“Shit,” he muttered, backing away from her, averting his eyes from her bewildered form as she still stood against the wall. “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.” He took a deep breath and he realized that taking her out to the club would be far more safe than being alone with him. He picked up his keys, and walked to the door. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 18
Mitch and Peter watched from their table at the edge of the dance floor, as Juliana danced with Erica. They were dancing closely to one another, rubbing against each other, dirty dancing as young women often did. They were a formidable duo on the dance floor, by far the sexiest women out there, as they garnered more attention from nearby men than they realized.
He looked up at the next level of the club, and saw Steve and Joe as they surveyed the space from the plush booth Azura had secured for them. They’d all been seated in the comfortable booth, but the girls decided they’d wanted to dance. Mitch said no at first, not wanting to let her out of his sight. But he’d relented, and he and Peter had followed them down in order to keep an eye on their surroundings.
Mitch sipped his whiskey, and watched the dance floor, he turned his head and saw that his brother was watching him.
“So, do I need to ask you?” Peter said, drinking from his own glass. Leaning in so that they could talk over the music.
“Ask me what?”
“What’s going on with you and Juliana?”
“Nothing’s going on,” he said, taking a drink. “I’m just trying to keep her safe so she can testify and take down Petrova.”
Peter snorted before drinking from his beer. “Dude, I’m not stupid. I’ve seen you with witnesses before. This is different. Are you falling for her?”
“No.”
“For all the years you worked UC I thought you’d be a better liar.”
“What, are you going to lecture me?”
“No. Just be careful. You gave me a hard time when I started seeing Erica.”
“Because we thought she was entangled with the O’Connells.”
Peter ignored him. “I’m just saying. Love can fuck you up and make you lose focus. But it’s also one of the greatest motivators there is.”
“I am definitely not in love.”
“Alright. Well, I guess good pussy has the same effect. Because you’re obviously fucking her.”
“Jesus Christ. You really are a charmer. All right. You know what, before we left my place tonight, I kissed her. I pushed her up against the wall and I wanted nothing more than to take her then and there. Is that what you want to hear? She’s also been sleeping in my bed. With me, I’ll add. And in fact, I’ve been meeting up with her at Leather & Lace and fucking her brains out on a regular basis, but she doesn’t know it’s me, because she wants it to be anonymous, and now she’s staying my house, and I can’t even keep myself from touching her, even while I’m supposed to be keeping her safe. Is that what you were looking for? Is that enough?”
Peter’s eyes were wide, and he sipped from his beer. “Fuck me. Wow. You’ve been holding onto that for a while, huh?”
Mitch returned to watching Juliana move on the dance floor. “Yeah, I have been. But I can’t do anything about it?”
“Why not?”
“I’m on the job,” he said simply. “I can’t focus on her safety, if I’m busy trying to get her naked.”
“You can protect her, and get her naked at the same time,” Peter shrugged helpfully. “I mean, if you guys are getting busy, you’ll be able to keep a pretty close eye on her.”
Mitch laughed and took another sip of his whiskey. “You’re not wrong,” he said, with a shrug.
Overheated from dancing, Juliana and Erica entered the round booth on each side and were followed by Mitch and Peter. The opening band had been good, and Juliana was glad to expend some energy, especially since Mitch’s kiss, but all of the tension came roiling back, tightening her insides, as Mitch pushed into the booth after her, and six of them squeezed into the seat to accommodate him. Normally, six people would have no trouble fitting into the space, the size of the burly men left little room. Mitch sat next to her. He seemed to be brooding about something, and she wondered if the kiss they’d shared was on his mind, while he sipped his drink, his thigh and side pressed warmly against hers. He’d barely said a word to her since they’d kissed before leaving his home.
“So which band is this?” Mitch asked the group. “What can we expect here?”
