by Roxy Sloane
“You don’t mind if I grab this one, do you?” Sienna slides in and slams the door before I can protest. “This was fun! Have a good night,” she says through the open window, and then they’re speeding away, leaving me alone.
On a dark, empty street.
With three guys loitering, watching me.
I feel an icy shard of fear. This isn’t good. I walk faster, hoping to hit a busy thoroughfare soon. But my legs don’t seem to be cooperating; I’m stumbling off balance, like I’m drunk. How can I be drunk?
“Hey there, baby.” The guys catch up to me. “Where are you going so fast?”
“Just, to meet my friends,” I lie.
“You want to party?” Another of the guys gives me a sleazy grin. “We can party.”
“Yeah, I know a place.” The third puts a hand around my shoulder, and I jolt away.
“No thank you,” I say, trying to push past, but they’re blocking my way.
“Easy there,” one laughs. “We’re just having some fun. You look like a girl who likes to have fun,” he adds with a wink.
I panic. Oh God, what do I do? I could try to run, but the street is still spinning and I feel totally off balance. “I really have to go,” I tell them, gripping my purse tighter. I try to duck past the one blocking my way, but he easily steps to the side and pens me in again.
“I like that bag.”
“Yeah, I could use one of those for my girl.”
“Let’s take a look.”
One of them grabs it, and I hold tight out of instinct. “Leave me alone!” I manage to yell.
“Just give up the bag, and maybe we’ll let you go.” One grins, enjoying my fear.
“I don’t know,” another adds. “I could use some fun.” He reaches for me, his meaty hand on my ass, but before I can even recoil in disgust, he’s dragged back.
What the—?
“I suggest you get the fuck out of here.” A familiar British accent cuts through my fear.
Jase Banner. I don’t know how, but he’s standing there in the shadows, looking ten feet tall and twice as menacing as these punks.
Relief crashes over me. Thank God!
“This is none of your business,” one of my assailants sneers. “If you want, you can have her when we’re done.”
Jase snaps. He strides forwards, grabs the guy by the collar and hits him across the face with a right hook so hard, the guy goes flying to the ground. His buddies don’t wait around, they scatter without a word.
“Are you OK?” Jase demands, turning to me.
I nod, woozy. “I think . . . you came just in time. How did you know?” I ask, confused.
“Good timing, I guess.”
It hits me all at once, just how close this was. If he hadn’t been here . . . if I’d been left alone . . . My legs give way, and then Jase is holding me up, gentle. His blue eyes search my face, looking concerned. “Are you sure they didn’t hurt you?”
I shake my head. “I’m fine. Is he . . . alive?” The guy he hit is groaning on the sidewalk, blood gushing from his nose—which I’m guessing is broken now.
Jase scowls. “Asshole deserved it, laying a hand on you. Come on,” he guides me past, and I can’t stop myself from giving him a kick as he lies there bleeding on the ground.
Jase laughs. “Remind me not to mess with you.”
I follow him down the street, holding on to keep from stumbling. “Whoa,” he frowns. “How much have you had to drink?”
“I’m not drunk,” I say. “I don’t know what happened. I only had a couple of drinks, but it feels like . . . it feels like . . . maybe I am drunk!” I giggle, for some reason. Adrenaline is still pumping through me, mixing with relief. I’m OK. Everything’s going to be OK.
Because of Jase.
“Come on, I’ll get you home.”
For some reason, I feel totally safe following Jase to his car. “Fancy,” I say, seeing the sporty, black model. “What is it?”
“Mercedes,” he says, with a note of pride in his voice. He opens up the passenger door and carefully places me in the seat. I catch his hand.
“You’re bruised!”
“Nothing these fists haven’t seen before.” Jase winks, and my stomach flips over. He’s close, leaning over me, and I can smell the scent of his aftershave, spicy. Sexy. My head spins—and it’s not from my drink.
“You fight assholes on the street often?”
He chuckles. “I fight assholes in the ring. Boxing,” he says.
