Chapter Eight #3
The lady drew a face and returned her attention to her friends.
“Possessive.”
“Of you? Absolutely not. We basically got a divorce today.”
“Happy divorce-iversary,” he deadpanned without missing a beat.
“Gross.”
“I’ll buy you some lilies for it next year.”
“You saw me at the flower shop?”
“Yeah. I had to Google what that stupid looking flower you bought was. At first, I thought that guy had bought them for you.”
“I don’t need a man buying me flowers. I learned I have to buy them for myself. I got some bulbs too. I’ll be growing my own by next year, so save your eight bucks and buy some manners instead.”
He snorted and then hung his head. His shoulders shook with his laugh, and she pursed her lips against a laugh of her own. That was a pretty lame joke. She felt very middle-school right now.
He had been lined up for a shot but stood up straight and whoo that smile. He was still laughing quietly, his head leaned back, his Adam’s apple prominent in his muscular throat. He gripped the pool stick and shook his head. “Where have you been?”
“Literally right under your nose,” she murmured. “If you are going to take all night, I’m going to go.”
“You want to leave?”
“No, I’m taking my turn,” she said, grabbing a cue stick off the wall. She chalked it up and lined up a shot at one of the striped balls, since he’d hit a couple of solids in.
“Hold up, you know how to play?”
She shot the six into the side pocket.
“Surprise. My ex taught me.” She smiled demurely. “I mean my ex before you. The one you tried to return me to.”
He growled and ripped his gaze away from her and busied himself chalking his cue stick. “I thought you said you wanted to learn how to play.”
“I told you I wanted to learn how to play better. I wanted you to help me practice. I thought it would be fun for us to do together, but you always left me at the house or at the hotel room.”
“It’s not even your turn,” he pointed out.
“I don’t care,” she said, repeating his words, and infusing just as much truth into her tone.
When she missed the second ball, she looked up at him, and he was watching her with this hungry look she’d never seen on his face before. It made her stomach clench. He was probably an animal in the bedroom. Too bad she would never find out.
“I like when you dress like this,” he said.
“Yeah, well, I’ll be back to my normal clothes tomorrow.”
“I like those too,” he said softly.
“That can’t be true.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you couldn’t bring yourself to touch me in them.”
The smile faded from his lips. “Look—”
“Why did you send me that text?”
“What text?”
“You said you should’ve kissed me.”
His eyes went wide. “Did you get all of the texts?”
Confused, she asked, “How many did you send?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Ten?”
“You messaged me ten times after we broke up, you fuckin’ stage five clinger.”
He snorted. “You blocked me. It felt safe to say what I wanted.”
“Because I wouldn’t see it?”
He lined up his shot. “Exactly.”
“Why did you text me that one?”
He shanked the cue ball and muttered a curse, then stood to his full height. “Because it’s a regret. I got the message about our Arrangement being officially dissolved and I don’t know, Delta. I just typed out a regret and sent it. I didn’t know this one would go through.”
“You’ll never know what I taste like,” she told him. Whatever had freed her up to say exactly how she felt, she was thankful for it. It was the anger inside of her, perhaps.
“You think so?” he asked in a gravelly voice.
“I know so.”
Nate…Nathan…lifted his chin higher into the air and stared at her with those blazing gold eyes. A slight smile curved the corners of his lips. “I wish I would’ve known this side of you before you filled out that damn paperwork to ruin us.”
“Maybe if I had known this side of you, I would’ve filled it out faster.”
“Lie.” His smile stretched bigger. “You just lied.” He approached slowly. “How about we make a little bet.”
She rested against the pool table and gripped the edge with her hands. “What kind of bet?”
“I bet you will let me taste you.”
She shook her head. “Run the table, and I will let you kiss me.”
“Run the table?” he asked, humor in his eyes.
“All of the balls, not just yours, and you can’t miss a single one. Eight ball goes last, naturally.”
“Naturally.” He nodded thoughtfully, then leaned into her. An inch from her lips, he murmured, “Deal.” Then he eased back and started lining up shots.
Shot after shot, he made and he called every single pocket too. But when he got to the last couple balls on the table, he missed a bank shot by millimeters.
He closed his eyes and rolled his head back. “Fuuuuck,” he groaned.
