Chapter 18
Shit. Shit. Shit.
What the hell was Spencer doing here? Out of all the bars in Vegas, how was it that we chose the same one for the evening? And what were the fucking odds this was happening again?
Technically, my client chose the bar.
“This is Sky, my girlfriend.” My client’s voice tore me away from the stolen moment between Spencer and me from opposite sides of the bar. When I looked in his eyes, it was as if no one else was around us. It was just me and him—no clients, no work, and no hidden identity.
“Hello, it’s so nice to meet you all. Cal hasn’t been able to shut up about how excited he’s been for this reunion.
” I smiled through the pain of having to be focused on the task at hand—pretend to be this guy’s girlfriend for the night, dress a little risqué to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, and talk about how amazing he was in every aspect.
BARF.
But my mind was wrapped around the six-foot-four man staring at me so greedily that I could feel my skin begin to flame. As if I could brush away the way he made me feel, I gripped the back of my neck in discomfort, fidgeting with my hair.
“Sky, you alright?” Cal asked.
“Oh, yeah. Of course. Sorry, must have spaced out there.” I faked a giggle.
“Sky, is that you?”
The familiar voice made the hair on my skin stand straight.
“Wow, Spencer! Long time no see.” This was entirely too much acting for me tonight. When I signed up for this gig, I wasn’t supposed to run into anyone I knew. I didn’t run in a wealthy circle. My bubble of people in this city was small and we certainly didn’t hang around places like this.
Spencer moved in for a hug so quickly, I didn’t have much time to react.
“Bathroom,” he whispered, his lips grazing ever so slightly against my ear.
When he broke our embrace, it was back to pretending he was some long-lost friend, and I was Sky.
“Jayson, right?” I assumed since Spencer was putting on a show that Jayson had to be up to speed with my life outside of serving drinks at the pool.
“J-Jayson Jennings? Sky, why didn’t you tell me you knew the best hockey player in the league?”
Uh, the fuck? Because I don’t. I mean, I didn’t until a few days ago apparently.
Cal was a stuttering, fan-boying mess—clearly a huge hockey fan.
“It’s been a while. Must have slipped my mind.” I forced a laugh.
“I was actually just headed out of here and wanted to say hello to you before I left. It was great to see you again, Sky.” Spencer winked before he walked away, most likely toward the bathrooms.
“Wait, uh, does that mean you’re leaving too, Jayson?” The fan boy in this man was disgustingly desperate.
“I was thinking of staying for another drink. You wouldn’t mind if I crashed the party, would ya?” Jayson directed his question at me, waiting for my answer.
“No, no. Of course not. I’m actually going to let you guys chill for a minute, if you don’t mind. I need to run to the bathroom. Think I had some bad shellfish or something.” I awkwardly smiled before excusing myself.
Jesus, Avery. Couldn’t think of a better excuse to get away?
With every step closer to the bathrooms, my heart raced faster. What was this conversation with Spencer going to be like? And why the hell did I seem to run into him on every shift I worked lately? Did he put a tracker on me or something? And why were we always meeting by the bathrooms?
As if he was Batman himself, Spencer shot out of a dark corner, grabbed me around the waist, and scared the shit out of me in the process.
“Jesus Christ, Spencer.” My hand clenched my chest. “What are you doing here?” I whisper-yelled.
“I was going to ask you the same question. This is Jayson’s favorite spot. He asked me to meet him here for a couple drinks after I got off work.” The smell of bourbon on his breath took me back to the first night we met. How badly I wanted to taste it on his tongue when we were just strangers.
“I guess it’s just another crazy coincidence then because this is where my client needed me tonight.”
“What if I said he wouldn’t need you anymore?”
My eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Come with me, I’ll explain.” Without waiting for my answer, his fingers interlocked with mine, pulling me into a restroom that was bigger than my van.
It was an open, family style bathroom with deep green subway tile on the walls, one toilet, and a marble white counter with gold finishes. Obviously, based on the bar we were in, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the high-end bathroom.
Spencer flipped the lock after pulling me inside.
As I waited for his next move, I rested against the countertop. He stepped toward me in slow motion and my breath hitched when his hands found my waist again. I had to crane my neck just to get a good look at his jawline.
“Jayson is going to keep him occupied for the night. I don’t think your client will mind, do you?” His finger brushed along my shoulder, moving my loose waves to my back.
