Eruption (The Hunted Series Book 3)

by Ivy Smoak

  "He doesn't. He's purposely trying to push your buttons."

  "Why?"

  "I think he's trying to see how you'll react."

  "He wants me to knock him out?"

  I laughed. "No, I don't think either of you want that."

  "He's certainly tempting me."

  "I think he's more so trying to see if you'll hit me."

  "What?" James pulled back slightly.

  "Remember when I told you that one of the interns thought you were abusive because of the bruise on my cheek? That was Zach."

  "Oh." James touched the side of my face where my bruise was still slightly visible. "It kills me that anyone would think I did that. I would never hurt you."

  I grabbed his hand and moved it back to my waist. "I know, James. Try to ignore him. The last thing you want is to get in a bar fight with one of your employees. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen."

  "Then he should probably stop hitting on you."

  "He's not. And what about Sierra hitting on you?" I gave him a playful smile.

  James laughed. "I think she's had too much to drink."

  "I hope that's the reason. I mean, I'm sitting right there. What is her problem?"

  He grabbed my hand and spun me around before pulling me back in close.

  "I don't think any of them really care to get to know me, " I said. "They just wanted to meet you."

  "I'm sure that isn't true."

  "The only one talking to me was Zach and he was doing it to piss you off."

  James laughed.

  "The woes of dating a celebrity."

  "Baby, I'm not a celebrity."

  "You basically are. And everyone that works for you idolizes you."

  "I only care about what you think of me."

  I stared into his eyes. "Do you wish you were an author?"

  "I'm happy exactly where I am."

  "You know, if you wrote a book it would automatically be a best seller. You already have name recognition."

  "I'm happy exactly where I am," he repeated. "I wouldn't change a thing."

  I stared into his eyes. "What do you and Mason talk about when you run together?"

  James smiled. "Guy stuff."

  "What does that mean?"

  James spun me around again.

  "Does that mean you talk about me and Bee?"

  "Sometimes."

  "Good or bad things?"

  "Let's just say I know who's going to win our bet."

  "What?! You know when Mason is going to propose to Bee?!"

  "I can't say anything else."

  "James, you have to tell me."

  He laughed. "There's no way I'm telling you. I have inside information. And you're just going to leak it to Bee."

  "I won't, I promise."

  "Penny, you're a terrible liar. I told Mason I wouldn't tell anyone."

  I pursed my lips. "Husbands and wives don't keep secrets from each other."

  "Some bro code breaks marriage code."

  "It does not."

  "No, it doesn't. But we're not married yet. Ask me again next Saturday and I'll tell you."

  "Fine." I sighed. "I was thinking about calling off the wedding, but I guess I can't now."

  "Very funny."

  I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him. His hands slid down to the top of my ass as he kissed me back. He didn't seem to care at all that his employees could see us. And the way he was kissing me made me not care either.

  "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked. His voice was low and seductive.

  "Are you caving?"

  "No, but I think I'll be able to get you to."

  I shook my head back and forth. "If you cave we can leave right now, though. And you can do whatever you want to me."

  He lowered his eyebrows.

  "If not, your new friends are waiting for you."

  James laughed. "You mean your new friends." He leaned in a little closer to me. "I'm not caving, Penny. But I guarantee that this game will be over by the end of the week."

  "Is that so?"

  He winked at me and grabbed my hand. I reluctantly followed him back to the table.

  "We have a game to play," Sierra said.

  Hopefully it wasn't who could flirt better with James. "What's the game?" I asked.

  "Two truths, one lie. We'll go around and each say two truths and one lie about ourselves, and then everyone else will guess which thing is a lie."

  "Okay, let's play." I took a sip of my beer.

  "I'll go first," she said. "I haven't been to church in years. I flunked chemistry in high school. And I have never had a one night stand."

  "The last one was a lie," Tavon said.

  "Nope." Sierra's cheeks blushed.

  "What do you mean that's not a lie?" Tavon asked.

