Bet Me to Stay

by Candace Havens

  Wait. He’s talking to you. Pay attention.

  “Hey, I know this sounds crazy, but what do you say we go grab a bite to eat at The Diner?” he asked, mentioning a local breakfast haunt a few blocks away. “There’s nothing better than pecan waffles at midnight on a Tuesday.” He winked.

  Okay, he was definitely flirting with her. She hadn’t really considered he might be interested in her. She was wearing baggy sweats (only thing clean, no lie) and combat boots. And a sweater with a butterfly on the front that her Gran had knitted for her last Christmas.

  Oh God. She groaned as the realization of what she was wearing sunk in. “I don’t know any recipes,” she blurted out.

  Wait. What did I just say?

  Could someone actually die from embarrassment? It was about to happen right here on this barstool.

  Liam chuckled. “It’s okay. They cook them for you. No recipe required.”

  “Why are you asking me out?” She wasn’t making any sense. But he wasn’t making any sense, either, dammit. She looked like her Great Aunt Helda in this getup (or like she hadn’t been laid in ten years).

  No way she attracted the hottest man she’d ever met by wearing this and telling his brother to shoo.

  “Because”—he took his time to lean in close like his brother had earlier, only this time, the move totally worked, and her ovaries were high-fiving each other—“I find you interesting. You don’t say what I expect, and I’m tired of predictable.”

  She nodded. This was true. Her parents always complained they didn’t understand her and that she lived in a fantasy land. “And the sweats?”

  “Oh, we’re burning them.” He didn’t miss a beat, and she respected that. “And those awful shoes. Best to get rid of that bulky sweater, too. Does you no justice.” He shook his head. “I’m trying to imagine you without those things.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’re imagining me naked!” she squeaked.

  His sexy grin seemed turned up to a hundred degrees and melting her clothes from her body. “I am now,” he said softly.

  Heat scorched through her blood, her skin sensitive to the cool air blowing from the air duct above her. Even she was convinced she was naked, her bare ass stuck to the leather of the barstool.

  Liam wasn’t just the sexiest man she’d ever met. He was a wizard.

  She was so hot, and possibly embarrassed by her clothing choices, she didn’t even hesitate before reaching up and yanking the oversized sweater off. She’d worn a tight-fitting tank top beneath, and the way his gaze zeroed in on her fairly slim waist (thank you, gym membership) and full breasts (who were standing up as if to catch his attention, and thank goodness for sexy bras), she almost believed he was interested.

  “Not feeling the sweater, luv?” he asked, amused. Someone tossed a ten on the bar, and Liam made quick work of handing him a frothy mug of beer and two dollars change.

  The patron grabbed his beer and a single and headed back to somewhere behind her. Didn’t matter where.

  “It was itchy. Had to go.” She was breathy.

  Liam raised an eyebrow then wiped down the surface of the bar with a rag he’d grabbed from the sink.

  Shit. Had she seemed too bold stripping before their first date? She totally sucked at this stuff. Thankfully, he tossed the rag in the sink and put her out of her misery. “All right, I think I’m done here. You ready?”

  “For what?” He’d asked her to do something, but she couldn’t remember what now. Gah, he must think she was a ditz.

  “For waffles, of course.”

  Yup. That was it. Liam had asked her out on a midnight date.

  If this man, this sexy Irish man, wanted to actually date her… Maybe she wouldn’t have to rely on only her imagination to fix her novel. Her agent’s advice rang in her head. Liam could pump her hard. Real, real hard. Over and over probably.

  “You’re not the kind of guy who expects sex on the first date, are you?” she blurted out before her brain could catch up with her mouth. Her heart pounded in her ears. She’d never been this bold in her entire life. Desperation was a funny thing.

  He leaned backward, probably startled by her question. “I never expect anything after a date, first or last,” he answered somberly but then broke the effect when one corner of his mouth lifted up in a half smile fraught with boyish charm. “But I do always hope.”

