by E. L. Todd
“Sure. Surprise me.”
“Be right back.” He walked away and headed to the bar.
Denise turned back to me as if nothing happened.
“Now I know the real reason you canceled that date with the neurologist.” I brought the glass to my lips and took a drink.
Denise rolled her eyes. “Coincidence.”
“Girl, you’re so full of shit.”
She shrugged. “Charlie is so hot. How have you guys never hooked up?”
“Because there’s zero attraction,” I said. “Seriously.”
“Seriously?” she asked incredulously. “He’s gorgeous.”
“Eh.” I shrugged. “I disagree. Now, Dax…he’s gorgeous.”
“Well, of course he is,” she said. “But so is Charlie.”
“It’s never happened, and it never will happen.”
“That’s amazing,” she said. “I’ve never had a guy friend who wasn’t gay.”
Charlie returned a moment later, getting her a lemon drop. He stepped away from her and pivoted his body, facing her completely, ignoring everyone else in the room—including me. “How was your day?”
“I slept in since I was off, so it was amazing.” She grabbed her glass and took a drink. “And thanks for this.”
I stood on the other side of the table, basically a loner because they had obviously paired off. I hoped Kat wouldn’t read too much into it when she walked inside.
Dax entered a moment later, and the only reason I knew that was because the women in my vicinity all turned to the entryway like someone famous had just walked inside. I turned to look at him, seeing him push through the crowd in black jeans and a gray t-shirt. His sexy stubble was on his jawline, and his short hair was styled. His eyes scanned the bar, ignoring the attention cast on him, and stopped when he saw me.
I gave him a gentle wave with my fingers.
He stood there for a second, his eyes roaming over my appearance in the tight black dress. They moved all the way down, to my feet in my pumps. When he raised his gaze to look at my face once more, his chest rose visibly, like he needed to take a breath before he continued toward me.
A man had never made me feel so sexy just by looking at me.
He approached the table, his arm circling my waist as he bent his head down to kiss my lips, to seal his mouth over mine and take a deep breath when he felt the spark. His hand groped my ass like always, and he kissed me harder, just as he did last time we were here. Then his lips moved to my ear, where he breathed hard. “Jesus fucking Christ.” His hand squeezed my ass hard before he walked away and headed to the bar to get himself a drink.
Charlie and Denise were both staring at me.
“What?” I asked, feeling the burn in my throat.
“Give it up already,” Denise said. “How the hell are your thighs still closed?”
Charlie chuckled at her crass comment.
I rolled my eyes and brought my drink to my lips. My eyes shifted to the bar so I could admire him, seeing the way his shoulders and arms stretched his t-shirt, see the way his brown eyes looked bright from all the way across the room.
He stood at the bar, ordered his drink with his one arm resting on the surface, and then a sexy little thang came over to talk to him.
Not gonna happen, biotch.
But Dax turned to her, smiled, and gave her a hug. Then he stayed at the bar and talked to her. She was a small brunette with long curled hair, and her deep blue dress was nice against her skin tone.
“Ooh…she’s trying to take your man.” Matt appeared at my side.
“No, she’s not,” I said. “They obviously know each other.” I turned away so I wouldn’t continue to stare.
Matt kept his eyes on the drama. “The only women Dax knows are women he’s slept with.”
Now my heart dropped into my stomach, so I took a drink from my glass.
Charlie stared at me, standing closer to Denise than he should. “Look at her, she’s losing her mind.”
“I am not,” I said calmly.
“You’re totally jealous,” Charlie said. “Your face is getting all red, you’re flustered…”
“I don’t get jealous,” I snapped. “Did you see the way he just kissed me and grabbed my ass?”
“And he’s probably done the same to her,” Matt said, his eyes still on Dax. “They’re still talking…”
I turned to him, getting a little angry. “Why are you trying to get a rise out of me?”
“I’m not,” Matt said. “I just think he’s hot, so I like to stare, and he happens to be talking to an equally hot woman… That’s all.”
Charlie set his beer down. “You’re jealous. Just admit it.”
“I’m not,” I said calmly. “You guys are just trying to make this into a dramatic situation.” I drank from my lemon drop again, making it empty.
“I’ve never seen you drink a lemon drop that quickly,” Denise said. “So—”
“He’s coming back,” Matt said.
“Everyone just shut up and don’t say anything,” I said. “I’m not going to be one of those obnoxious people who gets jealous every time her man is talking to a woman. I’m too secure for that. Too classy for that.”
“Whatever you say.” Charlie drank from his beer.
Dax came back to the table, a glass of scotch in hand.
We were all quiet…suspiciously quiet.
His arm moved around my waist, and he took a drink.
My temper flared out of nowhere. “Did you grab her ass?”
He almost had to spit it out because the question caught him off guard. He wiped the drops from his lips with the back of his forearm then he looked down at me, his eyes filled with surprise.
Matt rested his forehead on the table and laughed uncontrollably, trying to mute it against the wood.
Charlie grinned. “Smooth…”
Denise covered her mouth and tried not to laugh too hard.
