Текст книги "Barely Breathing"

Автор книги: Brenda Rothert

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

“Sit on my desk,” he ordered.

I slid myself onto the edge, my eyes never leaving his. He pushed my thighs wide apart and brushed his thumb down my slit through my wet panties.

He groaned. “So fucking wet for me, Viv. Lean back on your hands.”

I did, and when he reached for the sides of my panties, I raised my hips so he could work them down. Cool air washed over my exposed skin.

Kane slid the panties past my heels and bent down, his warm breath on my thighs making me shiver. He wrapped his big hands around my hips, pressing against the skirt bunched around them. When he kissed my sensitive inner thighs, my back arched into the air and I cried out.

He kissed and licked and even nipped a little at my thighs. By the time his tongue eased inside me and he grunted with satisfaction, I was already on the verge of coming.

“Kane . . . oh, God. Yes. So . . . ohhhh.”

He licked and sucked for a couple minutes and then held tight to my hips as I came hard, his tongue still working me into a frenzy. The orgasm seemed to last and last, and I was panting when my back relaxed against the surface of his desk.

“That almost killed me,” I said with a low laugh. “My God. I’d ask where you learned to do that, but that would just make me jealous.”

He stood and extended a hand to help me to my feet. I slipped my panties back on and pulled my shirt back down as he pulled up the bottom of his t-shirt and wiped off his face, giving me a flash of his defined ab muscles.

“I have to get back,” I said. “Marcus is bringing me onto a big case and we’re discussing it.”

Kane’s eyes darkened. “Is he coming on to you?”

“No. This is just work.”

He nodded, his expression still on the verge of a scowl. “I’m gonna need to see you this weekend.”

“Oh, are you?” I ran a hand through my hair, trying to fix it. “Maybe you should apologize for walking out on me, then.”

“Wasn’t that apology enough?” He gestured at the desk.

“No. You hurt me. I need words. One in particular.”

The scowl made its appearance and he heaved out a sigh. “I’m sorry, alright? I fucked up.”

I smiled and kissed him. My taste still lingered on his lips.

“You’re forgiven. I’ll make you dinner Friday night.”

I smoothed out my clothes and we left his office. When we got to the end of the hallway, he held my eyes for just a second before we went separate ways.

“Hey,” Marcus said when I got back to the table. “Long line?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” I sat down and took a cleansing breath, trying to get my mind off of Kane and back on the case.

“You feeling okay? Marcus asked. “You look really flushed.”

“I’m fine. Let’s get back to it.”

He shrugged and pulled the paperwork back out. I couldn’t help looking over at the bar, where a dark gaze on us caught my attention. However innocuous I’d told him this meeting was, I knew he’d be watching. And I was more than okay with it.

FINALLY, FRIDAY ARRIVED.

Dinner was ready and so was I when I answered Kane’s knock on my door.

Tonight he’d ditched the dress pants and collared shirt in favor of his usual attire–dark, worn jeans and a black t-shirt. He wore a weathered black leather jacket and what looked like steel-toed black boots.

“You look good,” I said, reaching through the doorway and grabbing the two open sides of his jacket. “Really good. Get in here.”

His dark eyes swept me up and down as he grabbed me around the waist. I leaned up and he kissed me softly, his hands gripping my waist firmly in a reminder of our orgasmic make-out session in his office.

“Smells good,” he said, looking toward the kitchen. All I smelled was his the leather of his jacket.

“You’re thinking about eating?” I looked up at him and ran a hand over his big, muscular shoulder and around to his neck.

“Fuck yeah, I am.” He ran his hands down to my backside and squeezed. “You gonna let me have dessert first? Spread those legs for me again like a bad girl?”

My body warmed and I felt myself getting wet. His touch, his words . . . his very presence turned me on and made me bolder than I’d ever been.

“If that’s bad, I don’t want to be good,” I said in his ear. He squeezed harder, until I moaned.

“To the bedroom, then,” he said, his commanding tone inciting me further. I was hot everywhere, my arousal burning beneath the surface in a simmer that would probably boil over as soon as his mouth touched my skin.

Boil . . . wait.

“Do bad girls turn off the heat on dinner first to avoid fires?” I whispered.

Kane’s low laugh made me smile. He relaxed his hold on me.

“Let’s go have the dinner you made first. We’ve got all night, right?”

My stomach flipped with excitement. All night. Hell yes.

