Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Laura Jardine
ISBN: 978-1-77233-335-0
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Melissa Hosack
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
AN UNEXPECTED NIGHT
Romance on the Go TM
Laura Jardine
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Danielle lifted her drink to her lips and looked around. The bar was dim. Strings of tiny lights and bizarre Christmas decorations—even though it was September—could only do so much. But it was just bright enough for her to check out the other patrons.
There was a group of three men by the window. Checkered shirts and scarves and beards—not her type. An attractive dark-haired man stood near the bar, but once he had two beers in hand, he walked over to a table and put his arm around a woman. Damn. A few guys were hypnotized by the old pinball machines at the back and probably wouldn’t notice if she strutted up to them, unless it coincided with the apocalypse. And even then, maybe not.
Two men—decent-looking—sat nearby, but they were holding hands on top of the table. They wouldn’t notice her, either. The guy standing behind them had features that were a little too perfect—he didn’t seem natural. Besides, he was already surrounded by a group of women, who were fawning over him like pathetic groupies. Maybe he was famous or something.
She turned back to the man in front of her.
“No one?” Adam asked.
She shook her head and set down her rum and Coke. “You miss pretending to be my gay best friend?”
“Can’t say that I do.”
“But you’re so good at it.”
“Sure I am.” He chuckled. “Why don’t we try the patio?”
They headed up the rickety staircase to the rooftop patio and snagged the last table. A man glanced at her as she sat down then quickly looked away.
This was the problem with trying to pick up when she was out with Adam. Men assumed they were a couple and wouldn’t approach her. So she’d have to do the approaching, and she always told Adam to pretend he wasn’t interested in women so nobody thought he was competition.
Or maybe that wasn’t why this guy had looked away. Maybe he’d just decided she wasn’t pretty enough, or had remembered about his wife and five children back home. Not that he looked old enough to have five kids.
But she didn’t care. He wasn’t that hot anyway.
It had been so long since she’d gotten laid, and she was determined to break her dry spell tonight. But for whatever reason, she couldn’t find a guy who interested her and wasn’t taken or gay or otherwise unavailable. And it wasn’t just tonight—she’d had this problem a lot lately. Hence the dry spell. Apparently turning twenty-eight had made her pickier.
She’d also become more responsible. She no longer maxed out her credit card and forgot to pay bills. The other day, she’d even looked at part-time college programs—maybe she should get a diploma of some kind so she didn’t have to waitress forever. It was so unlike her to think beyond tomorrow.
But right now, she wasn’t thinking about her future. She just wanted to roll around in bed with a hot stranger. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like that would happen.
“What’s wrong with me?” Danielle muttered.
Adam had a very long sip of his imperial stout. Or whatever the hell he was drinking.
“Sorry,” he said. “Am I supposed to say something here?”
“You’re supposed to tell me there’s nothing wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“It doesn’t sound like you mean it.”
He thought for a moment. “I suppose that’s because there is one thing wrong with you. You’re drinking a rum and Coke when you could be having beer.”
She reached over to swat him, but he leaned out of her reach. As usual.
“Glad I dragged you out tonight?” she asked.
“You didn’t drag me out. I came willingly. Always happy to drink beer. And see your smiling face, of course.”
“I was worried you were becoming a hermit again.”
“When have I ever been a hermit? You just have a strange definition of hermitism. Nearly everyone qualifies in your books.”
Bit of an exaggeration, but he had a point. She used to be a real party girl and rarely spent an evening alone in her apartment. A Saturday night without plans? That would have been unbearable.
“I don’t get out as much as I used to,” she said. “And I haven’t hooked up with someone in a long time.”
“How long is that?”
“Four months.”
He nodded slowly, a hint of a smile crossing his lips.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Who said something was funny? I didn’t laugh.”
Danielle rolled her eyes. “So how long has it been since you had sex?”
“That’s secret information.”
“I told you how long it’s been for me. It’s only fair.”
“Fine.” He put a finger to his chin. “Two years? Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“Two years?” She nearly spit out her drink. Holy shit, that was a long fucking time. “For real?”
“For real.”
“So that’s why you wanted to laugh. Because I consider four months a long time. But two years is … what? Six times as long?”
“Good job on the math.”
She might have made some snarky remark, but she was still trying to wrap her mind around this. It was true that she’d never seen Adam even attempt to pick someone up when they went to the bar together. And it was true that she’d never heard him mention a woman since he broke up with Louise. But she assumed he was getting action somewhere. Hot neighbor, secretary, boss, personal trainer … something like that. Not that she gave it much thought. Adam’s sex life wasn’t something that occupied her brain. At all.
