Adrian narrowed his gaze and pointed a threatening finger at his cousin, who'd dared to take her side. "Nobody asked your opinion, Scotty, so I'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. "
Chayse turned her attention back to him, amusement dancing in her eyes. "If you weren't being so stubborn, I wouldn't have to be so persistent. "
She ran her fingers through her permanently tousled, chin-length, honey blond curls, combing them away from her face, a habit of hers he found too damn fascinating, and tempting. Most of the rebellious strands sprang back into place, and Adrian's fingers itched to push them away again, just as an excuse to see if her hair was as silky soft as it looked.
He wrapped his hand tight around his bottle of beer and scowled at her. "Don't you have a deadline that's come and gone?"
"I got an extension." She took a sip of her green martini, and he caught the scent of apples just before she slowly licked her lips and his libido kicked into overdrive. "I have one more week, and I've decided that I'm going to make you my main priority and stalk you until you finally give in." Her tone was teasing, but her gaze told him just how serious her intentions were.
Well, he wasn't going to be around for her to stalk, thank God. For the next three days he'd be at the family cabin catching up on some R and R and enjoying a weekend of peace and solitude.
"Don't count on me changing my mind, sweetheart," he told her. "My answer is, and will always remain, no thank you. "
"Aw, come on Adrian," Mia piped in, disappointment lacing her voice. "This is for charity, for crying out loud. I can't believe you'd say no to something that would benefit so many kids at the Children's Hospital. "
Adrian's jaw clenched tight, but he remained quiet. Mia's comment made him sound cold and unfeeling, when his reasons for refusing had nothing to do with being selfish. Rather, he was self-conscious about baring so much of his less than perfect body to the thousands of people who purchased the calendar. But he wasn't about to reveal his personal, private reasons to Chayse, or anyone else for that matter.
Cameron slanted Mia an incredulous glance. "Contrary to popular belief, not all men are into being displayed as sexual objects. "
"Since when?" Mia argued, and leaned closer to Cameron, clearly relishing a debate with him. "Come on, admit it, sugar. Being the object of a woman's fantasies is a nice stroke to the male ego. "
Cameron frowned at her, impatience and something more heated smoldering in his gold-flecked eyes. "I'll admit to nothing, except that you're a female chauvinist. "
She propped her chin in her hand and batted her lashes at him, unfazed by his accusation. "I'm a liberated woman, and proud of it. "
Before Cameron could supply a comeback, Steve steered the conversation in a different, and unexpected, direction. "What about Scott here, Chayse?" Steve clapped the other man on the back. "He's in great physical shape, he's not bad on the eyes, and he's single. Maybe you could convince him to take his clothes off for your cause. "
Scott looked mortified at the thought. "Uh, I don't think so. "
Chayse laughed, and took another swallow of her martini. "Don't worry, Scott. While you'd make quite the eye candy for my calendar, you're off the hook," she reassured him, then shifted her unwavering gaze back to Adrian. She swirled the slice of apple that had accompanied her drink in the last bit of liquor, then popped it into her mouth and chewed. "You, on the other hand, are just what I'm looking for to complete my Outdoor Men calendar. Like the three other men who've posed for my project, you're the real thing. You're a sports enthusiast who takes it to the extreme, you own Wilde Adventures, which caters to outdoor recreational activities, and you epitomize everything an outdoor man should look like and be. "
She scooted back her chair and stood; for a moment Adrian thought she was going to leave, and experienced an inexplicable combination of relief and disappointment.
"I need to run to the ladies' room," she said instead, and flashed him a quick, I'm-not-done-with-you-yet look. "Maybe while I'm gone these guys and Mia can talk some sense into you. "
With that bold statement, she sauntered away, hips swaying in those snug jeans of hers. He watched her stroll past the crowded dance floor to the corridor that led to the rest rooms, then finally glanced back at his brother, Cameron, and his cousins, who were all eyeing him with varying degrees of interest, anticipation, and amusement.
