21 (The List Series)

by Rhonda James

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he mumbled.

  I stopped walking and waved the wad of paper in front of his face. “I’m not about to let her go looking for some strange asshole to help fulfill her twisted vacation fantasies.”

  He shook his head and gave a sarcastic chuckle. “Not when that asshole could be you, right?”

  “Well, you know what they say. Better the devil you know.”

  “Sure, that’s all fine and good, until one of you gets burned,” he countered. “Given your track record, I’m afraid it’s gonna be her. Don’t go after her unless you’re prepared to treat her right. Not after everything she’s already been through, man.”

  I leveled him with my gaze. “I’m not going to hurt her.”

  “Famous last words,” he uttered while brushing past me on his way out the door.

  By the time we made it to the bar, the opening band was already on stage. J.T. and Styx were there waiting for our arrival. We joined up and weaved our way through the crowd until we found an opening. One look at the stage was all it took for me to be floored for the third time today.

  “No fucking way.”

  Styx gawked at the girl on stage and elbowed me in the ribs. “Damn, Sin. Tori looks effing hot up there!”

  “Shut it, Styx.” I cuffed him on the back of the head. “Show some respect.”

  “Jesus. Calm your tits, dude.” He rubbed the back of his head and moved to J.T.’s other side.

  The song ended, and as she exited the stage, she was approached from behind by some asshole I didn’t recognize. He slipped something in her hand, but her back was turned to me and I couldn’t see what it was he’d given her. I watched them for a few minutes. Waited for her to tell him to get lost.

  When that didn’t happen, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

  CHAPTER 16

  V

  The band Blade paired me with was made up of five guys in their late twenties who spent their days working in offices and their nights and weekends playing at bars and weddings. Most of them were married, and their wives were out in the audience cheering them on. They welcomed me with open arms and did everything they could to help me feel more comfortable on stage. We decided I would sing three songs then turn the remaining portion of their set over to them.

  Our set kicked off at eight, and the crowd enthusiastically filled the dance floor. I started out with the P!nk song I’d already performed with Hawk then moved on to sing The Chainsmokers’ mega hit Closer. The band’s lead singer joined me on that one. I closed with the song Break In. That song was a favorite of mine because for the longest time, I’d had a serious girl crush on Lzzy Hale, but it also seemed fitting considering I’d spent the last few nights quietly pleasuring myself while I listened to the sounds of Sin calling out my name on his own release.

  Strange to think we were in separate rooms yet doing the same thing while thinking of each other.

  Tonight, I’d chosen to wear a pair of faded denim cutoffs topped off with a teal and white cropped top and my favorite cowboy boots. The shorts were probably a little too short, but my goal had been to drive Sin crazy with lust, and judging by the look on his face when I’d left this evening, I would say my efforts had been successful.

  That would teach him to get me all worked up and leave me hanging.

  Blade had the AC cranked on full blast, but the theatrical lighting on the stage combined with being surrounded by too many warm bodies left me feeling overheated. I’d just stepped off stage when someone approached me from behind and placed a cold beer in my hand.

  I turned to find myself staring into a pair of eyes that reminded me of melted chocolate. I had no idea who he was, but he was awfully cute.

  His eyes darted to the beer in my hand. “Thought you might be thirsty. You sounded great up there.”

  “Thank you. That’s awfully kind of you, but I make it a point not to accept drinks from guys I don’t know. No offense.”

  “None taken. I fully support that. Gotta be safe and all. Name’s Aaron, by the way.” He stuck out a hand for me to shake, to which I obliged.

  “Nice to meet you, Aaron. I’m Victoria.”

  “Victoria. Beautiful name for a beautiful woman. My favorite color is orange. What’s yours?

  Wow. Laying it on a little thick, are we? This guy wasted no time. My brow furrowed in suspicion, but I answered his question anyway. “Teal.”

  “Favorite hard liquor?”

  “Tequila.”

  “No shit. Mine too.” He smirked, and I hated to admit that he looked cute while doing it. “You from around here?”

