"I'm trying to be chivalrous," he said through clenched teeth.
"Who asked you to be?" Certainly not her! God, she was doing everything in her power to entice him, all to no avail. "Not only does chivalry not suit that risk-taking personality of yours, but you strike me as the type of guy who has no qualms about taking what a woman offers, no questions asked. So why are you fighting what we both want so badly?"
Pale moonlight washed across his gorgeous features and gleamed off his black-as-midnight hair, making him appear every inch the rebel. But it was the candid, caring look in his eyes that captured her attention the most and made her realize just how serious this moment was to him.
"Because I don't think I can stop at just one kiss," he told her.
His words were so real and honest, they made her heart skip a beat to think he found her that irresistible. "I guess that's a risk I'll just have to take."
Smiling, she leaned toward him and nipped gently at his bottom lip, teasing him with the promise of something hotter, deeper, sweeter. "Kiss me, Joel," she breathed against the corner of his mouth while she brazenly tugged his shirt out of the waistband of his jeans so she could slip her hands beneath the warm, soft cotton material. "Touch me," she urged as she splayed her palms on his rock-hard stomach and glided them upward, aching to feel his hands on her, too. "Take me, please."
A low, untamed growl ripped from his chest, and that stubborn, unyielding control of his finally, finally, gave way to all the pent-up desire and hunger he'd been struggling against all evening long. His hands, which had been so idle before, now came up and tangled in her hair, and in the next moment he crushed his mouth to hers. Her lips parted on a gasp of surprise, and he took advantage and slid his tongue inside, reckless and demanding, sweeping every one of her senses into overload.
His response was absolutely, positively heavenly.
She'd managed to unleash his lust, and now all that alpha male aggression was spilling over into the hottest, most erotic kiss she'd ever had the pleasure of receiving. Returning the kiss with equal abandon, she wrapped her arms around his waist beneath his T-shirt and jacket, trying to get as close to him as she could.
Judging by the restless shift of his body against hers, he seemed to want the same thing. She felt the impatient tug of the scarf from around her neck as he unraveled the strip of knitted material and let it drop to the ground, revealing her neck to the chilly evening air. She shivered, then moaned in pure delight when he buried his face against her throat and warmed her skin with his breath and the hot, damp press of his lips nuzzling just beneath her jaw.
Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back to give his mouth better access, while one of his hands skimmed down her back to the base of her spine and the other gave a gentle tug to the snaps securing the front of her top. One, two, three, four… they popped open, exposing her bra and the full upper swells of flesh nearly overflowing the lace-edged cups. He lifted his head, watching as he pushed the stretchy fabric down and released one of her breasts, then the other, to his dark, avid gaze. Her nipples hardened instantly, and he saw that, too.
An involuntary sound escaped her lips, a whimper of need that Joel recognized and understood. He covered both of her bare breasts with his hands, the slight roughness of his palms abrading the sensitive tips as he gently kneaded the soft mounds of flesh. Then the lazy friction of his thumbs joined in on the action, stroking and swirling around her areolas, rasping across her nipples-gentle at first, then harder, firmer, creating a firestorm of sensation that spiraled straight down to the pit of her stomach, and lower.
She groaned, in surrender, in anticipation of feeling his mouth on her. The wanting made her weak. The waiting made her impatient. Sliding her hands into his hair, she pulled his head down and arched her back, silently begging him to take her into his mouth-and ready to strangle him if he refused.
Obviously done denying her, or himself, he licked at her stiff nipples, a wet, velvet swipe of his tongue over each tender peak. A slow, lazy lap designed to torment and tease. A soft, heated stroke that made her tremble and moan. The gentle scrape of his teeth was both sweet bliss and exquisite pain. When he finally sucked her deep into his mouth, the pleasure was so immense, her entire body shuddered and she cried out.