“I-I don’t know.” His touch made me lose my train of thought.
“Based on how he was reacting back there, I think it’s safe to say he’d rather hang out with Jayson. No offense.” He winked.
“None taken.” My eyes wandered from his dark eyes down to his lips. “What did you have to pay Jayson to hang out with his super fan while you whisked me away?”
“Nothing, babe. That man doesn’t need my money. He’s just a hell of a friend.”
“Seems he is.” I could only manage a few short words. He stole my breath with each small touch and a stare so intense it made waves in my stomach.
Unsure of how it was possible, he stepped even closer to me. Our bodies now pressed up against each other so tight I could feel my heartbeat ricochet off him.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Avery.
You haven’t left my mind since last night—long before that, actually.
I need you to understand that I want to kiss you again.
I can’t leave here without having your lips on mine.
” I could hear my heart in my ears, responding to his gruff voice, pounding so loud that I couldn’t help but listen to it.
My heart was screaming at me to dive headfirst, to take a chance on him—on myself.
“A kiss? Is that all you want?” I swallowed thickly.
“And so much more, Bella.” His grip grew tighter around my hips.
“Then take what you want from me. Right here, right now.” I swallowed. “I’m yours tonight.” Eager to get my hands on him, my fingers roamed over his thick forearms.
The tight hold he had on my hips intensified for a split second. Within a blink of an eye, he lifted me, setting me on the cold marble.
“Mine,” he growled before grabbing the back of my neck and pulling me a breath away from his lips.
With his free hand, he found my thigh, working his strong digits up the skirt of my dress.
When my mouth popped open at the feel of him touching my bare skin, he showed me what it was like to be his, claiming my lips with a bruising kiss.
The whole world seemed to slip away in that moment. Every time I was with this man, the less I feared responsibilities, and the more I wanted to give myself over to him.
He was wild and sexy. Unlike any man I’d ever been with.
Being around him made me feel different.
There were tiny strings pulling on my heart, each one tied to a different emotion I hadn’t felt in years …
or ever. With him, I felt desired. Wanted.
I felt giddy at the idea of when I’d get to see him next.
I lived for the moments he would brush his fingers along my skin, press his lips to the fine lines sprinkled across my arms, and burn my sensitive flesh with the coarseness of his beard.
We were in a bathroom making out, desperate for each other. With each swipe of his tongue against mine, a feeling deep in my stomach brewed.
Want.
Need.
Desire.
Internally, I was screaming for more. The tighter he gripped my thigh, the more intertwined my fingers became in his hair, tugging, and pulling with every dip of his tongue.
His fingers crept up my dress, so close to my center I could feel my panties grow damper with every stroke of his thumb gliding along my inner thigh.
Spreading my legs, I invited him in. Tonight, I wasn’t on his payroll. There would be no guilt for giving in and taking what we both wanted.
His groans and my whimpers mixed in a perfect harmony of yearning. Just when I couldn’t take the heat of his palm lighting up the inside of my leg, I broke our kiss.
Panting, I begged, “Please, touch me. I need to feel your hands on me.”
His eyes turned dark, sucking me into them like a black hole. “You wet for me, Bella?”
“See for yourself, Daddy.” Taking my hands out of his hair, I leaned back on the counter with my teeth digging into my bottom lip so hard I could draw blood.
Resting back on my hands, I widened my legs even further, waiting for his next move.
But when he tore his hand away from my leg, a ping of disappointment stabbed me in the chest. He didn’t say a word; he didn’t let his eyes slip away from mine.
He just licked his lips, and ever so torturously slow, rolled up one sleeve at a time, exposing the black ink on his forearms.
My mouth watered at the sight of them. Even with the tattoos covering his skin, his veins still popped from his arms. Once his sleeves were rolled up, he didn’t waste any time placing his hands back on my thighs. Gradually, his heat inched up my dress, pulling it up with his touch.
“By the way you’re looking at me, I’d guess that you’re soaked beneath these panties.” Both of his pointer fingers brushed against the lace of my underwear, drawing a needy moan from my lips.
When my head tilted back, his fingers latched onto the lace, ripping them open and exposing just how drenched I was for him.
“Oh my God,” I moaned at his abrasiveness.
“Don’t worry, I’ll buy you another pair.”
“I don’t even care. I just need you to touch me, Spencer.”