  I decided to keep playing along just to see where this was going. “Visiting. You?”

  “Born and raised right here in Panama City.” He leaned in and tapped a finger to the bottom of the beer I was still holding. “We’re no longer strangers, so I think it’s safe for you to drink that now.”

  I released a dry chuckle. “Cute, but I still don’t know you well enough to trust that you haven’t slipped something in this bottle.”

  “Have you eaten yet?” I shook my head. “Tell you what. Let me take you to dinner, and we can get to know each other a little better.”

  I played coy. “And what happens after that?”

  His finger moved from the bottle and trailed up my arm. “Whatever you want. It’s your call.”

  Someone came up behind us, causing me to jump back an inch or two. I turned to find Sin standing there, eyes darting between Aaron and me then back to Aaron. He spoke, never taking his eyes off Aaron.

  “V, you got a minute? I need to talk to you.”

  The heat of his gaze made my legs wobble, but I maintained my composure and copped a bit of an attitude. After all, this was the first time he’d spoken to me since that kiss and, let’s face it, my pride was still a little hurt.

  Okay, a lot hurt.

  “Hey! You’re that singer from Chaos Rising. Dude! You totally rocked it last weekend.” Aaron brought his arm up for a fist bump, but Sin totally left him hanging. “You two know each other?”

  “We live together,” Sin deadpanned, which made Aaron’s face drop into a frown.

  I heaved a sigh. “Can it wait? I’m a little busy right now.”

  “No, it can’t. We need to talk. Now.” By now, his already deep voice had dropped a full octave and my girly bits tingled in response. Sweet baby Jesus. Just the sound of his voice could send me into a mind-blowing orgasm. Sin took hold of my elbow and dragged me in the opposite direction of Aaron. He didn’t speak until we’d reached the end of a darkened hallway.

  Anger radiated off him. “Who the fuck was that guy?”

  “You have no business asking me that. I don’t owe you a damn thing.” I scowled and turned my back on him.

  “Answer the damn question, Victoria!”

  I jumped at the anger behind his words. “A friend. Why the hell do you care, anyway? You made it perfectly clear the other night how you feel about me.”

  “Which one of these items was your ‘friend’ going to help you cross off?” He tossed me a crumpled-up piece of paper that bounced off my chest. I caught it just before it fell to the floor. I had no idea what he was talking about until I pried it open. The sheet of paper shook in my trembling hands.

  I stared at the piece of paper, unable to fathom how he’d come across it.

  “Where did you get this?” I whisper-hissed.

  “It was in your room.”

  Yeah. Tucked beneath my freaking underwear!

  This guy had a lot of fucking nerve.

  “Motherfucker! You went through my things?” He merely shrugged as if snooping through someone else’s belongings was no big deal. “What gave you the right to do something like that?” By this time, I was no longer whispering.

  “You’ve been acting weird since that night in the alley. Tonight, when I saw the way you were dressed, I had to know where you were going
.” He leveled me with his icy stare. “Why’d you make that list, Victoria?”

  “Again. None of your business.”

  “Normal people don’t make lists like that,” he argued.

  “Oh, so now I’m crazy?”

  He relaxed his jaw and rubbed at his temples. “I never said you were crazy. I’m just trying to understand what possessed you to do it.”

  My emotions threatened to get the better of me. I crossed my arms protectively in front of me and leaned my head against the wall. Staring at the ceiling was easier than looking him in the eye. After all, he’d already seen the list, so I saw no reason to lie.

  “I’ve spent my whole life living someone else’s idea of how mine should be. After everything that happened with Michael, I realized just how boring and predictable my life had become. I’m tired of being a spectator of my own life. That list is my attempt at taking control of my life. Finally making a fresh start. My way. You know?” I risked a glance in his direction and found him staring directly at me. I held his gaze and continued talking, while he appeared to hang on to every word.

  “I started the list my first night in Panama City and didn’t finish it until last Monday. After our little kitchen fiasco, I started drinking tequila, and one thing led to another. I guess maybe I had one too many shots and the list got out of hand.”

