The Bachelor: a one-night stand boss romance

Chapter 4

Avery feltthe air rush out of her lungs. She’d been holding it all in waiting to hear what Shane would say and he’d just gone from kind to ridiculous. He was laying it on way too thick, and while she appreciated his sympathy, she didn’t need him going off the deep end. “Lord,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Are you sure you weren’t drinking tonight?”

“Not a drop. What? Why can’t I think you’re beautiful?” He seemed perplexed by her response. “Is it because you think I’m someone who is going to bullshit you?”

She thought he was charming, and probably too old for her, but she didn’t think he was trying to manipulate her. She thought he was trying to make her feel better, only it made her feel self-conscious. She was not a mesmerizing kind of girl. She didn’t inspire longing in men and not once had anyone even written her a poem, or a song, or even a sexy text. “I think you’re trying to be nice.” Her throat tightened a little as she fingered her purse sitting on the table next to her coffee. “And I appreciate that.”

“I’m not that nice, truthfully. I don’t give compliments for no reason.” His voice was low, his expression earnest. “I think you absolutely are beautiful.”

Damn it, she did not want to cry. She wasn’t going to cry. She blinked hard. “I think I should leave you to your waffle. I’m going to head to my hotel.”

He sat up straight, stiffening. For some reason, she had the sense she had actually hurt his feelings by not accepting his compliment. But him being hurt was the least of her concerns at the moment. Her overnight bag had been in Ben’s truck too—not that she had thought of it until now—and she was suddenly weary. Ready for a few hours of restless sleep in a bed she had intended to share.

“What hotel? Wherever it is, I’m not letting you walk there alone, are you nuts? Besides, you can’t just stroll into a hotel in the middle of the night and get a room.”

She sighed. “I made a reservation at a hotel. It was supposed to be a romantic night for me and Ben.”

Shane gave her an expression of disgust. “Well, let me take you there and then I promise I’ll get out of your hair.”

She wanted to be alone. Not listening to a sexy-as-hell stranger blow smoke up her ass because he felt sorry for her. But she nodded. “Thank you, for everything. Truly.”

He nodded. “You’re welcome. I know it was under miserable circumstances, but I enjoyed meeting you, Avery. You remind me of home.”

Maybe that’s why he was flirting with her. Nostalgia.

Opening her purse, she pulled out a twenty to pay for the coffee and his waffle. It was the least she could do for hijacking his night.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “Take your money back, Avery. Seriously, don’t insult me.”

“You would be at home if it wasn’t for me,” she pointed out. “Just let me say thank you.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t have you pay for my food, I just can’t. Everything inside me will die.”

That actually made her laugh. “That was dramatic.” She stood up. “Fine. But I’m going to pay it forward tomorrow.”

He smiled. “Perfect. Now what hotel am I taking you to?”

She pulled her phone out and found the confirmation email. She showed it to him. Shane’s eyebrows rose.

“Fancy.”

“A little.” Or a lot. She had chosen it based on its reputation as a hotel for couples. Intimate. Sexy. Ugh. She felt stupid all over again. “But I guess it’s convenient that I have it so I’m not homeless tonight.”

Shane pulled out his wallet and dropped two twenties down on the table. He waited for her to walk first then followed behind her. When he dropped his hand on the small of her back she shivered, and it wasn’t from the air-conditioning. His presence was bigger, more dominant than Ben’s. More sensual.

Suddenly, Avery wanted him with an ache she felt all the way to the toes of her cowboy boots. But she knew she shouldn’t do anything like that because she would enjoy it. Looking at Shane, that was one thing she didn’t doubt and she wasn’t sure how she might feel about that later. But a part of her was so starved for a tender touch, if Shane offered, she didn’t think she could refuse.

“Where do you live?” she asked him, apropos of nothing.

“East Nashville.”

Where the cool kids lived. She wasn’t surprised. Whatever Shane did for a living, he was obviously successful, but not flashy. His clothes and watch were expensive and his tip for the waitress had been high. Very high. He seemed like an intriguing mix of a businessman and a trendsetter. “What do you do?” she asked him as he pushed open the door for them to exit, curious if he was in the music industry or some other creative venture.

“I’m a manager,” he said.

That told her precisely nothing.

The night air was still surprisingly warm. She closed her eyes for one second, wishing she could hear silence. But cars and a distant train and voices shattered that desire. She needed to clear her head and she wasn’t sure where to do that in Nashville. At home, she would have gone riding. She missed her horse. Well, it wasn’t her horse. Just the horse at the stable she always rode. Maisy. She missed her chestnut mane and her soulful brown eyes. Maisy always soothed her.

“Is your motorcycle nearby?” she asked. “I’d love a ride.”

Shane tilted his head and looked down at her, studying her. “Right now?”

“Yes,” she said, even though she knew it was reckless. “I need some fresh air. I feel like I can’t breathe here.”

“I don’t think the air is any fresher in East Nashville if that’s why you’re asking where I live.” He gestured to the left. “But I’m happy to take you for a ride right now. My motorcycle is down this way.”

“I don’t want to go to that hotel alone,” she blurted, before she even knew she was going to say it. “I don’t want to go to bed knowing I won’t be able to sleep.”

He would think she was insane. He would drive her to the hotel and wash his hands of her needy ass. She wouldn’t blame him for that. It was the smartest thing to do and he’d already done far more than any man should reasonably be expected to do.

Yet Shane stopped on the sidewalk and turned to her. He reached out, ran his long fingers through her unruly hair, brushing it gently back off of her face. His thumb ran down over her cheek, then dragged across her lip. She felt a stirring deep inside her, and she stared up at his eyes. They were brown. Not amber or mocha or hazel. But a warm brown, the rich depth of a chocolate sauce on her ice cream. They had an emotion she couldn’t pinpoint and she didn’t try to. She just stood there and let herself be right there in the moment, vulnerable. There was no strength left in her to walk away, to break that gaze. He may have teased her that she was hypnotizing, but he was the one who held her in his grip.

“Well, Avery, I guess there is only one thing to do then.”

Her heart rate was increasing and she felt a little breathless. She sounded like it too when she asked, “What’s that?”

“We just won’t go to bed. We’ll make the night last until day.”

Lord, the man was so sexy. She felt her nipples tightening, her breasts growing. And there was no pretending that she wasn’t damp down south either. “I don’t want to be a bother,” she told him, even as she rocked towards him, her palm splaying across his chest. “I’m sure you have plans tomorrow that require sleep tonight.”

“You’re not a bother, Red. You’re the most interesting thing to happen to me all week.”

She usually hated being called Red. But she didn’t ask him to stop. Instead she fished just a little harder. “Just all week? How many crying girls do you pick up off the street in a month?”

He laughed softly. “You’re the first and most likely the last. Now come on, let’s grab my bike and I’ll give you the ride of your life.”

Common sense told her she was being stupid. Potentially putting herself in harm’s way.

But the Avery who didn’t feel like a woman, who had never had an adventure, who felt the weight of the good-girl label pressing down on her shoulders from birth, didn’t give a flying fig. She just wanted to forget all about Ben and his wandering penis, and feel…free. Free of Rock Creek, free of the people who lived in judgment of her mother and of her. Free of Ben and his rules, his control over her. Free of an expectation of mediocrity.

Free to enjoy the attention of a smoking hot man.

“Just tell me when to hop on and what to hold on to,” she said.

His eyes widened. “Damn.”

He stepped back and held out his hand for her.

She took it.