Crave: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Roma James

  “Really?” I asked. We didn’t have many incidents—certainly not ones that had Ryker looking so bothered the next day. “What happened?”

  “A young woman was nearly drugged by another patron,” he said in his matter-of-fact way.

  My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “What? Is she okay? Did you guys get her help? Jesus, what happened?”

  Dammit.

  I hated hearing things like that. It was exactly those kinds of incidents that gave our kind of clubs shitty reputations. Not Crave in particular, because we were very high security and we cared deeply about not letting that kind of thing happen.

  But apparently creepers will always find a fucking way.

  “She was fine, she wasn’t actually drugged. I had been watching her pretty intently on the security cameras and as soon as I saw it, I alerted the security team and went down to stop her from drinking it. Thankfully, I got to her in time.”

  Relief washed over me. “Damn, that was lucky.” I nodded. “Good thing you had your eyes on the camera.”

  My brother, Axel, snorted. It was the first time he made a noise since I’d walked in. “Yeah, very lucky you were watching her.” He gave Ryker a knowing look.

  I wasn’t following, and if Ryker knew what the hell he was alluding to, he didn’t say.

  “What do you mean?” I asked my twin. “What’re you getting at?”

  Axel shrugged. “It’s just I can see why Ryker had his eyes on her so closely. She wasn’t bad to look at, that’s all I’m saying.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, like Ryker gives a shit about that.” Ryker never fucked around with any of the club girls. “You were here for this, too?”

  “Not really.” Axel said, shaking his head. “But I saw her in Ryker’s office while he was down with the police and she explained everything to me. She was really shook up, so I took her home.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, God. She was cool with that? Totally comfortable?”

  “Yeah, absolutely. I told her to hold onto my ID and phone until we got to her house. She didn’t have a car of her own, and she just really wanted to get home. Trust me, she was comfortable.”

  “Good,” I said. “I’m not letting my club get a bad reputation.”

  I was the majority owner at Crave, so it really was my club. Though I gave Ryker and Axel a lot of say in what happened at the club, at the end of the day it was really on my shoulders.

  “Do you think I’m an idiot?” Axel gave me a hard look. “I wanted her to be comfortable, trust me. She was really nice, and I just wanted her to get home safe.”

  “And the fact that she was smoking hot had nothing to do with it?” I teased him. “Nothing at all?”

  “Oh, no shit,” One of our mutual friends, Roger, walked into the room from behind me. He was one of the few people who was allowed up here despite not really being an employee. “Are you all talking about that chick that came in last night with the redhead?” he asked.

  “Yeah, were you here?” Axel asked.

  “I actually hooked up with the redhead.” He grinned triumphantly. “She thought her friend had ditched her.”

  “Well, what did she look like?” I asked.

  “She had this long-ass brown hair that just kinda, y’know, bounces everywhere she walks. A tight little butt. Kind of gives you that nerdy-girl vibe, but in like a sexy way.”

  Well, Roger hadn't ever been the most articulate person, but I got the picture.

  “Her friend was a total hottie, too,” Roger continued. “I gave her two tickets for tonight after we hooked up, so they might be back.”

  This seemed to pique both Ryker and my brother’s interest. This girl had to have been pretty fucking fine for all of them to be talking about her like this.

  Who was this mystery girl? Never before had Ryker, Axel, and Roger all agreed on how hot a woman was.

  Especially not Ryker. Though he hadn’t technically agreed, I guess. He had kept whatever thoughts he’d had to himself, as usual.

  But it was clear from his expression that he hadn’t disagreed with Roger’s and Axel’s assessment of the hot brunette.

  And she was gonna be back in the club tonight? Yeah, I’d have to meet this chick.

  I needed to see with my own eyes what all the fuss was about.

  “Hey, the police were called about this drugging incident, right?” I asked Ryker.

  “Yes, of course. They caught the guy.”

  “Can you put a copy of that police report on my desk?” I asked him.

  “Absolutely, I’ll do that shortly.”

  “Perfect,” I said as I stood up out of my chair. “I’m going downstairs for a drink.”

  Nobody answered or even replied as I walked out of the room. Which was fine. They could stay up here and be serious all night if they wanted to.

  Didn’t mean I couldn’t have a good time. Anyway, I needed a drink after that fucking news.

  I took the elevator downstairs, still brooding about the incident from last night. The asshole who thought he could get away with drugging a girl here.

  The girl. Jesus, I needed to get a look at her.

  I walked over to the bar, already finding myself glancing around for this girl. No sign of anyone who fit her description yet, but it was still early and there was no guarantee she’d even show up at all. Roger said he gave her friend two more tickets, but that didn’t mean she’d show up.

  Especially not if she had been traumatized by the events from last night. Hopefully Axel really had made her feel at ease when he dropped her off at home.

  I tried to not to fixate on the thought of seeing this girl, but I couldn’t get her out of my head. I always set out to have the sexiest woman in any given room. That was my thing. And the way those guys had described her?

  Sounded like she was pretty damn sexy.

  I just had to see her.

  One drink turned to two, then to three, and still no sight of her.

  Maybe she really wasn’t coming.

