Copyright © 2010 Karen Erickson
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Forbidden
“Want to get something to drink?” He watched her carefully, his expression closed though she saw the lingering heat in his eyes.
Michaela nodded, didn’t say a word, and he took her hand, leading her to the back of the club where a cluster of tables and booths surrounded the gargantuan bar. A group of his friends were seated in a large booth, including Trevor, and they joined them, scooting in so close that Michaela was plastered to Austin’s side.
She wasn’t complaining. His hard thigh pressed firmly next to hers, his body heat ratcheting up her internal temperature another one hundred degrees.
God, it was hot. She lifted her hair away from her neck with both hands, wondered why she hadn’t put it in some sort of ponytail and then she felt a faint breeze waft against her sensitive skin.
Michaela turned to see it was Austin, his beautiful lips slightly pursed, blowing across her neck, cooling her down, heating her up. Her sex tingled, her breath caught in her throat when he did it again and she felt the little hairs at her nape move, tickling her.
“You looked hot,” he said when their gazes met.
“I…am.” In more ways than one.
His mouth curved upward, just on one side, a rather secretive smile that said he knew exactly what she referred to. The air was heavy, and not just from the heat, but with sexual tension. It crackled around them, gave her courage, gave her hope that maybe she wasn’t imagining this.
A waitress appeared with a tray of drinks for everyone already at the table and they took turns telling her what they wanted, Austin dropping a ten-dollar bill on the tray to hurry the order. Michaela thought she might die of thirst and was thankful when someone offered a spare glass of water. She gulped it, savoring the cool liquid sliding down her throat, and when Austin nudged her, she offered the glass to him, which he took gratefully.
How could a man arouse her by drinking a glass of water? She had no clue but it was happening, watching Austin’s lips curve around the edge of the clear glass. He tipped his head back and drank. Throat working with the movement, his Adam’s apple bobbed with every swallow. His neck was tanned, strong and corded with muscle and her mind drifted.
Back to earlier in the afternoon when he’d stood in the hall draped only in the towel. The smile on his face, his hair wet, his skin wet from the shower…
She shivered and he caught it, slowly setting the glass on top of the table. He reached for her hand, his fingers curling around hers.
“Don’t tell me you’re cold.”
She was damp with sweat, her heavy hair stuck to her head, and she had a feeling she probably looked terrible. “I’m not.”
His eyes darkened, his other arm slid across the back of the booth seat and his hand landed on her bare shoulder. She held her breath, waiting for his next move.
What was he doing? What was she doing? And why did he look at her like that? As if he wanted to devour her in one bite, consume her, do things to her that she only imagined in her darkest fantasies.
Michaela reared back, desperate for some distance. Okay. Her imagination was running on overdrive. He wasn’t looking at her like that. And his fingers weren’t stroking her shoulder either. No, it was all in her vivid imagination.
“We’re headed to the dance floor,” Trevor said, interrupting her thoughts. “You two going with us?”
“We’re going to stay here and wait for our drinks,” Austin answered for her, giving her shoulder a little squeeze.
“Have fun.” Trevor gave them a little wave and the entire group from the table followed him out to the dance floor, leaving her alone with Austin.
“Are you having a good time?” he asked once everyone left.
She nodded, traced her finger down the edge of the sweating glass of water. She didn’t want to look at him, was afraid of what she might find there. “I am.”
“You’re a liar, you know.” His voice was soft, hot and melting all over her, and she glanced up, caught him studying her, his head tilted toward her.
“What do you mean?” Had he realized her secret? Did he know how much she’d lusted for him lately? Embarrassing if he ever found out.
“You can dance.” His fingers drifted, over her shoulder, down her upper arm and goose bumps followed in their wake. “Very well, I might add.”
Only because he had led her so well but she didn’t want to admit that, decided to bask in his compliment instead. It was almost too much, though, having him touch her, sitting so close. The hard press of his thigh burned into hers, his arm around her, his body leaning toward hers. He was wrapped all around her, and he didn’t even need to be since they had the booth all to themselves.
The waitress suddenly arrived, setting their drinks in front of them with a quick clink of glass, and Michaela grabbed at hers, drinking from it greedily. She needed the bite of the liquor to bring her back to reality, the effects of it to mellow her overactive imagination. She was clearly losing her touch on the real world, and she wanted to get back out on that dance floor as soon as she finished her drink.
She needed to lose herself in the music, in the dancing, maybe find someone else to dance with, maybe Scarlett. Not Austin, no way, he would hold her close again, fuel her fantasies and make her think she had a chance.
Tagled
The sound of approaching footsteps made them spring apart from each other and Scarlett turned to find Trevor standing in front of them, his expression fierce. A little angry, maybe even a little jealous.