Her wanton response tore a groan out of him, too, and his mouth came back to hers in a desperate, needy kiss that made her mind spin. The deep, assertive stroke of his tongue echoed the decadent, erotic rhythm of hot sex. He circled his strong arms around her and pulled her close, but when that didn't seem like enough-for either of them-he skimmed his flattened palms all the way down her back to her hips. She was still straddling his thighs, but that didn't stop him from tucking his hands beneath her bottom and hauling her up onto his lap, then gently tipping her backward, until she was laying on the metal gas tank with her legs all but wrapped around his waist.
Her top gaped open, and pale moonlight painted her naked flesh and lush curves with an opalescent hue. She'd never felt more beautiful, or more desirable, than she did at that moment with Joel staring down at her, worshipping her with his reverent gaze. Soon, though, the chill of the evening washed over her, causing her to shiver.
Keeping the bike stable with his feet braced on the ground, Joel bent over her, pressing his muscled body intimately, insistently into hers with his thick erection fitting naturally in the crux of her thighs. Threading her fingers through his silky hair once again, she welcomed another deep, drugging kiss, and sighed against his lips as his hands caressed her breasts and warmed them in his palms. His mouth eventually followed, trailing a searing path from her neck to her tight, puckered nipples. With the wet heat of his tongue, he lavished each one with a generous amount of attention before kissing and nuzzling his way down to her soft belly. When he reached the low waistband of her jeans, instead of unsnapping her pants and continuing the journey, which she would have more than welcomed, he instead stopped and laid his head on her stomach.
She was panting, and he was breathing just as hard. Hot, damp puffs of air caressed her belly, and the stubble on his jaw chafed her skin. She waited, knowing exactly what he was going to say, even before he said it.
"We have to stop." His voice was rough and strained, and it was enough to tell Lora that it was taking Joel tremendous effort to bring things to a halt.
Aroused beyond belief, she squeezed her eyes closed, trying to ignore the way her body was clamoring for release. She could have told him that they didn't have to stop, that she was on the Pill and protected, if that was his concern. But for as much as she wanted Joel-and for as badly as she ached to know how he'd feel inside of her-she didn't want their first time together to be like this, out in the middle of nowhere on his bike. She wanted a warm, soft bed and lots of time to enjoy everything about making love with Joel Wilde.
"Okay," she said softly.
He lifted his head, clearly surprised that she hadn't argued. "I really am going to take you home now." He straightened and helped her to sit up, too.
She immediately missed his warmth, the heat and strength of his body pressing into hers. Humored by his insistent, back-in-charge tone, she readjusted her bra while he watched. "Okay."
Pulling the sides of her top together, he snapped them closed in a very efficient manner, as if he wanted her covered as quickly as possible. "And we are not going to finish what we just started here tonight when we get back to your place."
She almost laughed at his ridiculous order, but managed to hold it back. "Okay."
He frowned at her easy acceptance after she'd spent most of the night trying to seduce him. "When did you become so agreeable?"
"Since I got what I wanted."
He raised a dark brow, and much to her relief she caught a glimpse of amusement softening the depths of his bluer-than-blue eyes. "Oh, yeah? And what was that?"
This time, she didn't bother stopping the grin from appearing on her lips. "A hot kiss, and knowing there's a whole lot more where that came from."
/>
And for tonight, that kiss, and Joel's uninhibited reaction, was enough for her.
Chapter Eight
"HAVE you gotten lucky with you-know-who yet?"
Lora grinned at Sydney from across the bar as her friend started in on the drink order Lora had just given her. Since Lora had worked a full eight-hour shift at the spa earlier that Sunday, and had arrived at The Electric Blue only half an hour earlier, she hadn't had a chance to talk to Sydney about her date with Joel the night before. At the moment, the bar was only mildly busy, but it was still early and the real crowd usually didn't pour in until after eight, so Lora indulged her friend with a few juicy tidbits.
"Not yet," Lora replied as she placed a stack of fresh cocktail napkins on her tray. "But it was damn close." She might not have gone all the way with Joel, but their hot make-out session had been enough to keep her satisfied for now. She figured it was just a matter of time before they made that natural progression to mutual pleasurable sex.
