The Rebound (One Night Stand Series Book 2)

by Toni J Strawn

  For the first time in what seemed like forever, my stale libido had roused itself from slumber. I’d taken note of the slashing cheekbones framing soft, brown eyes that oozed with hidden secrets. Sweet, sizzling secrets that would twine themselves around a man’s cock and squeeze until he couldn’t remember his own name.

  How long ago had I sworn off women like Madison? In the not-so-distant past, I’d hunted rich socialites like prey, eager to exploit them before they used my name as a stepping stone to further themselves. Be their little bit of rough.

  It had made me feel good, for a while anyway. That I’d held all the cards—at least in the bedroom. I got to say whether or not they received pleasure. I got to decide when I left. Except lately, even that had failed to make me feel better. Nothing seemed to soothe the bitter ache left behind from too many nameless encounters.

  Then Madison St. James had walked in and my cock had jumped to attention. Still, I had firmly decided to go and leave it be. Until my phone had rung.

  It’d been Marcus.

  “Your timing is impeccable as always,” I had bit back a groan as I’d answered.

  “Karma’s a bitch,” had been his reply. “And you deserve it after stirring things up between me and Abby.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. Marcus’s issues with his pretty taxation consultant had made life a lot more interesting. Everyone could see the two of them were on a collision course to greatness. Everyone except Marcus and Abby, that was. In causing trouble, I had been doing him a favor. Marcus just didn’t realize it yet.

  “I wanted to make sure Abby had options,” I had goaded. “Wouldn’t want her missing out on a little bit o’ Cole if she’s that way inclined.”

  Which we both knew she wasn’t.

  But Marcus had taken the bait. “Abby has more sense than that.” he’d snorted.

  “So, did you want anything in particular?” My gaze had kept straying to the bar and the beautiful woman sitting there. “Or did you just call to ream my ass?”

  “What? Am I holding you up?” Marcus’s tone had turned sly.

  If Marcus had been able to see Madison—who at that moment had been contemplating the shot glass of Russian nasty at the bar—he’d have been wondering why the hell I was still on the phone.

  She’d flicked a quick glance my way, then tipped her drink back like a seasoned pro…and had just about spat it over the bar. Amusement had turned to grudging appreciation as she’d held it in, choked it back, her shoulders shaking under the onslaught. My cock had given me an extra little nudge, and had left me wondering if maybe this woman wasn’t exactly what I’d needed tonight.

  “It all changes when there’s a pretty girl around, huh?” Marcus had said wryly. “Perhaps I should fly in and give whoever is occupying your time some options, in case a measure of ol’ Marcus is what she’s after.”

  “Too late.” I had briefly diverted my attention back to the phone. The thought of Marcus approaching this beautiful woman had left a hard knot in my chest. “She’s already mine,” I’d told my friend. “But I’ll share the details tomorrow, when I untangle myself from her sheets.”

  “I hope karma comes and takes a chunk from your ass.”

  “What is it about my ass you love so much?”

  Marcus had given a pained sigh. “I’ve been covering it long enough.”

  “Talking of covering.” I had gotten serious for a moment. “I haven’t been able to get hold of Jess. Have you seen her?”

  A long pause had followed. “You know your sister’s not so little anymore, don’t you?” Marcus had worded his question carefully.

  “Don’t start with me. You know she’s not like other girls.”

  A sigh. Then. “Okay. I’ll check on her. You know she wants to move out of the dorm, I’d think about that before she does something stupid.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” I’d promised before ending the call.

  Like hell my sister was moving out on her own. But with Marcus calling on her, I’d drained my beer and waved away the waitress who’d approached me for another order. I’d decided to go to the bar. Find out this beautiful woman’s story.

  Karma. No such thing. Otherwise every fucktard that had stepped over me on their way to the top, wouldn’t still be rich and powerful. And while I was destined to join them as far as affluence went, I could honestly say I’d never used anyone else to get there.

  Which didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about going for a little exploitation with Madison right now. Yeah. I hadn’t intended to be interested when she’d first walked into the bar, but it was funny how fate intervened at just the right moment.