  There were plenty of other women here. Nice looking women. Sexy women.

  Women who wanted me and were making that fact extremely obvious.

  Normally I’d engage them, but for some reason I wasn’t feeling it tonight. Probably because I was too intrigued by this girl I’d never seen. Even though she wasn’t here, I already had my mind set on having her.

  What could I say? I liked a challenge.

  But after sitting at the bar for half the night, I was starting to lose hope that she’d come at all. I’d had quite a few beers and had to take a leak, so I took the elevator back upstairs. There were bathrooms downstairs of course, but there was always a line and I much preferred the private bathrooms on the third floor.

  As I came out of the elevator, I heard two voices talking. I wasn’t planning to snoop, I was just gonna walk straight down the hall, but when I realized they were talking about that damn girl again, I had to get a listen.

  “So you actually slept with her, then?” I recognized the voice as Ryker’s.

  “Yeah, I did. I know you look down on that as unprofessional or whatever, but I couldn’t help myself, man. She is so damn stunning. I mean, you saw her. And she was seriously throwing herself at me.”

  “No, no, I have no problem with it at all,” Ryker responded. “I know how you and your brother operate.”

  I could tell he was trying to be diplomatic, but truth be told, it did seem like he minded. Like maybe there was even a hint of jealousy in his voice.

  But why would Ryker care? He didn’t seem like the jealous type.

  Even if he was the jealous type, he didn’t hook up with the women at the club. He just… didn’t.

  And I knew he genuinely didn’t give a damn that we did. So I simply didn’t have an explanation for why he’d be bothered at all.

  I was good at reading people, though. And he definitely was bothered.

  I had nearly forgotten why I’d come upstairs in the first place, but there was really no way I
could use the bathroom right now. If I did, they would probably know I had overheard them. Nah, I’d come back in a few minutes. I just sent the elevator back to the first floor again and went down.

  Damn, I was glad I did. Because as soon as I got a glimpse of the dance floor, I realized she was here.

  I don’t know how I knew it was her so quickly. I mean, of course she and her redheaded friend were a little off to the side away from the crowd, only dancing together, so that was my first hint.

  But something about the way she’d been described… I could see what they meant about the nerdy, sexy thing. Fuck, she was hot. Like… really fucking hot.

  I could see their point. I hooked up with some damn good-looking women, but holy shit, she could be a fucking beauty queen. I was already half-hard just looking at her.

  The way she was dancing, too… damn.

  I immediately went back up to the elevator and walked straight out to where I’d heard Ryker and Axel a moment before.

  “You guys, she’s fucking here.”

  “Who?” my brother asked stupidly.

  “Who the fuck do you think? The girl!” I jerked my head back toward the elevator. “The hot one. She’s here with her redheaded friend.”

  They piled back into the elevator with me, both eager—maybe a little too eager—to come downstairs with me to see her.

  I mean, I could see why Axel would be into her… but Ryker? I had to admit that I was surprised by his obvious enthusiasm. It really caught me off guard.

  Then again, could I blame him? He was only a man.

  And that girl was a whole fucking snack.

  She was still dancing with her friend when we got back downstairs, but the dance floor had filled up in the meantime. They were just another part of the crowd now, no longer standing off to the side.

  Not that it mattered. I would have been able to spot that chick anywhere, in any crowd.

  The packed dance floor definitely worked in my favor. I could much more easily slide in and dance with her.

  “I’m going in,” I told both the boys before making my way to the floor.

  “Hey, wait a second—” Axel said quickly, immediately following me.

  I expected that. Axel tended to get a little attached to women he slept with, unlike me. He wouldn’t ever admit to it, but he totally did. He wasn’t a natural one-and-done type of guy.

  What I hadn’t expected was for Ryker to follow as well. But there we were, all three of us moving in on this woman.

  She seemed a little tipsy, moving wildly next to her friend on the floor. When she turned around and saw all three of us now dancing next to her, she seemed pretty surprised.

  But definitely not unhappy.

  No, I could see a twinge of satisfaction on her face. Especially when she glanced at Axel. Though she kept looking back at me, probably trying to figure out why we looked so much alike. I couldn’t help but grin. She probably thought she was seeing double.

  We all started to move in on her slowly, encircling her. At one point, her friend had moved over to the side with another guy, who, when I looked up, I realized was Roger.

  Now it was just the three of us and her. At first, there was no physical contact between her and any of us. But she began to warm up, and soon we were moved in close enough to touch. And she was grinding her body against us.

  Not just one of us, either. No, she was moving around the circle.

  Damn, this girl was fucking amazing.

  I loved it. I wanted more.

  I couldn’t believe how turned on I was just by dancing with her. I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I had to have her, had to make her mine.

  There was no doubt about it in my mind. As long as she was willing, it was going to happen.

  Chapter 8 - Harlow

  I hadn’t meant to take Axel home again. I hadn’t meant to get lost in his kisses.

  I definitely hadn’t meant to end up naked with him in my bed.

  But now that I had done all of those things, I didn’t regret any of them.

  Not even a little.

