Wrapped Up (Stone Cliff #4)

by Cathryn Fox

  With exhaustion pulling at him, Noah stretched his arms over his head and stifled a yawn. He hadn’t planned on hanging out with Jared tonight, but since he couldn’t take staring at his ceiling for one more minute, he’d decided if he couldn’t sleep, he might as well get laid. The little townie gave him a look that said, come get some and his cock twitched, but before he made his move on the blonde, he shifted closer to his friend. He pulled an envelope from his back pocket and slipped it to him, wanting to do this exchange off resort and away from their manager, Donald Brake’s, watchful eye.

  “Noah...” Jared looked down at the envelope and shook his head. “Shit.” He stole a quick glance around before he shoved the bills into his pocket. “But you were saving...you can’t afford—”

  “And you can’t afford not to.” He looked pointedly at the swelling beneath Jared’s bruised eye. Even though he claimed the injury had happened when he fell off the raft during yesterday’s rough, white-water ride down Canyon Run, Noah knew better. Noah pitched his voice low, his words for Jared’s ears only. “You keep fucking with these guys and you’ll lose more than just your job. You know that, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Jared said gravely, dark eyes cast downward in worry as he rubbed his temples with his thumbs. “Christ, I had a straight flush. I never thought I could lose.” He fisted his short-cropped hair and gave a tug. “I mean come on, what are the fucking odds that the other guy beat me with a royal flush?”

  “A trillion to one,” Noah said. He didn’t need to do the mental math that came so easily to him as he finished off his beer and reached for another, handing one to Jared as well. Even though Jared was as big a fuck up as he was, the guy was a damn hard worker, and in a few short years had climbed his way up from bellboy to concierge. That job was his life, and Noah wasn’t about to stand around and see it get taken from him.

  It was Jared’s job to get to know the guests and see that their needs were being met. What he wasn’t supposed to do was socialize with those guests, or get himself invited to the after-hours poker game that the resort’s management turned a blind eye to. The high-rolling businessmen, who came to town for the annual weeklong event, weren’t the kind of guys who took kindly to getting stiffed. You owed them money, you paid your debt. One way or another.

  Noah’s glance shot to the blonde. Then again, who was he too lecture about rules, considering he was about to break one himself? Even when off duty, the staff wasn’t supposed to do anything to bring negative attention to the resort, which meant that picking up a local for a quick fuck on the rocks was pretty much all kinds of wrong.

  “I’ll pay you back,” Jared said.

  The blonde gave Noah a once over and a satisfied grin. “You just keep yourself out of trouble.”

  Jared followed the direction of Noah’s gaze, and when he glimpsed the girl Noah had his sights set on, he shook his head. “You’re one to talk. That girl has trouble written all over her.”

  “Good,” Noah said, smirking.

  “She’s got a boyfriend, Noah,” Jared warned. “And he’s a big bastard.”

  “I think you’re mistaken.” Ignoring Jared’s warning, Noah stood and shoved one hand into his pocket, pulling his worn and faded jeans lower on his hips, a not so subtle invitation that brought the blonde’s attention right where he wanted it. “I think she’s looking for a little play.”

  Jared gave him a look that suggested he was either crazy, or had a death wish, or possibly both. Maybe he was right.

  “Yeah? What makes you say that?” Jared asked.

  “She wouldn’t be wearing a shirt that showed off her tits if she didn’t want me to look.”

  While Jared cursed under his breath, Noah moved through the throng of people. Seconds before he reached blondie, some douche bag stepped in front of him to block his path. Noah nudged him with his shoulder, shoving him out of the way. With single-minded determination he moved past him, but when the guy said, “Is there a problem here, pal?” it stopped Noah dead in his tracks.

  He turned and sized up the steroid-induced mouth breather and shrugged. “Listen dude,” Noah began. “As far as I can tell the only problem here is that you’re standing between me,” he paused to poke his finger in the direction of the girl watching him with big, curious eyes, “and her.”

  The guy grabbed Noah’s arm, his nostrils flaring as he yanked Noah closer. Even at six feet, Noah had to lift his chin to meet the guy’s eyes. The ogre gripped him tighter, his sausage fingers digging into Noah’s biceps.

  Like a wire stretched tight, Noah snapped. “Get the fuck off me.” His skin came alive as he jerked his arm free. Christ, he didn’t like to be touched. Touching made him feel...well, it made him feel.

  Old, blood-soaked memories clawed their way to the surface, and visions of his best friend clutching his arm like it was his lifeline swamped him. But Noah hadn’t been Jonny’s lifeline. Oh no, not at all. Noah was a fuck up, and the sole reason Jonny was dead.

  “...Noah.”

  He heard Jared saying something, pleading with him, but the words were lost in the foggy haze clouding his mind, riding circles around his brain on the pain that came with remembering.

  “Maybe you should listen to your boyfriend,” the ogre said.

  Noah laughed in his face. “Maybe you should suck my dick.”

  The mouth breather fisted his hands and drew his arm back. Heart racing, Noah stood there, his body braced as he prepared for the pain. Welcomed it.

  Deserved it.

  Like a hard fuck, sometimes a good punch in the face sent the demons scurrying. For a little while, anyway.

  The hit came sure and swift, and Noah’s teeth clashed as he flew backwards toward the water. The damp sandy shore padded his fall, but the cold waves crashing over his body snapped his groggy senses back to life faster than a broken condom. He jumped to his feet and spit a mouth full of blood onto the sand as the primate came at him again, his knuckles practically dragging on the ground.

