Mine to Steal (Mine to Love)

by T. K. Rapp

  “Is Alissa even her real name?” I ask, for no other reason than to rub salt in the wound.

  “Do you really care to know?” Joss deadpans. She’s right, I don’t care.

  “That’s alright,” Jett announces, looking at the squeaky bartender. He throws his arm around Joss, trying to save his non-existent reputation. “I wasn’t going to call anyway.”

  I’m surprised Joss is playing along, but when she shoves his arm away, it causes me to laugh at him all over again. I could watch this happen all night. “So you give people the number to the free clinic? I wonder how many use it?”

  “Judging the guys who hit on me, I’m sure at some point, they all use it.” She turns to her friends, who are staring at the three of us, and waves. “Hey, listen, it was good seeing you.” She looks me up and down. “I gotta get back over there. Damn shame, though,” she laments. “She totally should’ve hit that when she had the chance.”

  I huff a laugh and raise my chin at her assessment. It was never going to happen with Em. As quickly as Joss appeared, she disappears into the crowd, leaving me staring at her wake, and grateful for the comedic relief she afforded me.

  “Who was that?” Jett asks, leering at Joss and her friends who are pointing and laughing in our direction.

  “A friend of Em,” I answer, knowing he has no idea who Em is.

  “And she would be?” he asks for clarification.

  When I don’t answer, he nods his head and carries on a conversation with himself since I’m of no help.

  “Ah, so the chick that was crying today,” he says, grabbing his beer and swallowing down a swig. I guess he’s more observant than I give him credit for.

  I don’t bother to answer his question, opting to check my email instead. A wide smile spreads across my face, and he waits expectantly for the reason why.

  “I got an email from the client out in Chicago, so I’ll be flying out tomorrow morning to meet with him. I think I’m going to head home.”

  “Like hell you are. I got in town today, and your bitch-ass has had one drink,” he calls out as he walks back to the bar. He’s gone so fast I have no time to stop his retreat.

  Jett leaves me standing at the table, my eyes scanning the vast crowd, but they land on one person in particular. I have no idea who she is; I’ve never seen her before, but she’s sexy, at least from this distance. The stage lights in front of her provide a blinding effect, so it’s hard to see her features, but her long hair and the athletic curve of her body aren’t so easily masked. She’s standing with a group of people as the band announces they will be taking a short break after a few more songs. The music starts and she moves effortlessly to the sound. Watching her might be the best thing to happen tonight.

  My trance is broken when my brother slams his palm on the table in front of me. “It’s a three-drink minimum before you go home, Dick.”

  “Jett,” I drag in a warning tone, “I have a lot to take care of for tomorrow.”

  “Drink this or go talk to the chick.” He nods his head in the direction of the woman I was checking out moments before and ignores my comment. Instead of answering, I down the shot and slam it to the table, noting Jett’s victorious grin. “There ya go.”

  I can feel the shot burning as it makes its way down my throat, leaving the aftereffects in the pit of my stomach. I take a swig of my beer in an attempt to get the taste out of my mouth, but it takes a while before it dissipates. When I can finally talk, I wince and force my voice to sound. “What in the hell was that?”

  “Mach5.” He smiles, lifting his own shot into the air before swallowing it. His mouth puckers as he feels the same burn, but he forces a smile to cover his pain.

  I take another sip of beer and try to listen to the music, but Jett mutters something over it and disappears before I can ask him to repeat it. I’m no lightweight, but I feel like I’m experiencing aftershocks from the damn shot. When he finally returns, he has two more shots in hand and a girl on his arm. “How long were you gone?” I ask with a laugh. He pushes the shot in front of me, holding his up until I finally raise mine before he downs it. The girl is wiggling around to the music and gives his arm a tug, but he’s waiting.

  When I don’t drink mine he looks to the glass in my hand and waits expectantly. “I just finished the last one. Give me a minute. Okay?”

