“So, you’re a man-whore? Should have known.” I downed the rest of the Long Island in front of me. The thought of his hands on some of the skanks I saw around the place made my blood boil. Okay, the thought of his hands on anyone other than me did it, but did I expect him to have been a monk before me?
No. It wasn’t rational.
“It was just sex, Delilah. Fucking,” he mumbled low enough for just me to hear.
I could feel the bile rising in my stomach, my expression slipping, exposing my displeasure.
That’s right, just sex. You don’t mean anything to him other than a good f**k.
I jumped, flinching when I felt a hand on my leg, right above my knee. Nathan’s hand gripped tight, his thumb making small circular patterns on my skin, placing a fire in their wake. His scent enveloped my senses as he whispered in my ear, “I don’t want them.”
He didn’t include me in that comment, as he would previously, grouping me along with the rest of his fan club. A step, I supposed, but a step to what? To him f**king me at his whim? If I was being honest with myself, I wanted more. But I would take whatever he would give just to have a part of him.
“I need another drink,” I said as I turned for Nathan to let me out. His face was hard and unreadable, and his grip on my leg tightened. My heart rate sped up; he always managed to touch me in a way that excited my body and made it rebel.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” His gaze moved to the empty glasses in front of me.
“Are you my f**king father? No, I didn’t think so. Let me the f**k up so I can get another drink.” I was fuming, no doubt about it. He finally relented, and I pushed past him and through the crowd, clamoring for a drink.
Up at the bar, I tried to get the bartender’s attention. Tried, but failed.
“Need help, pretty lady?” a slimy voice asked from behind. I could smell the alcohol wafting off him without even turning around. I crooked my head to find a good looking, but drunk as all hell blond man.
“No thanks, I’m fine.” I returned back to my task of getting the damn bartender to acknowledge my existence.
“Suit yourself.”
After finally getting some attention, I got a Hard Lemonade and headed out to the dance floor where Caroline and Ian were grinding away. I joined in, the booze and the music taking me away from my inhibitions, and I danced.
My eyes were closed, hips swaying to the beat. A body pressed up against mine, but not the one I wanted. There was an arm around my waist, a hand at my hip. The touch was foreign, not what I craved, what I needed, but in my inebriation, I let it stay.
He pulled me back into him, and felt his arousal. The hand on my hip worked its way up my waist, skimming the side of my breast.
It was wrong, all wrong. It wasn’t his hands, his body—Nate. That was who I wanted. Nate.
A chill ran down my spine, igniting my body. I didn’t even have to open my eyes to know Nathan was there.
“Can I cut in?” His voice was low and menacing. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me, anger vibrating off of him.
“Wait your turn,” a drunken voice said from behind me. I tilted my head back to see the blond that had been at the bar. Ew, I was dancing with him?
Nathan snarled. “I’m not asking.”
Funny, people snarled at me in the past, but it had always been frightening. Not so with Nathan; he was turning me on.
“Okay, man, shit, take her,” blondie said as he backed away and pushed me at Nathan. I crashed into his chest, hands gripping his shirt. I was unable to stop myself from breathing him in.
“What the f**k was that about?” I pushed off him.
Instead of an answer, he grabbed my arm and pulled me from the dance floor. “You’re letting strange men put their hands all f**king over you!” His grip tightened.
“What the hell do you care, Thorne? Huh?”
“Because, you are mi—”
“This guy bothering you, Lila?” A familiar voice boomed out over the music, cutting off whatever Nathan was about to say.
My head snapped to the side to find a familiar silhouette, and my gaze rose to find an annoyed set of eyes trained on the hand gripping my arm. It looked like he was waiting for the go ahead to tear it off.
A gasp escaped my lips as I looked at my very pissed off ex-boyfriend. “Andrew?”
The rising tension was almost palpable in the small area we occupied. Andrew was there, standing next to me, ready to rip Nathan apart. A pissing contest seemed to commence while Nathan’s hand remained in place, his fingers still digging into my arm.
“Let go of the lady,” Andrew warned, fists clenching at his side.
Nathan’s eyes flickered to mine before going back to Andrew. Instead of releasing me, he pulled me closer to him. Andrew’s hand reached out to grab Nathan, and I knew what I had to do.
Stepping between the two, I grabbed the front of their shirts and pushed them apart with as much force as I could muster. Which, considering their sizes compared to my own, wasn’t much.
“Enough! Jesus, knock it off.” I glared at them. “Nathan, you can let go now. Drew, back off.”
“He was grabbing your arm, Lila. Hard.” Drew’s steely gaze was leveled on Nathan.
“Yes, after saving me from some drunk sleaze on the dance floor,” I explained. Well, it was pretty much true. “Then he proceeded to lecture my drunk ass about watching out for myself.”
Andrew’s jaw opened and then closed, looking from me to Nathan. “Really?” He looked like he was still dubious of Nathan’s reaction and harsh grip, which was warranted as Nathan was still on the defensive side.
“What’s going on?” Caroline came up to us, her eyes taking in our stance.
“Just a misunderstanding and too much testosterone,” I assured her.
Andrew visibly relaxed, but continued to be on his guard. It took Nathan longer. What had Nathan been about to say? My stomach churned as an insane curiosity swept through me. And what was he so angry about now?
“Okay, then,” Caroline said, looking between all of us. “We ordered another round of drinks back at the table. Join us, Drew?”
Andrew’s gaze moved down to me as if he was searching for something before answering. “Sounds great, Carrie.” His familiar good natured grin lit up his features. He swept me up in his arms for a hug then extended his hand outward, indicating for me to go first. “After you, Lila.” It was apparent he didn’t trust Nathan enough to let me walk in front of him.
