta salad, and a cold beer. We were stopped several times, and I introduced Janie again, never quite describing her as my girlfriend, but I knew people assumed.

  I loved every second of that assumption.

  I wished this wasn’t
a ruse, that she was here with me because she wanted to be. She doesn’t even know you. Don’t be a moron.

  I hadn’t spotted Trent or his wife, Tiffani, yet. They’d had a baby boy six months ago, so if I had to guess, they were late. Trent and I had become friends when I started teaching, and he was one of the very few I considered a close friend other than my brother.

  We slid into seats across from each other under the tent. People milled around everywhere, and kids raced back and forth from the shade to the water, but we were the only ones at the table. Studying Janie across the table made me feel awkward, even though nothing about her seemed pretentious or uneasy.

  “What do you teach?” Janie licked the corner of her mouth, her pink tongue getting a wayward piece of food. The motion made me lose focus on what she asked, and I wished for nothing more than to be that crumb.

  I was a goner.

  I thought about what Porter would think if he was in my head now.

  He would think I was certifiable.

  “English and JROTC.”

  Janie’s eyebrow raised. “What’s JROTC? Something military, right?”

  “Yes. It stands for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, and it teaches high school kids character, leadership, diversity, and the regiments of the military. There’s ROTC in college, too, and some go on to do that. Many also go into the military—either right after high school or after college.”

  “That’s amazing. Were you in the military?”

  I nodded, trying to swallow the piece of hamburger in my now dry throat. I wondered if she wanted to know about me or if she just made small talk. In the same second, I wondered how much information she got out of Porter, and what she shared with him.

  Stop thinking about Porter. She’s here with you.

  “Oh, wow.” Janie put her hand over mine. “Thank you for your service. How long were you in? What branch?”

  For some reason, her affection and kind words made a lump form in my throat. I heard things like that often, of course, but it meant something more coming from this beautiful woman.

  “I was in for four years. Army.”

  She whistled. “Front lines?”

  I nodded and she grimaced. “You were over there, weren’t you?” I didn’t have to ask what she meant. Since September 11th, everyone knew what “over there” meant.

  “Two different times,” I answered.

  Janie rubbed her thumb back and forth over my hand. “I’m so glad you made it back safely. I’m sure that was very hard for your family. How did Porter handle it with you being twins and all? Was he in, too?”

  “No. He was in medical school. My family didn’t understand why I wanted to do it. Why I felt I needed to do it. They supported me, but it was hard when I was deployed. That was the first time Port and I had ever been separated.”

  “Hey! I’m here!” Trent plopped down next to me and broke the moment. Janie smiled at him, her friendly and social demeanor back in place. He noticed her hand over mine and peered at me with a question in his eyes.

  “Trent! There you are. This is Janie. Janie, this is one of my greatest friends. He’s the PE teacher at school. Where’s Tiffani?”

  Trent tore his eyes from Janie and shifted them to me. I knew I was about to get an inquisition. “She’s changing Toby in the car. She’ll be right up.” He lifted an eyebrow at me. “Where have you been hiding this beautiful woman?”

  I glanced over at Janie. My throat dried out and my hands began sweating at the prospect of telling him the lie, but Janie squeezed my hand and made me relax immediately.

  “He hides me in his closet,” she joked. “He let me out today to get some fresh air. Nice of him, huh?”

  Trent laughed. “I like this woman. What’s she doing with your ugly mug?”

  I’m paying her to be here. I forced a laugh, despite the pit of dread that settled in my stomach. Seeds of doubt sprouted deep inside me. “She had no choice. I made her come.” That was kind of true.

  Janie winked at me from across the table. I could almost believe she really was here for me, and that she liked me.

  Almost, if I didn’t have a check bigger than one of my paychecks clearing my account the second Janie was off the clock.

  Janie walked quietly next to me as we moved away from the crowd. The mid-afternoon sun beat down on us, and a trickle of sweat slid down my back. It was hot as hell, but I would endure days of this torturous Florida humidity and temperature if it meant being with her.

  I was right about her. She was amazing. I felt more comfortable with her than anyone I could remember. She was friendly, outgoing, and kind. And as much as I knew she put on a persona today, I somehow knew she couldn’t fake the things I liked about her.

