Moonlight Sins

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Taylor bit down on his lower lip. “What would you like?”

  Mumbling out some drink she wasn’t even sure she’d ever consumed before, she realized he was still holding her hand.

  He stepped in and dipped his head low so his mouth lined up with her ear. When he spoke, his breath stirred the tiny wisps of hair, sending a wave of tight shivers down her spine. “Don’t run off.”

  Her breath caught. “I won’t.”

  “Promise?” He squeezed her hand gently.

  “Promise,” she repeated.

  “Good.” He drew back, his gaze seeking and holding hers for a moment. “Be right back.”

  Only then did he let go of her hand.

  Absolutely stunned, she watched him pivot around and prowl off toward the bar, parting the crowds of people like some kind of god. In all the twenty-seven years of her life, she’d never seen anyone that attractive in person.

  “Oh my God, I think I just had an orgasm watching that,” Anna said.

  Julia’s wide eyes found her.

  She clapped her hands and hopped.

  “Where did you find him?” Julia asked. “Like did you order him out of catalog called What Fantasies Are Made of?”

  Anna giggled. “I was getting a refill—water, might I add, and he asked if I played darts. Of course, I said yes. I had to, because I needed to see if he was actually real.”

  She totally understood that. She was having a hard time believing he was real.

  “Anyway, I played a game and you know what?”

  “What?” Her gaze moved over her head. She spotted Taylor still at the bar.

  Anna grabbed her arm again. “He asked about you, Julia.”

  “What?”

  She nodded. “He asked ‘who was the beautiful woman I was talking to earlier’ and that was you. That was no one else. And that was why he sought me out to play darts. I was used.” She grinned. “And I’m okay with that. You know why?”

  Julia could barely process any of this. “Why?”

  “Because he’s interested in you and this is your last night in this town, so you will go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants. Like anything.” She leaned in, lowering her voice. “Even anal. ’Cuz I’d allow that. Oh yeah.”

  “Oh my God.” Julia laughed. “You’re insane. I don’t even know him—”

  “My sweet summer child,” she said, and Julia frowned. “You don’t need to know him to get down with him. That man is fine. Like he’s not even human that’s how good-looking he is, and the whole time we played darts, he was eyeing you from across the bar.”

  He had been? “This . . . this can’t be real.”

  “It is. Julia, I know you’ve had a dry spell—a really long dry spell—and your ex was an ass, but it’s time for you to spread your horny wings wide and fly free, baby. This man, this sexy man is—”

  “Stop.” Her heart jumped in her chest as she saw Taylor walking across the floor. “He’s coming back.”

  Anna clamped her mouth shut, but eyed her in the way that said she would never forgive her if she somehow messed this up. She didn’t get a chance to really think any of this through, because Taylor was stepping around Anna, handing Julia a drink that smelled fruity.

  “I’m happy you’re where I left you,” he said, leaning against the table. “I was worried you were going to run off.”

  “No,” she said, glancing at Anna quite helplessly.

  “Yeah,” he replied, grinning.

  What was she supposed to say now? Or do? Thank God, she’d changed into a cute black dress, one with an empire waist and sleeves that reached her elbow. It was an old dress, but one she always felt good in. Now, if she’d only had the foresight to wear something other than the cotton panties that had skulls on them.

  Oh my God.

  Why was she even thinking that?

  This guy was not seeing her skull-covered panties.

  Julia saw Anna back away slowly, leaving them alone. Sipping her drink, she searched for a response that didn’t make her sound half stupid. “Why would you think that?”

  That was the best she could come up with.

  “Honest?” His lashes lowered, briefly shielding those amazing eyes. “You look half afraid.”

  Her cheeks flushed once more. “Is it that obvious?”

  “So you’re afraid?” he asked, lifting the bottle of beer to his mouth.

  Didn’t seem possible, but she flushed even more. “I wouldn’t say I’m afraid. Just . . . just surprised.”

  “I have no idea why you’d be surprised,” he replied, then took a drink. “I noticed you the moment I came in. I’m sure I’m not the only one. You’re absolutely stunning.”

  Okay.

  This guy was good, real good. With the way he said that, it sounded like the truth. Flattery usually didn’t work on her, but coming from him? It just might. “That’s sweet of you,” she said, and then took a long drink of whatever the hell she’d ordered.

  “I’m not sweet. I just speak the truth.” Angling his body toward her, he placed his beer on the table. “So your friend was telling me that you all are nurses.”

  Nodding, she told herself to take it slow with the drink since she could taste the bite of liquor in it. “Yes. We work at an assisted living facility not too far from here—well, I used to. Today is my last day.”

  “She was saying something like that,” he said. “That this was a little going away party.”

  “Yep.” She sipped her drink. “I’m actually leaving town—the state tomorrow.”

  “Really? Where are you heading to?” Interest flickered across his face.

  She almost blurted out Louisiana, but stopped herself at the last moment. For one thing, she didn’t know Too Hot To Be Real Taylor. Beyond that though, the NDA she signed was hardcore. The only people who knew what city and state she was going to were her parents. Anna only knew it was Louisiana.