  “Why 21?”

  “I’ve heard people tell these amazing stories about what it was like to be twenty-one. The parties. Friends. Endless dates. I’ve had none of that.” I averted my eyes, too embarrassed for him to see I was about to cry. “I know it sounds silly, but my twenty-second birthday is three weeks away and I don’t want any regrets. So, I promised myself I would complete the list before my birthday.”

  He stared pensively at the ground as if trying to wrap his head around everything I’d just unleashed on him.

  “What did that asshole say to you when you walked off stage?”

  “Nothing that concerns you,” I answered defiantly.

  “Everything about you concerns me!” he snapped.

  My anger returned with a vengeance, thinking he’d just insulted me. “Fuck you! You don’t own me.”

  “Goddammit, Victoria,” he growled.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but he asked me out to dinner.” Despite knowing he was pissed, I quirked a brow and continued, “I plan on leaving right after you’re through interrogating me.”

  I had no intentions of going anywhere with Aaron, but I saw no reason to tell Sin that. How dare he blow me off and then crawl up in my business as if kissing me had somehow given him the right to stake his claim on me. And just who the hell did he think he was, feigning concern only to throw my carelessness back in my face?

  “The fuck you are,” he scowled. “The only dinner on his mind is the buffet between your legs.”

  “You…asshole!” I stomped my boot down on the hard floor in defiance. “How dare you! You don’t even know Aaron. How can you say that about him?”

  “Oh! And you do?” he challenged.

  “As a matter of fact, I do! He grew up here. Loves the color orange. And apparently, we share the same affinity for tequila,” I stated smugly.

  Sin didn’t appear to be amused with my knowledge. “That so?”

  Full of vinegar, I cocked a hip and propped my hand on my waist. “Yep. In fact, I thought it would be fun to sneak off to his car and polish off a bottle of Patron just before I let him bone me in the backseat.”

  “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

  Oh no, he didn’t.

  “God, I hate you! I can go where I want with whomever I wa—”

  I never finished my sentence.

  He was on me in a flash, spinning me around and slamming me up against the wall before it even registered what was happening. One hand was around my throat while the other skimmed across my belly. I felt his warm breath on my neck as his lips ghosted over my flesh. Ragged breaths escaped my lips as the smell of fresh paint permeated my nostrils.

  Music blared loudly on the other side of the wall, but back here we were alone, no one around to stop what was about to go down. Not even me. Not because I couldn’t, but because I didn’t want to.

  His fingers inched higher, teasing the underside of my naked breast. “You knew exactly what you were doing when you put these on tonight. Didn’t you? The whole time you were prancing around on that stage without a bra. You knew you were giving every guy out there a show.” His fingers drew a line down the center of my heaving chest as he hissed, “Fuck. Just knowing they were looking up your shirt makes me want to gouge every single one of their eyes out.”

  His hand dipped lower, toying with the waist of my shorts before sliding all the way inside. The hand around my throat tightened once he discovered I wasn’t wearing panties. “Christ, woman. Are you trying to kill me?”

  Holy Toledo.

  I knew it might sound crazy, but the hand on my throat, the calloused pad of his finger resting on my most sensitive place, all of it worked in his favor. Any anger I’d been harboring disappeared the moment his lips touched my neck.

  He rotated his hips, and desire pooled between my legs when he ground his arousal against my ass until I answered, “As a matter of fact, I was thinking maybe a slow sex-induced death where we both go with ridiculous smiles on our faces.”

  “I’d happily die that death,” he agreed before burying two fingers inside me.

  “Oh, God,” I moaned and rolled my hips, riding his hand while his fingers moved inside my body—violating me in a delicious yet wicked sort of way.

  I wasn’t sure how it happened, but in a matter of minutes, we’d gone from arguing about my fake date to him finger fucking me in a darkened hall in the back of Devil’s Playground. At any moment, someone could come down the hall and witness what was taking place, but the new, adventurous side of me didn’t even care. It was insane and out of control, but fuck if it didn’t feel amazing having his hands on me. In that moment, I was alive and more aware of myself than I’d ever been.

