by Chloe Maddox
“Promises…promises…promises,” he muttered as he reluctantly shoved himself backwards.
Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was not sure I would’ve been able to hold out for much longer, and something told me Sean could sense that too. He was capable of pushing my buttons in ways nobody else could, and for a minute there, he actually had me forgetting that David even existed.
It was a good thing that didn’t happen.
Otherwise I would’ve done something terrible.
“Why don’t you introduce me to this friend of yours?” He held out his hand. I stared at it for a second as I debated whether or not it was a good idea. Finally, I nodded and slipped my hand into his, trying to notice the perfect way in which they fit.
Jessica looked stunned when she saw me emerge with David in tow, and her eyes widened in surprise as she took in his size. Suddenly, recognition dawned on her face, and she smirked as she shot me a quick look.
“You must be Sean.” Jessica stood up and held out her hand. “I’m Jessica.”
“That’s right. I see you guys have been talking about me.” He released my hand in order to take Jessica’s, and he smiled as he shook it warmly.
“You have no idea,” Jessica murmured as she tossed a mischievous look in my direction. “Won’t you join us for a drink?”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Sean slid into our booth, and soon enough, he and Jessica were chatting in an easy and familiar way that I envied. I wished I could talk to him like that, but until I got over my little crush, it was best to stay far away.
This made me question why I agreed to bring him over to our booth in the first place, but I knew the real reason.
I wanted an excuse to spend time with him without feeling guilty, and Jessica was a good buffer. She would make sure nothing happened between us.
Sean wasn’t an avid talker like Jessica who used her hands to gesture, but he was just as interesting in a different way. I couldn’t seem to stop myself from looking at him every few seconds, and noting the quiet way in which he spoke, and the easy charisma that dripped off of him.
Yeah, I was definitely in trouble.
I gave a start as my phone gave a shrill ring in my purse. Jessica slid the purse over to me from her side of the booth and rolled her eyes when she saw who was calling.
I cupped my hand over the speaker, “Hey.”
“Where are you?” David sounded, angry.
I sighed as his voice managed to pierce through the buzz. “I’m out with Jessica. It’s taco night, remember?”
“Right. When are you coming home?”
“I’m not sure yet, why?” I brushed my hair out of my face, and I shot Jessica a dirty look as she and Sean stared at me with identical expressions.
“We need to talk when you get home,” David, his tone serious.
My expression fell. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m not going to talk about this over the phone, Isabel,” David said, finally, his tone brokering no argument. “Have fun with Jessica, and we’ll talk later.”
Before I could respond, I heard the sound of the dial tone, and I grimaced as I pulled the phone away and stared at it in dismay.
Whatever it was he had to say to me, it couldn’t possibly be good.
“Are you alright?” Jessica asked, quietly as she reached across the table and took my hands. I gently extracted them as I felt the tears begin to well up.
Like hell was I going to cry on a night like tonight.
And especially not in front of Sean.
I rapidly blinked back the tears. “Yup, I’m going to go get us another round of drinks.”
I squeezed through the throng of people and made my way to the bar where I ordered a beer for Sean, a screwdriver for myself and a margarita for Jessica.
Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew it was a bad idea to indulge especially because two drinks was usually when I stopped because that’s when I started getting buzzed, but I didn’t feel the need to pause tonight.
I wanted to press full speed ahead and get wasted.
When our drinks were ready, I struggled to balance them until Sean popped up behind me and plucked the drinks from my hand.
“You okay?” Sean asked, his face marred with concern.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I brushed past him as a single tear rolled down my cheek. Hastily, I brushed it away and offered Jessica a bright smile.
“Here we go.”
***
In the end, I only ended up taking half the drink, but I was angsty enough that I made my way to the dance floor and started swaying to the music. I was certainly a lightweight because dancing definitely wasn’t my thing. I was much too self-conscious to indulge, but tonight I didn’t care.
Jessica was off to my right dancing with a complete stranger, and Sean was watching us from the bar, an indecipherable look on his face. A man came up to me and started dancing next to me, so I ignored him, but then I decided to go for it.
His hands came up around my waist, and we moved to the rhythm. A voice was screaming in the back of my mind that I needed to get away from this man and go back to the relative safety of my booth, but I didn’t care.
It had been too long since a man had touched me like this, and I knew it was wrong, that I shouldn’t cheat on David, but at the moment I didn’t care.
David took me for granted, and treated me like I didn’t matter, so why should I care if I hurt his feelings?
I spun around and pressed my back against him as his hand continued to rest around my waist. When it started to move up a little bit, I tilted forward uncomfortably and turned around.
I gave the man a small smile. “Thanks for the dance.”
I could already tell that it was a mistake letting him touch me like that, but I was caught up in the moment, and it was too late to take it back.
“Come on, baby, why did you stop?” He leered as he pressed himself against me. I leaned backwards and tried not to cringe at how awful he smelled.
“Look, I think you got the wrong idea. It was just a dance,” I insisted.