  Jett nods and whispers something to the girl who walks off with a smile. He glares at me and crosses his arms across his chest. “She wants to dance, but I told her I’ll meet up with her after my brother stops being a pussy and drinks the Flatliner I got him because I haven’t seen his ass in eight months.”

  I grab the shot and swallow it down waiting for the after burn again, but my throat is still numb from the last one, and I barely feel anything. That can’t be good.

  “Go!” I nod in the direction of his waiting one-night stand, but he lingers for a few minutes before finally disappearing.

  I lose track of time, listening to the end of a song before the band takes their break. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see a news alert that is nothing worth reading. But since I have it out, I search for the contents of the shots Jett got for me. Tequila, Sambucca, and who knows what else in the first shot? I’m no lightweight, but those two shots, back to back, can’t be good.

  The band is no longer on stage but most of the people remain on the floor as dance music filters through the place. I’m not sure what song is playing, but the beat is decent and I find my eyes glued to the same woman from before. I grab my beer and move to get a better view, feeling the impact of the alcohol. A mere ten feet away, I can finally see more of her, but she hasn’t turned in my direction, and I want to see what she looks like. She’s wearing tight jeans that hug her curves and a black top, but I still want to get a better view of her.

  “Wanna dance?” someone asks from behind me. I turn my head in the direction of the feminine voice and find an attractive blonde smiling at me. I don’t want to dance, but if I do, maybe I can get close enough to the woman who’s somehow caught my attention this evening. I take her hand and lead her to the floor and let the alcohol take the lead, moving in time with the beat. She pushes closer to me, writhing around and rubbing her body against mine. She looks up at me with eyes so intense I know everything that is going through her mind with the single glance. She spins around and grabs my hand, pulling me off the dance floor. It’s clear what she has in mind, and I’m all too willing to follow. That is, until my eyes land on her again.

  The brunette is in her own world, oblivious to the hungry eyes watching her. My legs are glued to the spot I was so eager to escape moments before because I’m captivated by this woman. The blonde sticks her bottom lip out in a pout and attempts to tug me toward her once again, but I pull her back to me. I do my best to convince my dance partner I’m into her, but my attention has been stolen. There are so many people around us, I can’t tell if I’m dancing with her, or the woman next to her.

  There’s an idea.

  We continue swaying to the music, all the while, getting closer to my intended target. I still have not seen her face, but her body and the sheer unencumbered way she moves leaves me with one goal - get this one.

  My dance partner has taken to moving all over the place, and leaving me for someone equally as drunk as she is. She doesn’t notice I’ve turned my back to her as I fixate on the one I want. My eyes never stray from the sexy woman who is now within my reach. Her friends are dancing together, and she is in her own world, dancing alone, or so it seems.

  In my current state, the dimly lit dance floor seems almost black, and I do something I was never able to do with Em. Take what I want.

  My hands extend to touch her, but before they connect, she spins around to face me, and I find myself wishing I could make out her features through the flashing lights and alcohol goggles. She reaches up and places her hands on my shoulders as if she’s been waiting for this moment all night, but it’s almost like she’s seeing th
rough me.

  My hands fall onto her hips and grasp firmly while we move in sync to the music. The lights make it hard to see anything distinguishing about her other than the curves of her body. I wish I could tell what color her eyes are, or if they’re even open. Her lips turn up as I lean down to ask her name. Our mouths are inches apart, and I can’t help the way my body reacts to hers. I can finally see her eyes that are glassy and wide as she stares into mine, the music fading away.

  As my eyes adjust to the sight in front of me, her lips part, as if she wants to say something, but she remains speechless. We continue dancing, both of us waiting for the other to look away, but neither of us do. Her arms glide from my shoulders to my neck, and I want to know what her lips taste like. I’m vaguely aware of the people around us as the music and lights come back into my consciousness. She tugs my head toward her and rises up on her toes, our lips mashing together in a fiery kiss.

