by Gwyn McNamee
I’m not dumb enough to think I’ll be able to stop thinking about what Dom did, or wondering how I’m going to confront him about it without revealing Savage and Gabe told me what happened. But maybe with enough booze, I can at least make the attempt for the evening.
Maybe a drink before I hit the sack would help me get a few solid hours of sleep. I step out of the shower and grab a towel off the rack when an incessant pounding noise drifts up the stairs.
What the fuck is that?
I sling the towel around my waist and make my way downstairs. There better be a fire or a damn gas leak, otherwise the asshole beating on the front door better be able to take a punch.
Water drips off me and onto the wood floor as I cross to the door.
I yank it open without bothering to check the peephole and freeze.
I should have taken a moment to gather myself before pounding on his door like a lunatic, but there’s no way I could have anticipated he would open the door dripping wet and with nothing but a small towel wrapped precariously around his trim hips.
Shitake mushrooms.
I’m in so much trouble.
The speech I’ve run through my head a hundred times in the last twelve hours disappears the moment I take in the water trickling over his toned pecs and down through the peaks and valleys of his perfect six pack.
Why God?
When I manage to tear my eyes away from his hard, wet flesh and back up to his face, all I get is a dark eyebrow quirked at me.
“You…you…you can’t…”
Fart knocker! Where has my ability to speak gone?
“I can’t what?” His deep voice floats across the space between us and reverberates in my chest. He leans against the jamb, the towel shifting and exposing more of his muscular thigh.
Gulp.
“You can’t just…you know…” He’s not going to make me say it, is he?
His blue eyes search mine for a second, and there’s no humor in his gaze. He looks…angry. Maybe coming here and expecting to talk it out with him was a huge miscalculation on my part. But it’s not like I can let what happened last night just go. “No, I don’t know. Why are you here, Nora? To tell me what I can and can’t do? Because I stopped taking orders from people a long time ago.”
Grrrr.
Why is he so dang infuriating?
“No, that’s not why I’m here…” Not completely, at least. “Look, can I come in?”
He glances over his shoulder into the house, as if considering whether to grant my request. Then he shrugs and pushes off the door, stepping to the side to permit me entry. He moves down the hallway.
This time, I’m not distracted by the beauty of the old home, it’s the bunch and curl of the magnificent muscles under the damp, tanned skin stretched over his back that has me banging my shoulder against the archway into his living room.
“Ouch!” I grab my shoulder and rub at it. Another klutz move I only seem to make around Stone.
He pauses and looks back at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” No way I’m admitting to him I just maimed myself because I was too distracted by his beauty to watch where I was walking.
With an odd look tossed my way, he proceeds to the bar across the room and pours himself a drink. I stop in the middle of the room, unsure what I’m supposed to do or say. He wasn’t wrong, I did come here to yell at him and tear him a new one for getting me off and then walking away with nothing more than an uttered curse. But now that I’m here, and he’s leaning against the bar staring at me expectantly, I can’t seem to muster up the courage to go through with it.
Come on, Nora, grow a pair.
But I know that won’t happen. It’s not that I’m a pushover, I just tend to prefer not to stir the waters if it can be avoided. Confrontation isn’t my thing. Or at least, it wasn’t. But ever since Stone Hawke stormed into my life, things seem to be a lot less clear.
The silence blooms between us like a mushroom cloud, sucking the oxygen from the room. Under his scrutinizing gaze, my skin heats, and I run a hand back through my hair while I pace.
“Nora, tell me why you’re here.”
Not a question. A command.
One I’m pretty much incapable of resisting.
“I came to yell at you.”
He raises the glass to his lips and takes a sip, but I catch the slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
Pompous pig. How can he think this is funny? How can he think what he did was okay? People don’t just do that and walk away. At least, not normal people. Now, I’ve always known Stone wasn’t like everyone else, but I would think he has basic decency. Last night makes me question that belief.
“You can’t just…do…that to someone and walk away, Stone.”
His eyebrow raises, and he downs the rest of his drink.
“Should you really be drinking at ten in the morning?”
With a chuckle, he pushes off the bar and stands to his full height so I have to look up at him. “Is that why you’re here, Nora? To yell at me, tell me what I can’t do, and lecture me about my drinking? If so, I suggest you leave before I stop thinking it’s kind of cute and you end up pissing me off.”
This time, my growl isn’t internal. “Fudge, Stone, you are so dang frustrating.”
“Am I?” That damn smirk returns, and he crosses his arms over his chest, only drawing my attention back to the bulging, flexing muscles there.
“For the love of…are you trying to make me crazy?”
He shakes his head and takes a step toward me, that damn towel shifting slightly and opening to reveal even more of his thigh. Two more inches to the right, and he’ll be hanging out in all his glory.
I really haven’t thought this out very well. Staying across the room, maintaining a safe distance, would have been prudent. He’s too close for me to think clearly. The crisp smell of his soap and shampoo mingling with his natural spicy scent overwhelms me and makes my head swim.
