Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Pineiro, Charity

  “What’s this party all about?” he asked, more to break the silence than any real interest.

  “You finagled an invitation to a party without having any idea what it was for?”

  “I finagled a chance to spend the evening with you,” he corrected with his most charming smile. The hint of color washing her cheeks told him it worked.

  “A potential client invited me and it’s too good an opportunity to miss,” Natasha said, a verbal shrug clear in her cool voice. But Drew caught her faint grimace. Apparently she hadn’t outgrown her distaste for large crowds. “I’m hoping it’s a quick evening.” She gave him a long look and a slow smile. “You know, in, out. Fast and easy.”

  Drew grinned at her sexual innuendo.

  Screw charm, he had to taste her. Two steps were all it took to put him within touching distance. He swept his hands down her arms, then back up again, enjoying the feel of her silky bare flesh beneath his palms. Even as his body clenched in anticipation, he searched her eyes. The cool gray depths neither invited nor rejected his advance. She simply stared in amused challenge.

  “Do you ever think about us, Tasha?” he asked quietly. “Do you ever lie alone in bed at night and remember what it was like when we were together? When we made love?”

  “Do you really think I’ve spent the last seven years pining for you, Drew?” she chided. But Drew was watching. He caught the way her fingers clenched.

  Careful to keep the triumph off his face, he just shrugged. “Hey, I have to figure you thought of me at least once, considering the heat of that little kiss you surprised me with in the hall earlier.”

  “Oh, please, that little kiss?” She dismissed it with a laugh.

  “A little kiss?” Little, his ass. It’d damn near set his body on fire. “Is that what you’re calling it?”

  “Hmm, good question. I hadn’t given it that much thought.”

  Drew’s eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you think about it now?”

  “Maybe it was a hello kiss to an old friend. Or maybe you’re right. It could have been a quick trip down memory lane. But,” she said quickly when Drew couldn’t keep the victory smile off his face any longer, “a little peck on the lips for old time’s sake hardly indicates that I’ve been dreaming about you.”

  Drew just raised a brow, still grinning. Tasha rolled her eyes and heaved a put-upon sigh.

  “Drew, Drew, Drew. If it makes you feel better to think of me lying in my bed at night, my naked body hot against the cool silk of my pristine white sheets, you go right ahead.” She paused as he sucked in a shuddering breath, a tiny smile flittering on her sweet lips. “And if you want to imagine me touching myself, my fingers trailing over my sensitive flesh, soothing and tantalizing at the same time, you do that, too.”

  He closed his eyes at the image her words evoked. God, he could see her in his mind, the icy pink tipped fingernails tracing the hard nubs of her breasts while the other hand dipped beneath the sheet to pleasure her waiting flesh. Drew moaned quietly. He wanted her like crazy, needed her like he couldn’t remember needing another woman before. Then her soft laugh caught his attention again.

  He opened his eyes and stared into hers. She tilted her head to one side in her cool, regal way and smiled.

  “But, Drew? Don’t flatter yourself to think that it’s all about you. That I’ve been pining away all these years, dedicating my orgasms to your memory.”

  “Maybe not,” he said. “But I promise I’ll deserve full credit for your next one.”

  Drew held her gaze captive as he lowered his mouth to hers. His breath caught at the soft give of her lips. The last thing he saw was a glimmer of feminine triumph sparkle in her eyes before her lashes fluttered closed.

  Natasha was the only woman who’d ever had him on pins and needles. Ever had him unsure of where he stood. Dammit, he’d get a reaction from her. Both a verbal confirmation that she wanted him, and credit for the most incredible orgasm she ever felt. He’d make sure of it.

  Taking his time, he gently explored her lips. Drew reveled in the sweet slide of his mouth over hers, the endless possibilities. His body clamored for the feel of hers. His fingers itched to touch the silky cloud of silvery blond hair she’d left loose around her shoulders. But he held back. She’d beg him to touch her, dammit.

  He nibbled at the corner of her mouth and then traced his tongue along her lower lip. In a smooth, soft move, Drew trailed the tips of his fingers down her arms from shoulder to wrists and gently entwined his fingers in hers.

