Chapter 6 Dean
CHAPTER SIX
Dean
Igive Sloan a minute to process my words until she nods at my unspoken admission.
I never meant any of the cruel things I said to her.
I never wanted to hurt her. I convinced myself that I didn’t have a choice.
I didn’t want to put her in danger, because even then, I could see how much she craved it.
“I won’t say I’m sorry,” I tell her.
“I wouldn’t believe you if you did.” She shrugs before reaching into the refrigerator, pulling out two bottles of water, and passing one to me. “Tell me more about this job. What do I need to do besides dance?”
“Watch and listen,” I tell her. “The primary focus right now is finding out who attacked Maxine Talbot. We know they will lead us to the heart of the problem plaguing the south side of town.”
“That’s what my sister said,” she says with a nod before her eyes snap to mine. “Wait. Does my sister know about this?” She waves her hand between us.
“No.” I shake my head. “She’ll probably try to castrate me when she finds out since she already told me you were off limits.”
“You’re on your own with that one.” Sloan laughs and for the first time, it’s not loaded with sarcasm.
I relish the sound, knowing that this camaraderie may not ever happen again when she finds out just how far I went to get us to this point. I’m tempted to come clean now, but it’s too soon. This truce is too new. I need to show her how good we can be before I let her know the whole truth.
“Thanks a lot,” I say with a grin before stepping around the kitchen island she’s purposely left between us. I’m relieved when she doesn’t flinch away from me as I reach for her hand. “I need you to know that the customers who will come into the club are dangerous…really dangerous.”
“I know.” Her voice is shaky, but it’s not from fear. She’s feeling the same desire I am. “I trust you to keep me safe.”
I swore to myself that I would keep this platonic until she knew everything.
I always meant to make her mine. I just didn’t want to take that step under false pretenses.
But hearing her admit that she trusts me is my undoing.
I lift my free hand to her chin and tip her head back to hold her gaze, making my intention clear as I bend my head until my breath fans across her mouth.
When her tongue peeks out to wet her lips, I close the distance and chase it with my own.
She opens for me with a whimper that has my cock testing the strength of my zipper.
I drop my hands to her waist and lift her to sit on the island, bringing us close to the same height so I can deepen the kiss.
Her legs wrap around my waist, and she uses her feet to pull me into her as her hands dive into my hair.
My jeans and her thin leggings are no match for the heat coming from her center, making my dick weep into my underwear. When I thrust against her, she breaks the kiss with a loud moan. I should stop this, but now that I’ve heard that sound, I refuse to stop until I see her fall apart.
“Hold on to me,” I tell her as I pull her from the counter and walk into the living room.
I sit on the couch with her straddling my lap before lifting my hand to collar her throat as I tell her, “Ride me. Use me to get yourself off.” I keep my hand there, feeling her pulse race as she obeys my command.
When her legs begin to tremble and her moans turn desperate, I draw my fingers together, restricting some of her blood flow without cutting off her air.
I hold her gaze, making sure she knows exactly who’s making her fly as she shatters.
I move my hand to the back of her neck and pull her into another kiss as my other hand drops to her perfect ass to hold her to me until her aftershocks end.
When she drops her head to my chest, I wrap my arms around her, holding her to me as she breathes through the aftermath of the storm I just caused.
I know as soon as the endorphins wear off, she’ll be on her feet, spewing hate at me all over again.
But I’m going to enjoy the feeling of her in my arms until she does.
I let out a chuckle when her head snaps up and she looks at me with a mixture of shock and renewed lust.
“I still hate you,” she says with my favorite sly grin.
“That’s okay,” I say with a shrug. “Remember that line between love and hate?” When she scoffs, I stand up, holding her under her thighs as I whisper against her mouth, “It’s even thinner between lust and hate.
” Then, I drop her to her feet and turn her toward the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. “Now, go change your drenched panties so I can take you to the club and show you your new stage.” I draw my hand back and smack her ass before laughing at the lust-filled glare she shoots at me over her shoulder.
“I love this car,” Sloan says an hour later as we drive the long way around town to get to the club.
“Oh, yeah?” I ask as I shift into sixth gear. “So you hate me, but you love my car?” I step on the gas, relishing the sound of her giggle as the exhaust purrs beneath us.
“Pretty much,” she says as we fly around the curves of the mountain.
“Good to know,” I tell her.
What I don’t tell her is that I bought this car after my cyber stalking revealed that she’d been looking at this model last year.
I knew her finances wouldn’t let her get the one she wanted.
Hence, the reason she’s still driving the same Charger she had in college.
I shopped for one similar to the ones in her search history, but this baby has all the bells and whistles.
Instead of the basic Challenger, I went with the SRT Hellcat Redeye.
I whip into the parking lot behind my new club and kill the engine before turning to Sloan as she pants and fans her face dramatically.
“That was almost better than…” She looks at me and grins. “Nevermind.”
“I’ve got to admit,” I say as I lean across the center console to get in her space. “I like this playful side of you, Sly.”
“My name is…” she starts as she reaches for the door handle.
“Sloan!” I shout, cutting her off and successfully stopping her from getting out of the car. “You don’t get out of the car alone here…ever.”
“Okay.” She drops her hand to her lap and waits for me to get out and scan the area as I walk around to open her door.
As soon as she steps out, she asks, “What about when I drive myself to work? Am I supposed to call you to escort me inside?” She’s aiming for her snarky tone, but I can tell her question is genuine.
“Yes,” I tell her as I place my hand at the small of her back to guide her to the employee entrance.
“What if you aren’t here?” she asks as I hold my thumb to the keypad to unlock the door.
“If I’m not here…” I pull her inside and close the door before turning to face her. “Then, you’re not here. No exceptions.”