Survival instinct kicks in, and I force myself to take a step back. My knees hit the couch, and I almost buckle backward onto it but manage to catch myself.
“You think I make you crazy?” He shoves a hand back through his wet hair, sending drops of water falling onto his shoulders and down his chest. “Jesus, Nora, you couldn’t have things more backward.”
What?
“Then…why did you leave like that and say…you know, what you said?” I can’t say I’ve ever had someone get me off then curse and disappear. I think I was rendered mute and immobile for a good ten minutes after he fled. Thank God no one came looking for me, they probably would have thought I was having a stroke or something.
He pinches the bridge of his nose and releases a heavy sigh. “Last night was a mistake. One I won’t be repeating.”
The blood in my veins turns to ice. My head swims and I wobble slightly on my feet. I know us together is a bad idea, but to say it’s a mistake?
Whatever is going on with Stone, it has to do with whatever Savage and Gabe said to him. He was not himself, that much is readily apparent. That has to be what’s behind this. Given what happened, I don’t believe for a second this is all about us. “What happened last night?”
Hard eyes meet mine. “You were there, Nora.”
“That’s not what I mean. What happened with Savage and Gabe? I know you met with them, and you were a mess when I found you in the alley.”
Those blue eyes flare. Maybe pointing out his weakness last night isn’t the best course of action. Stone isn’t one to allow a chink in his armor. That I could so easily see it is probably a huge blow to his ego.
“It doesn’t matter what they said. I shouldn’t have lost control like that with you.”
The regret in his voice shatters me more than I would have thought possible. We didn’t even sleep together. He didn’t even kiss me. Yet his rejection feels like having a white hot poker shoved through my heart.
When did what Stone Hawke thinks become so dang import
ant to me?
The attraction has always been there, but somehow, in the short time we’ve known each other, he’s managed to totally unravel me. And there’s no doubt I affect him.
“Don’t act like it wouldn’t have happened at some point, Stone. No matter what we may tell ourselves, the whole ‘friends’ thing was never going to work.”
He considers me for a moment before scrubbing his hands over his face. “You’re probably right, but it can’t happen again.”
“Why not?”
I know the answer, but I need to hear it from him. Because as much as I agree he’s bad news, and I’ll probably regret this, I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Even though I know I’ll get burned, the heat is too much to resist.
Stone pauses for a moment and fists his hands at his sides. His eyes track up and down my body, finally settling on my face. “Because you don’t know me, Nora. You don’t know what I would do to you, physically and mentally. You don’t know what being with me would mean.”
Huh? Why is he speaking in riddles? I get that his boss is dangerous and Stone doesn’t seem to be the hearts and flowers type, but his words don’t make any sense.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He turns his back to me and goes to pour himself another drink. I don’t dare comment on it this time.
Is he going to answer me? Am I supposed to leave?
Stone Hawke is, without a doubt, the most exasperating man I’ve ever met. If he’s not going to respond, I’m getting out of here. There’s no point waiting around for an answer from him if he doesn’t want to talk. I can’t force Stone to do anything. That is abundantly clear.
“Well?”
The glass hitting the marble top of the bar resonates in the room, and I’m surprised it didn’t shatter with the force he used to slam it down. He splays his hands out and drops his head. His shoulders bunch and flex with every little move.
I want to go to him. I want to wrap my arms around him and press my lips to his damp skin. I want to know what he tastes like.
But something tells me to stay back…that going over there would only push him deeper into wherever he is in his head.
Whether it’s really about me or about whatever went down with the guys last night, there’s something eating away at him.
Coming here was a mistake.
My need to confront him and get how I felt off my chest outweighed the potential of hurting him and dragging up whatever upset him so much. I didn’t even consider that when I stormed over here.
“I’m…just going to go. I’m sorry…” I turn toward the front door but don’t make it three steps before his hand wraps around my bicep. His fingers dig into my skin, and when he spins me around, and his eyes meet mine, they tighten like a vise.
“My life is not normal, Nora. Not even fucking close. I’m not like the boys you were with in school. And things just got a hell of a lot more complicated last night.”
I shake my head and stare up at him, trying to find an explanation. “I don’t understand.”
His lips press into a tight line, and he grasps my other arm firmly. “And you won’t. My life isn’t the right place for a girl like you.”
Whoa…what? A girl like me?
Things are suddenly crystal clear. Acid churns in my stomach and works its way up my throat. I swallow it down and struggle against his grip. He releases me, letting me take a step back from him.
I refuse to let the tears burning in my eyes fall. I won’t give him the pleasure of seeing me cry. “Wow. I get it now. This is because I’m a stripper.”
His eyes flare open, and he reaches for me again, but I retreat another step. With his palms up, he backs away. “What? Jesus, Nora, no…how can you think that?”