  Especially not when Axel was pressing his hard body and his hard cock against me, cupping my breasts with his strong hands and kissing me so hungrily, so deeply that I wasn’t sure how I had somehow gone my entire life without being kissed like that.

  Just like I wasn’t sure how I was going to go without those kisses when he left again.

  I pushed that thought aside. There was no point in worrying about when he might leave. Not tonight, anyway. Not right now, when he was still very much here with me.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are?” he murmured between kisses. “Or how fucking sweet you taste?”

  I laughed as he raised up a little to look into my eyes. Even in my dark bedroom, those sparkling eyes seemed to light up his whole face. “I think you’ve mentioned it a couple of times tonight,” I said, teasing. “But I don’t mind hearing it again…”

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, mirroring my smile. “And so damn sweet.” He lined his cock up with my entrance and slid in. “And oh fuck, so tight and wet, baby.”

  I moaned, loving the way he felt inside me. “Oh my God… Axel… this is exactly what I needed. Harder, please.”

  He picked up the pace, pulling all the way out and slamming back in with a force that made me cry out, riding the line between pain and pleasure as he stretched me and filled me completely.

  “Fuck, Harlow,” he ground out through gritted teeth. “I’ve been needing this, too. So much. You don’t even know.”

  Except I did know. I knew exactly.

  He was all I had been able to think about, and now that he was finally here with me again in my bed, it was almost too good to be true.

  It didn’t even feel like this could really be my life—that I could have this much fun and feel this amazing with a man I still barely even knew. I shouldn’t want him like this. I shouldn’t need him.

  But I did want him. I did need him.

  He knew just how to satisfy me.

  “I want to fuck you over and over tonight,” he growled. “I want to make you come with me fast now, and then I want to take my time.” He thrust again, hard. “But there’s no way I can hold back right now. You’re too fucking hot. Too fucking tight.”

  “Yes,” I moaned, wrapping my legs around his waist as he fucked me. “Just like that… I’m so close, Axel.”

  He leaned in and kissed me hard as he slammed into me, his stubble stinging my skin as our tongues met.

  “That’s it, baby,” he whispered, breaking away just enough to look into my eyes again. “Come for me, Harlow. Come with me. Now.”

  It was enough to send me over the edge.

  My whole body started trembling as my orgasm overtook me, and Axel called out my name, his voice rough and gravelly as his cock swelled even thicker inside me.

  “I’m coming, baby,” he groaned. “Fuck, Harlow… fuck…”

  He kissed me again, collapsing onto the bed next to me and pulling me close, crushing me against him in a way that I never wanted to end.

  How was this man so hot, so sexy, so genuinely nice? And so damn good in bed, too? How was that even possible?

  And how had someone so far out of my league ended up in my bed again?

  None of it made sense to me, but none of it really mattered too much right now.

  Because right now he was murmuring more of those sweet, sexy things to me in between kisses and making it really hard to think or worry about anything else.

  Right now, all I could focus on was Axel.

  Beside me.

  Inside me.

  With me.

  It felt really, really good.

  Waking up that morning with Axel had been nice.

  Really nice, actually. Maybe even too nice.

  As much as I had tried to remind myself that I was definitely not going to get attached to a one-night stand—even after that one-night stand turned into two nights—it was hard not to indu
lge in a little fantasizing about what might be when I woke up to him spooning me, his strong arms wrapped tightly, possessively around me.

  Which was why I had to say no when he had asked if I wanted to go out for breakfast with him.

  Not that I had wanted to decline, of course. Just the opposite.

  It had sounded like a perfect date to me.

  But that was the problem. What if he hadn’t meant it to be a date? What if he was just being nice?

  Maybe he was just one of those people who didn’t like to eat alone.

  I couldn’t see him asking me on a date, anyway. He just didn’t seem like the settling down kind of guy. So the last thing I wanted to do was go out with him and become even more enthralled over breakfast, only to be disappointed later when things didn’t work out.

  I told him I had work to do, but that I appreciated the invitation and that I had fun. He left gracefully, and here I was again with my coffee and my laptop.

  And once again I was writing like a beast.

  I wasn't sure what my inspiration really was. Was it just the sex or was it Axel? Maybe he was my lucky charm. Maybe I’d have to keep sleeping him to get this book done.

  Wouldn’t really be opposed to that, frankly.

  This book was shaping up a lot steamier than I planned, but I was kind of digging it. It was cathartic to get all my sexual feelings out. Because despite being extremely satisfied by Axel, I had a lot of pent-up energy. I felt like he’d started my sexual awakening or something.

  Not that I ever disliked sex, but I never felt like it was this thing I absolutely needed, that I had to have.

  Now I felt like an animal. A sex goddess.

  And I loved it.

  I decided to spin a little bit of excitement and mystery into my story by inserting a really intense chase scene after a stranger barges into my couples’ room unannounced after some very passionate lovemaking. I was really starting to hit my groove when, once again, a knock at the door interrupted me.

  It was déjà vu.

  I knew who was at the door, too. Nobody else was going to be showing up at this time.

  “Hi, Liza,” I said as I opened my door to let her in. “You interrupted my writing again.”