  I didn’t care if this was a one-time occurrence.

  I didn’t care if we hated each other when it was over.

  All I cared about was my impending orgasm.

  And I was close. So. Very. Close.

  Damn, his fingers were magic.

  The rigid length of his cock teased the cleft of my ass with every roll of my hips, and I closed my eyes and imagined being filled by something other than his hand. Just the thought of it made me rock faster.

  “Goddamn, V. I’ll bet you’re beautiful when you fuck.”

  He grabbed my face with his free hand and twisted my head around until our mouths were joined. The kiss was sloppy as our tongues twisted and we gnashed with our teeth. I moaned. He moaned. He cursed. I echoed his expletive. He pumped faster, teasing circles over my clit with the pad of his thumb. The pressure of his thumb increased, and my mouth fell open on a silent whimper. Pretty soon, his hand was moving with such force I feared I might become a permanent fixture on the wall.

  The orgasm ripped through me with a force like nothing I’d experienced. I even called out his name, which made him swear under his breath, but he never stopped strumming my clit. He kept going until the pressure became so intense I had to shove his hand away.

  “Stop,” I whimpered, pressing down on the hand that had just given me so much pleasure.

  “But I love watching you come.” He nibbled on my ear and brought his hand back to me, dotting my lips with teasing kisses. “Your pussy is so responsive. I love playing with it.” More kisses were lavished upon me until I giggled out of control and he spun me around to face him. A confident smirk appeared on his perfect lips. “Do you still hate me?”

  I rested my cheek on his shoulder and smiled a contented smile. “How could I hate you after that amazing orgasm?”

  His thumb traced a line down my exposed cheek as he offered a weak smile in return. “Maybe not now, but you will. It’s inevitable.”
>
  His words made my head spin. Hell, this whole…whatever you wanted to call it, made my head spin.

  I lifted my lips to his. “I don’t ever see myself hating you, Sin.”

  The band was wrapping up their set, which meant it was almost time for Chaos Rising to take the stage.

  He swept the hair away from my face and sighed while pressing a kiss to each eyelid. “I better get out there. Any second now, Hawk will come looking for me. You gonna be okay?”

  I opened my eyes and met his concerned gaze. This was a side of him I hadn’t seen before. It was a little unsettling, and I was scared. Scared of becoming attached too quickly. It’d been known to happen before. Still, I hoped it meant things between us had taken a turn for the better. I was tired of fighting all the time.

  I tried acting blasé about the whole thing, but I was far from it. It didn’t help that my legs were still a little wobbly from the killer orgasm he’d just given me. “Oh yeah. I’m cool. Go and do your thing, rock star.”

  He surprised me once more by bringing his fingers to his mouth and licking each digit clean. “I want you to see just how good you taste,” he said before bending down and running his tongue across my parted lips. Then his tongue eased inside to mix with my own, and I tasted the slight tang of my release as the kiss came to an end.

  As we broke apart, the tip of my tongue peeked out to skim my bottom lip. He watched intently and threaded his fingers with mine. It was a small gesture, but I admittedly swooned regardless.

  “I don’t want you talking to that guy.”

  The threat behind his words cooled any romantic notions I’d been having.

  “You know, you don’t own me.”

  “Never said I did, but I think what just happened proves you’re more into me than you are that loser.”

  I rolled my eyes in disbelief and tried unsuccessfully to remove myself from his grasp. “Please. You gave me an orgasm, not your heart. I think the only thing you’ve proven is that you’re very talented with your hands.”

  He chuckled and reached for my free hand, shoving it inside his pants. Surprised, I licked my lips and savored the unexpected turn of events. He was fully erect, and the effect was indeed impressive. The taut skin warm beneath my palm, I curled my fingers and slid down the length of him, feeling him twitch beneath my touch.