  “I’m taking a job in the south,” she finally answered and then quickly changed the subject to him. “What about you? Do you live around here?”

  Picking up his bottle, he shook his head. “I’m in town on business. Doing some research.”

  “Research?” Was he in the medical field or a journalist? Possibly a writer of some sort?

  He took a sip of his beer. “Have you always done assisted living care?”

  “No. When I got out of college, I worked at a hospital and did emergency care,” she told him, glancing over her shoulder. She couldn’t see Anna anymore. “I worked in that for about two to three years.”

  “Wow. That had to be intense.”

  “It can be. I mean, you’ll have nights where you’re dealing with nothing but stomach complaints that sometimes turn out to be something serious, but usually is the flu or something bad that the person ate. Then there’d be nights where it can be pretty tough.”

  His gaze roamed over her face in a way that was intensely consuming, leaving her a little breathless once his gaze connected with hers again. “So, why did you leave it?”

  Swallowing hard, she lifted her glass and took another drink. Wasn’t like she could tell him it was because when she left her husband, she left the town they lived in and her job. Not like that had stopped Adam from trying to get in contact with her every couple of months like clockwork. That had only stopped when she finally changed her number and didn’t give it out to any of their mutual friends. Deep down, she’d known he would learn about her leaving and flip, because that was the way he was. Her stomach plummeted at the thought.

  Damn, all of that was a mood killer.

  She pushed all that aside. “I kind of wanted to do something different and be closer to my family.”

  “Family’s a big thing for you?”

  “It is. I’m an only child, so I was spoiled.” Her stomach dipped again when he laughed, but it was a way different feeling because his laugh was deep and nice. The sensation it caused was like being on a roller coaster right as you reached the peak of the ride and were about to zoo
m all the way back down. “Okay. I wasn’t really spoiled, but I’m close to my parents. They’re good people.”

  “Then you’re lucky,” he said. “Not a lot of people get to say that.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m not one of those people.”

  “Oh.” She blinked. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  His head tilted to the side as he studied her intently for the moment. “You sound like you’re actually speaking the truth.”

  “Maybe because I am?” she suggested.

  “You feel sympathy for virtual strangers?”

  “Of course. Everyone should.” She stepped to the side as someone walked past their table, causing the wristlet her phone was in to press into her hip. “At least that’s what I believe.”

  “I agree.”

  “That’s good to hear, because—” Words left her as he reached across the distance with a free hand, catching the strand of hair that had slipped free from the bun and had fallen across her cheek. Her lips parted on a soft inhale as he tucked the strand behind her ear.

  “Fixed it,” he said, as his hand dropped and his fingers lingered along the side of her neck. “Though I bet your hair is gorgeous down.”

  Her cheeks felt warm. She had no idea how to respond, not when his fingers ghosted down the side of her neck, the touch like a whisper.

  “Did you always want to be a nurse?” he asked.

  A handful of moments passed before she could answer. “I . . . I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger, like my dad, but I couldn’t deal with having to put animals down.”

  “Yeah, that’s a rough job. I couldn’t do it either.”

  “Do you . . . do you have any pets?” she asked, feeling a bit foolish for asking. Was that as lame as asking what kind of sports team he liked? She really hoped the conversation didn’t go in that direction, because she so did not pay attention to sports.

  “I don’t. Not home a lot. What about you?”

  “Me neither, but I would like to one day. I’ve always had this dream of owning an animal rescue.” She laughed again, this time feeling a little self-conscious, because she had no idea why she was blathering on about this. “You know, when I win the lottery and have millions of dollars I don’t need.”

  A grin teased at his lips. “So that’s what you’d spend millions on?”

  “Yes. I mean, what else would I need the money for?” Though, she did have an obsession with designer purses she couldn’t afford, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “What kind of animals would you rescue?”

  “All kinds of animals.”

  “Even goldfish?”

  “If they needed rescuing, then yes,” she answered, grinning.

  He shifted closer. “What about snakes?”

  “Them too, and yes, even rodents. All life is precious.”

  His brows lifted in surprise. “Okay, so you’re either a vegan, religious, or you practice aikido?”

  Giggling, she shook her head as she looked away. “No, I heard that on an episode of The Walking Dead. Sorry. I like meat, not very religious, and I’m not that deep.”

  Taylor laughed, and she had to fight back a sigh again. It was such a nice laugh. “Shit. Well, glad to hear all three of those things.”

  Glancing around the bar, she still couldn’t find Anna in the ever-increasing throng of people. Where in the hell did she go?

  “Do you like working in assisted living?” he asked, and when she looked at him, her gaze dipped to his mouth. She had a hard time not wondering what it would feel like against hers, against other places.

  Her entire body flushed hot. God, she couldn’t remember the last time she felt such a visceral reaction to someone who hadn’t even really touched her. There had only ever been Adam, and while sex with him had been okay, just thinking about doing it hadn’t caused her pulse to beat as wildly as it was now.

  “Ms. Hughes?” Taylor grinned.

  Drawing in a deep breath, she decided she should probably stop drinking at this point, so she had a better chance of getting control of her hormones. “Yeah, I do.”

  “Why?”