“Grab whose ass?” Dax set down his glass and turned to me.
“That woman you were talking to.” I couldn’t think rationally at all, because I kept picturing him kissing her and grabbing her ass the way he grabbed mine every time he saw me.
“No…I didn’t grab her ass.” He glanced at everyone at the table, seeing them all laughing. “Am I missing something here?”
“I don’t mean right now,” I snapped. “But when you were together.”
“Why do you assume we were together?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Because she’s hot.” I looked into his face, the jealousy running rampant like a wild animal that had just escaped a cage.
Once Dax understood the situation, that arrogant smile started to stretch over his lips, like this was absolutely hilarious. He leaned his elbow on the table and looked at me, his eyes more playful than they’d ever been. “Damn…you’re so fucking hot when you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous—”
“You’re seriously going to look me in the eye and say that?” His sexy grin was obnoxious right now because he was enjoying this far too much. “Sweetheart, it looks like your head is about to explode.”
I turned away to storm off.
He grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me back. “Nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s hot… I love it.” His arms circled me and held me close to his body.
“You never answered my question.”
“What?”
“Did you grab her ass?”
He released me, still smiling. “I’m sorry, this is a weird question. Can I have some backstory?”
Charlie stuck himself in the conversation. “At first, she tried to pretend she wasn’t jealous, even though she clearly was. But she also said there was nothing to be jealous about because of the way you’d just kissed her and groped her ass.”
Dax kept his eyes on me and gave a slight nod in agreement.
“But then Matt said you’ve probably grabbed her ass too,” Charlie said. “I think that’s what made h
er snap.”
Dax’s eyes darkened as his hand went to my cheek. “Now I get it, sweetheart. I knew you loved it when I grabbed your ass, but I had no idea how much.” His fingers slid to my neck, and he brought me close, held me like we were lovers when he hadn’t been between my legs in months. “No is my answer. Is that better?” His thumb slid across my jawline, his eyes looking at my lips. “Hmm?”
“A bit…”
“Would it also help to know your ass is the only ass I want to squeeze…ever.”
Charlie and Denise both made an aww noise.
Matt straightened and grinned. “Smooth, man.”
“How’s that?” he whispered.
I gave a slight nod before I turned my lips into his palm and kissed his hand.
His gaze intensified.
I moved into his chest and rested my forehead against his chest.
His arms circled around me, and he placed a kiss to my forehead. “I can’t wait to make love to you.”
I closed my eyes and held him close, never wanting to let him go, never wanting to share. Once I opened my heart, he infected me, entered every part of my body until he had complete control over me. I was emotional, delirious…even crazy. I had fallen so deeply, fallen so hard, that it made me wonder if I’d ever loved Evan…because I’d never felt this way. “Me too.”
Kat walked inside and headed to our table.
“Hey, girl.” I tried to be overly bubbly for her, to make this night go as smoothly as possible. “Damn, you look hot.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks…” Her eyes shifted to Charlie and Denise.
They were so absorbed in their conversation, the music so loud, that they didn’t even notice Kat approach. And Charlie was staring at Denise with that look…the kind of look that Dax gave to me.
I purposely knocked over my drink to get their attention.
“Whoa, had too much to drink, Carson?” Charlie grabbed the napkins and threw them on the liquor that spread across the table.
“Maybe.” I threw my napkin on top to stop the spread.
“I’m going to get more napkins.” Denise headed to the bar.
Charlie obviously had no idea Kat was there because he turned to watch her go, to stare at her ass.
Ugh, why was this happening right now?
Dax tried to help. “Charlie, did you see the game last night?”
Charlie turned back to him and kept dampening the napkins with the booze. “Yeah. The last play of the game…”
I turned to Kat, hoping she hadn’t noticed, but it was obvious she had.
Because she looked like she was about to cry.
When Kat went to the bathroom, I was on Charlie. “Seriously, knock it off.”
“What?” he asked, genuinely bewildered.
“She saw you stare at Denise’s ass, and she’s probably crying in the bathroom right now.”
“I stare at a lot of women’s asses. Doesn’t mean anything.”
“But she knows you have feelings for Denise, so it’s totally different. Charlie, I’m going to bitch-slap you if you don’t get your shit together. You’re being a selfish pig right now.”
“Whoa, sweetheart.” Dax came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my stomach, pulling me back a little bit. “Let’s take it down a notch.”
“I can’t stop you from seeing Denise in private, but you knew Kat was coming tonight,” I said.
“I didn’t know she was here. And if everything I do is going to be dissected, then I can’t hide it from her anyway.” He threw his arms up in the air. “I can’t hide the way I looked at Denise. I can’t hide the way I talk to her. I’ve always looked at Denise this way. Kat is just noticing now. The only way I can truly keep myself in check is if I don’t see Denise at all when Kat’s around.”
“Well, maybe that’s what we need to do for a bit.”
Charlie shook his head. “I’m not a selfish pig. I’m a man with emotions, emotions that I can’t hide. That’s like me telling you not to act like you’re head over heels for Dax. You can’t control it. It’s fucking impossible. If I didn’t stare at Denise’s ass, Kat would have noticed something else I did.”