“Anyone here who interests you?” she asked, her gaze sweeping the patio.
He shook his head. “It’s awkward to try to pick up a woman at a bar. What would I say that isn’t a terrible cliché and wouldn’t make me seem like a creep?”
“You won’t seem like a creep when you’ve got a female friend with you. Actually, I think it would be hard for you to come across as a creep. You’re not a creepy sort of guy.”
“Thanks. Best compliment I’ve gotten in months.”
“Always glad to help.”
“Sure you are.”
“Really,” she said. “If I can be of any assistance in getting you laid, I’m happy to help. Anything you need. Anything at all.”
He leaned forward and brushed his hand over hers.
“You offering?” he said, his voice low.
What? She hadn’t said it in a flirty way, and this was Adam. Her friend. She’d expected him to laugh or make some stupid joke about it. But this hadn’t sounded like a joke, not at all. No, his meaning was perfectly clear. And now the table between them seemed far, far too small.
“I was kidding,” he said.
“Of course you were.” She sighed in relief, even though she didn’t quite believe him. “But I might have to take back my earlier compliment.”
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfor
table. I’m sorry.” He scrubbed his hands down his face.
His very attractive face.
Yes, for the first time ever, she was taking a closer look at Adam.
They’d met because their friends were dating. Five years ago now, and she and Adam were both seeing other people at the time. But they’d hit it off—in a platonic way—and kept hanging out, even after their friends’ messy breakup, even though they lived very different lives. Hers was one of going out all the time and only thinking about the present. Whereas his involved staying at home a lot and occasionally “communing with nature,” as she called it—outdoor pursuits that had never interested her. Spending time with Adam was always a nice break from her regular world.
Danielle had a long sip of her drink and took in his broad shoulders and warm brown eyes and blond hair and…
Well, maybe she was offering. It was the obvious solution to both of their problems, after all.
But perhaps she was only considering it because she’d had four drinks tonight—this was the second bar they’d been to. Not that four drinks was all that many for her. The only person—man or woman—who could drink her under the table was Adam. And he had literally drunk her under the table once. Yes, she’d crawled onto the floor and embarrassed herself thoroughly.
Tonight, though, she was only a little buzzed.
“You know,” she said, “I don’t think it was simply a joke.”
“Danielle, I—”
“It’s a good idea, actually.”
He stared at her like she was crazy. Maybe she was. Maybe it would make everything all weird and awkward and ruin their friendship.
“You sure?” he said slowly. “You don’t think it would make everything all weird and awkward and ruin our friendship?”
How the hell was he doing that?
“I’m sure we can handle it.” And she suspected they could, though she wasn’t entirely sure. The only thing she knew was that she needed to get laid.
“Okay. Let’s get out of here.”
Even though he was the one who’d started this, his words surprised her. Because she still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that this was Adam. But this was really happening. She was going to sleep with him. A little casual sex to satisfy both of their needs.
They downed the rest of their drinks and hurried to the stairs. Once they began their descent, Adam walked at a leisurely pace.
“I thought you wanted to get out of here,” she said.
“Shh.” He came to a halt on the step above her.
They were on a dark, creaky staircase. Just the two of them. Not quite touching, but she could feel the warmth of him, so close.
“I want you to be sure.” He wrapped one arm around her and placed his other hand on her cheek, turning her head back toward him. “So if, after I kiss you, you decide this was all one big mistake, we can get another drink or three and pretend it never happened.”
“You’re going to—”
His lips met hers. The kiss began slow and gentle, and it only involved their lips. But gradually, it became more. His mouth moved more forcefully on hers, his arms tightened over her chest.
Oh, Danielle had missed this. Missed feeling a hard body against her, around her, the pleasure of a man’s mouth on her, knowing it was just the beginning. This was no mistake—she was quite sure of it.
As his tongue slipped inside her mouth, his hand wandered down and skimmed the top of her jeans. He slid his thumb inside the waistband.
And that made her instantly wet for him.
Usually the idea of doing it with a stranger turned her on; it seemed deliciously dangerous, wrong, forbidden. But somehow the idea of doing it with a friend felt even more forbidden tonight. After all, if this went badly, it could really screw things up between them.
She needed him to bend her over and fuck her hard.
The sound of laughter from the patio filtered down the stairs, and obscure music—which the bar played in its attempt to be cool—floated up the stairs. Although no one else was nearby, Adam pulled his lips away from hers and dropped his hand. His other arm stayed around her, preventing her from running down the stairs and dragging him up to her apartment, which was, thankfully, not too far.
“You still want to—”
“Yes,” she said.