Thinking of Joel, she cast a glance over her shoulder to where he'd settled himself at a small table located in a darkened corner of the bar. He'd shown up without any of his buddies, and she wasn't sure what to make of him spending his evenings at The Electric Blue just to watch her work when he no doubt had better things to do with his time. But she secretly found his nightly appearance romantic and charming, not that she'd ever tell Joel that.
From across the room, their gazes met, and a corner of his mouth kicked up in a slow, sexy smile that warmed her from the inside out. She replied with a flirtatious grin of her own, then returned her attention back to her drink order. Since their encounter the previous night, he seemed less uptight and more relaxed, and she hoped he remained that way.
Sydney set an Armaretto sour on the bar, a sly smile on her lips. "Judging by that flush on your face, your 'damn close' must have been very satisfying."
Lora laughed and didn't bother being modest with her best friend. "Oh, it was," she admitted, but kept the more intimate details of just how amazing Joel's hands and mouth were to herself. "And look at you with your new admirer sitting at the other end of the bar." Lora subtly nodded her head in that direction, where Daniel Barnett had taken up residence on a bar stool and was nursing a Jack and coke while watching Sydney mix drinks.
Sydney poured triple sec and vodka into two shot glasses and topped the kamikazes off with a splash of lime juice. "He was here last night, too."
So, it appeared that Sydney had a suitor, and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy, too. "It's very sweet," she said, as she placed both shots on her tray.
"Well, if Daniel is expecting sweet in return, he's going to be very disappointed." A naughty light glimmered in Sydney's eyes, a sure sign that she had something mischievous on her mind. "Our date isn't until next week, but if he insists on being here every night until then, I'm going to give him something to look forward to. I think I'll be doing some dirty dancing on the bar tonight." She winked at Lora.
Her friend's shameless suggestion was enough to tell Lora that Daniel was in for a whole lotta trouble where Sydney was concerned. The kind that was going to leave him hot and bothered by the end of the evening. "You are so bad."
Sydney shrugged indifferently as she uncapped a Corona and added the bottle of beer to Lora's order. "He might as well know right up front what he's getting into with me. Then again, guys don't ask me out for my sparkling, witty conversation, now do they?"
No, Sydney believed that they dated her expecting something else entirely, and talking wasn't a requirement. Lora knew that her friend was jaded for good reason, but she hated that Sydney judged all men the same. And especially Cassie's math teacher, who, in Lora's estimation, held so much potential-if Sydney didn't scare him off before their first real date.
"Maybe Daniel isn't like every other guy you've gone out with," Lora suggested as she topped the Corona off with a wedge of lime.
Sydney let out an indelicate snort and reached for a bottle of Grey Goose vodka. "He has a penis, Lora," she said wryly. "Trust me, getting laid is a priority. Lucky for him, I'm not one to play hard to get. It's been a long dry spell, and I'm more than willing to accommodate him."
"Okay. Fine," Lora conceded, not wanting to end up in an argument with Sydney about how she never gave the opposite sex a fair chance. It was a discussion they'd had many times before and the end result was always the same: emotional barriers went up, and nothing changed.
Lora picked up her drink-laden tray and balanced it in one hand, unable to stop herself from issuing one last parting remark. "I just wish you'd give yourself more credit, Syd. Maybe if you expected more than just sex from men, then they'd treat you with the same respect in return."
"Thanks for the advice, Dr. Marshall," Sydney replied with a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Then she leveled a look at Lora as she cleared dirty drink glasses off of the bar. "Now go and deliver your order before I write you up for insubordination."
"Yeah, yeah," Lora drawled, not at all bothered by her friend's intimidation tactics. The throwaway threat was Sydney's playful way of saying "discussion over," and Lora knew better than to say anything more.
She went back to work and spent the next few hours taking orders and delivering drinks to the increasing deluge of customers flowing into The Electric Blue. When she had a few spare moments, she'd cruise by Joel's table and flirt with him, until she was just too busy with drink orders and bar dancing to pay him anything more than a quick passing visit.