“Is that how you broke your nose?” I reach out and touch it, gently feeling the line of the break.
Jase freezes. “No, that was out of the ring.”
I see something in his face, something raw. “I’m sorry.” I drop my hand quickly.
“It’s OK, love.” That charming smile returns. “You can touch me anytime you want. And anywhere you want.”
I suck in a breath. He’s close, leaning closer, his lips practically grazing my cheek as—
“All set.” There’s a click. He was strapping my seatbelt in.
Down girl!
As Jase circles around to the driver’s side, I give myself a mental slap. Just because I’m feeling drunk right now, doesn’t mean I can drool all over him. And yes, he’s sexy as hell in his black T-shirt and jeans . . . those biceps straining out of the fabric . . . shoulder muscles rippling as he reaches for the ignition . . .
Wait, where was I?
Oh yeah. No drooling. Got it.
“Where to?” Jase asks, starting the engine and moving off down the street.
“Home, I guess.” I yawn.
“Is anyone there to take care of you?”
“No, my roommate’s working. But I’m fine,” I insist. “Just kind of woozy.”
Jase clenches his jaw. “You haven’t had enough to be this out of it. That means someone must have spiked your drink.”
“What?” I gasp. “No, that’s crazy.”
“Is it?” Jase shoots back. “Did anyone buy you drinks? Did you leave them alone at all? It happens all the time. You just have to take your eyes off it for a moment.”
I pause. “I guess my soda tasted kind of weird . . .” I shiver. “That’s fucked up. Someone must have thought it was Sienna’s. She’s my sister-in-law-to-be,” I add. “She’s gorgeous. Blonde and perfect and polished . . .” I sigh. “I wish I could be more like her.”
“Sounds like a bore to me.” Jase glances over. “But you already know, I like a brunette who bakes.”
I laugh. “You need to get over that. They were roll-out cookies. Straight from the tube.”
“Still taste just as good going down.”
Somehow, his words caress me with a double meaning. I flush. Jase would taste good going down, or even better, him between my thighs, tasting every inch of me . . .
My pulse beats hard again, but this time, it’s not from fear, but desire.
I look over at him. He’s got one hand on the steering wheel, his profile lit by headlights in the dark. Everything about him is so raw . . . so rugged . . . so masculine. I never got it before, when Amanda would swoon over some muscly guy at the gym, but now, just looking at Jase sends a primal shiver through me.
His body is made to do dirty, wicked things.
And God help me, I want him to do those things to me.
12.
JASE
I speed through the dark city streets, trying to keep a grip on my temper. I’m still wound so tight, I want to break something. One punch on that asshole wasn’t enough, I could have done the whole gang some serious damage if I hadn’t been too worried about Chloe to see straight.
What the fuck has she gotten herself into?
The text arrived just as I got done with the gym: Bar Stella, she’s ready and waiting for you.
I didn’t know what was going down, but I headed straight over there—just in time to find Chloe stumbling into a dark alleyway with those assholes.
What the hell would have happened if I hadn�
��t made it in time?
I can’t think about that. What matters is that she’s safe with me now. And luckily, Chloe doesn’t seem to realize the close call she just escaped. Whatever they spiked her drink with, it’s like she’s had one too many tequilas. She’s going to wake up tomorrow with one hell of a hangover, but that’s it.
It could have been so much worse.
Chloe reaches over and hits the radio console, scanning through stations until she finds a Top 40 station. “I love this song!” she exclaims, then starts singing along.
I shut it off.
She turns it back on again. “Hands off!” she protests. “Or are you too cool for Bieber?”
“Even my Aunt Carol is too cool for that arsehole.” I smirk, but I let her keep it on. She’s humming, bouncing in her seat with the window down. All that tension I’ve been seeing on her face is gone, and instead, she seems happy and carefree.
Fuck, she’s adorable when she’s drunk.
“So have you always been like this?” Chloe asks, watching me.
“Like what?”
She rolls her eyes. “So . . . confident. All mysterious and sexy, and rawr.”