“Well, Azura’s in about seven different bands, but tonight’s musical offering is Sin Johns,” Erica offered. “It’s a blue grass/folk rock/hip hop/electronica. Sort of Mumford and Sons meets Daft Punk, meets Kanye West. At least that’s how she describes it to newbies.” When Mitch gave her a confused look, Erica laughed. “You’ll see.”
Juliana laughed, and realized that her throat was parched, and she was still extremely warm and in danger of completely overheating, and she didn’t know if it was from dancing or from Mitch. She could still feel the brand of Mitch’s lips on hers. She was certain that if anyone looked closely enough they’d see the rash and burn from his beard on her throat. She fanned herself with one hand as she reached for a beer bottle which was nestled in one of the three ice buckets in the center of the table. She needed a drink.
“Mumford meets Kanye… that’s a hell of a combination,” he shook his head, and leaned back, casually draping his arm along the back of the booth, behind Juliana’s shoulders. He wasn’t touching her, but she was aware of him. How could she not be? She clenched her thighs together to quench her need for him, and she felt the moistness spread in her panties. She was so far-gone, and she tried to swallow another mouthful of beer past the lump in her throat, but found it impossible.
The house lights dimmed and Juliana sat back in her seat, allowing the plush booth cradle her, still acutely aware of Mitch’s arm resting above her shoulders. She smiled when the crowd erupted in applause, proud of her friend. Azura took her place behind the microphone, looking radiant under the stage lights, at home and in her element on the stage. Juliana settled back as the opening chords of one of her favourite songs – one of Azura’s originals – filled the darkened club, and even though Juliana couldn’t see him, she could feel Mitch’s gaze settle on her.
She met his gaze, and she burned, wanting him to kiss her again, right there and then, in front of everyone, and she dreamed of crawling up into his lap and straddling him. But he surprised her when he lowered his arm, and covertly placed his warm hand on her thigh. She slanted her eyes up at him, and saw that he was still looking at her. His fingers curled over her thigh, and she gasped softly, but she went unheard under the loud volume of the music. Mitch’s fingers ventured to her inner thigh, and she held her breath and looked around the table. Everyone else was completely oblivious to what was going on at their end of the booth, as they watched the show.
Juliana thought back to their kiss, as his fingers drew lines and swirls over her exposed thigh, setting her on fire. He might have pulled away from their kiss earlier, but it was clear to her that it hadn’t been an easy decision for him. She needed him. She needed to feel something other than fear. She was grateful for the distraction of her desire.
His strong fingers curled over her thigh, sweeping over the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. It was as if he was continuing the massage he’d started on his couch. This time she wasn’t going to fall asleep. She was wide awake for him. She spread her legs, just a small, imperceptible movement, an invitation. She closed her eyes, and let him continue to touch her, as his fingers singed her skin, burning a trail further up her thigh. Every time he touched her body she felt his strength, and she wanted to rely on him for only that moment. His lips had been magical, but his fingers were currently promising so much more. With her eyes closed, she focussed only on his touch. But something made her pause. It felt as if she knew his touch.
It was… Almost familiar?
Her eyes flew open. Mitch’s kiss and his intimate touc
h should have been a unique experience, but as his fingers danced over her bare skin, she recalled the way his lips had felt on hers, the way his tongue stroked against hers. Just thinking about it overwhelmed her, and her mind flickered between the image of her mystery lover, and Mitch, until the man in fox mask disappeared and was completely replaced by Mitch.
Her head whipped over to him, and their eyes met. Reflexively, he removed his hand; her eyes were wide, and she couldn’t catch her breath. She needed to get out of the booth, but Mitch was blocking her way. “I need to get up,” she told him, loud enough so that he could hear her.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to go.”
“Not without me.”
“Let me out.”
Mitch looked at her, but didn’t move for a moment, until he finally pushed out of the booth and let her out. Even though she knew everyone at the table was watching, she stormed past him, but she knew that he was following her. She walked toward the bathroom, but Mitch stopped her.
“Jules, wait!”
She turned around. “What?”
“What’s going on?”