“What am I supposed to think? You come and watch me dance, you’re clearly attracted to me, but you won’t be with me?” He steps forward and opens his mouth, but I halt him with a raised hand. “And before you even start, don’t give me the B.S. about Savage not being happy, because you aren’t even close to him, and I think Gabe and Skye proved that even that doesn’t have to be an issue. You don’t want to be with me because you think you’re better than me. You’re a lawyer, and I just shake my jiggly bits for perverts.”
By the time I’m done, my chest is heaving and warmth has spread over up my neck and cheeks. I can’t remember the last time I was this mad. Well, yes I can. It always seems to happen around Stone.
He smirks and arches an eyebrow.
Jerkface thinks this is amusing?
One step brings him closer to me. “Are you done?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stand my ground. There’s nothing left to say, but I refuse to cut and run now. I want to know what lame excuse he’s going to use.
“For someone who is so damn smart, you are being really fucking stupid right now.”
I gasp and clench my fists at my sides.
Grrrr.
I’m not an aggressive person by nature, but he’s certainly causing me to reassess my stance on physical violence.
He closes the distance between us so fast, I don’t have time to react or prepare any of my defenses. One hand threads into my hair while the other grips my hip and tugs me against him. His lips find mine in a punishing kiss. Hard and wet, our mouths clash, and our tongues dual.
There’s no doubt what he’s doing. He’s staking a claim.
And I’m letting him.
Just as quickly as he descended on me, he pulls back, still gripping my hair firmly in his hand. He tugs on it hard, sending sharp stabs of pain across my scalp and forcing me to look up at him.
“This has nothing to do with who you are, or what you do, Nora. This is about me. You may not like what you find if I let myself go with you.”
“Isn’t that for me to decide?”
A wry grin tilts his mouth. “And I thought you were going to be easy. But it’s okay, I like a challenge.”
Did he just call me easy?
I don’t get the chance to voice the question. He kisses me again and shoves his hips against me, pressing his very hard, very hot, very large erection against my stomach. Warmth floods my body, centering at the aching, needy spot between my legs. His strong fingers hold me in place. There’s a very real chance he’s leaving bruises on my hip, and I should care considering how exposed my body is every day, but I can’t bring myself to muster up any opposition.
He pulls away, leaving me gasping for air, and any humor that had been present quickly drains from his face. “It’s time you learn what being with me really means.”
Nora’s mouth opens and that hot pink tongue slips out and over her lips.
Fucking hell…
She doesn’t even realize she’s doing it or that it’s driving me absolutely insane. The image of those plump wet lips wrapped around my cock invades my brain, washing out any rational thought. Then all the things I want to do to her join the party, and I’m basically a quivering mass of barely contained lust.
It would be so damn easy to take her. Only the thin towel and her yoga pants are preventing me from shoving her onto the couch and pounding into her.
But she needs to know who I really am…what I really am…and that means we need to at least make it upstairs before I put my hands on her.
I step back and release her hair. Before she can question what I’m doing, I drop my shoulder into her and flip her over with a startled yelp so she’s dangling down my back.
“Cheese and crackers, Stone, what are you doing?” Her hands grip at the towel, seeking something to cling to, but all she manages to do is yank it right off my hips. It falls to my feet, exposing my ass in all its glory to her.
Her sharp intake of breath spreads a smile across my face.
Yeah, check it out, sweetheart.
I smack her ass, eliciting another yelp, and head toward the stairs.
“Stone, put me down.”
That earns her another smack and me another sharp cry from her.
“You’ll stop talking and squirming, if you know what’s good for you.”
I make it to the top of the stairs before she huffs out a long sigh, her warm breath skating across the bare skin of my ass.
Resignation.
About fucking time.
“You can kiss it, if you want to, sweetheart.”
She growls and digs her nails into my thighs.
Ouch.
But fuck is that hot. The fire in Nora wars with her naturally submissive tendencies, but when she lets it out, Christ, it’s sexy as fuck.
The lights are still on in my room and the bathroom from when I raced out to answer the door.
Good. It will give her a clear view of exactly what’s in store if she really wants to play this game with me.
When I reach the bed, I flip her off my shoulder and onto the mattress. Her startled yelp makes me grin. She’s so damn adorable. And she’s clearly never had anyone handle her the way I just did. Knowing that makes my cock swell even more. For all intents and purposes, she’s a virgin. At least to my world.
She glares up at me from where she lies sprawled across the grey comforter. Her chest rises and falls as she takes in heaving breaths. The tank top she wears barely contains the swell of her breasts. There’s definitely anger flashing in her blue eyes, but that’s not the only thing there. That turned her on. Big time.
It’s a good start.
But it’s barely the tip of the iceberg, and I need to know she can handle it before we go any further. Things are already too complicated to throw her into the mix unless she really wants to be here.
“Was that really necessary?” The words come out slow, almost as if she’s trying to control the shaking in her voice, but she’s failing miserably.
I smirk and nod. “Yes.”
That’s all she’s getting. I reach down and grasp my throbbing cock.