  I hoped Madison had been a very bad girl. Because I was about to go all karma on her ass.

  Chapter Three

  Madison

  One drink. That was all I’d promised him.

  Yet somehow, I was still at the bar twenty minutes later, no closer to wrapping my lips around anything resembling hard liquor. The bartender kept disappearing every time I raised my hand to signal him.

  Cole was charming, I’d give him that. And funny. I gripped my glass of tepid water, fending off Cole’s attempts to engage me in conversation. The bigger his smile, the more difficult I found it to keep the pained expression on my face.

  “So, where did you say you grew up?” Cole persisted with his line of inane questions, his sexy voice rumbling beside me.

  I played with the corner of my napkin, trying to remain focused on the subject at hand and not on the warm sizzle in my belly currently moving on a downward trajectory to trouble.

  “Minot, North Dakota. And I didn’t.”

  My sharp tone had his eyes twinkling like icicles in the sun. Like I amused him. I pressed my lips together and gritted my teeth.

  “What, you didn’t grow up?” Feigning surprise, Cole laughed and his gaze sauntered down my body in a leisurely perusal. “Believe me when I say you most definitely did.”

  I added dangerously sexy to my list of annoying things about Cole. His laugh was a slow seduction, sliding across my senses like whipped butter. I pretended I couldn’t hear it. Similarly, I tried to ignore the way his irises darkened into a suggestive, black smudge whenever he looked at me. Like now.

  Something soft fluttered into my lap and I looked down to find my napkin shredded into a million ragged pieces. I brushed the mess off my skirt.

  “No. I didn’t say. Just like you didn’t say you grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.” I tipped my glass of water at him in mock salute. “It was your impeccable manners that gave you away. What?” I taunted, keeping up the roll of verbal punches as Cole’s expression grew noticeably darker. “In case you forgot, I think I mentioned not wanting to talk to you.”

  “Isn’t that why you’re here?” Cole dropped all pretense at southern charm. “A rich, solitary woman comes into a hotel bar. Something’s happened.” He drilled me with a measured look. “A break up? Cheating lover?” He gave a satisfied grunt as I froze in my seat. “Yes. Something bad enough to send you in here searching to boost your confidence. Why else would you still be here, flirting with me and not drinking?”

  “Flirting!” I forgot my earlier rule and spluttered all over the bar. “I’m not flirting. I’m insulting you.”

  “Same thing in my book, darlin’.”

  My mouth fell open. “For your information, I wasn’t taking notice of anyone. Least of all you.”

  “Now, we know that’s not true.” Cole laughed that damned sexy laugh again, melting away a healthy dose of my moral outrage. He nudged the side of my seat so I swung out to face the bar. “Take a look, sweetheart. It’s an all-male revue tonight. And everyone has sure noticed you.”

  I didn’t need to look to know most of the men were still glancing my way. It had been like that for as long as I remembered. Men lining up to lavish me with admiration. I liked to be noticed. It made me feel good. Special.

  I dropped my gaze. Except that wasn’t the reason I’d turned up tonight.


  Was it? I’d come looking for answers. About Logan.

  Hadn’t I?

  The little voice inside my head mocked my denial. Had I really travelled two hours to Baltimore, to the hotel where my ex-fiancé had cheated on me, not to do anything?

  Why shouldn’t I get something for all of the heartbreak? No one else gave a damn. Not my mother. Not my stepfather. And certainly not Logan—the man my mother would no doubt force me to reconcile with tomorrow.

  I’d just been asking when it was going to be my turn, and like magic, Cole had appeared. There was no point denying my attraction to him. I was drawn to him. Probably because he was exactly the type of man my mother had forbidden me to associate with. He might have the name, but he had no stock, no style and no status. He was worth nothing to me.

  Yet tonight, for some inexplicable reason, Cole had become an intriguing enigma.

  I lowered my gaze from pale blue eyes that saw too much.

  “I need a drink,” I said flatly.