  He felt as much as heard her soft moan of pleasure and grinned inwardly. Then, in a swift move, he swept her arms over her head at the same time he pressed her body against the elevator wall and took her mouth in a frenzy of desire. With a swift thrust of his tongue, he led her on a wild dance of desire as she tossed aside her habitual cloak of coolness and met the passion of his kiss with her own.

  Drew groaned as her breasts lightly brushed his chest with every breath she took. He wanted...no, he needed to taste them. To run his lips and trace his tongue over her entire body and find out if she tasted as sweet as he remembered.

  The elevator bell dinged and the doors slid open behind him with a whoosh.

  He slowly, reluctantly, eased his mouth from hers. He forced air into his lungs and watched her face as her mink soft lashes fluttered open and her passion-blurred gaze met his.

  Now that was a satisfying reaction. Drew grinned and gave her a wink. Her lips quirked but she didn’t say anything.

  “That time...,” he assured her as he turned to push the hold button, “...was all about me.”

  Natasha let out a breathless laugh and shook her head. “Well, I’ll admit you were front and center in my mind during that kiss. Another one for old time’s sake?”

  “No. That one is for new times. The ones we’re going to explore this week,” he promised.

  Natasha gave him a long, considering look but didn’t reply.

  The elevator dinged again, reminding them that the doors were waiting.

  “Party time,” he said quietly. He let go of her hands and watched in fascination as she pulled the cool cloak of composure back around her. Damned if she wasn’t good at that. A quick brush of her fingers and not a hair or thread of fabric hinted at their encounter. Just the slight swelling of her lips.

  Then, in a practiced move, she slicked a subdued rose color on her lips, hiding even that little bit of evidence.

  “Ready?” she asked as she slipped her lipstick back in her tiny purse.

  “Oh, yeah,” Drew said softly. “I’m more than ready.”

  Chapter Three

  Other than a lust-fogged notion of using him to break her sexual curse, Natasha wasn’t sure why she was bringing Drew to this party with her.

  That she didn’t a choice might be one reason, of course.

  But another one hit her loud and clear as they approached the suite. The door was open wide, allowing the sound to carry down the hall in a raucous roar. Surreptitiously sliding a little closer to Drew, she acknowledged that she didn’t do raucous well.

  When they reached the doors, she decided to screw being surreptitious and angled herself behind him. It was crazy in there. Wall to wall people and flashing lights. A topless woman was even swinging from the ceiling in time with the techno beat of the music. She wasn’t sure the account was worth all of this.

  “C’mon,” Drew said grinning at the view. He was clearly in his element. Grabbing her hand, he pushed through the crowd toward the steps on the far side of the room.

  It wasn’t any less crowded on the dais but Natasha didn’t feel so much like she was being swallowed up anymore.

  “Do you want to wait here while I get us drinks?” Drew asked.

  “Yes, thanks.” She figured she had the best view from here, too. Hopefully by the time Drew worked his way through all those people to get to the bar and came back again with the drinks, she’d have found Ruf and got business settled. Then she could get out of here.
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  She watched Drew walk away, comfortably weaving through the crowd. She didn’t know which she appreciated more--the tight fit of his jeans or the wide set of his shoulders.

  She heaved a sigh. Her insides were still shuddering with desire ten minutes after that kiss. Whew, who knew baiting a man could be so... exciting? Even though part of her took exception to Drew’s assumption that she’d pined for him over the years, honesty forced her to admit—at least to herself—that her body had pined. Just a little bit. The man was one incredible lover. And her body was screaming out for an encore.

  She searched the wall-to-wall partiers for Rufus Randall, wanting to make her connection as quickly as possible. The sooner she’d talked to him, the sooner she could drag Drew back to her hotel room. The crowd ranged from model thin waifs to what looked like a bearded lady, from guys with slicked back hair to pudgy lounge lizards. The dress code was obviously a free for all, with everything from jeans to tweed to silk in evidence. Thanks to Ruf’s sign outside the door claiming it a smoke-free zone, the air was unclouded by fog, but still eye-watering with the clashing scents of various perfumes.

