It’s to fluster me. And so far, he’s been doing a pretty great job of doing just that. So far, he’s managed to turn me into this blushing, huffing, eye-rolling and scowling version of myself that I’m frankly starting to get tired of.
That ends tonight.
Because tonight, though I may have to be out with him, I’m going to show him exactly what I consider him.
A work thing.
An acquisition.
An ignorable, forgettable distraction.
A one-time thing, and that time has passed.
So instead of scowling, I only smile sweetly, tossing my hair over my shoulder.
“Oh, did you want me to go with the washcloth you sent me?”
Holden grins wolfishly as he nods.
“Yup.”
We’re standing outside and slightly away from the front door to some new hyped-up club downtown. Not my scene, but loud house music and trashy club girls seems like the sort of place Holden Cade would spend his nights, and the whole point of this is to convince him that Houston is the city for him.
“Well, be honored, I hardly ever wear dresses.” I gesture down at the far demurer purple Herve Leger number I finally found in the back of my closet.
“I seem to remember you wearing a dress for our date in Denver.”
I almost falter in my plans to resist scowling at him before I catch myself and just smile.
“Not a date, and like I said; a rare occurrence. You should feel lucky.”
Holden grins. “You know, I do seem to remember getting lucky.”
My mouth flies open as the blush blooms hot across my face, and I’m almost about to lose it and tell him where he can go shove it when he holds a finger up.
“Bottle that up and use it as dancing fuel instead, okay?”
I resist a scowl with everything I have.
“I don’t really dance much.”
“Well, tonight you do,” he says, holding an arm out.
I chew on my lip for a second before I finally put my arm through his.
I can feel the jealous stares of other women waiting in line as we breeze to the front. A bouncer recognizes Holden and quickly unclips the red rope across the door, ushering us inside.
“No lines for big shot quarterbacks, hmm?” I say with a teasing tone.
“Oh, I can get into all sorts of places, sugar,” he murmurs into my ear as we step into the bouncing pulsing darkness of the club.
I shiver.
Holden maneuvers us over to the bar, a nervous flutter in my stomach the whole way.
“Double bourbon?”
Terrible idea.
And this time, I actually listen to that voice inside my head. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of negotiating and scouting, it’s this: learn from your mistakes. And drinking with Holden Cade is most assuredly a mistake.
Because I know where that leads to, and I do not plan on repeating last time.
…As much as the idea of doing so brings a shiver to my body.
I quickly look back up at him, shaking my head.
"Just a sparkling water.”
Holden gives me a strange look before turning to the bartender, ordering our drinks.
“Well, shit. There go my plans of getting you drunk and having my way with you," he says with a cocked eyebrow, handing me my plain sparkling water.
I flash him a look. “Oh, I believe it was me having my way with you," I shoot back.
He shakes his head. “I feel so dirty.”
“Oh, you should,” I fire back with a sly grin, sipping my sparkling water. “But I highly doubt I’m the cause of that.”
Holden laughs through a sip of whiskey. “Still stuck on these tabloid stories, huh?”
I shrug. “Hey, I’m just worried about you causing problems for the team with your shenanigans.”
“So, it’s not like you’re irrationally jealous or anything then, right?”
My eyes dart to his to see him wagging his brows at me, smirking like he’s dying to get me to react the way he wants me to.
I don’t.
“Aww,” I put on a fake pouty face as I reach up and pat his perfect cheek. “You didn’t think that one night was good enough to get me to fall all over you, did you?” I sigh.
Holden’s grin only widens.
“Sure you want to go down this road, sugar?”
“Oh,” I shake my head, still smiling sweetly at him as I dart a finger back and forth between us. “There is no road here, sugar.”
Holden suddenly pulls me close, making my breath catch.
“See, I look at an uptight girl like yourself, and I have zero doubts that the other night was the best sex of your whole damn life,” he growls into my ear.
I swallow quickly, feeling the blood roaring through my ears and the scent of him filling my senses.
I wet my lips as I look up at him.
“I’ve had better.”
“No you haven’t.”
I shiver.
Right there with his hand on my arm and his body hard against mine in the swirling masses of the club, I shiver.
And he knows it.
“Dance with me.”
It’s a command, not a question. But instead of getting indignant or resisting, I only nod.
I definitely nod.
We leave our drinks behind as he pulls me into the pulsing crowd. His hands move to my hips, mine to his powerful arms as we move together, eyes locked. The music slides over us as he pulls me tighter against him, his hips rocking into me and mine responding in turn. I gasp as I feel the thickness in his pants pressing hotly and demandingly against my belly.
I blink quickly as I stare up into his eyes.
He knows I feel it.
He wants me to feel it.
We grind together as we dance, locking eyes and saying nothing as we rock with the music. Holden leans in and then pulls away, and God help me, all I want is for him to kiss me then.
And I’m not even drinking.
He does it again, leaning close and letting his breath tease over my neck. I whimper quietly and I can feel his deep chuckle rumbling through my body.
He’s teasing me, and he knows it. He knows exactly how much of a puddle this is turning me into.
