by Liv Morris
Once we swallow he goes to answer, but gets interrupted by a blonde who comes to stand between our bar stools.
“Hey, Slade. Guess what?” She giggles.
I roll my eyes.
“My best friend is in town for work. She said she would love to join us later. You’re going to love her. She used to be a gymnast, if you know what I mean.” She leans over and pulls his mouth up to hers, kissing him. It doesn’t last long. He pulls back, and looks at me wide eyed. Guess I’m not the only girl who can surprise him.
The blonde follows his eyes to me. “Oh hey,” she says like she just realizes I’m there. “I’m Megan. Who are you?” She extends her hand out to me.
“Sam.” I shake her hand, turn around and down my second shot, trying not to let anyone see how pissed off I am. The shots are getting much easier to drink.
What just happened here? And why am I so mad? Am I mad at him? Am I mad at her for interrupting our bubble we had going on? Is it because my body is begging for him to touch me again? Or is it because this is the second woman trying to get in his pants in a matter of minutes?
“So what do you think? She’s only in town tonight and tomorrow.” She sounds very whiny, but I’m sure he thinks she sounds seductive.
“Uh...” He clears his throat. “Yeah, sure. Tonight will be good.” He sounds unsure, though.
I refuse to look up at him as I hear the blonde squeal. “Yay! Ok, I’ll go call her and have her meet us up here later.” She walks off before he can say anything else.
I pick up my final shot and drink it. For some reason, that one burned. I thought they were getting easier? But this is why I came out tonight. I’ve never been much of a drinker except for wine. Well, I take that back, I pretty much stayed drunk off liquor my entire senior year after my dad died. But wine? I can drink a glass of wine every night.
I didn’t even want to come out tonight. Holly’s the one that said I needed to get out, have fun, and get drunk. Well, so much for the fun part.
“I’m…” He pauses. “Sorry about that interruption.”
I hear Slade’s voice talking to me, but I refuse to acknowledge him. Is that a good idea, though? He might take that as jealousy. Am I jealous?
Yes!
I’m going to have to fake it. I put a big smile on my face and look over at him. “No problem.”
He’s giving me a look I can’t explain and don’t feel like analyzing. It looks to be sympathy. Why would he be feeling that towards me?
“Isn’t that what you do anyway?” I continue to stay bitchy. God, it’s so hard. Since he touched me, I just want to lean into him. I want him to kiss me. I look up at his eyes and he looks hurt by my question. His brows are drawn together, and his beautiful lips are frowning.
I have to look away. I hate to be hateful and hurt someone’s feelings, but I’m not going to apologize for stating the obvious. I see he has two of his shots left. I lean over and take one. Hmm, that one went down much easier.
“How are you getting home tonight?” Guess he is going to ignore my question about sleeping with every woman who wants him.
I laugh lightly. Like he cares how I get home. I shrug my shoulders. “Does it matter?” I ask carelessly.
“Of course,” he says like it’s obvious.
I look back to him, and he looks at me wide eyed, like I’ve lost my mind. I look away.
“Did you drive here?’’ Oh, he’s good.
“Yes. Why, are you going to take my keys from me?” I look back to him and it is a mistake. All I can think about is kissing those lovely lips and running my hands all over his chest. I can’t help but stare at it. He still has those three buttons undone on his shirt, giving me a peak of his smooth sculptured tan chest. I can’t look away. He is so damn sexy, and the alcohol is starting to mess with my judgment.
“I’ll take you home.”
It isn’t a question, but I start shaking my head no. He slides his hand up the back of my neck and brings his face down to mine. I freeze, holding myself as still as possible, afraid I may lean in and kiss him. “I’m going to take you home, Angel,” he whispers against my lips, making a shiver run through my body.
“Uh...”
He is so close to me, and my heart is pounding in my chest. His eyes fall to my lips and I lick them.
I have got to get in control here.
I take in a deep breath. “I don’t need a ride from you.” I pull back and stand up from my chair, causing the room to sway.