I laugh. “Did you just roar?”
She flushes. “Shit, I did, didn’t I? Whatever. I just mean, you’re so . . . you. You don’t even seem to care when you’re inappropriate and totally infuriating and . . .”
“And?”
She yawns, sleepy. “And, something else. I don’t know. What was I talking about?”
“How bad you want my cock,” I say smugly, trying to get a rise.
But instead of blushing again, Chloe just laughs. “See! That’s what I’m talking about. You really think you’re God’s gift to women. You know, my mom has a saying,” she continues, teasing. “Guys like you are all talk, no trousers.”
I snort. “Your mum clearly never got fucked so hard she saw God.”
Chloe’s mouth drops open. “I can’t believe you just said that!” she cries. “About my mom.”
“Is she as hot as you?” I ask, pushing it, but we’re at my place now, so I pull into the parking garage and shut off the engine. I go around and help her out of the car.
“I’m fine!” Chloe protests, shaking me off—then stumbles, and falls against me. Her body is lush, those tight curves pressing in all the right places, and it takes all my control not to shove her back against the hood of my car and show her how inappropriate I can really be.
Spreading those sweet thighs, naked for anyone to see. Driving my dick so deep inside she’s convulsing, begging me. Bending her over and teasing that tight, virgin asshole until she’s coming her brains out, right here in the dark.
“Jase . . .”
Chloe feels it too. Her pupils dilate. Her breath gets shallow. And even though I told myself to keep my hands off tonight, I can’t stop from whispering in her ear.
“You feel that, sweetheart?” I lean in, pressing her back against the car. I spread her legs and thrust against her, and even through the layers of our clothing, my hard-on is unmistakable.
Yeah, baby, that’s right.
“I’ve got plenty in my trousers.” I smirk, thrusting again. “And you better believe you’re going to take it all. Every last inch, baby, until you can’t even breathe.”
Chloe trembles. Her lips are parted. Wet and inviting. I can’t help tracing the outline of her smile.
“You want to taste me, don’t you?”
She nods, and I slip my thumb into that sweet, juicy mouth.
Chloe lets out a moan, her eyes glazed and locked on mine. She licks against me, her tongue teasing my skin.
Fuck. My balls ache just watching her, she’s so responsive.
“You dream about it, I can tell,” I murmur, pressing my thumb deeper. “Down on your knees, naked and begging for me. You want me filling you up, fucking your sweet mouth until you can’t take it anymore.”
Color flushes her cheeks, but she can’t hide it anymore. Not spread in this parking garage with my dick hard against her, sucking my thumb like a goddamn lollipop.
“Yes,” she whispers, and it’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. “I shouldn’t, but . . . I want you.”
“There’s no use pretending anymore.” I smile, feeling the power again. “Those lips were made to suck my cock.”
Chloe moans again, and I know, it’s game fucking over. I could unzip right now, and she’d drop to her knees, no questions asked. I could fist that silky hair in my hands, and make her take it all, deep and hard, right to the back of her throat.
I could come gushing over those pretty lips, and she’d still lick me dry, eager for every last drop.
She’s mine, dammit.
And she’s drugged out of her mind.
With a groan, I pull away.
“Jase?” Chloe blinks, looking confused.
Fuck.
“Let’s get you to bed, sweetheart,” I say through gritted teeth. I have to rearrange my jeans, my hard-on is so fucking big.
“Oh. OK.” Her face falls, and she’s still off balance, but I can see from the cloudy confusion on her face I made the right call.
When I take her, I don’t want her swaying and foggy. I want her screaming. I want her begging.
I want her mine.
I steer her into the elevator. Chloe yawns and snuggles against me, and by the time we reach the penthouse floor, she’s already fast asleep.
I pick her up easily and carry her through to my bedroom. She lets out a mewling noise as I carefully pull her shoes off.
Her hair spills onto the pillows. Her eyelashes flutter. “Jase?” she asks, sounding sleepy.