  Cassie could easily see how these two very different men were brothers. Liam may be the serious one, but he had a bit of the Devil in him as well. She liked it. A lot. But they needed to set ground rules. She had a career on the rocks right now, and she had priorities.

  Placing her folded arms on the bar, she leaned forward, her weight pressing her flesh into the worn surface. “But what if I were to say I’m not in the mood to shop for a relationship?”

  Liam mimicked her stand by placing his elbows on the bar and leaning forward as well. Their lips were barely ten inches apart, the warmth from his wide shoulders wrapping her in a sexy cocoon. “I’d say that’s great because I’m not a relationship kind of guy.”

  Not surprising. “And what if I were to say I’d already decided the next guy I have sex with needs to have the dirtiest mouth since my weird college porn phase?”

  He chuckled. “I’d say give me a sec to process a woman admitting to liking porn.” His emerald eyes turned molten. “Yes. Yes, I can definitely work with this. But don’t expect me to put on cheesy porn music as I fuck you so hard you forget what zip code you’re in.”

  The floor of her sex bottomed out so her ovaries could use the space to practice their hip-hop routine, not to cheesy porn music but to the gravelly notes in Liam’s voice. “I was never very good with geography,” she admitted. “What about occasionally smacking my ass?” Why should her ovaries have all the fun?

  She wanted to see how far she could push him.

  “Definitely.”

  “Any weird kinks I should know about?”

  “Nothing that would require a safe word.”

  “Anything you want to ask me?” she offered. They’d moved from possibly dating to now negotiating some sort of sex contract. Surely he had his own questions.

  “Just one thing,” he murmured as his brother started to head their way. Oh God, she didn’t think she’d survive if Romeo brought them both to their senses. Liam must have had the same thought, because he turned his head and leveled a stare at his brother that had him raising both hands and backing away.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  She drowned in pools of his liquid green eyes. “You’re not really wanting waffles now, are you?”

  She shook her head slowly. “What waffles?” She should know what he was talking about, but her brain misfired due to all the testosterone buffeting her skin. “I don’t want eggs, either,” she added in case he had other breakfast ideas.

  He had her hand in his before she could blink as he leaned to the left and unhooked something that let him raise part of the bar. “I’m clearly having a wet dream right now. A beautiful woman just asked me to have sex with her, talk dirty, smack her ass, and remind her of her favorite porn. No way I’m letting you out of my sight and risk waking up.”

  “Sensible,” she agreed. “I like how you think.”

  For the first time since they met, Liam gave her a full, sexy grin before lowering his head enough to whisper in her ear, “Oh, lass, you haven’t seen nothing yet.”

  He tugged on her hand as he maneuvered them both through the back of the bar and to a door that most likely led to the kitchen. His brother called out, “Gonna leave me to clean up all by my lonesome?”

  Liam flipped him off but kept moving. Thank God. If he changed his mind, Cassie wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to revive her ovaries again.

  At the moment, they were singing choruses of Hallelujah.

  I’m so doing this.

  Chapter Three

  Liam couldn’t believe his luck. The fascinating Cassie was not interested in a relationship, and she’d aske
d to skip straight to the kind of sex Liam preferred: vocal and dirty.

  Yes. And hell yes.

  When she’d pulled that ugly-ass sweater off, he’d been pleasantly surprised to see she had generous curves beneath. So much so his fucking cock was rock-hard. Though he’d never had a type; he rarely went for stick-thin girls—didn’t see the point. All those bones and elbows.

  He was all about “the more the merrier” and Cassie had a lot to cheer about.

  And getting his hands on her was all he could think about.

  He and his brother owned the whole building, and Liam’s apartment was just up the back-alley stairs.

  Taking a stranger up to his personal space was something different for him. It was his sanctuary. And it was private. When he did choose to date, he always insisted they go to her place, which had the added benefit of making an early morning exit easy. He’d have to make some excuse for why it’d be better for Cassie to sleep in her own bed later.

  But he wasn’t worried about that right now. He was curious what was under those horrible sweats. The woman wanted to get naked, and he wasn’t about to disappoint her. She did intrigue him in a way no one had in a long time.