“Whoa. Are you going to get sick? Maybe I should take you to the bathroom.” He stands up, trying to hold on to my arm.
Hell no!
He is not taking me back to the bathroom. I can’t be in a small room alone with him right now. “I’m not going to get sick.” I hope. “And you are not taking me to the bathroom,” I snap and pull my arm away from him.
I see him raise one arm up in the air and wave someone over. As I take a step and stumble, I decide to sit back down on the stool. How am I going to get out of here? What was I thinking? Not all the shots have hit me yet. I will for sure be sick before the night is over.
“Hey, Sam. What’s up?” I hear Holly’s voice, but really don’t feel like turning around to face her.
“Holly, how long until you guys leave? Angel needs to get home before she gets sick, but there is no way I’m letting her drive.”
Did he call me Angel again? And why did it sound so good coming from his lips? I’m trying to see, but it’s getting difficult, so I start to laugh. Everything is funny all of a sudden.
“What’s so funny?” I hear Micah ask from behind me.
I can’t stop laughing. “Your brother doesn’t think I can get myself home,”
I say to the empty shot glasses in front of me as I twirl my index finger in the air.
“I know you can’t,” Slade says matter of fact.
Whatever. It’s his fault I’m drunk. It is? Yes, I decide I’m going to blame him.
“Why don’t you drive her in her car and we’ll follow you. Then I’ll bring you back here?’’ I hear Micah talking, but I don’t know who he’s talking to.
“Good idea,’’ someone says. Everything is fuzzy and disoriented.
“Where are your keys?” I finally turn to see what looks to be Holly with a sly smile on her face, holding her hands out. I just hand her my purse. What was that look about?
“Oh, wait. I need that back. I haven’t paid for my drinks.” I reach out for Holly, to grab for my purse, but Slade pushes my hand back down.
“I’ll get them.”
I look up at him. “I don’t need you to buy my drinks.”
“I’ll get them,” he snaps as his baby blue eyes land on me.
My heart rate picks up and I take a deep breath. I scowl at him, looking to Holly. I watch Holly give me a knowing smile while Slade pays for the drinks. I narrow my eyes at her. She loves that I am drunk right now, and I’m mad at myself for letting Slade affect me to the point that I consumed so much alcohol.
“Come on, Angel.”
I start laughing again.
“Bring her car around back. I don’t want everyone to see her stumbling out the front entrance.”
I hope that’s not Slade saying that.
“I’m going to help get you through the back exit, where your car is going to be waiting for us. Then I’m driving you home.”
He said it close enough to my ear that he gave me goose bumps. I couldn’t hold back that shiver that ran through my body. “What were you thinking drinking that much?” He starts helping me walk to the back entrance.
“You.” His sexy body, deep voice and cocky attitude were getting me too hot.
“Me? What about me?” He sounds amused as he wraps an arm around me. I can’t help but lean into him.
“You pissed me off, so I started drinking to get happy.”
Did I just say that? I need to quit talking before I call him sex on a stick and try to kiss him. I laugh.
“Well I gues
s it worked because you’re laughing.” He gives a little chuckle.
Smart ass.
We become silent as we walk through the back door, and the night air feels so good on my skin that I sigh.
“What? Are you okay? Are you going to get sick?’’ He panics as he holds me a bit tighter.
“No, I’m just enjoying the fresh air on my skin. It feels so good.”
He doesn’t say anything else; he just holds me up. I feel my muscles getting heavier. I feel so good up against his body. I wrap my arms around his waist and snuggle into the side of him, and he hisses in a breath. I lift my head up to look at him. His blue eyes are looking down at me, and he lifts his hand that’s not holding on to me, up to my face. He runs the back of his knuckles softly over my cheek. The feel of his fingers on my face makes me weak in the knees. Thank God I’m already hanging on to him for dear life.
“You are so beautiful. You know that?” His baby blue eyes search my face.
