Chapter 5
GRADY
“ A pologize,” I said, my voice low and controlled. The kid dangled in my grip like a fish on a hook, his feet barely touching the floor.
“What the hell? Dude, let go?—”
“I said apologize.” I gave him a little shake, just enough to rattle his teeth. “You called her a bitch. Tell her you’re sorry.”
The other two idiots were on their feet now, puffing up like roosters. One of them stepped forward. “Hey, man, back off. We were just talking to her.”
“No,” I said without taking my eyes off the kid in my hands. “You were bothering her. She told you to leave. You didn’t listen.”
Felix watched from behind the bar, probably calculating whether he needed to call the cops or just sweep up the pieces when I was done. The redhead—the woman they’d been harassing—sat perfectly still, her beer in her hand, watching the whole thing with interest.
“Look, we don’t want any trouble,” the tall gangly fucker said, his voice cracking slightly.
“Then you should’ve thought of that before you started harassing a woman,” I said coldly.
The moment I heard “bitch,” I was already moving. Didn’t matter how far across the floor I was. That word pissed me off and I would have stood up for any of my patrons who had been called that in anger. It wasn’t just because she was beautiful.
“Who the fuck are you?” asked the third kid that I had almost forgotten about.
“I’m the owner,” I growled, nose to nose with him. “And nobody disrespects women in my bar.”
His eyes bugged out. “Hey, man?—”
“You apologize to the lady,” I said, giving him another shake.
He struggled, flailing a little like he thought he had a chance. After a summer spent hacking through brush and digging trenches in jungle heat, I was made of solid granite and the guy might as well have been made of packing peanuts.
“Let me go!”
“Tell her you’re sorry,” I said, shaking him harder. “You can say it or I’m calling the cops and you can learn manners the hard way.”
His mouth opened like he was going to comply, which was almost disappointing. I was spoiling for some action. Not a brawl. Just a little extra excitement. Then he swung at me.
It wasn’t even a good punch. It connected with my jaw in a glancing, messy kind of way.
Like a kitten batting at a tiger. It barely turned my head.
I was seriously disappointed. He was making not only him look bad, but what kind of man would I be if I beat the shit out of an annoying little gnat like him?
As much as he deserved an ass-whooping, I let go of him and shoved him hard.
He landed on the floor like a sack of laundry, groaning and trying to get to his feet.
His two little backup dancers advanced at once, all puffed-out chests and bad decisions.
They ended up knocking over the woman’s table in the process.
Her beer dumped right down the front of her shirt.
She gasped and jumped back, soaked from shoulder to stomach. That ruined shirt was now clinging to her like a second skin. And fuck me, it showed off a black lacy bra that was suddenly visible through the pink shirt that was pretty much transparent now.
And now she was on display and that pissed me off. They didn’t deserve to see her bra or anything else.
“Big mistake, boys,” I said, turning toward them.
They hesitated when they saw the fury on my face.
I could practically hear the confidence leaking out of them like a deflating balloon.
Lenny, my bouncer, had finally decided to bring his ass out of the bathroom and was now stalking toward us.
Poor Lenny. We didn’t get a lot of excitement in The Library.
The typical drunk frat kids but nothing too violent. This was his lucky night.
Then came Felix. Five-foot-six, full of attitude, and holding an aluminum bat like he was ready to swing for the fences.
“Apologize,” I said again, pointing at the one still on the floor.
He glared at me but I saw him doing a little mental math. Technically, it was three on three but Lenny counted for three and Felix had a bat. And then there was me. I could have handled all three of these losers on my own.
“Sorry,” he finally muttered.
“Louder,” I snapped. “Like you fucking mean it.”
“I’m sorry!” he barked, eyes darting to the girl with the wet shirt.
“What are you sorry for?” I asked.
“For calling her a bitch,” the guy said.
“That’s right,” I told him. “There’s only one bitch here and that’s you.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry.”
The woman gave him a dry stare like he was shit on the bottom of her shoe. “I’m sure you are—now.”
Felix stepped forward and poked the kid’s thigh with the bat. “Up.”
Lenny grabbed the other two by the backs of their necks like naughty kittens and marched them toward the door. I watched until they were all gone and then turned back to the woman.
“You okay?” I asked.
She looked down at herself, waterlogged and still catching her breath. “Yeah,” she said. “I’ve dealt with jerks like that before.”
I stepped closer. “You’re shivering.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re soaked.”
“I’ve been wetter.”
I didn’t know if she said it on purpose or if my brain was stuck in horny mode.
Dr. Rios had gotten my motor running and I needed to get laid.
That lace was practically tickling my cock.
Well, not actually, but I could certainly imagine it doing exactly that.
I loved lace. I loved black lace even more. If the panties matched?
I had to stop my thoughts. Already, my traitorous cock was stirring to life.
“Come on,” I said. “I’ll get you a towel. I might even have a spare shirt.”
“I’m fine,” she said.
“You’re displaying a little more than I think you want to be,” I said.
She looked down again and immediately stretched an arm across her boobs. “Great.”
We headed through the back hall. I unlocked the office and pushed the door open for her.
“Don’t judge,” I said. “We’re both busy and paperwork is not something either of us likes to mess with.”
I walked into the attached bathroom and cringed. It was a guy bathroom. Nothing frilly or pretty. I snatched one of the towels and took it back to her. “You can go in there if you want to clean up the beer,” I said. “I’ve got a new box of merch.”
“Merch?” she asked.
“Shirts. Advertising.”