“You win some, you lose some,” she teased. “Want to lose at darts next? I’m decent at them too. You never asked personal questions about me, so I figured I will just offer information about myself from now on, friend.”
“Delta-Girl,” he warned as she walked away.
Whoo, she liked when he called her that. “Hmm?” she asked innocently as she turned and walked backward.
He was still standing there, head cocked, eyes the color of fire. “You tease too much.”
She shrugged. “Maybe you should’ve practiced pool more while you were eating all those dinners alone.”
Nathan hung his head and then looked up at her, fiery eyes only. That smile was so damn sexy.
Oh, she’d always thought Nate was handsome, but tonight he was something different altogether.
He was raw masculinity, and recklessness, and sex appeal. Her wrist still tingled from where she’d felt his teeth. Her knees still tingled from where he’d rubbed her skin there. Her neck still tingled from where he’d nipped her.
If she stayed near him by the pool tables, she would give into him. She knew she would. Walking away felt safer. Being near the Pack, where they could talk some sense into her felt safer.
What would you do if I gave myself to you again?
Probably squander it.
He’d been truthful. Nathan had always had her attention, but now?
He felt even more dangerous to her heart.
She liked getting to know the real him, but she could never trust a man who could throw her away so easily.
She would be damned if she was any man’s game ever again.
Nathan grabbed her arm and yanked her around, pulled her in and his lips collided with hers.
His hand went to her throat, his other to the back of her hair where it gripped it gently and guided her backward.
His mouth moved against hers so smoothly, she closed her eyes and fell into him.
His tongue stroked into her mouth, and God, he tasted divine.
Her shoulders hit the wall and he was on her, every part of him pressed against her as he angled his face the other way and kissed her mindless.
The sound of his kiss as he lapped at her filled her head, and she gripped his wrist. Don’t let go, I’ll fall.
His hand squeezed gently at her throat, and his other tightened in the back of her hair before he dragged his touch down her ribs and pulled her closer by her waist.
This wasn’t some gentle is-this-okay kiss.
It was a forest fire that burned her up in an instant.
It was heat, and desperate touching, and gripping her skin wherever he could find purchase.
It was thirsty. It was needy. It was helpless sounds from her as he consumed her.
She didn’t know how long he made out with her for, or where they even were.
They could’ve been in the middle of the dance floor for all she knew.
She didn’t care to find out. He devoured her, body and soul, and when she was nothing but a husk of the woman she used to be, he broke the kiss and eased back.
There were no forehead kisses or words of endearment at the end of it. There was both of their breathing, the rise and fall of both of their chests, there was clutching hands like they would fall if they let go. There was a helplessness as she tried to speak. “Wh…what…”
He shook his head, and it settled her questions.
His eyes were like fire as he stepped back and dropped her hands. He clasped his hand over his jaw and she would never forget this, right here.
At some point, his hat had fallen off, and he stooped to pick it up, then replaced it over his mussed hair.
They were in the hallway by the bathrooms. He paced to the mouth of it, his hands on his hips, then turned back.
He stood there, his profile to her, his chiseled chest rising and falling with his heavy breath.
He licked his lips and smiled. “I should’ve done that a long time ago.”
She swallowed hard, completely stunned into stillness.
He tipped his head toward the main room of the bar. “Let’s go, Delta-Girl.”
“I think…” Why was her chest so tight? “I think I need a minute,” she whispered.
And there was that devil’s smile again. Nate…Nathan…nodded.
Stumbling, she made her way into the women’s bathroom and leaned her shoulders on the door as it swung closed.
Holy. Hell.
Her phone buzzed, and in shock, she pulled it out of her purse and looked at the screen. Nory had sent her a video.
When Delta clicked play, she realized Nory had taken video of Nathan kissing her.
Her stomach clenched with wanting as she watched him storm up to her and grab her arm and pull her to him. The way he kissed her…holy shit. His entire body was reaching for her as he pushed his tongue into her mouth over and over.
No man had ever kissed her senseless before, but Nate…Nathan…he’d taken over her mind completely. The video cut off when Nathan guided her into the hallway.
You aren’t over, Nory texted.
Baffled by what had just happened to her body, Delta brushed her fingertips over her throbbing lips. Before she could change her mind, she saved the video and texted it to Nathan.
Whatever game this is, you win, she typed out with shaking fingers. Send.