“You tell me,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “You’re him, aren’t you?”
He didn’t respond right away. He took a step toward her.
“Mitch?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “The way you kissed me, and touched me. You’re the man in the fox mask, aren’t you?”
His eyes and posture turned hard, while his mouth, and those sensual lips, turned down.
He took a deep breath. His hesitation made her angry and impatient. She needed answers. “Mitch,” she snapped.
“Juliana,” he said calmly, taking a step toward her. “Listen to me. Calm down.”
She took a step away in return. “Mitch? You’re him.” more statement than question now,
“I can explain.”
“What do you mean, you can explain? Did you know who I was? And yet you agreed to meet up with me there? Knowing this whole time?”
“I didn’t know that first night,” he told her. “On Halloween. It was just a coincidence. And it wasn’t until the next day that I discovered it. When I went to the café and saw the cat mask on your desk.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I wanted to. Jesus, I tried. There were so many times I wanted to tell you. But you were so serious about wanting it to be anonymous. And I guess part of me wanted to keep being with you. I was having as much fun as you were.”
“But Mitch, it wasn’t anonymous. You knew who I was. This whole time we’ve been together and you knew the most intimate things about me. That’s a huge betrayal.”
“I know,” he admitted, forced to avoid her injured gaze before working up the resolve to meet her eyes again. “I fucked up, I’m sorry. But I want to make it right.”
Juliana felt her anger subside, and it quickly made way for a rush of desire. Just standing in front of Mitch, she knew it made perfect sense. She recognized his murmurs, the way he moved, the leathery-vanilla scent of his cologne. Maybe, somehow, a small part of her knew it was Mitch all along.
She took several steps toward him, until she stood in front of him, chest to chest. Her breath was heavy, but the rise and fall of his chest matched hers. With every breath, she pulled in his cologne. She closed her eyes, and it felt like she was back in Leather & Lace with her mystery lover. But she wasn’t, she opened her eyes and confirmed that she was with Mitch Swanson, her protector. “How do you want to make it up to me?”
Mitch didn’t hesitate. He moved in, taking her head in both of his large hands, he held her in place and he kissed her. He stole her breath from her throat, his tongue delving into her mouth, stroking against hers. She could barely hear the notes of Azura’s band over the rush in her ears. When she remembered that they were in public, she broke away from him. “Let’s leave.”
Chapter 19
Mitch drove too fast getting back to his apartment. He didn’t care. All he could focus on was getting Juliana back to his apartment and taking her again. They hadn’t spoken since leaving the club, and she remained quiet in the passenger seat. He carelessly pulled into his parking space, not concerned with staying within the lines, and they exited the truck.
It was stupid. It was dangerous. He shouldn’t be doing it, but godammit, he didn’t care.
He unlocked the door to his apartment, and before he was able to close it, Juliana was in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Kissing him. His arms were around her waist, and he lifted her, allowing her legs to wrap around his midsection; he closed the door with a kick of his foot.
He reluctantly pulled his mouth away from hers. “Do we have to talk about this?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk anymore,” she whispered. “I’ve had a really crazy week,” she said by way of explanation. “I’ve got all this tension to release. And to top it all off, the only man I’ve slept with in a year, my anonymous sex club hook-up, turns out to be the man who’s protecting me by locking me up in his house. He’s also the man who has held me in his arms as I slept for the past few nights.” She moved in to kiss him again. But he tilted his head back, pausing on the words she’d just said.
“The only man in a year?” he asked her.
“That’s the part you focus on?” she giggled. “But yes, remember our conversation about not having time to date.”
“But what about the club? You go there for sex, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “Not always. And I don’t just hook-up with anyone. Just the ones I have chemistry with. And sometimes I just watch others or I do my own thing. Most of the time I just go because it’s a chance to dress up, have a drink and talk about something besides coffee. It’s not always about sex.”