But I also know how damn hard I’m making him, putting us at a sort of standoff wondering who’ll make the first move.
The music slows into this deep, throbbing sexy beat as the lights dim even further. And this time, as he leans in to tease me again, it’s more than I can stand.
I break.
I moan when his lips sear against my own, moaning as I feel him growl and open his mouth to mine. Tongues slide together as his hands circle around my waist and down to my ass. He cups me tightly, making me moan more as he pulls me tight against the throbbing cock in his pants.
But suddenly, I find my head. Suddenly, I can see clearly again if only for an instant.
But it’s all I need.
I gasp, yanking back from him and bringing a hand to my mouth as I shake my head.
"Are you fucking crazy?" I hiss.
Holden’s eyes flash. He reaches out and yanks me back to him.
“Yeah, a little."
And then I’m kissing him all over again, moaning into his mouth and letting my body press against his in the semi-anonymous darkness of the crowd.
Crowd.
Suddenly, all I can think about is someone noticing who he is and grabbing a picture or something. And then my mind drifts to the tabloid headlines of him doing exactly this sort of thing with however many other girls in however many other clubs.
I pull back and push him away, shaking my head at him.
No.
I will not be one of Holden Cade’s little conquests, because I am not that girl.
Holden’s face darkens as he moves towards me again. But this time, I’m shaking my head as I whirl and start to push my way through the crowd away from him.
Because I have to get
away from him, or I might lose myself all over again.
Club music is pounding as a strong hand grabs my arm through the crowd, making me gasp sharply as it pulls me back. I whirl as he pulls me hard against him.
“Holden-”
“See, we’ve got a problem,” he growls, his eyes flashing into mine in the dim light of the club.
“If someone sees-”
“The problem is,” he murmurs darkly, “that the harder you try and pretend you don’t want this to happen again, the more I fucking want it to.”
I swallow thickly as I shake my head.
“I told you, that was a-”
But Holden suddenly pushes us back, away from the crowds and into a dark alcove of the club by a door with a “no exit” sign on it.
“Darlin’,” he growls, “I know damn well what you keep telling me with your mouth. But we both know that the rest of you is whistling a different tune.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes you do,” he husks out, his hands moving to my hips as he pushes me against the wall in the shadows. His hands start to move lower over my hips, his large thumbs sliding down over the edge of my panties beneath the dress.
I’m breathing heavily, feeling the blood running like hot oil through my veins as I start to lose myself completely.
“We both know that if I were to put my hand under this dress of yours, I’d find your panties soaking wet,” Holden growls again into my ear, making me audibly moan.
I shake my head.
“You’re delusional,” I gasp, shivering as his hand suddenly slides right down the front of my dress. It slips beneath it and then traces right up the inside of my thigh, right to my panties.
Which are, of course, soaked.
Holden chuckles darkly into my ear as his huge hand cups my pussy through the flimsy material.
“People could see-”
“They won’t,” he growls into my ear.
Suddenly, he pulls away, grabbing my arm and pulling me with him as he strides to the “do not enter” door.
“Holden, we-”
He kicks the door open, pulling me inside and pushing me against the wall of what appears to be a coat room of sorts, clearly not being used since it’s summer in Houston, Texas.
Holden slams the door shut, leaving us in almost total darkness but for the glow of an exit sign across the room. The neon glow bathes us in red light as he takes my mouth again, growling as he presses his huge frame against mine.
His hand moves back between my legs, his thick finger sliding between my cleft through my panties and stroking the growing wet spot.
I’m panting for him, feeling him this close with his finger maddeningly stroking me like that.
“We shouldn’t-”
“But we can.”
His fingers push my panties to the side, and I whimper as he strokes one across my bare seam.
“Holden-”
“Tell me to stop then.” He pauses, his finger just shy of brushing my aching clit on an upstroke.
I shake my head, my own hands grabbing his wrist and pulling him closer.
“Keep going.”
He growls as he kisses me again, like he’s claiming my mouth with his. His thumb brushes across my clit as he swallows the moan it brings to my lips.
“This- I mean,” I’m gasping, unable to say words as he suddenly sinks a thick finger deep inside.
“Don’t go thinking that this is part of the contract or anything,” I manage to croak out. My hands are still clinging to his wrist, feeling the muscles there ripple as he slowly fingers me.
He suddenly spins me around, and I can feel my body ache for him as my hands go flat against the wall. In an instant, he’s yanking my dress up over my ass, and before I can even register it, his palm comes down with a hot smack across my butt.
I gasp sharply. Twice. Once at the spank, and once more at the aching, toe-curling desire it brings roaring up inside of me.
“I think you should stop thinking about business, sugar,” he growls into my ear, his palm smoothing over the place it landed.
“Did you just spank me?”
“Did you like it?” His lips brush against my ear.
I bite my lip, panting and feeling my blood running like fire through my body. I don’t trust myself to open my mouth.
Holden chuckles darkly, his hand moving over my ass, pulling my thong down with it. He lets the panties slip down to my knees, as he pushes his hand down between my legs to stroke my pussy with a thick finger.