I just continue to look at him because I don’t know what to say. He thinks I’m beautiful? How could he think I’m beautiful? There’s nothing beautiful about me.
I want to ask him to stay the night with me and do what he was thinking about earlier. I wonder what he is thinking about right now. Because all I can think is how I want to feel those hands all over my body. I want him to show me how beautiful he thinks I am. Jax never made me feel beautiful. Pretty? Sure. Beautiful? No. Slade’s words alone make me feel more than Jax ever had.
I shake my head to clear it, but he must think I’m shaking it in response to his question. He cups the bottom of my chin in his hand while he runs his thumb over my bottom lip. My body is tingling, and I have to tighten up my thighs. The way he touches me is light as a feather, and my body hums with the softness. It’s as if he can control my entire body with just a touch.
“You’re right. You’re not just beautiful. You are gorgeous, the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen.”
He leans his head down, and I think he is about to kiss me. I look into those blue eyes and long dark eye lashes. If I could move my arms, I would tangle my hands in his hair, but they are too heavy. I open my mouth, letting him know I want him to kiss me. He snaps his head back when headlights shine in our faces.
I let out a long breath, and unwrap my arms from around him. What the hell was that? Did that just happen, or was it my drunkenness? All of a sudden my legs give out, and I can longer keep my eyes open.
I feel Slade’s hands slide behind my knees as he picks me up in his strong arms, holding me tightly against his muscular body. I use what strength I have left to wrap my arms around him as I put my face in the crook of his neck. He smells of man and a hint of spicy cologne. Makes me want to moan.
“Slade,” I whisper next to his ear.
I can feel the shiver that runs through him. “It’s okay, Angel. I’ll get you home safely,” he promises.
“Is she going to be okay?” someone asks.
Slade clears his throat. “Yeah. Let’s get her home.” His chest vibrates as he answers.
I take in one last deep breath, letting his smell fill my nose as everything around me goes silent.
I wake up as the sunlight comes through my bedroom window, and groan. I feel like a train ran over me. I look down at myself and notice I’m in my bed, dressed in a pair of black sweat pants and a white t-shirt. I never wear anything to bed, I prefer to sleep naked. This has Holly written all over it. Did she bring me home?
One by one the events from last night flood my mind.
What the hell happened? I think back to standing out back of Larry’s with Slade and decide that was just a dream. There is no way I let all of that happen.
I need to get up so I can shower. I stand up, and the room sways. Wow. Guess I’m still a tad drunk. I will have to take a bath. I don’t want to fall down in the shower.
As the steaming hot water fills my big Jacuzzi bathtub, my thoughts wonder back to Slade. I don’t know why I can’t get him out of my mind. I guess it could be because I’ve heard so many sex stories from women he has slept with; how he’s always up for trying something new, no matter what it involves. Jax was never that way. He had only dated one girl before me, and I guess she was too much of a freak for him in the bedroom. It turned him off to anything that wasn’t vanilla. I’ve read my fair share of kinky sex, but I know life doesn’t mimic books, so I’m pretty sure most couples don’t do half the stuff I’ve come across.
My thoughts are interrupted by my cell phone playing Taylor Swift, I Knew You Were Trouble. I pick it up and look at the screen.
SLADE.
I start to laugh, thinking how my ring tone fits him. I had saved his number after the night I called him looking for Jax, but now I wish I wouldn’t have saved it. I don’t think I could hit ignore, even if I wanted to. It’s like my body already craves him, and I have a feeling that is not a good thing. I pick up my phone, hoping that he doesn’t say I called him sex on a stick last night.
Chapter Six
“Hello?” she answers sleepily.
As soon as I dropped her off last night, I couldn’t think of anything else but her. I drove her home in her car, and I looked over at her sleeping face every chance I got.
I had carried her and placed her in bed. Holly said she was going to stay, wake her up, and get her changed. I hated to leave her. I wanted to crawl in bed, and pull her close to me. I just couldn’t get enough of her. Her soft skin touching mine, that sweet voice, her wonderful smell...it just felt right, me holding her body so close to mine. I knew I was going to have to see her again. I just hope she feels the same way. I almost kissed her last night, and I know she would have kissed me back, but I can’t be sure if that was the alcohol acting.