I turned toward the kitchen, giving him a coy look over my shoulder. “We have until ten. I’ve got another date coming then.”

With a single, unamused note of laughter, he smacked my ass, making me jump.

“Not fucking funny, Viv.”

“You like chicken parmesan?” I asked, smiling.

“I’ll like anything you made.”

Chicken parm was my standby. I’d made it many times and gotten compliments. But I still felt a twinge of nervousness as I plated it and set the dishes on the table. I passed Kane a corkscrew and he opened the bottle of wine I had chilling on the table.

He poured us each a glass of wine and we sat down. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. There was something different about him tonight. Wearing the clothes he was comfortable in, sitting casually across from me in my kitchen, he seemed more comfortable. More himself.

We both took a bite and he remarked about how good the food was. Then we ate in silence for a bit until I asked a question that had been nagging at me since the last time I saw him at Six.

“How did you know Marcus’s name?”

“Marcus Anderson?”

I nodded. “You said his name but I hadn’t told you his name.”

“I know him. He’s a client.”

“Oh.” I considered that for a second. “So he rents suites at the club?”

“He’s got one in particular that he likes best.”

“What does he do there?”

Kane smiled. “I don’t ask, remember?”

“Not asking is different than not knowing.”

He grunted and arched his brows. “You sound like a lawyer.”

“I’m so curious. Marcus seems really . . . bland. He’s just all blond and friendly. He plays tennis and reads The Wall Street Journal.”

Kane hummed skeptically. “He might seem bland, but he’s not.”

“He’s kinky, isn’t he? I knew it!”

“I didn’t say that. You inferred it.”

I finished the last bite of chicken I had room for a pushed my plate a couple inches away.

“Well, is he?”

“I don’t talk about clients, Viv. Not to anyone. Not even to Jeff, unless there’s a good reason for it.”

I sighed and gave him a mock frown. “I respect that. I’ve got the same deal with my clients.”

“I’m glad you’re not involved with Marcus, let’s just say that.”

“I thought you were glad because you want me.”

“I am. And I do.” He held my gaze and my body heated as I remembered our last encounter in his office.

I finished the last of my wine and picked up Kane’s still-full glass.

“You don’t like the wine? Do you want something else?”

“Water would be good. The wine’s fine, I just don’t drink much.”

He stood and started clearing dishes from the table.

“Let me do that,” I said, handing him a bottle of water.

“Nah. I can help.”

We stood side by side at my sink, him washing and me drying and putting away. Seeing him elbow-deep in dishwater made me smile.

“What’s funny?” he asked.

“I’m not laughing.”

“Viv, what’s so damn funny?” He scowled at me.

“Just you washing dishes. It’s cute.”

Now he was smiling, too. “That’s the first time in my life I’ve been called cute.”

“You just aren’t a man I picture washing dishes.”

“What, you think I just smash ‘em all against the wall when I’m done eating?”

“No.” I shook my head and laughed. “I don’t know.”

“I really don’t have many dishes at home. I usually eat at the club.”

“Where do you live?” I asked him.

He hesitated for a split second before answering. “I actually live in a really unimpressive back room of a gym near the club.”

“Sounds convenient. But why a gym?”

He shrugged. “Just because I own the building.”

“Nice,” I said. “So you’re managing to live rent free in New York City? That’s like a miracle or something.”

“Pretty much. The rent I make on the building covers the taxes and insurance and then some.”

“That building had to cost a mint.”

“I actually got it by assuming the tax bill.”

My lips parted as I looked up at him in admiration. “Very savvy.”

He grunted skeptically. “I don’t know about that.”

I watched as he picked up a pink checkered dishtowel and dried his hands off on it. His hands were big, the dark hair on his corded forearms ending just past his wrists. There was something very sweet and sexy about seeing those hands on such a dainty towel.

He hung the towel back up and leaned back against the counter, arms folded. Excited anticipation swirled in my stomach.

I was suddenly self-conscious as I stood before him. I sensed he wasn’t a novice in the bedroom. I wasn’t, either, but still . . . would I measure up? Not just to the other women he’d been with, but to his vision of what I’d be like. When he looked at me, his dark, fiery gaze full of hunger for me, I felt sexier than I ever had. He made me feel like I could undo him with a single touch. And I wanted to, more than anything.

“You’re nervous,” he said, reaching a hand out and wrapping it around my hip. He pulled me close and slid his other hand around to my backside. “Don’t be.”

