Chapter 28
NOLAN
28
Another Thursday. Another late shift, closing down the bar with Inez.
It’s become our routine over the past few weeks. But it’s not getting any easier, making it through these nights working alone.
Especially when all I can think about is what we did in my office the other night. Damn.
Day and night, I replay our intimate encounter in my mind. I still taste her on my tongue. I still hear the way she said my name. I recall the way she desperately pulled my hair as she came apart with her legs tangled around my head.
But we promised ourselves it would only be one night.
All week, we’ve been trying to act like things are normal between us. At home, we’ve been doing the platonic roommate thing, and she’s jumped at every chance to help me out with Stella.
But here at work, now that all my other employees have clocked out for the night? Things are strained.Every interaction between us only emphasizes how very strong the tension is in the air.
Inez’s interview with Sabrina aired tonight so I was sure to keep the bar’s TV screens away from the entertainment channels.
I’m sweeping up the floors, and Inez is putting away the freshly-washed glassware behind the bar. She’s wearing a strappy little top and a short skirt with schoolgirl pleats. My mind is running wild with all the ways I want to rip her out of that outfit tonight.
While we clean up, I’ve been trying to keep a safe distance so I don’t come across as a creep. But the more I try to keep my cool around her, the more awkward I act. I feel like a pathetic teenager all over again.
Now that I’ve swept nearly every inch of the place, I really need to sweep behind the bar.
“Just gonna get this area behind you,” I say, squeezing around her to sweep under the counter.
“Ope. Sorry.” She slides the wrong way and accidentally bumps into me.
“No worries. My fault.”
She gives me a forced smile as we keep having to move and dance around each other in the tight, shadowy space.
I am going certifiably crazy.
All this holding my desires inside is making me feel like I’m going to explode. It’s like I’m itching to tell my best friend a secret—the biggest fucking secret—and I’m forced to keep my mouth shut.
Eventually, I can’t hold back any more.
I drop my broom and grab Inez’s elbow as she walks past me. The broom clatters to the floor. I swing her around, peering down into her widened eyes.
“Inez?”
“Yes?” She sounds aroused and breathy.
“This friendship thing isn’t working for me.”
“Wh-what? You don’t want to be my friend?”
I finally break down and admit my feelings through my closed throat. “I want more. Dammit. I’ve wanted you all this time. I’ve wanted you for years now. I just…I’ve tried to be good. I’ve tried to not feel this way. But I can’t help myself…”
Inez stares at me, blinking those big blue eyes. But she doesn’t respond. I just poured out my heart, and she isn’t saying a word.
Silence stretches between us.
“Did I…Shit…Did I come on too strong?”
She shakes her head frantically. “No, no. It’s just that…My hand is stuck in this glass.”
“What?” I look down. Sure enough, I find her hand lodged inside a beer glass.
I jump into action, reaching out, and wiggling her hand until it slides free.We chuckle softly together.
“Better?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” She shakes out her wrist and bites down on her lip. “I’ve wanted you too, Nolan.”
“Oh, thank God,” I sigh in a rush.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asks quietly.
“Are you serious? You’re my employee.” I pull a handful of my hair in frustration. “What kind of boss would I be if I told you the things I’ve wanted to do to you?”
Her pupils flare with curiosity. “Things like what?” she asks, all breathy.
“Inez…” I grind out in warning.
“Things…like…what?” she insists, taking a step closer with each word.
I’m a man with self-restraint. But even I have my limits. And when she looks at me like that, I snap.
My hands grip her waist, holding her captive. I lean down over her, feeling a little bit feral. “Things like tossing you up on this counter, spreading your legs apart and burying my hard cock in your soaking, wet pussy. Things like that, Inez.”
She pulls in a stilted breath and mutters, “Holy shit…”
By now, my blood is running hot and my cock is getting harder than a fucking lamppost.
“Look—I never thought you’d be interested in me, all right?” I confess.
“Why…?” she asks, her pretty blue eyes pingponging between mine.