  This time, Cole gestured for the bartender. No surprises when a shot glass appeared in front of me shortly after. I wrinkled my nose, closed my eyes and tipped back the liquid. This time there was no comforting burn, no gasping for air, no feeling that every swallow slid down my throat like razors. I just felt…numb. Swiveling my glass in my hand, I caught a glimpse of my fractured reflection.

  Broken.

  And tomorrow, life would rock back into its inevitable rut. With Logan.

  I blinked back a sudden, inexplicable urge to cry. Surely then, tonight had to be about doing something different. Being someone different.

  I glanced sideways for the umpteenth time and a stir of heat pricked at my senses as I contemplated Cole a second longer. Even as I denied it, the voice inside whispered temptation into my ear—I’d always been good…done the right thing…why shouldn’t I take what I wanted?

  Yes. Why shouldn’t I? At least if I was bad, this one night, I might actually deserve the crap life kept dishing up on my fine-bone china plate with its gold rim and fancy fucking pattern.

  The swear word felt good this time. Justified.

  I placed my shot glass back on the bar with an audible bang. “So, how do we do this?” I asked without flinching. His jaw dropped and for a moment, I thought I might have made a mistake—maybe he had just been toying with me. “I’m not…it’s just that…” My resolve faltered, cheeks bursting into a blaze of heat.

  Cole’s surprise was quickly masked. Something dark and wild flared and he swung my barstool around until I faced him.

  “I’m going to hate myself for saying this, but maybe you should go back to your room. On your own.” Cole rubbed at the back of his neck. “Something tells me this isn’t really you. And, believe me, you’ll like yourself a whole lot better in the morning.”

  Was he blowing me off?

  I laughed out loud, drawing the attention of other men sitting in the bar.

  “Who says I like myself now?” I lifted one delicate brow.

  Cole’s shoulders stiffened and he drew back, his gaze turning speculative as it traced over every inch of my face. Tingles of excitement trickled through the numbness, shots of awareness dancing along my spine. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

  If ever.

  “You’re right that I’ve come here looking for someone. So, is it going to be you?” I kept my voice low, forcing him to edge closer. “Or is it going to be somebody else?”

  Chapter Four

  Cole

  Blood burned like fire in my veins. I tried to read Madison’s expression, but it remained impenetrable. She was bluffing about going with someone else tonight. Right?

  But what if she wasn’t?

  Shit… I was no saint. Of course I wanted to tap that.

  But—and this is where my newly discovered sense of civility really fucking sucked—Madison was not in her right mind. Anyone could see that. Even me. Which was a scary thought.

  She flicked back and forth between snooty bitch with a stick up her ass to this hot, guileless sex-bomb hardening my body in all the right places. While I didn’t have the best scruples when it came to women, I didn’t want to take advantage of Madison. Especially if she wasn’t what I thought—a rich daddy’s girl. Beautiful and spoiled.

  However, the fact remained that if Madison truly wanted to go through with a one-night-stand, I would do it. The way the other men in the bar looked at her—like she was edible panties—made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I had heard their comments as she’d walked in and had imagined how I’d feel if they were talking about Jess.

  My blood pounded harder. “So what is it you want?” I asked.

  She leaned in and warm vodka-tinged breath stirred along my cheek bones.

  “I want you to…f-fuck me.”

  Her words were a punch to my gut and my good intentions slid off the barstool and sauntered out the door. Shit. I sat rock-still, too scared to move for fear my cock would burst through my jeans.

  I barely registered the fact Madison looked just as shocked by her words as I did.

  Or was I mistaken in that too? Her gaze drifted downward and a smile touched her lips. The tip of her tongue snuck between her teeth.

  “Let’s go then.” Her husky enticement set my pulse pounding at heart attack pace.

  I just about leapt over the bar when her hand flitted to my thigh. And with it came the realization I’d been played. Madison St. James was no different from all the other spoiled bitches I’d met in my life. She wanted a taste of the rough stuff. For me to take advantage of her and treat her like a real woman.

  So. Yeah. I’d take what Madison offered. In fact, I would devote the next eight hours to every inch of that long, fuckable body. She. Was. Mine.