I rested my palms on his solid, warm chest. I’d never been so overwhelmed by my attraction to a man, and I’d also never felt something so undeniably right. Kane had let me inside his walls. He’d shed his armor of intimidation, exposing himself to me in an intimate way. I didn’t know him extremely well yet, but I knew he was letting me see the real him. The non-defensive, non-pissed off at the world him.

Sometimes I felt like I was still finding the real me, even at the age of twenty-eight. Whoever I was, I wanted Kane to see me. When he touched me and spoke in that low, sexy voice of his, I felt a little closer to knowing myself. I wanted him. I didn’t care how right or wrong anyone else thought we were together.

He kissed me, nipping at my lower lip and brushing the tip of his tongue against mine. Everything else disappeared as I let myself get consumed by him. There was only the hard warmth of him, the sweet smoky smell of him and the minty taste of him. He’d slipped a breath mint in somewhere. Sneaky.

I let my hands wander up the bottom of his t-shirt in front, over the ridges of ab muscles to his taut, defined chest. It was hairy and I liked it.

The low rumble of his groan reached my fingertips and I pulled back, about to suggest we go to my bedroom.

But a series of sharp knocks on my door made me jump slightly instead. I gave Kane a puzzled look. No one ever came to my apartment but Cara, and she knew he was here so there was no way she’d show up unannounced.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, running a hand over my hair to make sure it was still in place.

I rounded the corner to the living room and opened the front door, still slightly breathless from Kane’s kiss.

“Viv, you’re here.” My brother Grayson stepped through the doorway. “I need some money.”

“Again?”

“Yeah. I can’t explain right now.”

His dark, usually neat hair looked unwashed and his shirt was wrinkled. Though it was cold outside, he didn’t have a coat on. But none of that worried me as much as the dark circles beneath his eyes and his frenzied expression.

“What’s going on?” I demanded. “You’re worrying me.”

He looked from side to side. “Look, I can’t. I don’t have time.” He saw my purse hanging from a coat hook near my door and grabbed it.

“Hey, I don’t have another five hundred dollars to give you,” I said as he reached into an open pocket of the bag.

“I’ll take whatever you’ve got.”

“The hell you will,” Kane said in a deep, ominous tone. I turned to see him coming toward us. “Grayson.” He said my brother’s name in a familiar, disgusted tone, his dark gaze fixed on him.

“Kane,” my brother croaked. My purse slid through his hands to the floor, its contents spilling onto the carpet. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“A better question is what the hell are you doing here?” Kane said, looking back and forth between me and Grayson.

Grayson turned to me, eyes wide with fear.

“He’s my brother,” I said. “How do you know him?”

Kane’s expression hardened. “How do I know you, Grayson? Want to tell her?”

Grayson sighed and shook his head. “I just need some money, Viv.”

“You need to stay here and come down,” Kane said, still looking at Grayson.

“Man, fuck you,” Grayson snapped. “This is between me and Viv.”

“Fuck me?” Kane covered the last few steps between himself and Grayson. “Watch yourself, asshole. You’d be swallowing your own fuckin’ teeth right now if you weren’t her brother.”

Grayson turned to me. “What is he doing here? Are you . . . is he your boyfriend? Oh, Jesus. Tell me you’re not seeing him, Viv.”

My mind was spinning with confusion and questions.

“What’s going on here?” I said, my voice raised. “How do you two know each other?”

Kane looked at Grayson, his lips set in a thin line.

“He owns a club and I used to go there.”

“Till you stiffed me for six grand. Haven’t seen you since, have I?”

Grayson narrowed his eyes at Kane. “Not since you almost broke one of my ribs, no.”

“Pay your fuckin’ bills and you won’t have to worry about that anymore. Stop chasing the next high. It’ll never be enough?”

“High?” I cried, glaring at Grayson. “Are you using drugs?”

“No,” he scoffed. “Kane’s a lying asshole.”

“Asshole I’ll own, but I’m not a liar,” Kane growled.

I grabbed my brother’s arm and looked into his eyes. “Don’t lie to me. Why are you such a mess? Are you on drugs or not.”

“I told you, no.”

“You’re so lit right now,” Kane said, shaking his head in disgust.

“You’d know, wouldn’t you?” Grayson shot back.

Kane shrugged. “I would, yeah.” He turned to me. “Don’t give him any money.”