“I’m a simple guy. Just a small town bartender, a single dad who lost out on my chance to go pro at hockey. Why would you want a life with me when you can have any guy in the world? It was hell, watching you on that reality show with that big movie star, knowing that’s the kind of man you deserve and knowing I could never be that for you.”
Her forehead furrows and her eyes narrow with annoyance, her hands on my chest, burning a hole through my shirt. “None of that was ever important to me, Nolan. All I ever wanted was someone to care about me. Truly care about me. It didn’t have to come with the glitz and the glam.”
I take her face with both hands, stroking my thumbs over the apples of her cheeks. “But you’re a star, Inez, and you deserve that kind of life. You deserve diamonds and a mansion on the beach and lobster dinners every night.”
She shakes her head. “I would trade all the red carpets and camera flashes in the world for one night in your bed. Does that make me pathetic?”
Damn. Her words are like an arrow to my chest.
“Never.” Still holding her sweet face in my palms, I trace my fingertips over her cheekbones again.
“Nolan?”
“Yeah?”
“Kiss me,” she demands on a rushed breath.
My skin grows hot all over and my pulse throbs in my ears as I slowly lower my mouth to hers. She exhales, her body loosening against mine just as her arms lock behind my neck.
Our lips come together. And the voice in my head trying to remind me that I shouldn’t do this again? That fucker doesn’t stand a chance.
She opens her lips against mine and my tongue delves inside, licking and tasting and savoring the sweetness of her.
The kiss is intense and frantic. The kind of kiss that lights all your nerve endings on fire and makes you forget to breathe.
My hand finds the back of her neck, squeezing lightly as I hold her in place. When she moans into my mouth, I let my palms skim down her spine and over her lower back before cradling the generous globes of her ass.
“Fuck, Nolan,” she pants into our kiss when I press her up against my raging erection.
I expect the hungry monster thrashing around in my pants to scare her off. But she doesn’t pull away. Instead she plasters herself against me, her hips gently rolling against mine.
I back her up until I’ve got her completely crushed against the nearest hard surface. Now, I’ve nailed her against the edge of the bar and I’m shamelessly grinding my pelvis on her.
Shit—I’m dry-humping Inez Machado like my life depends on it. We’re nothing but horny high schoolers, stealing a forbidden moment together. This is pitiful.
But her body is screaming that she needs more of me. She grabs me by the collar and jerks me closer as one shapely leg comes up around my waist.
Desperate for more access, I grab the back of her knee, pulling her other leg up and lifting her off the ground. The way she groans into my mouth sends electric sparks through the room. I kiss her, dirty and deep until my lungs are begging for air. “More…” she breathes out. “I want more of you.”
A wicked grin unfolds across my face. Eager to please her, I’m pushing barstools out of the way and letting them clatter to the floor. I’m clenching her hips and hastily lifting her onto the bartop.
“Oh my gosh—I’ve fantasized about this,” she says with a short-winded laugh as her fingers sink into my hair.
“You and me, both,” I admit, ripping the straps of her top over the curve of her shoulder to access more of her skin. My lips are on her jaw then on her throat before finding the valley between her breasts.
The next sound out of her mouth is a guttural moan as I cover her nipple with my tongue. She falls backward onto her elbows, offering her perfect tits up to me. A saltshaker rolls over the edge. A pile of laminated menus follows suit. But neither of us gives a shit. For me, nothing else in this room exists except Inez’s body spread out on this counter.
“You are so fucking sexy laid out on my bartop,” I growl. “Do you know that?”
Her eyes are fluttery and dazed. “You’re making me feel sexy right now. You’re making me feel beautiful.”
“Baby, you’re beautiful all on your own. You are absolute perfection.” I smile at her and she gives me a breathless smile back.
Pushing the hem of her top out of the way, I kiss her a path up her ribs, nibbling and licking at her skin before my hands dive beneath her skirt. She pulls in a harsh breath when I yank her panties right off, dropping them on the floor.
Might as well. They’re absolutely ruined anyway.