  Natasha could see the neon circus-like backdrop of Vegas at night from the balcony outside the sliding glass doors. Two large platforms flanked the view, each side boasting a movie screen playing a silent, and completely modified, version of Gone with the Wind. All the characters were in lingerie, except one. Natasha squinted at Rhett Butler, trying to figure out why he looked so wrong. Then she realized it was Ruf.

  Her stomach clenched and she had a momentary pang of doubt. Did she really want to work with a man with him? She thought about it for a few seconds then shrugged. It wasn’t like she was going to do anything other than snag a contract with the guy. Once that was done, even her aunt would have very little actual contact. In the meantime, if he was into role playing, she’d be happy to take the part of a hard-assed but ladylike, businesswoman.

  And just where was the pseudo-Southerner? Natasha’s foot kept time with the music, but the tapping of her fingers on her hip was pure impatience. She took one more look around the perimeter of the room and shrugged. She wasn’t getting anything accomplished standing there waiting. It was time for action.

  “Excuse me,” she said as she moved through the tightly packed partiers, keeping watch for either man, although Ruf was her main objective. After all, her plans for Drew couldn’t start till she’d dealt with Ruf.

  “Hey, pretty lady, you here for the show?” one guy asked.

  “Darlin’, let me get you a drink,” his friend offered.

  Nerves tight, Natasha politely declined both and kept moving. It wasn’t an easy feat through the dancing crowd. Where had Ruf found so many people? The wild beat of the music had her hips swaying as she scanned faces and she started easing into the inviting vibe. This was Vegas, and she was at a party. Too bad she didn’t know how to dance.

  Then she saw Ruf. And Drew. Together.

  Natasha stiffened. What was going on? Drew had claimed he was only there to hang out with her, but the two men looked awfully chummy.

  Nerves forgotten as irritation took over, Natasha strode through the crowd.

  “Gentlemen?”

  “Hey, Tasha,” Drew said, not even a little shamefaced to be caught standing there with the ice melting in her drink. “You need to meet Ruf. He’s got some great lingerie ideas going on.”

  Natasha almost growled.

  “Sweet Thing, glad you could make the party,” Ruf said taking an unlit cigar from his mouth. “I’m glad you came.”

  “You two know each other then?” Drew asked, a calculating look in his eyes as he glanced back and forth between them.

  “Sensual Supports has been corresponding with Ruf for a while now, but he and I only met for the first time this afternoon.”

  “Yep. I arrived right after that clever balloon bouquet,” Ruf said with a snicker.

  “Yeah?” Drew laughed too. “I wasn’t sure how Tasha would react to that, but figured it was too good to pass up.”

  “That bouquet was from you?” Ruf asked, his tone both friendly and impressed. He shot a speculative look between the two of them, obviously trying to ascertain their actual relationship.

  “Sure was. I figure it never hurts to find a way to make things fun as well as sexy, you know?”

  That was obviously the topic of the conversation Natasha had interrupted, since they launched right back into it. Her jaw clenched and the tension in her shoulders knotted tight as she listened to Drew court the man she’d come to lure into a contract.

  “Right, Tash?” Drew queried. His smile, slightly conciliatory, yet filled with male arrogance, made it clear he was giving her an opening to join the conversation.

  Like she needed his charity? Ha. She was nailing this account, and she’d do it just as soon as she got rid of the irritating hunk of supercilious male standing in her way.

  Natasha offered them both a stiff smile and tilted her head at Drew.

  “Ruf, do you mind if I borrow Drew for a few minutes? There’s something I need to show him.”

  Not giving either of them a chance to protest, Natasha took the watered down drink out of Drew’s hand and set it on the bar, then meshed her fingers through his to tug him away.

  She tossed a quick smile at Ruf, who watched them with speculative indulgence, and dragged Drew into the thick of the crowd. Maybe the hall was empty now. She could tell him off and shove him into the elevator all at once.

  “Where we going?” Drew asked, his breath warm against her ear.

