Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Bishop
Fuck.
I’ve been wanting that invitation since I got here, and the look on her face right now reminds me of exactly how much I miss her. But I have to tell her the truth first. If I take advantage of her good mood tonight, she’ll never forgive me. But saying no comes with its own risks.
“Tiring out on me already? I thought you had a few more songs in you.”
“No, I mean…” she starts, and then she must see the hesitation on my face because she immediately takes a step back from me.
“Oh. I, um… Okay. Well, thank you for the dance. I think I’m good and warmed up again.
I’ll have to take a turn with someone else, or we’ll get the gossips going on a new theory. ”
“Jones, I’m not—”
She holds up her hand and shakes her head, dismissively, before there’s a curt “Thank you!”
Then she’s off like a shot, weaving her way through the dance floor so fast I’ve already lost her.
But it doesn’t take me long to see where she went, or at least where she’s headed.
I should be happy it’s not Carson, but the booth she’s headed for might be worse.
I manage to snatch her wrist just as she moves to step up into the booth.
“What are you doing?”
“Talking to Ledger.” She nods over her shoulder, and I see him beam with amusement that the Crown Princess of House Stockton has chosen him.
“Dance another song with me.” I tilt my head back toward the dance floor.
“No. I’m all danced out. I want to save my energy.”
“Then let’s get you some water.”
“I’m good, Bishop. Truly. Thank you, but I’m covered. Ledger can keep me company and be a bodyguard. Can’t you?” She turns to flash him a bright grin, but he looks to me.
There’s a silent exchange between us. One that tells him if he so much as pretends to go along with her plan, I will bring a world of hurt to his door. He’s pissed, but he flashes her a reluctantly sad smile in return.
“Afraid I can’t tonight, darlin’.”
“Because you don’t want to or because a certain mercenary is applying pressure to a pain point?” Aspen raises a brow in his direction.
“On duty tonight, and you deserve someone’s full attention.”
Aspen relents and whirls on me instead.
“You can’t warn off every guy in this bar.” She tries to storm past me, shoulder-checking me as she walks, but I snatch her around the waist and haul her up one-handed. I don’t exactly have a plan yet, but I’m hoping if I get her alone, we can talk this through.
“Try me.” I turn my back to the door to our left and lean back into it to open it.
There’s a dark hallway with a light at the far end.
It goes behind the bar to some back rooms and a bank of elevators that access the top floors.
I’m getting her up to her room before she does something we’ll both regret.
“Put me down.”
“No.”
“I’ll scream.”
“You can try.”
“This is utterly ridiculous. I’m a grown woman. You can’t just snatch me out of a bar and put me to bed like a child.”
“Watch me.” I’m a man of few words right now. I’m trying hard to concentrate, but the way she’s wiggling to free herself from my arms, her skin brushing over mine, and her breathing heavy, coupled with her earlier invitation, has me on the edge of doing something I know I shouldn’t.
I slam the button to her floor. I’ve been watching her all night since she got to the hotel.
Her check-in. Her dinner. Her walk from the hotel room to this bar, the three drinks she had while she waited, and the four men who made a move in her direction before I had them summarily removed.
Levi planted an idea in my head, and I can’t stop myself from imagining the possibility.
One I only have a shot at if I can clear these first few hurdles.
Hurdles that are being lit on fire now that I’ve pissed her off.
“How do you know what floor I’m on?” She inhales sharply when she sees the number light up.
“It’s my job.” I let her drop to her feet again once the doors shut and the elevator starts to move.
“You’re as bad as Levi!” She lunges to hit a different button, but I put my body between her and the panel.
“Nah. I might be worse.” I take two steps forward, and then a third that has her pinned up against the back of the elevator.
“This won’t work.” She glares up at me, folding her arms over her chest. “I can just leave the room as soon as you’re gone.”
“Then I guess I’ll be staying the night after all.” I place my palm on the panel above her head, and I can see the way her eyes flicker with interest at our proximity.
“Absolutely not.”
“I don’t want to see you do something you’ll regret tomorrow because you’re pissed off at me tonight.”
“My decisions have absolutely nothing to do with you.”
The hell they don’t.