I’ve never held back what I wanted to do when it comes to a woman. She has made me think twice about what I wanted to do with her, or any woman for that matter.
After I dropped her off, Micah took me back to the bar. I tried to have another drink and hang with my buddies, but it was pointless. My thoughts were consumed by Angel, so I decided to go home and drink alone. I was thanking my lucky stars that I had saved her number to my contacts when she called looking for Jax. I just knew I would need to hear her voice again. When I woke up this morning, I decided there was no better time like the present.
“Hello? What do you want, Slade?”
“I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry about Jax and—”
She doesn’t let me finish my apology.
“I don’t want an apology from you. I’m tired of hearing ‘I’m sorry’ from people. What I want is for you to drop it, and never bring him up again.” She says in a rather light tone. “Slade,” she sighs.
There she goes again. Saying my name like her life depends on it.
I stand in my bedroom and look over at my bed.
I can picture her laying there, watching her as my name flows off her lips. I lay over her, kissing those plump lips, touching her soft skin, fucking her as she calls out my name...
It’s not all physical with her, though. Yes, she is fucking gorgeous, and I want to fuck her in every way possible, but something about me wants more from her. A part of me wants to claim her in a way she has never known.
I wonder what I’ll have to do for her to open up to me. I want her to allow me to open up to her. I want to explain to her why I couldn’t tell her about Jax the moment I saw them in bed together. I want to tell her that I’ve wanted her in a way I’ve never wanted anyone ever since the first time I heard her voice. She’s obviously still very hurt over what Jax did, and I can tell that a little bit of her wants to blame me. I should have told her that Jax was here and that he was with Bridgette. I shouldn’t have been a prick, but it’s too late to think that now.
I want to ask her to give me a chance to make her forget about Jax. And I know just the place I could do that; in my bedroom. I would take my time with her body, cherish her, not treat her like shit the way Jax did. I want to run my hands through
her soft hair, push her up against a wall and ravish her. She’s so feisty which totally turns me on. I can’t help but wonder if she’s that way in the sac.
“Slade! If that’s the only reason you called, I’ll be getting off here.”
I take in a deep breath. “Yes,” I say as I give my head a little shake.
I have to quit thinking about fucking her. It’s causing me to get off topic, and has made me hard in the process.
“Look, it’s early. I feel like shit and I have to work today. I’m trying to take a bath right now…”
She stops speaking.
I don’t think she meant to mention that to me. Thoughts fill my head of her wet and naked, her hands running up and down her body as she soaps up. I can picture her head thrown back as she runs her hands over her breasts, and her lips parting while she takes in a breath of pleasure.
I frown as she interrupts my thoughts, again. “Let’s push all the past to the side and just call it good. Friends?”
Friends? Hell, no!
I need to be more than just her friend. I need to be deep inside of her, fucking her until all of her words are breathless and her body is shaking. But for once, I am willing to work for that, if that’s what it takes to have her.
“Friends. What time do you work today?”
“I have to be there to open at noon.”
“Well, do you mind if I come up there?” Did I just ask her that? And why does it matter? I’ll go, even if she tells me no.
She is silent for a few seconds. “It’s a bar, Slade. Anyone can come in.” She sounds annoyed.
“Okay. Well, maybe my friend and I will come up there.” Josh is always up to hit the bar.
“You’re friend Megan?” she asks sarcastically.
Megan? Oh right. The blonde from last night. Is she jealous? I think she’s jealous.
“No, actually. I was going to bring my friend Josh.”
“Oh, okay. I have to get off here and get ready. I’ll see you later.”
She hangs up, but I’m still smiling. I won’t tell her that Megan didn’t come over last night because I couldn’t do it. Angel is the only woman I want, and I am going to have her.