  Sierra shrugged. "It wasn't my lie."

  "We're going to have to fix that."

  Sierra laughed.

  "Well, you probably didn't flunk chemistry," Zach said. "So I'm gonna say that's the lie."

  Sierra shook her head.

  "You really flunked chemistry?" I asked. "I hated science too."

  She laughed. "Yeah, I had to retake it. I just hated that class so much."

  "How on earth did you get this internship?" Tavon asked and lightly touched her shoulder.

  I tried not to laugh. Tavon had clearly found his mission for the night. Sierra was in trouble.

  "Okay," Tavon said and cracked his knuckles. "I've lost more money in blackjack than I care to admit. I've never broken a bone. And I have a huge penis."

  "The huge penis thing is a little subjective, don't you think?" Zach asked.

  James laughed. This was the most inappropriate game ever to play with your boss. James smiled at me. But he seemed to be enjoying himself. Now that the inquisition was over, he probably felt a little more comfortable.

  "Oh, no. It's huge." He winked at Sierra. Her cheeks got even redder.

  "The blackjack thing?" I asked. I couldn't picture Tavon in a casino.

  "Yeah. You got me. I don't even know how to play blackjack."

  "Okay, my turn," Zach said. "I've been in several bar fights. I was in foster care growing up. And I play the piano."

  I pressed my lips together. Was that why he knew what abuse looked like? Because he was in foster care? Was he abused? I felt bad for giving him a hard time. He was just trying to help me.

  "Well, there's no way you play piano," Tavon said.

  "No, I do play."

  "Really?" Sierra asked. "Are you really good?"

  Zach shrugged. "I'm okay."

  "You're lying about the bar fights," James said.

  Zach nodded. "Yeah, when you grow up in foster care, you don't need to go out seeking fights. Your turn Penny."

  I didn't know what to say. I felt like I needed to apologize to him for being so defensive when he was just trying to help me. But James wasn't abusive. I'd try to talk to Zach about it again later. Maybe he'd believe me now that he had hung out with James. "Um. Well, I didn't have a date to prom. I was seduced by my college professor. And I've...gone skinny dipping."

  "I'm sure you had a date to prom," Zach said. "That's your lie."

  I shook my head. "Nope. I never even had a normal date until college."

  "You're kidding," Tavon said.

  "No.

  "What's her lie, James?" Tavon asked.

  James smiled at me. "The second one. But that's subjective too. She thinks she was the one that seduced me, not the other way around."

  "Yeah right," Sierra said. She cleared her throat. "Sorry."

  James laughed. "I disagree too. I definitely seduced her."

  I rolled my eyes. We loved to disagree about this. But really, we both seduced each other. It had been pretty clear from the start what we both desired. "We agree to disagree."

  "Your turn, James," Zach said.

  "Okay, let's see. I've lost more money in blackjack than I care to admit," he said.

  Tavon laughed.


  "I used to hate romantic comedies but now I love them. And teaching was the best decision I ever made."

  "Which one is a lie, Penny?" Sierra asked.

  James raised his left eyebrow at me.

  I had no idea. It was possible that James had been into gambling at one point. He certainly had a lot of money he could lose. James and I didn't watch that much T.V. but we had watched a few romcoms together. It was possible that he liked them now that he was happy. I could imagine that he hated them when he was married to Isabella. James certainly loved teaching. And if he hadn't taught at the University of New Castle, we never would have met. I smiled back at him. "The last one."

  James nodded. "It was only the second best decision I ever made."

  "What was the first?" Sierra asked.

  "Asking Penny to marry me."

  It suddenly felt like we were the only two in the room. Next Saturday I would be the luckiest girl in the world.

  "Aww," Sierra said, interrupting the trance I was in. "You guys are so cute."

  "How much did you lose in blackjack?" Tavon asked.

  James laughed. "I don't remember. You'd have to ask my friend Mason. I'm pretty sure I blacked out the last time I went to a casino."