  “Somewhere we can talk,” Natasha said between clenched teeth. Frustration surged when she saw the crowd still partying in the hallway. No privacy there.

  She checked the door to the left of the entrance. An empty bedroom. Perfect. She tugged Drew into the dim room, let go of his hand to slam the door shut and flip the lock. She slapped both fists on her hips. A sexual spark lit his gaze, and he looked so tempting Natasha had to resort to lecturing her body into submission. Any chance of hot sex with Drew was shot now that he was the competition.

  “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  His brows shot up, but he didn’t lose the sexy smirk. “Doing? I know what I’d like to be doing. And since you rushed me into a bedroom, I have to assume you want to do the same thing.”

  Natasha rolled her eyes and gave him the look. The one usually reserved for irritating salesmen or annoying dates.

  “No?”

  “Believe me, any thoughts I might have temporarily entertained of sex between us have completely disappeared,” Natasha assured him, her voice an icy slap. “They were shattered to smithereens the moment I found you trying to steal my client.”

  *

  “C’mon, Tasha,” Drew said with an incredulous laugh that echoed in the empty shadows of the hotel bedroom. “Why would that guy or his account make a difference in how you handle your personal life?”

  “Unlike you, apparently, my personal life isn’t something I can easily separate from the rest of my life, business or otherwise.”

  “I don’t separate it,” Drew objected. “I just know how to prioritize. And my personal life, most especially my sex life, takes priority over everything else.”

  From the look on her face, mild on disgust and heavy on disdain, that was the wrong answer. Which was a damned shame since it was the truth. Drew didn’t blow off responsibilities. Hell, his years of supporting his sister and digging his way out of the debt left by his father should prove that. But neither did he let responsibilities get in his way.

  Apparently Natasha played life differently. Drew eyed her, the luxurious fall of blond hair sweeping her shoulders, her stormy gray eyes and the conservatively sexy way her simple black dress slicked over the generous sweetness of her curves. Curves he wanted to touch, to taste. He breathed in the rich scent, a combination of flowers in the moonlight and Natasha. His body hardened. Damned if some stupid business deal was going ruin his reunion pla
ns.

  Drew moved closer, inhaling her light floral scent and offered her his most charming smile. “Babe, believe me, coming to this party had nothing to do with scamming some account. You want to call dibs on Randall, go for it. I have other priorities.”

  “Like what?” she asked, distrust obvious in both her words and on her face. But she didn’t step away. He saw the battle in her eyes between her body’s needs and ambition. Lucky for him, he also saw the hitch in her breathing, even though she tried to hide it.

  “Like you.” In a slow, easy move, he slid his hands over her hips and pulled her to him. Mmm, yeah. Drew closed his eyes at the pleasure of feeling Tasha’s body against his. The way her breasts pressed into his chest and her hips cradled his aching flesh. He wanted their clothes gone, so he could feel the smooth warmth of her skin sliding over his. So he could trace her pleasure points from the top of her head to her baby toes, and all spots in between.

  Unfortunately, the stiffness in her body was messing with his fantasy. As the realization seeped through Drew’s pleasure, he opened his eyes to meet the skepticism in her expressive gaze.

  “What?” she asked wryly. “You expect me to believe that you have no interest in the Perfect Passion account you were so diligently pursuing back there? That you’d rather roll around with me than snag one of the biggest distributors in the United States?”

  Drew pretended to consider her question. After a few silent seconds of eyeing his contemplative expression, her brows drew together in a frown. He hid a smile and gently brushed his lips over the line creasing her forehead.

  “Babe, I have no reason to chase accounts. Twisted Knickers will hold its own. Besides, I told you—this is my partner’s project, not mine. She knows what accounts she’s after. I’m just here to hold down the fort.”

  Some of the tension left Natasha’s body. Although her back never lost its military-straight posture—after all, this was Natasha—she relaxed against him. He took that as a sign she was getting over her silly snit and leaned closer.

  “I’d rather roll around with you than waste time chasing success,” he whispered against her lips. Then he took her mouth in a swift, hungry move. It was like he was a starving man and she was a feast.