The man’s face contorted in anger. “Who the hell do you think you are? Leading a man on like that?”
I swallowed back the lump of fear that formed in my throat, but before I could retaliate, the man was being shoved backwards, and he was pressed up against the wall.
I’d never seen anybody look as controlled as Sean did. It was clear he was angry from the way his jaw was set, and the way his entire body was coiled, but he had it under lock and key as he held the man up by the scruff of his neck.
The man looked terrified as his gaze swung between the two of us. “Look man I meant no disrespect.”
Sean spoke in a quiet tone that was no less deadly. “You will apologize to her and then you will get out of my face. Am I clear?”
Sean released the man, and he crumpled into a heap on the floor. He shot a quick apology in my direction and bolted for the door.
“Are you okay?” Sean asked in a measured tone.
I lifted my chin up. “Fine.”
I pushed past him and ducked outside where I inhaled huge lungfull’s of air. The cold air felt like a slap against my face, but I needed it.
“If you’re looking for a thank you, you won’t get one,” I warned him, testily as I felt him creep up behind me.
Sean crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine, but you should at least be more careful.”
“Careful?” I whipped my head around. “I had it under control. It was just a fun dance, and he needed to learn to take no for an answer.”
“Fun dance?” His eyebrow rose. “That was hardly a fun dance.”
“Excuse me?” My voice was dropping with venom.
“I’ve seen many dances, Isabel, but if you call that fun then you must be deluding yourself,” he said, his tone sardonic.
“You’re just mad because he was trying to get into my pants!” I yelled as I angrily curled my hands into fists, a blaze of angry co
ursing through me.
Deep down, I knew it wasn’t directed at him.
“Of course I’m mad about that.”
“Why? Because he beat you to it?” he said, scathingly.
“If I wanted to be in your pants then nothing on this Earth could stop me, Isabel,” he said, his voice shimmering with barely concealed fury.
“I think that’s bullshit.”
“Think what you will, but it’s true.”
“I think you talk a big talk, but when it comes to actions–”
Before I could finish my sentence, a pair of lips descended onto mine rather forcefully, stopping me midsentence. My eyes remained open in total surprise as Sean firmly pressed his mouth against mine, all of the pent-up emotion transferring through that one single kiss.
I shuddered as my eyes fluttered closed, and I gave in, my arms coming up around his neck and tangling themselves in his hair.
Wait, there was a reason why I shouldn’t be doing this.
David!
My eyes flew open, and I shoved Sean backwards. The surprise of the impact made him stumble, and he gazed at me solemnly.
Chapter 3
“What the hell was that?” I asked, my voice more forceful than I intended it to be.
Sean coughed and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t look the least bit apologetic though I felt he should be.
After all, he kissed me, and he knew I had a boyfriend.
However.
I was the one who had a boyfriend, and I let this happen.
“That was some kiss,” Sean commented, his eyes smoldering as he stayed right where he was.
My heart was hammering in chest as it pumped blood through my veins at twice the speed it was supposed to do. My hands were sweating, and I could taste bile in the back of my throat.
“That never should’ve happened,” I hissed as I brought my hands to my forehead. It came out sticky and slightly hot.
Great, now I was developing a fever.
Because I needed that on top of everything else tonight.
“But it did,” Sean countered. “There’s no point in wondering about what if’s.”
“There is every point,” I gritted as my head began to pound incessantly. I could already feel a headache slowly building up behind my eyelids, and I could tell it was going to be a doozy.
I shouldn’t have indulged in so many drinks.
“The point is that you felt it,” Sean pointed out. “You can’t tell me that you didn’t.”
I despised Sean in that moment. For standing there leaning against the wall in his ripped jeans, and form fitting black shirt. For the way his eyes seemed fixated on my every move like nobody else existed, and for the way his sensual lips were pressed into a thin line.
Just staring at them had me thinking about they felt pressed up against mine.
Firm but soft and incredibly capable.
Jesus.
Snap out of Isabel.
It’s that kind of thinking that got you into this mess in the first place.
“It doesn’t matter.” I shakily ran my hands through my hair as I worked to keep the tremor away. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the shock of what had transpired was beginning to settle over me.
I’d gone from having a quiet night out with my best friend to confronting a guy who was about to harass me to kissing a virtually unknown man. All in the span of one night. Oh, and add to that the fact that David was in a sour mood, and we’d probably end up fighting when I got home.
For reasons unbeknownst to me as of yet.
“It does matter,” he said, quietly. “You’re shaking.”
He stepped forward and slipped off his jacket. I shook my head as I held out my hand to keep him at bay. “Just stay where you are, please.”
Sean frowned. “Look, I can keep my distance, Isabel. I’m not some animal, but at least take the jacket before you make yourself sick.”
“No,” I refused as I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my head up. Dimly, I was aware of the music pulsating in the background as people poured in and out of the club in equal measure oblivious to the fact that my whole world just shifted on its axis.