  I shook my head. I was glad the two of them talked about real estate now. Blacking out at casinos was probably best to leave in the past.

  Chapter 19

  Friday

  James was hanging out with his friends tonight. Normally I'd be watching T.V. with Tyler, but I hadn't heard from him or Melissa since Tuesday. I wasn't going to push them. Fridays were the one night a week that James and I usually didn't spend together. And just because two of my best friends weren't speaking to me, it didn't mean James had to skip his night out.

  So instead of going to Tyler's, I had made plans with Bee. When James hung out with his friends, it usually meant Mason was also a part of the shenanigans, which left Bee free to hang out. Most Fridays Bee came over and hung out at Tyler's with me. They had known each other back at the University of New Castle too. And apparently Tyler had never liked Bee's ex fiancé, which made them bond instantly.

  But sometimes Bee would hang out with her other friends. So tonight I was crashing her girls' night at a bar near her advertising agency. I had spent time with Marie and Kendra before. And despite the fact that they were both really nice, I always felt a little out of place. Like Bee, they were super successful women and I was just a girl who had been given her first marketing job. Maybe they'd have some advice for me.

  I stepped out of the subway and made my way up the stairs. James hated that I used the subway. But he also refused to let me drive any of his cars while we were in the city because he deemed it unsafe. Which didn't bother me at all. I had no desire to drive through the crazy busy streets of New York City. The thought scared me too. However, Ian was our only driver, which usually resulted in me saying James could take the car. I didn't mind the subway. I had gotten used to the smell of urine and the random homeless people sleeping in the corners of the subway cars. Besides, it made me feel like a normal New Yorker.

  All week long I had tried to tempt James into seduction. Apparently I wasn't great at being sexy, because he hadn't caved yet. But he had said he'd have me begging by the end of the week and I couldn't wait to see what he had in store. I silently laughed to myself. He had successfully turned it into a competition despite me sincerely thinking it would be good to wait till our wedding night. He had already gotten his way.

  Every now and then I found James' behavior frustrating. But for the most part, I liked that he always knew what he wanted and what was best for me. I knew that from the outside looking in, it may look like I was a pushover. That wasn't how it felt though. We both gave and took a lot from our relationship. Just because I wasn't rich and successful didn't mean I didn't have anything to offer him. And even though people judging me bothered me sometimes like James' control issues, for the most part I had learned to ignore it. I didn't care that people didn't understand why James wanted to be with me. The important thing was that I knew he wanted to be.

  I opened up the door to the bar and stepped inside. The air conditioning was on full blast and it made me shiver. James and I had never gone this long without having sex and strange things were turning me on. I swallowed hard and reminded myself that the shivers weren't from him but from cold air. Hopefully James was as amped up as I was and tonight he would confess that he couldn't go another day without having me. Especially since tonight I was planning on pulling out all the stops that I was too tired to last night. The thought made me smile as I made my way over to Bee, who was waving her arm in the air to call me over.

  "Hey!" I said and sat down in the empty stool.

  "Girl, I can't wait till your wedding," Kendra said with a huge smile. "So what's the situation with the single guys that are going to be there?"

  I laughed. "You mean like how many will be there?"

  "Mhm."

  "There's a bunch of James' friends from college that are coming that I've never met. I think most of them didn't say they were bringing a plus one. And a few of his colleagues who I know are single. I can't remember, have you already met Rob and Matt?"

  "What, is that like a gay couple or something? I'm talking about straight, single guys here, Penny."

  Bee laughed. "She's met them. Matt is Mason's younger brother and Rob is James' younger brother. They were at my birthday party." She paused for a second. "Now that you mention it though, they would make kind of a cute gay couple."

  "Oh, those two." She rolled her eyes. "You're right, I have met them. They're too young for me. But the other options sound promising. I am so getting laid."

  Marie laughed. "Okay, now that the important question is out of the way...are you getting nervous?"