“Good.” He spun her around so she faced him. “Just remember, I haven’t done this in a very long time.”
“So I shouldn’t expect too much of you?”
“I don’t think that deserves a response.” He slid both hands to her ass and pressed kisses up and down her neck. “No, what it means is that I’m very, very desperate to get inside you.”
God, yes. Danielle wrapped one hand around his neck and moved her other hand to the front of his pants. He hissed as she stroked him through too many layers of fabric.
Normally she would say something dirty right about now, something about how badly she wanted to be full of him. But it was easy to do that with a stranger. Easier than it was with someone who’d known her for years.
“You want that in your pussy, don’t you?” he whispered. “That moment when the head of my cock splits you apart, and then I push all the way inside… You’re desperate too, aren’t you, Danielle?” He rubbed his erection against her hand.
Oh, yes. She wanted it bad. And preferably as soon as possible.
But how could Adam speak like that so easily, after years of being just friends? How was he making heat explode through her entire body?
She stepped away from him, eager to get somewhere where they could do it, and nearly toppled backward down the stairs. She managed to grab onto the rail, narrowly avoiding an injury that might have made sex difficult.
They walked down the stairs, past the pinball machines and illuminated reindeer, and out onto the street. It seemed wrong to be out in public when she was so turned on. Could everyone tell? Every inch of her tingled with unbearable desire, and inside she was slick with need. She felt like everyone must be able to see, yet no one looked up. (Some of those men probably wouldn’t look up for the apocalypse, after all.) And she’d felt like this before—almost. Walking out of a bar with a guy, horny as hell—she’d done that many times.
But somehow, this wasn’t quite the same.
Chapter Two
Adam had wanted Danielle for a long time, but not the entire five years he’d known her. He’d seen her go home with other guys—men she’d just met and hardly knew—many times without it bothering him, except for the slight fear that something would go wrong. He made her promise to call him if anything seemed amiss.
But jealousy? That had only started a year ago.
Not that Adam did anything about it. Danielle made no secret of what she wanted, so he didn’t think there was any hope if she hadn’t said something to him already.
And then tonight they’d been talking about his lack of sex life, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself from saying, “You offering?”
And now they were in her apartment, standing just inside the door, and she was pulling her shirt over her head.
Perhaps he should have said something sooner.
Her bra hit the floor next. He stared at her slightly hardened nipples and the swell of her breasts as she started unbuttoning his shirt. As soon as she took it off and threw it on the floor, he dropped his mouth to her nipple and circled his tongue around the peak, his other hand clutching her bare skin. He slid his mouth to the valley between her breasts, then up to the other nipple, which he kissed and sucked and licked until she stumbled backward against the wall, her palms pushing against it.
“Adam,” she pleaded.
His cock throbbed at the sight of Danielle half-naked and needy. God, she was so hot. Everything about her was just right. She was thin, but she still had such nice curves. Full lips, dark eyes. Long, dark brown hair. Adam wanted to touch every inch of her.
He turned her around and kneaded her breasts from behind before slipping one hand down to undo the bu
tton on her jeans. The one he’d wanted so badly to undo at the bar.
But once he opened her jeans, he took his sweet time inching his hand inside her panties.
“You can hurry up,” she said. “You’re not acting like a man who hasn’t had any action in two years. I thought you were desperate to get inside me, but it sure doesn’t seem like it.”
He chuckled, and his hand stopped its descent.
“Here. Let me show you.” She placed her hand over his. “Since you seem to have forgotten what you’re supposed to do.”
“I know what I’m doing.” He shook off her hand. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“Torture?”
“I’m glad you consider it torture.”
“You’re twisted.”
“No.” He dipped his mouth to her ear; he could have sworn she shivered. ”Just happy you want me to fuck you so badly that nothing else can satisfy you.”
She pushed back, rubbing her ass against his erection, and he closed his eyes. Holy fuck. It was still hard to believe this was actually happening. They were half-naked in her apartment. And she was probably very wet, and if he just moved his hand a little lower…
“I want to make this last as long as I can.” Adam would only get to have sex with Danielle for the first time once. He did not want it to be over in three minutes. And he wanted it to be something she would never forget.
He curled his hands around her waist. He kissed her hair, from the top of her head to where it ended below her shoulders. When he reached the bottom of it, he kept going. He kissed his way down her back, just to the left of her spine, enjoying the luxury of having so much of her bare skin to taste and touch.
“Is this some kind of fancy seduction routine?” she asked. “It’s really not necessary. I’m ready for you right now.”
His cock was ready to slide inside her too, straining against the zipper of his pants. But he would get to that. Soon.
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