No. It wasn’t rational.
“It was just sex, Delilah. Fucking,” he mumbled low enough for just me to hear.
I could feel the bile rising in my stomach, my expression slipping, exposing my displeasure.
That’s right, just sex. You don’t mean anything to him other than a good f**k.
I jumped, flinching when I felt a hand on my leg, right above my knee. Nathan’s hand gripped tight, his thumb making small circular patterns on my skin, placing a fire in their wake. His scent enveloped my senses as he whispered in my ear, “I don’t want them.”
He didn’t include me in that comment, as he would previously, grouping me along with the rest of his fan club. A step, I supposed, but a step to what? To him f**king me at his whim? If I was being honest with myself, I wanted more. But I would take whatever he would give just to have a part of him.
“I need another drink,” I said as I turned for Nathan to let me out. His face was hard and unreadable, and his grip on my leg tightened. My heart rate sped up; he always managed to touch me in a way that excited my body and made it rebel.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” His gaze moved to the empty glasses in front of me.
“Are you my f**king father? No, I didn’t think so. Let me the f**k up so I can get another drink.” I was fuming, no doubt about it. He finally relented, and I pushed past him and through the crowd, clamoring for a drink.
Up at the bar, I tried to get the bartender’s attention. Tried, but failed.
“Need help, pretty lady?” a slimy voice asked from behind. I could smell the alcohol wafting off him without even turning around. I crooked my head to find a good looking, but drunk as all hell blond man.
“No thanks, I’m fine.” I returned back to my task of getting the damn bartender to acknowledge my existence.
“Suit yourself.”
After finally getting some attention, I got a Hard Lemonade and headed out to the dance floor where Caroline and Ian were grinding away. I joined in, the booze and the music taking me away from my inhibitions, and I danced.
My eyes were closed, hips swaying to the beat. A body pressed up against mine, but not the one I wanted. There was an arm around my waist, a hand at my hip. The touch was foreign, not what I craved, what I needed, but in my inebriation, I let it stay.
He pulled me back into him, and felt his arousal. The hand on my hip worked its way up my waist, skimming the side of my breast.
It was wrong, all wrong. It wasn’t his hands, his body—Nate. That was who I wanted. Nate.
A chill ran down my spine, igniting my body. I didn’t even have to open my eyes to know Nathan was there.
“Can I cut in?” His voice was low and menacing. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me, anger vibrating off of him.
“Wait your turn,” a drunken voice said from behind me. I tilted my head back to see the blond that had been at the bar. Ew, I was dancing with him?
Nathan snarled. “I’m not asking.”
Funny, people snarled at me in the past, but it had always been frightening. Not so with Nathan; he was turning me on.
“Okay, man, shit, take her,” blondie said as he backed away and pushed me at Nathan. I crashed into his chest, hands gripping his shirt. I was unable to stop myself from breathing him in.
“What the f**k was that about?” I pushed off him.
Instead of an answer, he grabbed my arm and pulled me from the dance floor. “You’re letting strange men put their hands all f**king over you!” His grip tightened.
“What the hell do you care, Thorne? Huh?”
“Because, you are mi—”
“This guy bothering you, Lila?” A familiar voice boomed out over the music, cutting off whatever Nathan was about to say.
My head snapped to the side to find a familiar silhouette, and my gaze rose to find an annoyed set of eyes trained on the hand gripping my arm. It looked like he was waiting for the go ahead to tear it off.
A gasp escaped my lips as I looked at my very pissed off ex-boyfriend. “Andrew?”
The rising tension was almost palpable in the small area we occupied. Andrew was there, standing next to me, ready to rip Nathan apart. A pissing contest seemed to commence while Nathan’s hand remained in place, his fingers still digging into my arm.
“Let go of the lady,” Andrew warned, fists clenching at his side.
Nathan’s eyes flickered to mine before going back to Andrew. Instead of releasing me, he pulled me closer to him. Andrew’s hand reached out to grab Nathan, and I knew what I had to do.
Stepping between the two, I grabbed the front of their shirts and pushed them apart with as much force as I could muster. Which, considering their sizes compared to my own, wasn’t much.
“Enough! Jesus, knock it off.” I glared at them. “Nathan, you can let go now. Drew, back off.”
“He was grabbing your arm, Lila. Hard.” Drew’s steely gaze was leveled on Nathan.
“Yes, after saving me from some drunk sleaze on the dance floor,” I explained. Well, it was pretty much true. “Then he proceeded to lecture my drunk ass about watching out for myself.”
Andrew’s jaw opened and then closed, looking from me to Nathan. “Really?” He looked like he was still dubious of Nathan’s reaction and harsh grip, which was warranted as Nathan was still on the defensive side.
“What’s going on?” Caroline came up to us, her eyes taking in our stance.
“Just a misunderstanding and too much testosterone,” I assured her.
Andrew visibly relaxed, but continued to be on his guard. It took Nathan longer. What had Nathan been about to say? My stomach churned as an insane curiosity swept through me. And what was he so angry about now?
“Okay, then,” Caroline said, looking between all of us. “We ordered another round of drinks back at the table. Join us, Drew?”
Andrew’s gaze moved down to me as if he was searching for something before answering. “Sounds great, Carrie.” His familiar good natured grin lit up his features. He swept me up in his arms for a hug then extended his hand outward, indicating for me to go first. “After you, Lila.” It was apparent he didn’t trust Nathan enough to let me walk in front of him.