“You running into Ledger’s arms right after I turned you down? It’s hard to believe those aren’t related.”
“Well, believe it.” She lifts one perfectly arched brow and lets out a frustrated sigh.
“Do you hear yourself? You assume you’re the center of my plans tonight, when in reality, anyone could have done just as well.
Like I said, I’m just trying to fill a blank space so I can move on to better things. ”
“You asked me to come up. So you’ll forgive me for thinking it was me you were after.”
“You snatched me away from Carson and told me you didn’t want to see me with anyone else.” Her eyes flash with fresh understanding and lift to meet mine, hardened by whatever thoughts she’s having. “Is that what this is? You don’t want me, but no one else can have me either?”
The elevator dings and the doors open. She takes the opportunity to duck under my arm and rush through them, speed walking her way to her room.
I’m on her heels in rapid time, though, leaning against the doorframe as she works to find her key.
I’m trying to find my own calm. The two of us have always fed off each other’s energy, and right now, we’re heading for something explosive if I can’t bring the temperature down.
“Jones. Can we just talk for a minute?”
“I told you, I’m done talking. Done dancing. And done with whatever this is we’re doing now. I have better things to do with my free time.” She rifles through her purse, not bothering to look up at me.
“If I hurt your feelings, that wasn’t my intention. You know you’re gorgeous. Any man on earth would be lucky—”
She holds up her hand to stop me, her eyes piercing me with a warning.
“Stop! Oh my god. Please stop. Whatever this is, it’s worse.
You don’t need to let me down easy. I heard your no loud and clear, and I moved on.
Can’t you do the same?” She sucks in a sharp breath, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was holding back tears.
“Just quit hovering around and leave me alone! God! Where is this infernal fucking key!” She shakes her purse again.
I reach into my pocket and withdraw a copy of her key, sliding it over the keycard reader until it lights up green. The lock clicking loudly in the otherwise quiet hallway. Her eyes go wide as she looks at me.
“How do you have that?” Her brow descends.
“No. Forget I asked. That’s a silly question.
I know how you have it. My brothers just let you waltz right back in and give you access to everything.
And you just walk around like you own the place.
” She storms into her room, tossing her purse on the side table inside the suite.
“Thinking you own me. Telling me what I can and can’t do tonight.
” She heaves out another frustrated sigh and glares at me out of the corner of her eye as she slips out of her heels.
She sinks three inches in the process, but she’s no less terrifying.
“What was your plan anyway with that key? Just storm in on me having sex with someone? You know two can plan that game. I have access to all those keys and rooms too. I can wait until you’re hooking up with someone.
Poised to finally get the fucking orgasm you desperately need to release all the stress, and I’ll just bust in and sit down and start telling her all about that time you got poison ivy on your ass from letting me—”
I kiss her. I shouldn’t. And I shouldn’t haul her up into my arms and pin her against the wall.
She nips me in response, her teeth digging into my lower lip until she almost draws blood.
Right before she drags her lips over mine and kisses me back.
Her legs wrap around me as I take our kiss deeper.
She whimpers when I trail kisses down her throat, grazing her skin with my teeth before I nip her back.
I grin against her skin as she rolls her hips to meet mine.
She still likes that. Still likes me. Wants me against her better judgment. Which makes two of us.
I press another kiss to the slope where her neck meets her shoulder, digging my fingers into her ass before I force myself to tell her the truth.
“I want you. More than anything. But I need to make a confession before things go any further. I need you to hear me out.” I ease her down to the floor again, and her eyes search mine.
“Something that can’t wait until tomorrow?”
“No. You need to decide how you feel after. It’s something I don’t know if you can forgive.”
Her face falls, and she looks away. “If this is you telling me you’re leaving again—”
“It’s not. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t know that tonight is the right time. You’ve had drinks, and—”
“I only had a couple of drinks. Not enough to make me forget anything.” She slips out from under my arm, muttering, “Clearly,” under her breath.
She gets a bottle of water out of the mini fridge and hands one to me.
“Tell me. There’s not much I hate more than being told someone’s about to drop a bomb on me and then whipping my anxiety up in anticipation of hearing it. ”