Giddy joy bloomed in her stomach, and she frowned. No way should she relish in that expression on his face. It was pointless, foolish.
Too late…
“What’s going on, Trev?” Austin flicked his head at Trevor in that typical way men seemed to do.
“Nothing. What’s going on with you two?” Trevor asked the question slowly.
As if he had to keep himself under some sort of firm control, or else all hell would break loose.
“We were just talking,” Scarlett said, her gaze meeting Trevor’s.
Brilliant gray blue eyes locked on her face, he stared at her as if he could read her thoughts. It was disconcerting yet undeniably arousing, and she shifted her feet, smoothed her sky blue skirt with the palms of her hands.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Austin said, sending Scarlett a meaningful look before he walked away, tipping his head again at Trevor as he passed.
“What do you want?” she asked the second Austin was out of earshot. It sounded rude. She couldn’t help herself, but the second he got too close Trevor made her edgy, nervous.
Turned on. So incredibly turned on, she was tempted to throw herself at him and beg him to give her another one of those life-changing orgasms.
“Nice greeting,” Trevor said, his voice cool as he took a step toward her, then another.
She backed up, not wanting to get too close. Electricity seemed to zing between them, bouncing back and forth from her body to his, and her nipples hardened beneath the thin black tank top she wore.
His gaze dropped to her breasts immediately, and she knew without a doubt he noticed.
Damn him. And damn her nipples, too.
“I’m just…busy. I don’t have much time to talk.” Such a lie. She was about to leave for a quick dinner break before the show started.
“You had enough time for Austin.” Oh yes, Trevor definitely sounded jealous.
“He was giving me advice.” She nibbled on her lower lip, angry at herself for her choice of words. The interest on Trevor’s face was clear.
“About what?”
“Work stuff.” She waved her hand, not wanting to talk about it. She didn’t want to mention what Austin had shared with her. “Nothing major. What’s going on?”
“I wanted to talk to you.” His voice lowered, took on a husky tone that tempted her to shiver.
But she held herself in check. Just barely.
“What about?” Oh, he was coming closer. He took another step, then another, crowding her, and she backed up, bumping against the wall. Trapped with Trevor so close she could smell him, the scent spicy and clean and warm.
Slowly driving her mad.
“I wanted to apologize for the other night.” His gaze wandered over her face, rested on her mouth and her lips tingled. As if he had just touched her there.
She wondered how amazing it would be to actually kiss this man. Feel his mouth pressed to hers, his tongue…
“Apologize for what? The orgasm you gave me?” Ah, here came her smart mouth. She couldn’t keep it in. It was as if he drew it out of her.
He chuckled, the sound warm, inviting, curling through her like elusive wisps of smoke she desperately wanted to capture. “Unless it was awful I won’t apologize for that.”
“It wasn’t awful,” she admitted in a small voice.
“Then I’m not sorry.” He smiled, all dazzling teeth and boy next door gorgeous. “I want to apologize for being such a jerk.”
“Well, I was a jerk, too.” But she refused to say sorry. She couldn’t admit she was sorry.
Stubborn. Old habits died hard.
“So we’re both apologizing then.” He reached out, twirled a wavy strand of her hair around his finger and lightly tugged. “Maybe we could start over.”
She held her breath, her gaze cutting to that finger she could just see in her peripheral vision. He twirled her hair around his finger again and again, slow, rubbing the strand as if he was testing it. “Start over with what? There’s nothing to start over.”
“There’s not?” He twirled another strand, and another. “Your hair is so soft.”
She ignored his comment, ignored the way it made her skin flush and her nipples harden even more. Especially ignored the fact that her panties were damp and her knees weak. “There shouldn’t be.”
“Why not?”
“We won’t be good together.” Lies, all lies. She was the biggest liar in the whole wide world.
“You think?” He leaned in close, his face level with hers, gray eyes seeking the truth. “I think we’d be fantastic together.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.” She repeated her words from four nights ago, her voice hoarse, her throat dry. Afraid he was saying some sort of rehearsed line he kept in his repertoire and brought out to seduce women.
Trevor shook his head slowly, his gaze again drifting to her mouth. As if he wanted to kiss it, drink from her, taste her over and over again. “Your opinion of me is pretty low, huh?”
“Terribly low,” she confessed, earning another chuckle.
“What can I do to rectify that?” He propped a hand on the wall behind her, his splayed fingers close to her head. His body heat reached, his broad shoulders blocked everything else and all she saw was him. She was surrounded by him. Trevor.
“Leave me alone?” Her tone was hopeful because really, her life would be easier if he did leave her alone.
A little lonely and full of regret but definitely easier.
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