I knew he was right, so I calmed down. “I’m sorry…”
He looked away, still angry.
Dax remained beside us, his arm still around me. “I think Carson is coming on a little strong right now because she wants everyone to be happy, for no one to get hurt. She wants you to be happy. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have talked to Kat for you in the first place. So, she’s in your corner, man. But she’s trying to protect her friend too.”
Charlie turned back to me, less angry than he was before.
I appreciated that Dax intervened, that he wanted to keep us close and dissolve our fights because he knew how important this relationship was to me. Charlie was my best friend, and Dax fully supported that.
Charlie finally nodded. “It’s okay.”
I moved my hand to his arm and gave him a gentle squeeze. “I should go talk to Kat now…” I left the guys behind and went to the bathroom. There was a long line of girls, and Kat was nowhere in sight. “A crying girl come through here?”
One woman nodded to the closed door. “We let her go first because it looked like she needed it.”
I banged my fists on the door. “Kat, open up.” If she said something on the other side, I couldn’t hear it because the music was too loud. I knocked again and turned to the girl at the front of the line. “Her ex that she’s still in love is hung up on her friend, and she just found out and she’s just upset.”
She shook her head. “Been there…”
Kat opened the door, her makeup ruined.
“Girl…” I shut the door behind me then hugged her.
She held on to me tightly, the music thudding loudly outside.
I rubbed her back. “I know it hurts… I know.”
She pulled away, new tears in her eyes. “It’s just… I can’t even describe it.”
“I know.” I rubbed her arms, comforting her.
“I don’t think I can do this. Even without them being together, just seeing him look at her the way he used to look at me… It’s too much.”
“Kat, don’t say that.”
“Not forever. Just for a while…”
“No. We’re all friends here. We don’t want you to take a step back.” It was the very thing I’d feared would happen. I didn’t want to lose my best friend, for us to talk less and less until she moved on and found a new life.
“I know, but it’s just too hard. What does she have that I don’t?”
“Nothing, Kat. It’s just how life is sometimes.”
“The fact that he won’t just find someone else makes me sick. He’s so selfish…”
I dropped my gaze, wondering if I should just tell her now, rip off all the bandages in one go. “He’s not selfish, Kat. If you wanted to be with Matt or something, even if it made him uncomfortable, he wouldn’t let it affect your friendship.”
“Easy to say when I’m the one in love and he’s not.”
“But I know him, Kat,” I said. “If the situations were reversed, he would do it in a heartbeat.”
She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Either way, I can’t go back out there now. I should get home.”
I couldn’t ask her to stay, not when her eyes were red and puffy. “I’ll walk you.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
We left the bathroom and headed to the door. I didn’t stop at the table so everyone would see her, which meant I couldn’t tell Dax where I was going. I’d text him whenever I had a chance.
We made it to the sidewalk.
“Carson.”
I turned at the sound of Dax’s voice. Apparently, his eyes were always on me, even when I had no idea. “I’m going to take Kat home.”
Kat walked off to the curb of the sidewalk, hiding her face so Dax wouldn’t see.
“She’s not…feeling wel
l,” I said.
Dax pulled out his phone and texted someone.
I raised an eyebrow at his actions, wondering what was so important right this second.
He returned the phone to his pocket. “My driver will take you.”
“What?” I asked, seeing a black car pull up immediately. “Dax, we don’t—”
“You’ve accepted me. Please accept my wealth too.” His arms circled my waist, and he moved his head to mine, giving me an embrace more intimate than sex. “Rich or poor, I want to take care of you.” His hand cupped my cheek, and he closed his eyes as he held me, like nothing else in the world mattered except the two of us.
I could feel a powerful sensation everywhere, an emotional pull that made me so happy I was delirious. I would normally reject his offer or at least argue with it, but I didn’t want to. “Okay…”
He cupped my face and kissed me. “I’m going to head home. If you want to join me afterward, I’ll be there.”
“You aren’t going to go back inside?”
“There’s no reason for me to be there without you. My bar days are over.”
Twenty
Carson
I stayed with Kat for a few hours before I got back in the car.
When the driver asked where I wanted to go, I knew what my answer should be. But instead of doing what I should do, I did what I wanted to do.
I went to Dax’s penthouse.
I checked in with the security officer inside then rose in the elevator to his gorgeous penthouse that was thousands of feet too big for a single person. The windows were lit up with the lights from the skyscrapers in the background, the bridge in the distance. A few lamps were on, and he had dimmer lights that gave the living room a romantic ambiance. It was cozy, a place easy to get comfortable in.
Dax was on the couch in his sweatpants, as if he’d known I would come. The New York Press was on the table.
The article about him had been published that morning. I’d totally forgotten about it.
He rose, his muscular arms extending from his broad shoulders, his tight stomach flat like a straight line. The alcohol didn’t make his stomach stick out like it did for me. He walked to me, his eyes looking into my face, reading every subtle expression like he knew me better than Charlie.