  Pulling open the back door, he waited for Cassie to exit into the alley before he turned and grabbed his keys from his pocket. He vaguely registered that she’d tied her sweater around her waist, goose bumps prickling her skin in the cold Boston night.

  “One sec while I lock up and then we’ll get you warm,” he promised, jamming the key into the hole twice before it settled into the tumblers evenly. He really hoped this wasn’t a metaphor for later.

  And since when did he get nervous?

  Never.

  When the door was firmly locked, he twined his fingers between hers again and gently tugged her to the metal stairs leading up to his apartment. There was another entrance to his home from inside the pub, but Liam couldn’t explain why he didn’t want his brother to see he’d hustled her up to his place for a quickie on their first “date.” It wasn’t any of his damn business.

  Once inside his apartment, a knot formed in his chest as Cassie’s gaze bounced around the warm brown furnishings, the brick wall lined with row after row of books, the desk in the corner covered in messy sales reports. At least the cleaning lady had been in that day, so the place didn’t look like a total bachelor pad.

  “Oh wow, do you play?” She blinked up at him then motioned with her head toward the collection of guitar cases leaning against one another in the corner.

  The thick film of dust on each should have been answer enough. “Not anymore,” he said.

  She nodded. “Well, yes, that would explain a lot.”

  He arched a brow in question, but she changed the subject. “Bedroom or against the wall? Although I’m probably too heavy for you to lift.”

  Sure, Cassie had generous curves, but at five foot almost nothing, she couldn’t be more than a buck twenty-five. Someone had given this lovely lady a poor view of herself, and Liam wanted to punch the arsehole in the face.

  His eyebrows slammed down, his temper ticked up, and he answered her question the only way he knew how. Palming the full globes of her ass, he lifted her up in one quick movement. Her legs wrapped around his waist as her arms twined around his neck to hold on. He made short work of reaching the only wall in his apartment without bookshelves or windows and pressed her body into the hard surface.

  “I could fuck you for days against this wall and never notice your weight,” he growled. He tried to stare into her eyes, to gauge if he’d convinced her or not, but it was hard to tell anything she was thinking with those huge glasses perched atop her button nose. “Take your glasses off. Now.”

  She swallowed before reaching up to pull the frames from her face, quickly folding them and sliding them into her purse still hanging from her shoulder. And then she dropped the bag to the floor. He searched her face. What was her creative mind thinking? It was hard to tell, but Liam knew one thing for sure: it wouldn’t be anything he was imagining.

  Her eyes slid to his lips before darting back to his. She licked her full top lip, and he imagined that pouty mouth stretched around his cock.

  Pulling her tighter, her heat rubbed against his length.

  A soft moan escaped her lips that had the base of his spine tingling. Fuck, he felt like he was sixteen and about to lose his load in the first sixty seconds of touching a girl.

  He needed to take charge of the situation. And taste those luscious lips.

  “I just realized we’ve never even kissed,” she whispered. “Maybe that’s a good thing?”

  “And how would that be a good thing?”

  “Well, like in Pretty Woman, they didn’t kiss because kisses mean more.”

  He nodded.

  “Of course, if we don’t kiss, then I guess I can’t feel your tongue sliding against mine, suck yours into my mouth, imagining my lips were wrapped around your dick.”

  His cock twitched.

  Damn, she had a mouth on her.

  I fucking love it.

  He shook his head. “Kissing is definitely required,” he insisted before leaning in to show her why. His mouth captured hers in a deep and hungry kiss, his hot tongue eagerly tangling with hers, darting and rubbing as though performing an ancient mating ritual.

  She groaned and ground her sex against his in small little circles, seeking relief.

  This was not the woman he thought had walked into the bar. Never in his life had he been more wrong about a human being. She was fucking fire.

  He pulled back. “No, lass, you’ll not be getting yourself off like that. I want my cock deep inside your heat when you come the first time, feel you convulse around me as I fuck your hot, wet channel over and over.”