The neon lights cast a soft glow on the pavement, illuminating Sean in a warm halo of light as he stood there offering me his jacket like some gallant knight in shining armor.
Which he wasn’t.
Just to be clear.
Then again, I wasn’t exactly blameless. I should’ve turned him away. Maybe then things wouldn’t have escalated.
It was strange being so shaken up by one kiss.
“For Christ’s sake, Isabel. Don’t let your pride get in the way of this. It’s just a jacket. I’m not asking for anything else,” Sean said, frustration leaping into his voice.
“It’s not about pride. It’s not about what’s right,” I insisted, stubbornly. “After everything that happened tonight, I don’t think it would be wise to accept that.”
“Wise?” Sean laughed, but it was a humorless chuckle. “Nothing about tonight was wise, Isabel. When I spotted you coming out of the bathroom, I should’ve looked away and just let you be. I’m not the type of guy to make a move on another man’s woman.”
“Why? Because of some unspoken bro code?” I spat out. “Because bikers have some kind of code of honor?”
Sean’s eyes glinted dangerously as he raised an eyebrow. “Oh, and you’re the expert, are you? Tell me again about what it means to be part of something like that, and the kind of rules we have since you seem to know everything.”
Taken aback, I was momentarily at a loss for words. “I don’t, but I’ve seen enough of what you guys get up to.”
“You mean the stereotypes?”
“They aren’t stereotypes.”
“Some of them are,” he countered. “And we aren’t like that. They’re my crew, my family, and they’ve had my back since I was a kid. It’s so much more than a biker gang.”
I stared at him.
None of what he was saying mattered, did it?
Even if he wasn’t a biker, if that wasn’t something that worked against him, would we still be in the exact same situation?
I hadn’t the faintest idea.
“Christ, why am I even bothering to explain it to you?” He raked his hands through his hair. “Clearly, you’ve already made up your mind about us. I didn’t peg you as the prejudiced type, but I guess I was wrong.”
“It’s not about that,” I said, defensively, but I knew I was in the wrong.
I was just too stubborn to admit it.
I’d made a snap judgment based on very little evidence, and I couldn’t take that back now.
“You’re just tackling something you know because you’re afraid of what just happened. Of admitting how that kiss felt,” Sean said, coldly.
“I’m not afraid of my feelings,” I said, weakly.
“Yes, you are. You know what though? Don’t worry about it. It was just a kiss, and I’m not the relationship type anyway.”
It felt like a slap in the face.
Not that I assumed that we would get together after this, but still.
To hear a man, say something like that out loud after sharing such an earth shattering kiss, that was gut wrenching.
My nails dug into my hands, so that I could keep my eyes from watering. “Fine, if it really meant that little to you then why are you still here?”
Sean pushed himself off the wall. “I’m not heartless nor some kind of unethical bastard. Contrary to what you might believe.”
“Would it make a difference if you were?” Our eyes locked, and we remained like that, our gazes locked for I don’t know how long.
It could have been minutes or seconds as far as I knew, but when Sean dragged his gaze away, I was relieved.
I couldn’t even look at him right now.
“I see your point,” he said, evenly before he abruptly turned his back on me and went inside. I was left staring after him with an ache in my
gut the size of Texas.
My lower lip trembled as I bit down on it hard to keep the tears from spilling over. Jessica emerged a while later, wide eyed, and with her hair disheveled.
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head as she held her arms out, and I walked straight into them. “Can you take me home?”
My voice sounded muffled, and I hated how needy I sounded, but I wanted to get out of here.
“Of course.” She patted my back as she helped me down the stairs, and we hailed a cab. Jessica let me lean on her shoulder the entire ride home, and she didn’t say a thing. It was only halfway through that I noticed that Sean’s jacket was around my shoulders.
It smelled like him, and it made me feel worse.
Jessica walked me up the stairs. “Do you want me to go in with you?”
I gave her a watery smile. “No, I need to do this alone.”
“I’ll call and check on you in a bit,” Jessica offered as she waited for me to insert the key into the lock and walk in. I shut the door and braced my hands on either side of it as my eyes slammed shut.
It was a kaleidoscope of emotions, and I couldn’t even begin to unravel the mess they were. After what felt like eternity, I forced myself to move away from the door, and I turned around.
David was waiting for me on the couch, his hands clasped in front of him. Dully, I noted that he was dressed in a pair of pajamas I had gotten him. His blonde hair was matted across his head, and he looked troubled.
“We need to talk,” David said, seriously as he patted the space next to him.
I sighed as I walked towards him, dropping my purse on the floor in the process. I kicked my shoes off once I reached him, and I gratefully sank into the couch. “Yes, we do.”
“We can wait till morning if you aren’t feeling well,” David suggested as his eyes raked over me, taking in my tear stained eyes.
“No, I don’t think we should put this off anymore.”
I stared at the table in front of me as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world as I gathered my thoughts.
“I know I’ve been distant lately,” David began. “And I know it’s cliché to say this, but believe me, it wasn’t anything you did, Isabel. I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking.”