  I took a deep breath. "I'm not, actually." I had thought after Isabella's threat that she would have been horrible all week, but I hadn't heard from her. And James' parents hadn't contacted us at all. Those had been the only two things I was stressed about. The wedding itself didn't make me nervous. It felt like I had been waiting forever to marry James. "I'm just so excited."

  Marie smiled. "That's good. God, I was so nervous the week before I got married. I just kept thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Like tripping down the aisle, or..."

  Bee lightly pushed Marie's shoulder. "Don't make her worry. It's good that you're excited, Penny. We're all so excited for you."

  A waiter came by and dropped off four cosmopolitans. Bee and her friends always ordered them when they went out. It gave the whole night a Sex in the City vibe, although Kendra was the only one that was single.

  "How's the new job going?" Bee asked and took a sip of her drink.

  Luckily my bruise had faded so I wouldn't have to talk about being called Fight Club. "It was a weird first week. Having to tell the other interns that I was basically just handed the job was embarrassing. You're all so successful. And I..."

  "Okay, you can stop right there. Marie and Kendra, absolutely," Bee said. "But you know how I got my job. James only gave you an internship. You still have to work your way up. You still get to prove your worth."

  I laughed. "I forgot about that, actually."

  "And everyone's going to forget that James gave you your first marketing job. It's not a big deal. Besides, you're marrying him. You're taking his last name. People are going to automatically respect you."

  "Do I sense a hint of jealousy?" Marie asked.

  Bee laughed. "Mason and I are enjoying the here and now. And we're too busy to get married."

  That's how I had felt while I was still in school. Bee and Mason were growing their business together. They worked all the time.

  "Mhm," Kendra said. "So when do you think Mason will pop the question?"

  Bee shrugged. "Sometime before we have kids? I don't know."

  "Are you seriously thinking about having kids soon?" Kendra asked. "Ugh, they're always so sticky."

&n
bsp; Marie laughed. "Sticky? Actually, that's a pretty good way to describe the little monsters."

  "Not soon soon," Bee said. "Like I just said, I'd want to get married first. So it's a few years out. We have talked about it though."

  "I'm thinking pretty soon myself," Marie said with a smile.

  "Nooooo!" Kendra yelled. Some people in the bar turned to look at us. "You can't have kids yet. None of you can. I'm not ready."

  "You're not ready?" Marie asked. "You're not the one who's body is going to turn into a watermelon."

  Kendra laughed. "True. But I'll be an unofficial aunt. Which means I have to agree to the when. And I say not yet. I need these girls' nights. I can't have you guys all fat in here. How will I ever pick up men that way?"

  "But you'll look so good in comparison," Bee said.

  "No. Pregnant women have that whole glowing skin thing going on. You're all trying to ruin my life." Kendra turned to me. "And you're awfully quiet. Does that mean you're going to start popping babies out right away too, miss soon to be missus?"

  "Oh, I...no, I don't know if that's...well, probably not." I took a huge sip of my cosmo. God is this strong. I coughed and looked back up. They were all staring at me.

  Kendra's face got a little softer and she glanced at Bee.

  Bee gave me an encouraging smile. "What, James doesn't want a million little kids running around?"

  I looked down at my drink. "We just haven't talked about it much." I knew he was worried about being a bad father. But he was stronger than he realized. He wasn't going to break again. His life was good now. We were good.

  "Isn't that kind of something you're supposed to talk about before getting married?" Kendra asked. "Ow!" she yelped. I looked up to see her giving Marie a death stare.

  "You're so young," Marie said. "You two have plenty of time to figure it out. Besides, you're just starting your career. You'll probably want to work for several years before starting a family."

  "Mhm." I wasn't so sure about that. But I was young. Being with James always made me try to act older than I was. I had plenty of time to convince him that it was a good idea, though. Right now I just wanted to focus on us.

  Bee pulled out her phone. "Oh, no." Her face drained of color.

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  Bee looked up at me. "I thought you said you'd tell James to not let Mason throw his bachelor party? You said you'd talk to him."