by Lexy Timms
“He does, but this time, he isn’t lying,” said Carter, winking. “I’ll vouch for that.”
“It’s getting late,” said one of the other girls. “We need to find Barbara.”
“She’s down that hallway,” said Carter.
The girls thanked us and headed in the direction. I couldn’t help but stare at the back of Lauren’s legs, which were tan, long, and lean.
“Nice, huh?” said Carter, noticing me staring.
“Yeah. They’d look even nicer over my shoulders.”
He laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it,” I said, smiling cockily. “It’s all charm, brother, and I’m laying it on thick tonight.”
“I’m telling you, Lauren doesn’t do one-night stands. Barbara said that she makes a guy wait until the fourth date, at the earliest.”
“We’ll be two dates into it by the end of the night,” I said.
“Two?”
“Yeah. I’m counting last night as number one. Sure, we didn’t talk, eat, or drive there together. But, she was eyeballing me last night. Probably even wondering if she should skip her ‘four-date rule’.”
He smiled “Dream on, big shooter.”
“I will. You see, dreams are what make the world go ‘round, my friend,” I reminded him. “And my dreams usually include pussy. By the way, now that you’re getting married, you may as well kiss your dreams goodbye.”
Carter put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “You just said ‘pussy’ in church.”
I nodded toward a mural of Jesus. “Hey, he gave it to us.”
He burst out laughing. “You’re going straight to hell, you know that?”
I smiled wickedly. “Do you think there will be pussy there?”
Chapter 5
Lauren
It was the sound of my cell phone buzzing that woke me from a dead sleep. Groaning from the sharp pain in my temples, I opened one eye and reached clumsily for the phone. As I did, an arm encircled my waist and pulled me backwards into warm, solid maleness.
Shocked, I stiffened up.
Who in the hell is that?
“Relax,” murmured a gravelly voice against my neck. His mouth moved up and he nipped my earlobe with his teeth, making me shiver. “Whoever it is can wait, but as you can probably tell… I can’t.”
My eyes wide open now, they darted around the darkness. I was definitely in my hotel room, which brought me no relief. I couldn’t just slip away.
He pressed his hips against my bottom and there was no mistaking the raging hard-on rubbing against my cheeks. “I need to be inside you, babe. You feel me?”
“Yeah,” I squeaked. I definitely felt him.
Rough fingers reached up and grabbed my breast. He tugged on my nipple. “God, you’re sexy,” he murmured.
I can’t do this, I thought, my cheeks burning in shame. I didn’t do one-night stands. Not ever. But, last night had been my sister’s wedding and obviously, I’d had far too much to drink.
Taking a deep breath, I pried the man’s fingers from my breast and scooted out of his reach, pulling one of the blankets with me.
“Hey, where you going?” he asked, trying to reach for me again.
Covering myself, I quickly stood up and turned on the lamp. When I finally got a good look at the muscular, tattooed man lounging in my bed, I groaned at my own stupidity. In the back of my mind, I knew it was him. I just didn’t want to believe it.
I sighed. “Taylor.”
He rubbed the side of his cheek. “You look surprised.”
“Do I?” I mumbled, frustrated. I wasn’t sure which made me angrier – the fact that I’d had sex with him, or the fact that I couldn’t remember any of it.
Taylor patted the bed. “Why don’t you get back into bed?”
“No.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Why not?”
“I just… can’t.”
With a hard, feral grin, he shoved the blanket away from his hips, exposing his impressive hard-on. “You sure you don’t want to try?”
Seeing such a masculine, ripped body naked and fully cocked, my womanhood spasmed with desire. “You’re… not making this easy,” I admitted.
Taylor rolled over onto his back. “Good. Now, get on, Lauren. You know you want to. I see it in your eyes,” he said huskily.
At a loss for words, I was unable to look away from his perfectly chiseled body. He was certainly a beautiful specimen and any fantasy that I might have ever had about Taylor Adams couldn’t possibly measure up to the real deal.
He reached over and grabbed a condom that was sitting on the nightstand. “If you want, we can use one of these this time.”
Shocked, I pried my eyes away from his hips. “We didn’t use a condom?”
His eyes narrowed. “You said you were on the pill.”
“I am,” I replied. “But…”
Taylor relaxed. “I’m clean. I told you last night. You said the same thing.”
I bit my lower lip. How could I not remember any of this?
He tossed the condom. “Fuck this thing. It’s too small anyway.” Taylor reached his hand out to me. “Now, get over here. I need to be inside of you. Today.”
It felt like my knees had turned to jelly.
I wanted him badly but I couldn’t do it.
But, this wasn’t me.
I didn’t have random sex with strangers or guys that I’d went to high school with, no matter how hot they were.
I backed away from the bed. “I don’t feel so well.”
Studying my face, his became serious. “What do you mean? Are you sick?”
“Yeah. I think I’m going to throw up,” I replied, putting a hand to my forehead. I actually did feel nauseous. “This was a mistake. It should have never happened.”
“You mean the two of us having sex?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. This was… wrong.”
“Are you kidding me? This was right. Two consenting adults, having sex. Great, fucking sex, I might add.”