Mia opened her mouth to speak, and Adrian cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Don't even go there. "
Steve wasn't so easily intimidated. "I have to admit, she puts up a convincing argument. "
"I'm not interested. Period. End of discussion." He polished off his beer and refrained from ordering a third.
"Fine." Steve's stare was all too knowing. "But just for the record, I think the little spitfire has gotten to you, and maybe this is possibly about more than just posing for a beefcake calendar. "
Adrian's first instinct was to deny Steve's very astute statement. But his older brother knew him well, knew what he'd been through in the past, and knew the emotional wringer one woman had put him through that had affected his views on relationships with the female gender and not letting any woman close ever since.
Steve sighed and stood. "And on that note, I'm outta here. I promised Liz I'd help her close up The Daily Grind tonight, and I'm hoping to get a caramel frappa-cino out of the deal." He waggled his brows, indicating that he was hoping for a whole lot more than just a cold coffee drink from his wife.
Scott grinned. "How's married life?"
Withdrawing a large bill from his wallet, Steve tossed it onto the table for his drink and tip. "A helluva lot bet-ter than this," he said, and indicated the singles scene behind him, gathered at Nick's to enjoy the band, play pool or darts, and generally attempt to pick up members of the opposite sex.
Cameron shook his head and rocked his chair onto its back legs. "You and Eric are something else, from sworn bachelors to domestic bliss. You're making us look bad. "
"What can I say, boys. I'm living the good life." The broad smile on Steve's face attested to just how happy he was. "When the right woman comes along, then you'll understand the domestic bliss thing, and actually enjoy it. "
With a chorus of "Good night," Steve left the bar, leaving Adrian to contemplate his brother's comment, and how the right woman had changed both Steve and Eric's bachelor lives. He'd never seen either of his brothers so mellow before, so content in their lives and the women they'd married. Adrian was beginning to feel like the odd man out lately, and restless in a way he couldn't shake. Which was why he'd decided to escape for the weekend to the family cabin—a quiet sanctuary away from work and the craziness of life. Not to mention the old, painful memories that had been nagging him ever since Chayse had made him a target for her pinup calendar and he'd realized he wanted her in ways that defied the keep-it-simple rules he'd set for himself four years ago.
Undoubtedly, he was an earthy, physical guy who loved sex and all the pleasures to be found in a woman's body, and he could always find a warm and eager female when the mood struck him. But that's all he allowed anymore… just hot, mindless sex with women who knew the score right up front and wanted the same thing. To that end, he didn't care what they thought of him, or how he looked in their eyes, because it was all about mutual give and take and carnal satisfaction, and they both walked away afterward with no expectations or regrets.
He scrubbed a hand along his jaw, forced to admit that even raucous sex with a ready and willing partner had lost its appeal over the past few months. And he had a certain stubborn, persistent blond-haired beauty to blame for his lack of interest in any other woman, and his celibate life of late.
Chayse was so under his skin, he couldn't get her out of his mind, his erotic dreams, his life, no matter how hard he tried. And whenever he felt the vibes between them, which was anytime they were in the same vicinity, it nearly devastated his senses and destroyed his restraint. Yet beyond their sexual attraction, she exuded warmth and a genuine c
aring he was inexplicably drawn to, especially when she talked about her project or the kids at Chicago's Children's Hospital, where she visited and was a volunteer.
He cast an irritable glance toward the rest rooms just as Chayse exited. She headed back in the direction of the table, only to be waylaid by a tall, good-looking guy who grasped her elbow. She stopped, surprised but not upset by the man's interception. He motioned to the dance floor with a charming smile and a nod of his head. She shrugged her shoulders in a "Sure, why not" kind of gesture and off they went together, mingling into the crowd dancing to the rock music the band was playing.
The pair started out innocently enough, with Chayse seemingly enjoying herself, but it didn't take long for Casanova to make a move, using their close proximity to initiate a little touchy-feely with her. His hands came to rest on her shimmying hips, then boldly slipped around to her backside.