He almost missed that last comment, transfixed by the way her gorgeous ass felt in his hands. “So, that night on Halloween, you saw me and thought we had chemistry?” he asked, recovering his concentration somewhat as he walked to his bedroom.
“We do, don’t we?” she challenged him, her head tilted to the side as she pivoted to face him. When they got to his bedroom, he reluctantly released her, and they both stood in the center of the floor. “And I just think that with everything we’ve both been through,” he watched transfixed as her hands slid down her front, “over the last couple of days,” fingers bunching up the hem of her dress, “that we should just use it for a quick release, you know?” pulling the edge higher up her legs. “Just because we can.”
Mitch’s mind swam. Every incremental inch of fabric hitching up her thighs sent blood pounding in tandem to his cock. He wanted nothing more than to be with Juliana again, but he didn’t want to take advantage of her in a high-stress situation. His sense of professional decorum was a crumbling dam, holding back his growing tide of desire by the barest shreds. “Are you sure?”
She took another step forward, so that her chest as flush with his, she pushed her hips against his, and slid up a down a little, rubbing against his already-hard cock. Her meaning not lost on him.
He leaned over her, bringing his lips only a breath away from hers. “You’re looking for a quick release, huh?” She nodded. His tongue moistened his lips as his eyes took a final survey of the beauty before him. “Well, let me tell you, Jules, nothing about this night is going to be quick.”
Juliana only had a moment to take a breath before his mouth crashed onto hers once again. He brought his hands to her face, cupping her cheek with one hand, holding her by the nape with the other, keeping her in place. But he broke away from her as quickly as he’d stolen her breath. She gasped when he cupped her hips in his large hands and turned her quickly so that her back was to him. He pushed the hair from one side of her throat, and placed a kiss on the now-exposed, oh-so-sensitive skin in the crook where her neck met her shoulder. Juliana shuddered under his mouth.
He fingered a spot on her throat. “I noticed that there was a hickey on your neck when we were at the club
,” he whispered against her ear. “I knew that I put it there, and it was driving me crazy all night.”
She moaned in response, and while he held a palm flat to her stomach, the other lay flat on his thigh. His warm hand ran up her thigh, singeing her skin, and disappeared under her skirt.
“You aren’t mad at me anymore?” he asked her.
“I’m still mad,” Juliana told him, thrusting her ass into his crotch. “You should have told me the truth,” she moaned, as his fingers crept up her bare thigh, doling out the same delicious stimulation she’d inflicted on him earlier. “Because we could have been doing this all along.”
“Don’t torture me,” He muttered. “It was hard enough just holding you at night, not being able to kiss you, or sink inside of you, make you moan, and cry out in pleasure.”
She reached back and gripped his hard length through is jeans. “Now you’re the one who’s torturing me. But I’m glad I learned it was you,” she whispered, squeezing him. He groaned in her ear. “I might as well take advantage of your hard body, and your cock, for as long as I can.”
Mitch’s laugh was a deep, hearty chuckle. “You’re right,” he said, finally reaching the already-wet satin that served as the barrier between his fingertips and her needy core. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I lied. But I encourage you to take all of the advantage you’d like.”
When his finger delved past her panties, Juliana bit back a moan, and threw her head back to rest against his chest and shoulder. His fingers found her clit, the tight bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs and he touched her, she cried out, her knees almost buckling in response to his touch. She turned her head, spying his cocky smile, revelling in her response to his ministrations as he continued to kiss the sensitive flesh of her neck.
His mouth took hers again and he kissed her hungrily. Lord, the man could kiss! The movement of his tongue mimicked those of his fingers as they strummed on her. She arched her back, and his other hand palmed her breast, and squeezed. Juliana felt her the tension, tightening her, low in her core, and she knew she was close. So did he, and he refused to release her until she’d finished. Finally, she snapped, and he held her closer as she writhed in his arms. He kissed her, and she cried out into him, her pleasure being captured by his mouth, and he swallowed it wholly.
Double Shot to the Heart (Brewed Moon Book 2) Page 12