Before long, the place was absolutely packed with their normal patrons, and plenty of new ones, too. Over the next few hours, the crush of people in the bar got thicker, the music amplified to a throbbing beat, and the crowd grew loud and boisterous from too much liquor and a whole lot of fun. It was all Lora could do to squeeze her way from one end of the establishment to the other.
Just as Lora had taken a huge drink order for a table of six, Sydney rang the cowbell behind the bar, generating a frenzy of cheers, whistling, and overall excitement for the entertainment about to begin. Strobe lights pulsed and flashed overhead, the music changed to a raucous song with a sexy beat, and employees abandoned their posts to give the customers what they'd come to expect at The Electric Blue.
Lora groaned. Exhaustion was settling in after working two shifts in one day, and she just didn't have the energy to put on another performance for the crowd. She decided to skip this round, and instead of letting orders pile up while Sydney, her backup bartender, and all the other waiters and waitresses strutted their stuff on the bar and stage, she'd mix her own drinks and at least she'd stay ahead of the crowd's demands. She was certain she wouldn't be missed, since the other staff were riling up the throng of customers just fine.
Lora navigated her way through the crush of bodies, and grinned when she caught sight of Sydney up on the main bar, dancing right in front of where Daniel was sitting. True to her word, Sydney was executing some of her best dirty dancing moves-gyrating her hips to the beat of the music, hands brazenly tracing her alluring curves, fingers stroking across the bare, flat expanse of her belly exposed by her tight, cropped T-shirt. As if that weren't enough to make a guy hard, she grabbed the brass pole at the end of the bar and spun around it, all long legs, voluptuous breasts, and smooth, provocative moves she'd perfected during her days as a stripper.
Dozens of guys crammed against the bar, whistling, cheering, and overall encouraging Sydney as she slid up and down the pole, but Lora knew that her tempting, teasing performance, and the hot promise in her eyes, was all for Daniel. But unlike the frat boys making fools of themselves, Daniel played it cool, refusing to outwardly react to Sydney's attempt at seducing him. Instead, he sat casually on the barstool, watching her with an appreciative male smile as she ran her hands through her long, wavy hair and swayed her hips in time to the music.
Lora had to give Daniel credit for maintaining his composure so well when every other guy in the place was clamoring to get her attention with the hopes of getting their own pr
ivate performance. The fact that Daniel wasn't responding to Sydney's sexual overtures made Lora hopeful that he'd be the one guy who could get past Sydney's bold and brash personality to the softer, sweeter woman beneath all that bravado.
Once she finally stepped behind the bar, the disarray of liquor bottles, dirty glasses in the sink, and nearly overflowing garbage made Lora realize that she'd be far more helpful if she washed up the glasses and restored some order for Sydney and her backup bartender before they returned to fill drink orders again. In fact, she figured she could at least take the two bags of trash out to the Dumpster and be back before the song was done, which would give them more room to move around behind the bar.
Setting her tray down, Lora grabbed both bags of trash and made her way down the hallway that led to the men's and women's restrooms and the employee exit that connected to a back alley and the Dumpster they used. Like she'd done a dozen times before, she pushed the door open and twisted the bolt lock so that the metal bar kept the door from closing and locking behind her.
Cold, damp wind assaulted her as she stepped out under the small four-by-four awning protecting her from the rain that had begun to fall sometime during the past few hours. Unfortunately, the Dumpster was across the alley, and she cursed beneath her breath as she ducked her head against the rain and sprinted toward the garbage bin.
Of course, Mother Nature chose that moment to open up a thunder cloud and let it pour. Lora lifted the metal lid and quickly tossed the bags of trash inside, just as she heard the employee exit door open, then shut securely behind her with a solid click.
Panicked, she whirled around to find two big men pulling ski masks over their faces as they strode purposefully toward her from the door she'd just walked out of. She stood there, frozen to the spot, a foreboding chill racing up her spine that had nothing to do with the fact that she was nearly soaked to the skin by the ice cold rain and wind.
Born to Be Wilde Page 11