Jealousy, a sensation Adrian hadn't experienced in much too long, reared its ugly head before he could stop the emotion. His temper flared at the other man's predatory move toward Chayse, a possessive, unwelcome response he refused to act upon.
"Jesus, Adrian," Scott said, cutting through his dark, festering thoughts. "Would you stop glaring already?"
"That guy has his hand on her ass," he bit out, disgusted with himself for caring so much.
Cameron grinned with keen male insight. "And you wish it were your hand on her ass instead, don't you?"
Adrian couldn't argue the truth, so he didn't even try. Through a narrowed gaze, he watched as Chayse removed the other man's wandering hands from her bottom, but the chump merely grabbed her around the waist, jerked her hips to his, and ground himself lewdly against her. She stiffened and braced her hands against his shoulders to hold him away, but her partner wasn't letting go and used the crush of people around them to his advantage.
Adrian's hand curled into a fist, and the muscles in his arm bunched with tension. He wanted to pummel the guy, then tear him apart, limb by limb. "He's practically molesting her out on the dance floor. "
"Then maybe you ought to go over there and do something about it," Mia suggested oh so helpfully.
"Maybe I will." Watching the other man ignore Chayse's attempt to slip from his grasp again, Adrian felt as though he'd been prodded with a hot brand, provoked beyond reason. Because it certainly wasn't any sort of reasoning that had him strolling across the room and into the fray of writhing, dancing bodies to rescue her.
Coming up behind the guy, Adrian placed his hand where neck met shoulder and applied a firm pressure with his fingers that immediately caught the other man's attention.
"What the hell?" The other man instantly let go of Chayse and tried to whirl around to face his accoster, but Adrian's unrelenting hold prevented him from moving freely.
"The lady's with me," Adrian said, low and menacing, and gave the guy a push to the side. "Touch her again, and I won't be responsible for my actions. "
The other man straightened his shirt and shot Adrian a scathing glance. But after taking one look at Adrian's superior size and strength, the chump obviously thought better of challenging him and left the dance floor.
Adrian had every intention of dragging Chayse back to the table, but before he could do so she slipped her hands around his neck, ensnaring him with her arms and holding him in place with her sultry, disarming gaze.
She shook her head in wonder, causing those soft, disheveled waves to caress her cheek and jaw. "Talk about trading one bundle of trouble for another," she teased.
"Just say thank you," he said gruffly, and placed his hands lightly on her slender waist, because it was the safest place to keep them when he was so damned tempted to slide them elsewhere.
She swayed closer with the beat of the music, aligning their bodies even more intimately than she'd been with the previous guy. This time, of her own free will. "Thank you, though I didn't need the help. "
His body responded to the warmth and softness of her supple curves, hardening him in a scalding rush of need. "What? You like being mauled by men?"
She laughed, the provocative vibration causing her breasts to jiggle enticingly against his chest. "Now that all depends on the man and the situation, though I have to agree that this wasn't the right man or situation. If you hadn't shown up when you did, he would have been the very unhappy recipient of having my knee jammed up against his groin. "
He winced at that unpleasant image, and quickly realized that this sassy, spirited woman easily could have held her own with her dance partner.
"You, however, are the right man, in many ways." Her fingers played with the rebel-long strands of hair at the nape of his neck, and she tipped her head to the side. She smiled up at him flirtatiously, that lush mouth of hers displaying a wealth of erotic potential. "What is it going to take to change your mind about posing for my calendar?"
So, they were back to that again. "Absolutely nothing." He released a long exhalation just as an idea entered his mind, one that would benefit them both and finally end this agonizing situation for him. "Why don't I just write you a substantial check, donate it to your charity, and we can leave it at that?"
"I don't want your money, Adrian," she said softly, and glided her hands along his shoulders and down to his chest in a too arousing caress. "I want you. "
Her words held a dual meaning, one that encompassed her pursuit of him for her calendar, and the other holding a more seductive, sexual connotation. He would've liked nothing more than to take her up on that second offer, to finally slake the lust that had been riding him hard for the past hour and was increasing with each slow, rhythmic slide of her body along the length of his.