“You need to mind your own fuckin’ business,” Grayson said, his expression so desperate and angry I didn’t even recognize him.

The tic of a muscle in Kane’s jaw gave away the fury behind his cool expression. “You’d better get the fuck out of here, man. Consider yourself lucky.”

“I need the money.” Grayson turned to me, his plea nearly a whine. “I owe some people money, Viv. Please.”

I looked at Kane, who just shook his head.

“I don’t have any money to give you,” I said to Grayson. “But you need to stay. We’ll figure this out. Maybe Mom and Dad can help you repay this debt.”

Grayson pulled his arm back and punched the wood frame of my front door. I jumped with surprise and Kane stepped in between me and my brother.

“I can’t ask them,” Grayson said, hanging his head.

“You’ve got two seconds to get the fuck out of here,” Kane said. “You’re scaring her.”

“But I don’t want him getting hurt,” I said. “If he owes bad people money, maybe he needs to stay here.”

“No.” Grayson reached for the door handle and opened it, his shoulders sagging with defeat. “I have to go.”

And without another word, he did. I looked up at Kane helplessly. When I moved to follow my brother, he grabbed my forearm.

“Don’t,” he said softly. “He’s not himself right now.”

“No, he’s not. But I have to help him.”

“You can’t, Viv. All he wants is money for another hit.”

I swallowed against the lump in my throat, my eyes burning with tears. “You really think he’s using drugs?”

Kane closed the door and looked down at me. “I know he is. I’d bet my bank account on it. He can’t think about anything but getting high right now. His body won’t let him.”

I walked over to my couch and sat down, putting my head in my hands. “I don’t even know what to say. I never would’ve suspected.”

With a heavy sigh, Kane came and sat next to me.

“It’ll get worse,” he said. “He’ll get desperate enough to steal from you. You can’t let him in your apartment anymore. Keep the doors locked at all times.”

“But he’s my brother.”

“He would’ve taken whatever cash you’ve got in your purse if I wasn’t here. You saw him.”

The tears finally spilled over. I wiped them away quickly, embarrassed by the turn of events.

“Well, our date’s going great, isn’t it?”

He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him. “Sure it is, Viv. I’m glad I was here when he came.”

“He owes you six thousand dollars?” I asked, feeling sick.

“Yeah.”

“What’s going to happen? I’ll get it from my parents somehow if something bad’s going to happen to him.”

I felt Kane’s deep sigh. “I’m not gonna kill him or anything if that’s what you mean. I ‘ve got no idea how deep he’s in with dealers, though.”

I squeezed my eyes shut against the new tears threatening to spill. The thought of Grayson on drugs and in debt to bad people made me feel physically ill.

“Hey,” Kane said, wrapping his other arm around me. “It’s okay. I’ll write off his debt to the club. And I’ll keep my ear to the ground about who else he owes.”

I hugged him around his chest, his solid presence the only thing keeping me grounded right now.

“I’m scared for him,” I said.

“I know. But some holes we’ve gotta dig ourselves out of. He’s not ready for help yet.”

He leaned back on the couch and took me with him. I pressed my cheek to his chest, curled my legs up in between his and let the rhythm of his breathing soothe me.

“How much money does he owe you?” Kane asked softly.

“Five hundred.”

“You need some money? For yourself, I mean? Did giving him that money cut you short?”

“No. But thanks. I have the money but I could tell something was off so I told him I didn’t. It’s so unlike Grayson to grab my purse and go through it like that.”

“He’s not himself, Viv. Try not to take it personal.”

“You know someone with a drug problem?”

He exhaled deeply, my cheek sinking down slightly as his chest fell. “Yeah. Used to, anyway. Me.”

I wanted to know more, but I wasn’t going to probe about something so personal. And I needed to process things with Grayson.

“I’m sorry about this,” I said. “I can’t go back to . . . you know . . . how things were in the kitchen.”

“It’s not your fault. Don’t be sorry.”

“I understand if you’d rather go than be around me right now. I won’t be much fun tonight.”

He smoothed a hand over my hair. “I should stay the night in case Grayson comes back. I’ll take the couch.”

I closed my eyes, a new wave of nausea rolling through my stomach at the thought of needing protection from my brother.

“We could watch a movie,” I suggested.

“Sounds good.”

I passed him the remote and told him to find one, and then I curled back up in my spot on his chest. All thoughts of sex had vanished. Now all I wanted was Kane’s closeness and comfort. And he delivered, wrapping his arms around me and laying with me in silence as I wondered just how much trouble Grayson was in.