  After eating lunch, we stood in the tent for a long time, talking to Trent and Tiffani. Janie took right to Toby, just like she took to everyone who came up to talk to us. It was Janie’s idea to head for the water to cool off before we would join in the annual beach volleyball game, and I wasn’t about to deny myself the chance to admire what was under that cover-up.

  Janie stopped and dropped her beach bag on the sand. I tried to steel myself for what I would see when she took her cover-up off, but the second she dropped the straps and began to shimmy the dress down her body, I lost all ability to think.

  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the woman’s body could kill. The black bikini left very little of her body to the imagination. Her breasts were large and perky, covered minimally by triangular pieces of fabric that tied behind her neck. The bottoms were tied at the sides and accentuated every curve she had. I wondered what it would be like to pull those strings and see all of her.

  Shit, I had to stop. I wore a bathing suit and could barely hide how happy I was to be around her. I couldn’t think about stripping her naked and having my way with her.

  No. Stop it. Think of something—anything other than how desirable she is.

  Her body was womanly and fit, not skinny. She had curves where a woman should have them, but she was cut and muscular like she spent a lot of time working out. When she shifted to pick up her discarded cover-up, my gaze dropped to her defined abs. She even had indentations of muscle along her hips heading into her bikini bottoms. Janie’s olive skin against the black bathing suit and her dark hair was an intoxicating mix.

  She was a complete knockout.

  My mouth watered with the desire to pull her to me and make her mine.

  “You going to take that shirt off and swim with me, or are you just going to gape at me?”

  Busted. I tore my gaze from her body and met her amused grin. She lifted a brow like she could read my mind. But if she could really read my mind, she would probably run for her car.

  “I like what I see,” I said. The second it came out, my face flushed. I sounded like a moron and wondered what the hell just came out of my mouth. This woman did something to me, and I hadn’t decided yet if it was a good thing or not.

  Janie stepped closer, so close that her breasts almost touched my still-clothed chest. My body leaned closer, instinctively wanting her skin against my own. She lifted her sunglasses, and I got a glimpse of her eyes for the first time. Inky lashes framed the dark pools of chocolate I would love to get lost in. I felt a deeper stirring inside me. It wasn’t just physical. Gazing into her eyes was like getting a glimpse into the real her.

  “Take this off. If you get to stare, so do I.” Her voice seemed huskier than it was before, and her tone was no longer teasing. She sounded aroused. Or I imagined it. That was possible.

  She didn’t wait for me to comply. She stepped back and pulled the bottom of my shirt up until I had no choice but to lift my arms and allow her to take the shirt off me. She held it in her hand, but neither of us moved. She peered up at me, and I gazed down into her face. I tried to read the signals she gave off, but I was unsure whether I read her right or not.

  “Are you going to do it, or not?” Janie’s lips moved.

  “Do what?” Please say kiss me.
Please.

  She smirked like she read my mind and dropped my shirt in the sand. “Get in the water.” Janie turned and stepped away from me, not looking at me. “Come on,” she called over her shoulder. “Time to cool off.”

  Despite the cool water temperature, being in there with her wouldn’t help at all. I could tell that.

  “Dude, she’s fucking smoking hot,” Trent whispered into my ear.

  I glanced over at Janie again, disappointingly dressed in her cover-up again. After our swim, we played volleyball with the group. As I expected, she was athletic, leading us into a landslide win. She was now a favorite among all the teachers from our team.

  And definitely a favorite of mine.

  Watching her run while wearing that small bathing suit caused me to miss the ball more than once. Once, it even hit me right in the nose.

  It still stung.

  But I’d do it again if I could get Janie to run up to me and put her hand on my face, regarding me with large dark pools of intoxication, and asking if I was okay or if I needed some ice.

  I’d refrained from telling her exactly what would make me feel better.

  It had been so many years since I felt this pull, this absolute need to have a woman as part of my world. My bed, my life, my heart.

  My heart.

  The thought shocked me, but I found it didn’t scare me as much as I thought it might. I pushed the thought of her being a paid escort to the back of mind and told myself she must have a reason. Everyone had a reason for doing things, and hers was more than likely perfectly logical. I wanted to know everything about her, but I had to slow my roll. I couldn’t scare the poor woman by being too forward. I was shy and always had been, but with her, I found myself wanting to rush too far, too fast.