And if he wasn't careful, that lust was going to overrule his common sense. "You'd be better off taking the money, sweetheart, because that's all you're getting from me. "
She mulled that over for a moment. "Tell you what, I'll make a deal with you. "
He had to admit that he was curious to hear what she had to say, not that he'd agree to any kind of compromise. "What kind of deal?"
Her gaze captured his and searched deep, past those emotional barriers he'd erected and seemingly touching a piece of his soul in the process. "Tell me what you're really hiding from, and maybe I'll back off. "
Adrian's lungs squeezed tight, making normal breathing difficult. How the hell she'd managed to hit him where he was most susceptible, he didn't know. And he wasn't about to stick around to find out, either. Needing to get away from Chayse and her too accurate intuition, he released her abrupdy, pulled her arms from around his neck, and headed toward the men's room without looking back.
Once inside and certain he was alone, he slammed his fist against one of the steel doors, which did nothing to dissolve the reckless frustration gripping him—sexual and otherwise. He paced the length of linoleum floor like a caged animal, hating how Chayse so easily threatened his restraint when he was a man who prided himself on control—in his life, with his job and business, and especially with women.
At least until her, he acknowledged, and shoved his hands through his thick hair. Now he was constantly grappling for the upper hand between them, and battling an upheaval of emotion he had no use for. And the last thing he wanted or needed was the complication of a woman who got to him on such an innate level.
He heard someone enter the rest room and turned around, stunned to find Chayse standing just feet away from him. She locked the main door as if to keep him from bolting again, then leaned against it.
He jammed his hands on his hips and summoned his most intimidating scowl. "Just in case it's escaped your notice, you're in the men's rest room. "
She ignored his sarcasm, and that direct, probing look was back in her eyes again. "Mia mentioned that your brothers nicknamed you the Wilde One, because you've always taken sports and other adventures to the extreme. Is that true?"
"Yes." Uncertain what she was getting at, he waved an impatient hand between them. "What's your point?"
"How wild
and daring are you really?"
Furious at her audacity in challenging his manhood, he slowly closed the distance between them until he was looming in front of her. The little spitfire was attempting to pressure him, trying to eventually break him down so he'd give her what she'd been wanting from him for the past four months.
It wasn't going to happen.
He flattened his hands against the door on either side of her shoulders, trapping her against a hard slab of wood and his taut, unyielding body. His mouth twisted with a perverse smile. "You'd like to know just how daring I am?"
Instead of shrinking back from the bite in his tone, that stubborn, defiant chin of hers lifted. "Yeah, I would, because it seems to me you're not quite living up to that risk-taking reputation of yours. "
Because he wasn't willing to do her calendar. He inhaled a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. God, she was bold and brazen, and incredibly brave to provoke him when he was feeling so hot, edgy, and resentful. "Well, let me show you just how wild and extreme I can be. "
Before she could so much as utter a comeback or realize his intent, he captured her mouth with his. Her lips parted as she sucked in a quick, startled breath, and he shoved his fingers into her hair and held her head in his hands, rendering her immobile as he delivered a demanding, open-mouthed, tongue-tangling kiss she couldn't escape.
Knowing how tough and obstinate she was, he wasn't at all gentle with her, determined to instigate a bit of uncertainty in that confidence of hers so she'd back off. He was also hell-bent on making sure she knew what he wanted from her, what he'd greedily take given the opportunity—her body. He shifted closer and poured everything into the hot, ruthless kiss—aggression, dominance, and the desperate need to purge her from his mind, his dreams, his entire system.
Fire pooled in his belly, and lower, his anger mingling with an undeniable need to possess her in every way imaginable. She didn't resist him as he continued to consume her mouth the same way he wanted to ravish her body, with his lips, teeth, and tongue, and the craving for her grew stronger, a ravenous heat and hunger he was hard pressed to keep at bay.
Wilde Novellas Page 16