“You might be okay with one-night stands, but I don’t sleep around.”
He was silent for a few seconds. “You seemed to know what you were doing last night.”
“I was drunk and obviously out of control,” I replied. “I can’t even remember most of the night, to be honest.”
He frowned “Really? You don’t remember dragging me out onto the dance floor?”
Flashes of us at the wedding reception flitted through my mind. We’d been seated together. I remembered drinking several glasses of champagne and at one point feeling sorry for myself. After dinner, I’d slipped quietly into the bathroom and cried. Eventually, I returned to the table. That’s when Taylor and I began to reminiscing about high school. Several more glasses of champagne later, I vaguely recalled asking him to dance. “I guess that I remember. A little.”
“Both of us were feeling pretty good,” he admitted.
“I don’t remember how we ended up back here, though.”
“It started sometime after you shoved your tongue down my throat.”
“What?”
“Wait. My bad. It was after you did this sexy little dance to ‘You Sexy Thing.’”
I stared at him in horror. “By Hot Chocolate?”
“Maybe. I really don’t know the name of the band.” He grinned in amusement. “You practically attacked me in the middle of the dance floor.”
I groaned. “I did?”
“Yes. Don’t you remember singing, ‘I believe in miracles, you sexy thang?’” Taylor sang.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand against my forehead. “Oh, my God… I made a fool out of myself. Barbara is never going to let me live this down.”
His smile fell. “Bull. It was all in good fun.”
“Apparently too much fun. Tell me about the kissing part?”
“Kissing? We practically had sex on the dance floor. That wasn’t my fault, by the way.”
He put his hands behind his head and smiled up at the ceiling. “You couldn’t keep your hands off of me.”
I blinked. “Really?”
“You told me that you’d fantasized about me, back in high school. After breaking up with Carter. If I’d have known back then…” he said, sounding serious. “We could have hooked up a long time ago.”
“You mean had sex?” I said dryly.
He grinned. “Hell, yeah. Last night was mind-blowing. You really don’t remember?”
“No. God, Barbara must be so pissed off at me.”
“I doubt it. I’m sure she was happy to see you having fun.”
“Probably not with you, though,” I said under my breath.
“What?”
Crap, he’d heard me.
Sighing, I stood back up. “I know you fucked my sister.”
His eyebrow arched. “She mentioned it?”
“Of course she did.”
Barbara had told me all about it before the rehearsal dinner. That’s how I’d learned about what a man-whore Taylor Adams really way.
He shrugged. “So what? That was a long time ago. I don’t even remember much of it.”
“She certainly does.” I stood up. “Get dressed. You need to leave.
“Leave? Just like that?” he asked, now looking serious.
“Yeah. Isn’t that usually your gig, anyway? Tail?” I mumbled.
I don’t know why I was suddenly so angry with him. From what he’d said, I’d seduced him.
His face turned dark. He stood up, and in two strides, had me pinned against the wall. His icy blue eyes burned into mine. “What’s your gig, Lauren?” he asked in a rough, dark voice.
I could feel the heat radiating from his tattooed muscular chest and I had a sudden urge to drag my fingertips over it. “Mine? I just want you to go.”
He slid both of his hands around my hips, cupping my ass. Pressing against me, he whispered. “You sure about that? Last night you did everything you could to make me cum.”
“I was drunk,” I reminded him. “It’s all a blur to me now.”
“You don’t remember my tongue between your legs?” he whispered, dragging his tongue across my neck. “How you screamed out my name after I gave you an orgasm? I can still taste you.”
I swallowed.
“Come on. Let me do it again,” he said, trying to pull the blanket away from me. “Let me help you remember last night.”
“Taylor…”
“I know you want me. Your body is telling me.”
“Yes, I do,” I whispered, breathlessly. “But –”
“But, nothing. Don’t let yourself feel guilty. It’s just sex…”
His words cleared my head. This would just be another moment for him.
Another tick on his booty-roster.
But, with Taylor Adams, the Taylor Adams, I knew that resistance was futile. My eyes darted around the room; I spied the clock and breathed a sigh of relief. Even if I wanted to fuck the guy, there wasn’t any time.
“Wait. It’s almost nine,” I said, my voice panicky.
Taylor looked at the clock. “So?” He leaned toward me.
I placed a hand over his chest, stopping him from kissing me. “I have a plane to catch. I have to get back to Minnesota.”
“Let me drive you.”
“On your motorcycle?” I replied, surprised that he’d even offered.
“Yeah. It would be great. You. Me. The open road. Have you ever been on a bike before?”
“No, I haven’t. My plane ticket is non-refundable, though. Plus, I have my luggage.”
Sighing in frustration, Taylor released me. “It would have been a beautiful ride. And I’m not just talking about the road trip.”
I bit back a smile. “I’m sure you’re right. Uh, do you need to use the bathroom?” I asked, noticing that he was still sporting wood.
He smirked. “This isn’t a piss hard-on, babe. I went about an hour ago. You were still sleeping.”
Our conversation seemed to make him grow even bigger. It was distracting. “Um, do you need a cold shower?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “No time for a shower here, right? You need to get your ass to the airport?”