  “Stop it, Alex,” a shrill voice cried out, and Noah’s heart sank as the girl he’d been stalking halted the fight. Jesus, he’d wanted that next blow. Craved it. Noah wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as blondie pounded her fists into Alex’s chest.

  Fuck if Jared hadn’t been right. Blondie did have a boyfriend, and the big bastard’s name was Alex.

  Alex grabbed the girl’s hands, and pinned them to her sides. She squirmed and fought against him, the back of her shirt lifting to show a tramp stamp that Noah was certain her good folks knew nothing about. Damned if she wasn’t just the girl he needed tonight.

  “Stay out of this, Dara,” the ape named Alex warned.

  Noah took a threatening step toward Alex. “Take your fucking hands off her.”

  “Noah,” Jared warned again as the crowd gathered around them. The bonfire burned bright, the fiery embers sparking like angry fireflies in the dark night sky, casting a flickering spotlight on the scene playing out before them. “You start this shit again, and Donald won’t give you any more chances,” he bit out harshly, but Noah was too far gone, too far down the road filled with blood and bad memories to walk away.

  “I didn’t start it.” He swiped his tongue over his swollen lip and jutted his chin toward Alex. “He did. I’m just going to finish it.” Noah stood there, sizing up his opponent once again, waiting for him to make another move.

  Alex looked at Noah, then at his girlfriend, who continued to struggle against his grip. Suspicion moved into his beady eyes as they locked on hers. “What are you protecting this guy for? Do you know him or something?” he asked, his voice slurring slightly.

  “We’re all just here to have a good time, Alex.”

  “A good time?” He jerked his head toward Noah, his lips curling with disgust. “That’s the good time you want?” Silence hung heavy for a moment, then sweet tits shrugged, everything in what she didn’t say answering Alex’s question. “This shit ain’t worth it.” He shoved Dara away, pushed
through the crowd and stormed down the beach.

  He watched Alex disappear and then turned his attention to Dara. “You okay?”

  Big eyes moved over his swollen lip as her two friends came up behind her. “Are you?” she asked.

  Noah scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “Your boyfriend throws one hell of a punch.”

  She took a sip from the cooler her friend handed her, looking at him over the rim of the bottle. She swallowed and licked her lips before saying, “Maybe he’s not my boyfriend anymore.”

  “Is that right?” Noah asked, inching closer and invading her personal space. Damn she smelled good.

  “Well, maybe not tonight, anyway.” She nibbled her bottom lip, a seductive move Noah figured she’d perfected in front of a mirror, and then slid her gaze over his body.

  “You gotta be fucking kidding me.” The sound of Jared’s voice from behind him pulled Noah’s attention away from those luscious lips.

  Noah cast him a quick glance and smirked. “What?”

  “Like you even have to ask.” Shaking his head, Jared disappeared into the crowd, leaving Noah to do what he did best. Fuck everything up.

  With the fight over, the crowd went back to partying, and Dara stepped in and closed the small space that remained between them. She went up on her tiptoes, those nice tits of hers pressing into his chest. Reaching up, she feathered her fingertip over his swollen lip. “Does it hurt?”

  “Yeah. It hurts like a son of a bitch. But I guess that’s to be expected when I use my face to stop a punch.”

  She puckered those pouty lips of hers and all Noah could think about was how that sexy mouth would feel around his cock.

  “You think I should kiss it better?”

  Noah grinned. Christ, she made this so easy. “I think that’s a good start.”

  She handed her cooler back to her friends, and gave the cute brunette a knowing smile before she turned back to Noah. With a tip of her head, she gestured behind her. “Maybe we should...you know...go somewhere private.”

  She didn’t need to ask him twice. Noah grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the crowd. Once they were out of sight, near the rocky cliff at the far end of the beach, he stepped into the water and splashed a palm full into his mouth. He sloshed it around to wash away the blood, and then spat it out.

  Not wasting any time, he gripped Dara’s hips, his cock swelling inside his jeans as he pushed her up against the rock wall. He dipped his head, his lips so close to hers that he could taste the raspberry cooler on her breath. Goddamn she had a mouth made for sucking. He slipped one hand around the back of her neck, the floral scent of her hair filling his nostrils as his eyes latched on her hot mouth.

  “So about that kiss,” he murmured.

  Also by Cathryn Fox

  Stone Cliff Series:

  Crashing Down

  Wasted Summer

  Love Lessons

  Wrapped Up

  Captured and Claimed Series:

  Yours to Take

  Yours to Teach

  Yours to Keep

  Firefighter Heat Series

  Fever

  Siren

  Flash Fire

  Playing For Keeps Series

  Slow Ride

  Wild Ride

  Sweet Ride

  In the Line of Duty:

  His Obsession Next Door

  His Trouble in Tallulah

  His Strings to Pull

  His Taste of Temptation

  His Moment to Steal

  His Best Friend’s Girl

  His Reason to Stay

  Breaking the Rules:

  Hold Me Down Hard

  Pin Me Up Proper

  Tie Me Down Tight

  Take Me Down Tender

  Stand Alone Title:

  Hands on with the CEO

  Torn Between Two Brothers

  Holiday Spirit

  Unleashed

  Knocking on Demon’s Door

  Web of Desire