  “Oh. Yes. I want that. Exactly what you said.” She stopped her movements long enough to pull her tank top over her head, letting her breasts jostle in her sexy bra against his chest.

  “I’m ready to burn these sweats off,” she said, and he chuckled. He’d thought maybe she was kidding about the dirty talk, although he’d sincerely hoped not. But her pupils had blown wide out the second he’d started talking.

  He kissed her again, and when she sucked his tongue in as she’d promised, his dick grew so hard it hurt against his jeans. Sliding a hand between them, he slipped a finger into her wetness. “I see you’re ready for me,” he whispered against her lips.

  “I’ve been ready since the moment I laid eyes on you.” She blinked. “Did I say that out loud?”

  He chuckled. And then slid another finger in her. The soft globes of her breast pulled free from the bra as she arched against him.

  “Yes. Tell me what you want, lass.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut as his fingers dove faster into her. “This. More. This.”

  “You’ve got me harder than a cannonball,” he said. “This first time I’m going to fuck you hard and fast. Are you okay with that? I’m not sure I can control myself where you’re concerned.”

  His dick was trying to bust out of his jeans.

  “Hurry,” she said. “And keep talking. Your fingers and that accent of yours are like the best aphrodisiac ever. I’m pretty sure I could come just from the words, but the fingers are so much faster. You’re very good at this.”

  The things she said, so full of surprises. He wasn’t sure of the last time a woman had been so forthright with him about her needs.

  “I’m stripping these things off of you,” he said as he divested her of her sweat pants and the cute blue thong underneath. “Ah, lass. You shouldn’t be hiding these delicious curves under such abominations. You are Aphrodite come to life.”

  Her eyes opened again, and she frowned. “You don’t have to flatter me. That’s not what I meant by the talking.”

  “It’s not flattery when it’s the truth. You have a body made for exploring, and I plan to touch every inch of it. Fuck every inch of it, from that sweet mouth and tits to die for, to that slick heat that has me
so hard it fucking hurts.” He pulled a condom from the pocket of his jeans and shoved them down.

  She glanced down at his hard-as-fuck cock and then back up at his face.

  “Never mind.”

  Ah hell. Was she calling it off? He took a step back.

  “Where are you going? Get back over here and put that monster inside me.” She gave him a look of incredulity.

  “You said never mind.”

  “I meant about the flattery, Irishman. You can say whatever the hell you want. As long as you fuck me now with that ginormous cock of yours. Did you not hear me? Fucking hurry up.”

  That mouth.

  His dick twitched.

  He lifted her up again. “Wrap those legs around me, lass.” She did as he asked. He guided himself to her entrance. “You’re sure?”

  She kissed him then, and he lost all thought as her tongue sucked his in again. He rammed his cock into her heat. Moaning his pleasure as her fingers pulled at his hair, he pumped harder and faster into her.

  Supporting them with one hand, he reached into the tight space between them and rubbed the tiny nub there. “Ah, lass. If you could see what I see,” he said as he rubbed her faster. “And you fit my cock as if you were made for me. It’s all I can do not to blow my load at first thrust.”

  Her head pulled back and she screamed, her heat tightening around his cock. He sucked one of her nipples into his mouth and she tightened around him again.

  So fucking responsive, this one. Her hair had fallen from its band and loose waves fell around her face. When she first walked into his bar, he never would have imagined this wildcat beauty was beneath all those layers.

  Gorgeous.

  “Hold on tight, love. I’m going to make sure you know how much I’m enjoying this sweet fucking body of yours.”

  “Ahhhhh,” she said as he pounded into her faster and faster. Good. He’d rendered her speechless. He helped her reach the pinnacle one more time and then they lost themselves together. Heavy gasps filled the silence. She shivered, and he realized the heat in his place hadn’t kicked in.

  He slowly let her down as he kissed her senseless. Or maybe he was the one who was senseless. A low sizzle of energy thrummed through his body. His cock twitching.