Kane

My stiff neck wouldn’t allow me to sleep anymore. I opened my eyes and squinted at the unfamiliar surroundings. Dark purple chair with a white blanket folded over the back. White bookcase full of framed photos and paperbacks. Warm, sweet-smelling woman laying on my chest.

I was in Viv’s living room. We’d apparently fallen asleep on her couch together. The TV was still on and the first rays of morning sunlight were filtering in through the curtains.

Cringing, I twisted my neck just enough to dull the ache. I’d been awkwardly wedged up against the end of the couch all night, but I’d still slept soundly until a few minutes ago.

Viv stirred on my chest and raised her head to look at me.

“Hey,” she said in a groggy tone. “We slept here all night?”

“Yeah. Must’ve been tired.”

Her hair was messy and she had dark shadows of eye makeup under her eyes. The intimacy of waking up with her had my cock twitching to attention. If I got hard now, she’d feel it. And from the way her brows were drawn together with worry, I could see she wasn’t in the mood for sex.

“Maybe Grayson texted,” she said, picking up her phone from the coffee table. She swiped the screen and her face fell. “No. Nothing. I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” I said, shifting to relieve the pressure on my neck.

Viv slid off me and stood up. “You want coffee?” she asked, combing her hands through her messy waves of hair.

“No, I need to get going. I was planning to stop by the club when I left here last night and make sure things were going okay. I need to go count the deposits and make sure no one fucked ‘em up.”

I used her bathroom, put my boots on and slid into my leather jacket. She was sitting on the couch, elbows on her knees, looking lost in thought.

“I’m sorry about last night,” she said. “I was hoping we’d be waking up together this morning, but not like this.”

Her sheepish smile tugged at me, and I walked over and sat down next to her. “Hey. Don’t apologize. Shit happens.”

“When do I get to see you again?”

I was taken aback by the hope in her eyes. She wanted to see me again soon. Really wanted to. And not like most women, who looked at me this way after I’d fucked them senseless. There was something about the most boring, average parts of me that Viv liked. It blew my fucking mind every time I realized it.

“How ‘bout Sunday night?” I said. “Or is that a bad night since you have to work Monday?”

“No, Sunday’s good.”

“I’d say tonight, but I can’t miss a Friday night and a Saturday night at work back to back.”

She kissed my cheek just above the line of my beard, her soft lips brushing over my skin with just a touch of wetness. “Sunday’s good, Kane.”

I stood. “I’ll call you. And uh . . . if you feel like stopping in at the club tonight for a drink, you know . . . you can.”

I sounded gruff, though I didn’t mean to. It was damn hard, this dating thing. Or whatever it was called. I wasn’t a nose-rubbing, can’t wait to see you again, pookie type of guy.

“Okay,” she said as I turned for the door. “Thanks for staying last night.”

I turned back to face her. “If Grayson comes back, don’t let him in. Don’t give him money. Call me if you need help.”

“I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”

I walked to the door and reached for the handle. “I’d kiss you, but my breath probably reeks right now.”

“It’s okay.” She grinned at me. “Mine’s probably not great, either.”

“See you later.”

“Bye, Kane.”

I left, heaving out an exhale after I’d closed the door. Normally I was out the door once the sex was over, but this thing with Viv was new territory for me. We hadn’t even slept together and I’d stayed the night. My sore as shit neck would be reminding me of it all day. And truthfully, I liked where things were with Viv. Though if she was ready for more Sunday night and her deadbeat asshole of a brother didn’t get in the way again, I aimed to please her.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off the front door of the club for more than a minute at a time. Every time I tried to focus on something else, I ended up looking up front to see if Viv had walked in. I had a good vantage point from the balcony of one of the sky suites.

A deep roar, followed by the sound of breaking glass, pulled my attention to the suite behind me.

“You fuckin’ prick!” Gary Kelso bellowed. “No one’s that lucky.”

I came in from the balcony and closed the door behind me, sealing out the sounds of thumping music from below.

Gary was pissed as fuck. A vein in his neck bulged as he pointed at the man across from him, who held his hands up in mock surrender.

This monthly high-stakes poker game was no joke. The players took it very seriously.

Two other guys held on to Gary as he threatened to cut the other player’s nuts off and shove them up his ass. The pieces of a shattered glass tumbler sat forgotten on the floor.