  It’s as if I no longer have control over my own limbs when my hands travel from her hips, enveloping her in a hold that is too intimate for strangers. With one hand at the small of her back and the other at her nape, I tug her closer to me and deepen the kiss. Her lips are soft and full, and she tastes of mint, or maybe something sweet. I’m not sure what it is, because the moment her hand grazes my cheek, as if she’s meant for only me, all thoughts fade away. The only thing I want is to feel every inch of her. It’s possibly the most amazing kiss I’ve ever encountered, but she breaks away too soon. This woman leaves me breathless and more than a little turned on.

  Somewhere behind us, someone shouts something that catches her attention. She looks over her shoulder and spots one of her friends waving her over; a shorter woman who looks pissed off. She shakes her head before looking back to me and I watch the woman walk away with a scowl before she turns around once more and says something about faith. I have no idea what it means, and I don’t care. I look back to the woman in my arms and lean in to kiss her again.

  “I need to get out of here,” the sexy little brunette moans between kisses while unwrapping her arms from me. She starts to walk away but I gently tug her hand so she looks at me.

  “My place is five minutes away.”

  She watches me for a moment, and gives me a look I’ve only seen once before, but it disappears as quickly as it came.

  And so does she.

  Chapter 3

  A beautiful woman in one hand and keys to my apartment in the other, this is shaping up to a damn good day. Although, I’ll be the first to admit this is not how I expected my evening to turn out. I was surprised she took me up on my offer; so much so that I left Jett back at the bar. He can figure his own damn way home.

  “Hurry,” she murmurs, her lips dragging over my neck as I fumble with the key to unlock the door.

  “Say it again.” I laugh as her teeth nip at my skin, and I groan, turning to catch her lips with mine.

  “Get this damn door open before I change my mind.” She smiles against my mouth before her tongue tangles with mine. Somehow I manage to get it open and wrap my arm around her waist so she doesn’t fall when I open it. My keys clatter to the floor as I close the door behind me and stare at the figure of the woman in my arms.

  We resume touching each other’s bodies, and I’m vaguely aware that she might change her mind at any moment and end this drunken dream. I don’t beg, but for her, I might be inclined to if she wanted to stop.

  This nameless woman is incredibly sexy and intriguing, two things I’m finding hard to resist. Not that I’m trying.

  She has said very little. Fortunately, words aren’t needed.

  “Wait… I, just - you taste like bourbon -,” she says as she pries herself from my arms and gives herself some space. She’s breathless when she speaks again, “give me a sec.”

  So much for no words.

  I can’t find my voice anyway, so I nod and lean against the door while try to restrain myself from reaching for her again. The lights are still off, and our only source of lighting is a streetlamp outside, but it provides little help for me to make out her features. She steps back to rest against the couch behind her, and I can hear every sound she makes.

  Her labored breathing.

  The way she shifts her feet against the carpet.

  I think I can even hear the internal battle that’s waging in her head.

  “We don’t -”

  “You got me here, didn’t you?” she asks, though it’s not a question. Before I have time to react, she is storming toward me and grabbing my face to kiss me again. The urgency in that kiss makes all doubt disappear. “Where’s your room?”

  I don’t wait for any other questions or hesitations to enter her mind as I lift her up and carry her to my room. She wraps her legs around my waist, and her hands fist in my hair as she deepens the kiss.

  When she separates her lips from mine, her head drops to the side, and I don’t give a moment’s thought to kissing my way from her neck and working my way to her jaw. Every step I take toward the bed feels like an eternity. I’m torn between prolonging the foreplay or dragging her to the bed and burying myself in her as quickly as possible.

  My knees hit the edge of the bed and she unwraps her legs from my hips, dropping her knees to the surface. From this angle, she has to look up to see me, but in the darkness, I’m not sure there is much she can make out. A sliver of light helps to illuminate her silhouette, and I notice her tongue darting out to wet lips.