I’m ravenous by the time I duck between her open thighs. “Oh my god,” she whispers softly the moment my tongue touches her clit. “Oh god. Eat me, Nolan.”
I chuckle, watching the way her little bud throbs when my breath ghosts over her skin. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m about to devour this delicious pussy like it’s my last meal.”
With my face buried at her core, I get lost in her. Lost in the feel of her warm, soft thighs clamping around my cheeks. Lost at the sweet smell of her arousal. Lost in the way her fingers pull at my hair. And the way she says my name—over and over and over like a mantra—it makes me dizzy with power.
I feel so fucking powerful. Knowing that I’m the one making her body sing. I’m the one making her writhe with ecstasy. I’m the one bringing her right to the edge of her control.
At the end of the day, the single dads may not get the superstars. But tonight, I’m the one taking this superstar all the way to the moon.
Gripping my shoulders, she begins to shake violently. Having her right on the edge of her orgasm, I close my mouth around her clit and slide a finger inside her slick opening. Her womanhood is an inferno, hot and tight and pulsing around my knuckles, begging to be stuffed.
“Another finger?” I ask her because I like to see her desperate, I like to feel her body begging.
She bobs her head vigorously. “Another finger.”
Letting a smile unfold across my face, I give her what she wants, adding a second finger. Giving her what she wants is quickly becoming one of my favorite things in the world. Making this woman happy makes me so overwhelmingly happy.
One little curl of my fingers is all it takes and her body goes taut. A rush of wetness bursts onto my lips and hand as she screeches my name.
Her orgasm stretches out, her knees gripping me in a headlock. I smile against her pussy, absolutely loving it here.
When she finally collapses atop the counter, she’s a panting, sweaty, gorgeous mess. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. I scoop her up into my arms.
“So fucking pretty,” I whisper, brushing away the hair that clings to her forehead.
Her arms come around my neck for balance and I cover her mouth in another kiss. To make sure she can taste herself on my lips. So she knows how sweet she is. So she understands why I’m addicted to her flavor.
She’s panting when she breaks free of the kiss, looks at me with dazed eyes and makes another simple demand. “Fuck me.”
Whoa.
I don’t know why that demand takes me a little bit by surprise. I want her. I do. I want to take her home where I can spread her out on my bed and fuck her senseless for hours.
But there’s so much at stake here.
I hesitate. “We could be setting ourselves up for disappointment,” I warn. She and I both know that things between us can’t go anywhere. She’s looking for the real thing. I’ve accepted that a love like that is not in the cards for me.
Inez smirks. “Thanks for the heads up, Boss Man. To be honest, I’m not really coming into this with high hopes, knowing that you kiss like a bearded toilet plunger and all.”
“What?!” I choke out a laugh.
“Sexual performance is probably not your biggest strength. That’s okay. I’m a simple girl.” She sends me a playful wink.
I fail to fight back a smile. Then I reach my hand under her skirt and smack her butt for teasing me. “Always so fucking sassy.” Damn. I love the way her flesh feels under my hand.
Inez lets out a little yelp. “Nolan Theodore Brighton—did you just spank me?” She laughs disbelievingly, her jaw hanging open.
“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve warned you about that mouth of yours.”
Her laughter falls away and her face shifts, suddenly becoming serious. Biting her lower lip, she stares up at me. “I’ve wanted you for so long that—to be honest—I don’t care about the consequences. All I care about is us, right now, in this moment.”
Shit. This woman is so sexy. And so damn out of my league.
But I’m a greedy asshole. So I kiss her again.Fuck it. “So you want me to fuck you?”
She nods, grazing her lips along my jaw. “I’m dying to feel your cock inside me, Nolan. I want it so much.” She slips her hand down the front of my jeans, brushing her fingers over my length.
My knees falter beneath me.
I lean down and taste her lips, so ready to get her completely naked. “You willing to beg for it like a good girl?”
She whimpers against my mouth, tangling her legs around my waist. “If you want me to. I’ll beg for it.”
Securely locking my arms around her back, I grab my keys and carry her toward the emergency exit. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”