“I think someone likes being a bad girl,” he murmurs into my ear.
I moan.
“Hold your skirt up for me.”
God help me, I do it. I reach back and pull my dress up to my hips and push my ass out towards this cocky, demanding, undeniable man commanding me in the dark of that room.
His palm comes down again on my bare ass, making me moan out loud.
“That stung,” I gasp out, feeling my pussy absolutely leaking my desire.
Holden’s hand moves over my skin again as he leans over my back, his lips brushing my ear.
“Guess I should kiss it all better then.”
“What-”
He suddenly drops to his knees behind me, his hands sliding up to pull my hips back. I’m panting as I oblige him, arching my back and pushing my ass back as my fingers rake the wall in front of me.
“Spread your legs.”
And I do.
I cry out when his tongue drags hot and wetly across my slit as his hands grip my ass. His tongue is wicked and insistent, teasing at my clit, dragging through my folds, and driving in deep.
I moan as I feel him growl hungrily into me, his tongue burying deep inside as his strong, powerful hands grip my ass and spread me wide for him.
“Goddamn you taste like fucking heaven,” he groans, pulling away for an instant and stroking me with a fingertip. He pushes two fingers deep inside of me, curling them forward and teasing that sweet spot inside as he moves in again with his mouth. His lips wrap gently around my throbbing clit as he swirls the tip of his tongue around it.
He pushes me harder, and faster, coaxing the orgasm from my body with his tongue and his fingers, making my knees shake and my body start to quiver as the inevitable begins to roar inside of me.
His hand comes down again, spanking the soft skin of my ass as his tongue dances circles around my clit.
And it’s the last crack before I shatter.
I cry out, burying my scream in my arm as I all but collapse against his face. The climax is sweet and all-consuming, making my head swim and my legs all but give out as he licks me through it.
I start to sag against the wall when he stands and turns me, bringing me into him and letting me sink into his chest. His arms go around me, holding me tight - enveloping me in his strength as I pant.
Holy. Fuck.
Suddenly, there’s a pounding on the door to the coat room, and Holden just manages to get me behind him as it kicks in.
The huge bouncer looms in the doorway.
“Look, pal, you and your lady have to get the fuck out of-” he stops, and though I can’t see him, hidden behind Holden’s large frame, I can imagine the look on his face when he utters his next words.
“Motherfuckin’ Holden Cade?”
Holden shrugs, and I can just imagine that cocky, shit-eating grin spreading across his face.
“Holy shit, man!” the bouncer hoots out. “Shit, I’m sorry to barge in like this on you and…” the guy chuckles. “My man! Holden Cade! Dude, you’re on my fantasy team! I’ve been a Rattlesnakes fan since forever! Tough being down here in Houston though with all these pussy Bulls fans, I’ll tell you.”
Holden clears his throat. “Well, uh, listen…”
“Oh, Dan.”
Holden nods. “Right, Dan. Listen man, you think you could…”
Dan swears.
“Oh, shit, yeah, my bad, Mr. Cade.” He lau
ghs. “Yeah you take all the time you need, buddy, and you have a good night.” He clears his throat. “Uh, you too, miss.”
I cringe, feeling my face go nuclear.
The door shuts, and Holden turns with the exact shit-eating grin I was imagining.
“You know, I think I’m going to like this town, even if it is apparently full of pussy Bulls fan-”
“Oh my God,” I cut him off as I step away, dropping my face to my hands and shaking my head.
Holden laughs. “Don’t worry, he didn’t know it was-”
“We shouldn’t have done that.”
I can feel my blood pressure skyrocket as I start to breathe faster and faster. I’m blinking as I try and swallow the crushing tightness in my throat, shaking my head as I step away from him.
“We really should not have done that. I shouldn’t have done that.”
He frowns.
“Jesus, London; chill.”
I whip my head up, my eyes narrowing at him.
“Don’t tell me to chill! Do you have any idea what would’ve happened if he knew who you were back here with? To my fucking career? To your fucking career?”
He rolls his eyes.
“Fine, don’t chill. But it’s fine.”
I narrow my eyes at him, shaking my head.
“No, it’s not fine, Holden. You can’t just do that!”
His brow furrows into a scowl right back at me.
“What’s your deal?”
I sneer at him, hating how fucking cavalier he’s acting about what just happened.
“My deal? My deal is you’re a player, for my team.”
“So?”
My face reddens, as I bend down and pull my panties back up, smoothing my skirt as the heat radiates through me.
“So this is inappropriate.”
His scowl melts into a wolfish smile.
“I think that’s what we both like about it.”
“Well, I don’t,” I hiss out. “Besides, I’m not one of your little groupies.”
“I never said you were.”
“Well, I’m acting like it!” I throw back.
He sighs, pushing a hand through his hair.
“Look, let’s go get a drink, okay?”
“Is that your answer to everything? To have a drink?”
Holden’s jaw tightens as he glares at me.
“Yep.”
“Maybe you should stop, or slow down.”
“Well now where’s the fun in that?” he says evenly, still glaring at me.
Jock: A Secret Baby Sports Romance Page 13