“Yes. You’re right. I do. Can you at least cover that thing?”
“That thing?”
“Don’t be a smartass.” I picked up his dress-shirt from the floor and threw it at him. “Cover yourself.”
He caught it. “Why? Does my penis make you nervous?”
“A little,” I lied.
It made me horny.
Very horny.
Taylor smiled down at his manhood with pride. “You know if you quit looking at it like that, I can get dressed and be out of your hair,” he said, slapping it playfully. “Right now, it’s too big to put away.”
Rolling my eyes, I quickly went around him and toward the bathroom. “I have to get ready. Goodbye, Taylor, I truly am sorry about everything.”
Looking as if he’d lost a battle, Taylor began getting dressed. “Lauren?”
I turned around and looked at him. “What?”
“Do me a favor and quit being so hard on yourself.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“You’re obviously feeling guilty about sleeping with me. There’s no reason to. And quit saying ‘sorry’ all the time,” he said firmly.
I sighed. “This is all new to me. I don’t do one-night-stands.”
“Yeah, I get that,” he replied, buttoning his trousers.
“And I don’t usually drink as much as I apparently did,” I added.
“It was a wedding. You know, people are allowed to let loose once in a while,” he answered, walking over to the mirror. He ran a hand through his blonde hair. “Seems to me like you need to do that a little more.”
“Right,” I said, staring at him in the mirror. Lean and muscular, with a six-pack that tapered down to narrow hips.
Damn.
“You must work out a lot,” I said, unable to help myself.
“Are you coming on to me again?” he asked, smiling cockily.
“No. I just don’t remember you being so… athletic looking.”
“Sure, I work out, but I’ve had this body forever, babe. You just haven’t noticed it before. So, talk to me. Are you dating anyone right now?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, actually. From the way you rode me last night, someone’s neglecting you sexually. Personally, I think you need to get laid a lot more.”
An image of me straddling his lap popped into my head. I wasn’t sure if it was a memory or a fantasy. “Let me guess, you’re just the guy to help me out?”
His pupils were dark and full. “Hell, yeah. Are you sure you don’t have time for one more orgasm before you leave, though? It might take the edge off.”
“Edge?” Chuckling, I shook my head. “You just don’t give up, do you?”
“To be honest, I’ve never had to work this hard before,” he admitted.
“Huh. That’s surprising.”
Actually, it wasn’t. Taylor was gorgeous. He knew it. I knew it.
“You can let yourself out. And, if you could keep this between us?”
“Discreet is my middle name,” he answered, grabbing his tuxedo jacket. “In fact, call me the next time you’re in town. We’ll create some more secrets.”
Like I really needed to get involved with any guy in Jensen, especially one in a biker club.
He may have been extremely nice to me back when we were teenagers, and hotter than any man had a right to be, but, I had enough problems going on in my life as it was. “I doubt I’ll be traveling back to Jensen for quite a while.”
“That’s a pity.” He grabbed his keys from the dresser and then turned back toward me. “For what it’s worth – it was nice seeing you again.”
“You too.”
When he left, I felt a stab of regret but then reminded myself that Taylor was a womanizer who probably s
crewed a new gal every night. Besides, I was already in a messy relationship. One with a control-freak named Mark. I hated everything about the man, but was indebted to him. Over a year ago, I’d gotten a D.U.I. after coming home from a Christmas party. The roads had been icy and I’d lost control, hitting a tree in the process. Not only did I get arrested for drinking and driving, but I also injured my back, which caused me to be out of work for several weeks. The bills started piling up. My insurance wouldn’t pay for my car, and I also almost lost my house in the process. Mark, my boss, offered to help me out. He loaned me the money on the condition that I paid him back in monthly installments and met him for dinner while doing it. I was so grateful, and thought him to be such a kind man, that I stupidly agreed. Then, there was a month when I was strapped for cash again. Somehow, he coerced me into bed. That was when I found out what he really was – a rich, jealous, and self-deserving prick who enjoyed having me under his thumb. Eventually, sex became part of the payment process, and when I’d refused to spread my legs, he threatened to sue me for breach of contract.
“You can’t sue me for not having sex with you,” I’d said.
“But I can sue you for missing some of your monthly payments.”
I didn’t know anything about the law, so I just caved in. Needless to say, I hated the man with all my heart.
I picked up my cell phone and checked my messages. Mark had tried calling me several times and there were over a dozen texts. I didn’t even stop to read them. I knew he’d be pissed that I hadn’t called him back.
“Where have you been?” he asked icily.
“In my room. Sleeping.”
“And you didn’t hear the phone?”
“It died. I didn’t notice your messages until I started charging it,” I lied.
“I was concerned about you,” he said. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t worried. He was pissed.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “It won’t happen again.”
“I hope not. How was the wedding?”
“It was good,” I replied, surprised that he even bothered to ask.
“Did you bring anyone back to your room?”
There it was.
His real concern.
“No,” I replied.
He was silent for a few seconds, mulling over my answer. Mark had no say in who I slept with, but I knew he’d be pissed if I so much as kissed another man. “When does your plane leave?”