  Even as the licentious thought tightened my body and stiffened my resolve, I knew it was the worst idea I’d ever had.

  Madison represented everything I despised. The fake, skin-deep beauty and her well-polished damsel in distress act. I would hate myself in the morning, waking up next to the beautiful, outer shell of a woman only to find there was nothing behind the pretty veneer. Hell, she’d probably offer to buy me a thanks-for-fucking-my-brains-out trinket, or invite me along to some party to show me off like a larger version of her toy dog accessory.

  I knew all of that.

  Yet, like a candy bar I knew I shouldn’t nibble, I wanted to peel off Madison’s silky wrapper and lick at her promised perfection. I already imagined running my hands across the smoothness of her belly, molding her flawless breasts.

  Holding back a growl, I helped Madison off the barstool and tugged her through the door to the sheltered alcove by the elevators. Not giving myself time to think, I pressed against her, swallowing her gasp of surprise as I pushed my tongue into her mouth. Women liked it when I took control.

  I tasted sweetness, spice, the tang of alcohol as she opened to me. I stifled a groan, wrapping my arms around her, crowding closer. I’d give Madison everything she wanted, I promised to himself. Because the moment our lips had touched, I knew neither of us would be saying no.

  Chapter Five

  Madison

  I led Cole into my hotel suite, taking a moment to remove my coat and hang it inside the closet. Breath stuttered in my throat, insides trembling with anticipation. Cole set my pulse tripping with the need to experience something visceral and real. No pretenses.

  I wanted to let go of everything. Keep nothing of myself. I would be willful and strong, like my mother. Have no scruples, just like Logan. There was no one to hold me back, except myself. And I refused to let that happen.

  I took my time turning around. Cole leaned against the jamb, tension evident in every muscled contour. A raw sense of danger peppered the air and my stomach clenched as a ripple of heat caught me.

  Despite his relaxed posture, Cole’s gaze never wavered and I hesitated, unsure for a moment what to do next. I’d never been the one to initiate sexual contact, had never been sure eno
ugh of myself. But now the thought excited me.

  I drifted forward, following the tug of Cole’s magnetism. A sheen of moisture prickled a heated path over my skin. I wanted to maintain an air of sophistication. Not to act as desperate as I felt.

  Oh, to hell with that.

  I launched myself at Cole, mashing my lips into his. A ragged sigh left me as I pressed against him, digging furrows in his shirt. I scrabbled for purchase, seeking relief from the sweet burn of need torching me from the inside out. A small part of me was shocked by my actions. This wasn’t me, but it felt so right. I couldn’t get enough. The caress of his lips rasping over me, the sweep of his tongue as it commanded me to follow.

  I shuddered against the sharp hit of sensations, opening up to him as his tongue traced along the seam of my mouth, nibbling at the corner of my lips. His soft plunder tipped me further off balance, pushing away any rational thought. I groaned. Or was that him? It became impossible to tell with our mouths fused together.

  I could have spent a lifetime in that one, intoxicating kiss. But all too soon, Cole eased back, his eyes pale slivers of icy heat, focused solely on me. My belly churned with heat, desire dampening my panties. I was quivering with pleasure under Cole’s stare, following his every move as he sat on the bed.

  “Undress for me,” he rasped, his voice pure seduction.

  A shiver trembled its way across my skin as I came to a halt just outside of Cole’s reach. I hooked into the smolder of his eyes and did exactly what he asked. Slipping off my clothes, one by one. No frills. No strutting around the bedroom wiggling my ass in his face, like Logan sometimes had me do. This was different. Not so much a show as revealing myself to him.

  I curved my thumbs into the waistband of my panties, pushing them past my hips to let them fall at my feet. I undid my bra, the cups easing away from my breasts, straps slithering past my fingertips to join the other clothing on the floor.

  Cole’s gaze burned over each inch of skin uncovered, drinking me in. Until I stood naked in front of him. He held out his hand and I took it, allowing him to draw me into the vee of his thighs. He traced a finger across my collarbone, leaving a trail of heat in its path.