  “Shirt,” she whispers as her hands run along the waist of my jeans. I start to pull it off, but her hands stall mine, “lemme get that.”

  She makes quick time of taking it off, and the shirt hits the floor as her hands roam over my bare chest. Electricity charges through me when her lips trail light kisses down my stomach.

  I drop my hands and grip her hips firmly so I can hold her against me. My jeans are tight from my hardness, and I’m fighting the urge to take control. And in my booze-filled state, I’m disappointed when she pulls away.

  “Where’re you going?” I slur, reaching out for her again.

  “This stupid thing won’t come off,” she grunts, before tugging the shirt off over her head. “Now,” she commands tossing her shirt to join mine on the floor. She clumsily pulls me over her and onto the bed. The moment our bare skin touches, I’m not sure how long I can last.

  “I don’t want to think tonight,” she whispers against my lips. I don’t know what it means, and I don’t care because I’m the one right here with her.

  “Then don’t,” I answer.

  My hand is holding the side of her neck as I continue kissing her; her hands are travelling down my back and stop at my waist. Her gaze finds mine and locks as she slowly unzips my jeans but never breaks our connection.

  As my hand leaves its place against her neck, I gently move my lips over her collarbone and journey down pausing to tease between her perfect breasts that are still contained within the bra. I’ll tackle that damn thing in a minute.

  When I reach her stomach, she writhes beneath my touch and her hands tug at my hair. “Don’t stop,” she warns. I raise my eyes to look at her, but I have another destination in mind as I continue my downward tour to free her of those damn jeans.

  She lifts her hips so I am able to peel the tight fabric and expose her taut, smooth thighs. I stand up and hold her leg so I can pull the jeans from each ankle. My jeans are next to come off before I take my time kissing my way from her knee, to her thigh and just above the sensitive area covered by her lacy G-string.

  My boxers, her bra, and that sexy piece of material are the only thing that separates us, but I don’t care. Touching the small of her back while she is in my arms, the feel of her skin scorches against mine, and I want more.

  “I want you,” she whispers as she runs her fingers delicately over my hard abdomen and then beneath my boxers. “Now. These have to go.”

  “So does this,” I answer, running my fingers underneath her bra strap and kissing her shoulder. She swall
ows hard and nods against me in agreement as her body shivers slightly. Slowly, she leans forward, resting on her elbows, and I work the snaps at her back, but stop and laugh. “Where in the helz the snap?”

  Her sudden laugh catches me off guard, but she grabs my hand.

  “Here,” she says placing it to the center of her chest. My hand is stilled while I feel the rapid rising and falling of her chest. I drag my hand up and lean in to kiss her again, a soft, unhurried kiss. I can feel her heart rate quicken beneath my hand and is palmed over her chest. “Take it off.” She sighs, dropping her head back in anticipation.

  I remove the silky piece of material, and she pulls my body flush against hers.

  “You feel so good,” I confess as my lips continue finding someplace new to touch.

  This woman is consuming every one of my senses, and I want more. My hands can’t touch her fast enough, and I want to taste every bit of her.

  “You’re so beautiful,” I admit while looking at her naked body. Through the fog of the shots and beer, I see curves and skin and hips arching against me, and I drink her in. Damn, she’s sexy.

  “So are you, t-” she says before my lips collide into hers. Her soft moans send my body into overdrive as I give in to the night neither of us planned and both of us want.

  * * *

  “Trey,” Jett whisper-shouts between taps on my door.

  Instantly I look to the side of my bed and find it empty, and when I look at the bathroom, the door is open and the light is off.

  She’s gone.

  “Trey,” he yells a little louder. “Open the fuckin’ door.”

  My boxers are on the floor in the same place I left them last night. This morning? Earlier?

  “What time is it?” I demand as I finish pulling them on before I open the door. I rub my eyes as I wait for him to answer.

  “Three,” he answers before looking back toward his room. “You got any condoms? You know, one that you didn’t let expire?”