  Boy, wasn’t he a bucket full of questions. She placed her drink on the table. “I kind of fell into it at first. When I moved back home, it was one of the immediate openings,” she admitted, running a finger along the bottom of the glass. “And it just clicked.”

  “That kind of line of work has to be hard.” Turning toward the table, he placed his elbows on the surface and leaned in. “I mean, a lot of the patients are, I guess, nonresponsive? Is that the right word for it?”

  “Some of them are, but there’s different levels.” She peeked over at him, and found that he was watching her the same way he had been since they started talking. It was intense. Made her feel like there wasn’t a single word she was speaking that he missed. His attention was simply undivided. “There are patients that need their basic functions assisted with and others who are there, but . . . but not completely.”

  He nodded slowly. “So what made it stick for you?”

  That was a hard question to answer. “I think it has to do with the fact that some of these patients don’t have anyone else. I mean, it’s not that their family doesn’t care or isn’t there, but a lot of people don’t know how to deal with someone who is that sick. So they need someone who understands—you know? Like even if someone can’t respond or communicate, that doesn’t mean they can’t hear you. That they’re not in there thinking—”

  “Some of your patients couldn’t communicate but could hear you?”

  “Yep. Different diseases. There are syndromes where people are locked in. Hell, there’s research supporting that people in certain types of comas can hear those around them,” she explained. “Others can’t, but either way, these people need those who . . . who just are just willing to care for them.” She flushed a little, feeling like a cornball.

  “And that’s what you do? You care for them.”

  Julia did. Sometimes more than she should. It was hard to turn off human nature. Losing patients still wasn’t something that was easy to deal with. “Yeah.”

  He studied her for a moment and then a wide smile broke out across his face. It was breathtaking. Toothpaste commercials would be envious. “Well, got to be honest, there’s never been any nurses that looked like you whenever I had to see a doctor.” He winked, and damn if he didn’t look good doing it. “Probably a good thing, because I’d be coming up with all kinds of reasons to visit the doctor then.”

  A surprised laugh burst out of her as she turned back to him. “Oh whatever.”

  “No. I’m serious. I’d start with a stomachache and then probably escalate to stubbing a finger or two, but swearing it was broken.”

  Laughing again, she shook her head. “You must have really good insurance then.”

  “Something like that.” And somehow he was even closer, less than a foot separated them. “I’m about to say what’s on my mind. You ready for that?”

  “I guess.” She held on tight to her drink, her heart kicking all over the place. What was he going to say?

  He did what he’d done before, lowering his head so that his mouth was near her ear. Tiny bumps rose all over her skin as she now caught the scent of spicy cologne and clean soap, a surprisingly intoxicating mix. “The whole time we’ve been standing here talking, I’ve been wondering about how those beautiful lips of yours would taste.”

  Her heart did a cartwheel while her brain tried to process that he really did say that.

  “And I’ve also been thinking this whole time that your lips aren’t the only things I want to taste.”

  Holy smokes.

  All coherent thought belly-flopped out of the window.

  He drew back only a few inches, lining up their mouths in a way that their breaths mingled. “Is that too forward?”

  Yes.

  No.

  Julia shook her head no. She had no control over her head.

/>   “Glad to hear that.” Taylor pulled back, his lips curved up on one side.

  She jerked, startled as her phone vibrated against the side of her stomach. “Excuse me,” she murmured, flustered and more than welcoming of a distraction, because every part of her was way focused on the idea of him tasting her lips and so much more.

  She fumbled, digging the slim phone out of the pouch. The screen was still lit from the text message. It was from Anna. She had to read it twice, because she didn’t think she had read it correctly.

  Didn’t want to bother you two. I’m heading home to the hubs. Get hottie to give you a ride and then another ride. Love you!

  “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath. She was going to kill Anna.

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  She gave a little shake of her head, torn between laughing and cursing again. “It’s nothing.”

  “Doesn’t sound that way.” He bumped his arm against hers. “What’s going on?”

  Exhaling roughly, she slipped her phone back into her purse. “My friend—Anna? The one you were playing darts with? She kind of bailed on me.”

  “Let me guess? She was your ride home?” he asked, dipping his chin as he leaned in again, pressing his arm against hers and staying there.

  “Yep.” Julia didn’t move away.

  The lopsided grin returned. “I can take you home. Only had this drink.”

  Her gaze flicked to his as the muscles low in her stomach clenched. Him take her home? Would he plan on . . . tasting her? Okay. She really needed to stop thinking about all of that. “Thank you, but it’s okay. I can get a cab or—”

  “Or you could let me take you home. After all, isn’t that what your clever friend wanted by leaving you here to fend for yourself?” Unfolding one arm, he reached over and tapped his finger off the top of her hand. “At least I hope so, because it’s what I want.”

  Her lips parted as she stared at him.

  “Actually, I’d love to take you home, Julia.” That finger slid up her over her wrist, up to the sleeve of her dress. “I’d love to spend a little more time with you.”

  Julia’s heart was pounding all over the place as she stared into his eyes, getting a little lost all over again. She knew what he was offering wasn’t just a ride home, and that caused the pounding in her chest to move much, much lower. Her body flushed hot at the prospect.