“I’m here.” My voice comes out rough, but she doesn’t seem scared. Chloe smiles at me sleepily, looking like an angel.
“Thank you,” she whispers softly, and then she’s out for good.
I slip her clothes off, getting an eyeful of silky pink underwear, then tuck her under the blankets and close the door behind me. I don’t think I’ve ever walked away from a half-naked willing woman in my bed—and definitely not one as sexy and tempting as Chloe.
I deserve a goddamn medal.
I’ll have to settle for my hand, a cold shower, and one hell of a wank. It doesn’t even take a minute to get me there, just the memory of her wet, juicy mouth is enough to send me to the edge. That moan when I slid my thumb in, that tantalizing flick of her tongue.
Her mouth is delicious.
Her pussy will be even better.
I groan with frustration, even as my climax tears through me. Fuck. I don’t know what she’s doing to me, but I know one thing for sure:
I’m sure as hell not getting any sleep tonight.
13.
CHLOE
I wake up feeling like I got hit by a truck. My mouth is dry and my head is pounding. I sleepily reach for the water I keep on the nightstand, trying to remember what happened. Sylvia and the wedding planner . . . Max . . . drinks with Sienna . . . ?
My hand hits sharp edges. I open my eyes, confused. Instead of staring at my old shell lamp and a vintage alarm clock, I’m looking at a digital display reading 11.30 a.m. There’s a glass of water and a bottle of Advil, and a post-it reading, Drink it all.
I squint, my head still foggy. Did I stay over at Max’s last night? But no, he’s out of town on that business trip, and anyway, he doesn’t like me staying over. He says it makes it harder for him to sleep. So if I’m not at home, and I’m not with him . . .
Where the hell am I?
I sit up with a jolt. “Owww!” That just makes my head pound harder. I grab the water and take two painkillers as I look around the room, my mind racing. I’ve never seen it before, done up in cool shades of navy and grey. The drapes are drawn, so I stumble out of bed and slowly go pull them back.
Daylight floods the room, too bright. I yank them shut again, but not before I catch a glimpse of city skyline.
Think, Chloe. What happened after you left the bar?
I wr
ack my brains, but no matter how hard I try, all I get are flashes. Sienna and me looking for a cab . . . my heel twisting on a grate . . . a guy in a baseball cap sneering at me . . . and Jase.
Jase!
I gulp, looking around again. Did I go home with him last night? Oh my God!
“No. Nononono . . .” I look around for my clothes, but I can’t find them anywhere. Crap! I’m practically naked in some stranger’s bed. And not just any stranger, but the man who’s been driving me wild with desire since the moment I first laid eyes on him.
I can’t believe it. I swore I would never be a cheater, but here I am. I’m scum. I’m worse than scum. I’m—
“Morning, love.” Jase appears in the doorway.
I yelp and grab the first thing I can to cover my body. “What . . . what are you doing here?” I demand, wrapping the curtains around myself. He’s shirtless, in sweatpants, with his hair still wet from the shower.
Damn, does he look hot.
Jase smirks. “Here.” He pulls a thick, fluffy robe down from the back of the door and tosses it to me. “Nothing I haven’t already seen before.”
My cheeks are burning up as I scramble to pull the robe on. “I don’t . . . I mean, whatever happened, it was a mistake. I don’t do this. I mean, clearly I did, but it can never happen again!”
“Sure about that?” Jase teases, with a smoldering look that goes straight between my thighs. “You seemed like you had a good time.”
Oh my God, what did I do?
And is it terrible that I wish I could remember every last minute of amazing pleasure?
“I can’t believe I cheated.” The guilt hits me hard. “I’m a terrible person!”
“Relax.” Jase grins. “I’m just messing with you. Nothing happened, you were too far gone.”
“But . . . I’m naked.”
He smirks. “Not naked enough. I put you to bed and slept in the guest room. Believe me,” he adds, cocky, “if I’d had my way with you, you wouldn’t be walking straight right now. You’d be feeling me for days.”