“You can bill me for that, Kane,” Gary said, glaring at the younger guy whose nuts were apparently in danger.

“I’m not worried about it,” I said. “I’ll send someone in to clean it up. Did you guys want to order food now or later?”

“I’m starved,” one of the players said, standing up and tossing his cards to the table. “Let’s order now.”

“Yeah, okay,” Gary said, shaking out of the hold the two men had on him.

Food never failed to break up a brawl in this group. They were all wealthy businessmen who had plenty of money to lose, but hated the ego-thumping of a loss.

I jogged down the wide marble staircase and assigned a server to get appetizers into the poker room and find someone to clean up the broken glass. I caught Rosie’s eye from across the crowded room and he gave a slight tilt of his head. I walked over and spoke in his ear over the loud music.

“What’s up?”

He turned to speak in my ear. “Your woman’s here and she’s lookin’ fine.”

“Viv?” I looked from side to side. Rosie gestured at a tall table along the wall.

Fuck me hard. Viv sat on a high-backed stool, her long, sexy legs bare beneath a short skirt. She had a dark shirt and a colorful scarf and her hair was piled on top of her head loosely, a few curls framing her face.

I walked over, the sight of Viv laughing making me look at the other side of the table. Her blond friend Cara was there, wearing a tight black dress and hooker boots.

Viv saw me approaching and our eyes met. Her smile–or maybe it was her legs–made me want to drag her back to my office and get under that skirt.

“Hey,” she said, reaching an arm up and around my neck. She moved to kiss my cheek but I turned and kissed her on the mouth, feeling her pale pink lipstick on my lips. When she moaned softly and tightened her hold around my neck, I swept my tongue across hers, wishing like hell we weren’t in the middle of the crowded club right now.

“You made it,” I said.

“Of course I did.” She nodded at her friend. “You remember Cara?”

Cara wiggled her fingers in a wave.

“Hey, Cara,” I said, sliding my hand around to Viv’s lower back.

“How’s your night going?” she asked me.

I shrugged. “Usual. You guys want to eat? I’m booked upstairs but you can eat in my office if you want.”

“We ate earlier. I just wanted to have a drink and see you. We’re going to some other club Cara wants to go to after this.”

A small stab of jealousy hit me in the gut. I didn’t like the idea of Viv at another club, where men could hit on her without me there to intervene.

“I promise not to like it,” she said in my ear, reading my expression. “I won’t cheat on Six. It’ll still be my favorite.”

She nipped at my earlobe and I slid my hand underneath her shirt at the small of her back. I traced the ridges of her spine upwards with my fingertip as I spoke in her ear.

“So we’re on for tomorrow night?”

“We’re so on. No interruptions this time.”

“You look so hot, Viv.” I put my free hand on her knee. Her smooth, warm skin made me immediately hard.

“Jesus, get a room, you two,” Cara said over the music.

Viv smiled, ignoring Cara and moving in for another kiss when my phone buzzed in my pocket with a text.

“Fuck. Sorry,” I muttered, pulling it out.

Drea: Need you in SS 3. Clients getting it on with door open. Saying they are exhibitionists and won’t let me close it.

I rolled my eyes at the phone. “I have to go. Problem in a sky suite. I’ll let my bartender know you guys are on the house.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Viv said.

“You should totally do that,” Cara said. “The drinks here are like fifteen bucks, Viv.”

“When’s the last time you bought your own drink?” Viv challenged.

Cara arched a brow and grinned. So she was one of those.

“Nobody’s buying you any drinks but me,” I said to Viv. “Not at the next club, either.”

Her lips curved up in a smile. “Got it. See you tomorrow night.”

I kissed her one more time and then made my way through the crowd to put out the fire upstairs. My appetite for Viv would have to wait one more night. That was probably best, because guilt was stabbing me in the gut right now. When she’d turned those blue eyes on me and moaned as I kissed her, I’d had a realization. She was entrusting part of herself to me. I’d already hurt her by storming out once, and she was giving me another chance.

What would I do with that chance? Would I live out the many sexual fantasies I had about her, even though she wouldn’t know who she was letting into her bed? The thought tamped the fire that raged inside me for her. I wanted her to know the truth about me, but not yet. I needed more time to grow whatever this was between us. Even then, I knew she might run when she found out what kind of man I was. I needed more time with her before I let that happen.