Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I leaned in, so close I could smell his skin. The bite of aftershave and sweat and the solid heat of him made me forget this was all for show and wonder what it would be like to land a bad boy like this in my bed.
Scratch that. This wasn’t a bad boy. This guy was all man. Head to toe.
He tilted his head and finally let his lips brush my ear. “Last chance to back out?” he said.
I almost laughed. I tipped my head back and let him see my gaze. “I don’t want to back out.”
He pulled me closer and rubbed my nose with his in an intimate gesture that stole my breath. The guy really knew how to put it on thick. “Your man’s watching.”
“He’s not my man anymore.”
The guy glanced back at Brett. After a few seconds, he looked back at me and a slow smile spread across his face. “Fair enough.”
The man’s hand slid up my back and he pressed his mouth to mine, slow and deliberate, like he wanted to mark me, or, at least, make this a kiss I’d never forget. He gave me heat and passion and made the room spin on its axis. My fingers dug into his shoulder. We kissed and kissed…
And Brett watched it.
Chapter Two
Inferno
Lord, the woman could kiss.
She tasted like us-against-the-world and that attitude appealed to me on a level I couldn’t explain, even to myself. For the first time since Noose had been killed helping to rescue Oktober’s woman, I felt a spark of life back in my soul.
There were some nerves in her. I’d watched her weighing her decisions, and she knew this wasn’t her smartest move. I also could see her hurting and knew that rejecting her right now would do more than bruise her ego. Had she said something about her birthday? I couldn’t remember. Especially not when her nimble tongue darted out and found mine with a little flick.
This wasn’t about her ex. Not really. At least, I thought this was more about her fighting back. If she’d truly been the man-eater her dress implied, I was fucked. But I didn’t think so. She didn’t have that look about her. I kissed her back anyway, letting her lead but giving her encouragement along the way. When I opened my eyes hers were closed and a dreamy smile filled her face.
Her fingers curled in my shirt possessively. When she finally opened her eyes they were wide and glassy with adrenaline. I felt the tremor under all that bravado she pushed to the front.
“You don’t have to --” she started, voice rough with the scrape of what she’d done.
“I know,” I said, and waited. She didn’t get up. If anything, she settled her weight more firmly against my body. Her right hand found my left forearm, and her thumb traced the old latticework of burns and tattoos there like the texture soothed her somehow.
“Thank you for playing along,” she said.
I shook my head. “You make your own rules tonight, birthday girl.” I grinned at her and she seemed to like my answer. Her wrap slipped off one shoulder when she reached for her beer, and that’s when I saw the old burn marks. Oven rack, maybe? Something horizontal and linear. They were mostly pale lines, but one looked more recent than the others.
“I’m Juniper,” she said finally, giving me the name.
“Inferno.”
The ex made a show of laughing with the blonde but kept his eyes on us. The woman in his arms saw it and stiffened, glancing our way with a concerned look. Darby, who had never cared for drama unless she was the cause, sipped a beer. She stood next to Sully now, and they both focused squarely on me.
I looked back at Juniper. “Anything you wanted for your birthday, sweetheart?” I let my mouth graze her ear, breathing her in. She shivered but didn’t let go of me. Good. The world could burn to ash for all I cared. As long as she kept her body pressed to me, I’d watch it burn and laugh. I was surprised at how good she felt. Even the club whores hadn’t interested me lately. Sure, Noose’s death had affected me -- had affected all of us -- but with all my brothers finding old ladies, I found I longed for a woman of my own, not a warm body in my bed.
“You’re not what I expected,” she murmured, voice rough, that bravado slipping the more she settled into my hold. “But you’re good at this.”
I huffed a laugh. “Yeah? I got a lot more tricks up my sleeve.” I curled my arm tighter around her waist, turning her so she straddled my hips. Her dress rode up farther, but I moved her wrap from her shoulders to drape around her waist. The tops of her thighs were covered by the material and my hands. It gave the look of intimacy without my hands straying into forbidden territory. And it was all I could do not to slide them around behind her to grip that pert ass. “You just gotta let me know how daring you’re feeling, birthday girl.”