“Oh.”
I dug into the box full of merch and pulled out a shirt. I checked the size and handed it to her. “This should fit.”
She held it up and raised one eyebrow. “‘The Library Likes Them Stacked?’”
I winced. “My co-owner had just gone through a divorce. He was going through a phase.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You’re the owner?”
“Co-owner,” I corrected.
I watched her disappear into the bathroom. The faucet turned on but she didn’t close the door all the way. I had to keep myself from peeking in.
“Clever name,” she called out. “The Library.”
“Thanks,” I replied.
“Thank you, if I forgot to say it earlier,” she said. “For the rescue. And the shirt.”
“No problem.”
“I don’t usually get saved by guys who could bench press a mammoth.”
“I’m more of a mastodon guy.”
I heard her laugh softly. “Same difference.”
“We try to keep the vibe mellow. Frat guys don’t come in much. But it’s the start of the school year, I guess. Fresh meat. They don’t know the vibe yet.”
She gave a little huff. “Well, they know the vibe now. That’s for sure.”
She returned to the room wearing the shirt that might have been just a little on the smaller side. Her other shirt was in her hand. Not the bra. That meant she was still wearing it. The lace was cupping her beautiful breasts. I had never been jealous, but right now, I was jealous of lace.
“Better?” I asked, trying not to stare at how the shirt hugged her curves.
“Much. Though I feel like I’m advertising something I know nothing about.” She gestured at the slogan across her chest.
“Trust me, you’re wearing it better than anyone else ever has.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. She raised an eyebrow. This was probably the moment she either slapped me across the face or ran out of there. But that wasn’t what she did. Instead, her gaze dropped to my mouth. That was when I knew it wasn’t just me feeling a pull.
There were moments in life when you should be cautious. Then there was that old saying about grabbing the bull by the horns. The air in the tiny office was thick with sexual tension. This was like the jungle with Yelena but hotter. Steamier. I took a step closer to her, testing my theory.
Her pink tongue darted out and licked her lower lip. She wanted me. It wasn’t exactly a novel thing, but I wanted her too.
“I don’t want to sound like those assholes, but I’ve never seen you here before,” I said. I was within reach of her.
“Because I’ve never been in here.”
I nodded, my eyes locked on hers. What the fuck was happening? Why did I want to bury my cock in this woman so badly? I didn’t even know her name.
I oh so casually tested the waters further and reached out to use my fingertips to push one fiery strand of red hair away from her face. She didn’t pull away. “What’s your name?” I asked softly.
She smiled. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but does it matter?”
I chuckled. “Maybe.”
I swore I could see actual electricity crackling between us.
“Is this the part where I grant my hero a kiss?” she asked softly. “My knight in shining armor.”
I flashed a grin. “If you’re so inclined, yes.”
I lowered my mouth to hers, fully prepared to brush my lips over hers and call it good. But the second my lips touched hers, all that sizzling chemistry ignited. She grabbed the back of my neck and pulled my face closer to hers.
Her mouth opened under mine. My tongue immediately delved inside. I tasted beer and something sweet, something uniquely her. My hands found her waist, pulling her closer until there wasn’t an inch of space between us. She made a soft sound against my mouth that went straight to my cock.
This was supposed to be a simple thank-you kiss. Polite. Brief. Instead, I was devouring her mouth like a man starved, and she was giving as good as she got. Her fingers tangled in my hair, tugging just hard enough to make me growl.
I stumbled backward when she practically climbed up my body. I fell onto the couch, saving us both an embarrassing moment. In the back of my mind, I realized this was my office. She was a stranger. I had no idea who she was or what she wanted.
But the feel of her curves pressed against me, the way she nipped at my bottom lip, the little gasp she made when she straddled me drowned out every reasonable thought I’d ever had.
With the new position, I couldn’t resist the urge to check out that black lace. I pushed up the shirt, jerked down the lace, and immediately closed my mouth around her perky nipple.
“Oh shit,” she moaned. She ground her hips against my hard cock. Heat enveloped me.
What the hell had the woman done to me? I felt like I was under a spell. With her hips doing hard, slow circles against my cock, I continued to devour one nipple and then the other. I needed two mouths and six hands. I wanted to touch her everywhere at once.
She moaned again with her hands tugging at my hair. Tugging and pulling me against her boobs at the same time. I got lost in her.
“Woah! Is that a Roman promise pendant?”
I pulled back, her nipple popping free. I looked at her face. I wasn’t sure if I was lust drunk or if she really just asked me that.
“It is,” I said. “It’s super hot that you know that.”
She flushed. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s nerdy, I know. I’m a grad student in anthropology. I should’ve just shut up. Let’s keep going?—”
“Oh no,” I said, my stomach plummeting. I pushed her off me, moving as quickly as I could to put some distance between us.
She blinked. “Wait, what’s wrong?” She jerked the lace over those perfect tits and pulled the shirt down. Her lips were pink and puffy from our aggressive kisses.
“I don’t mess around with kids from the university,” I said.
Her jaw dropped. “Kids? Excuse me?—”
“It’s a rule I have. A hard one. I don’t care how hot you are, or how grown you think you are. You’re from the university. That makes this impossible. I want to fuck you and that’s not good. Bad. So bad.”
“I’m not a kid,” she retorted.
“I believe you,” I said. “But this isn’t about you. It’s about me. And I’ve been around this block before. It doesn’t end well.”
She shook her head. “One second you’ve got your face buried in my tits and the next you’re shoving me out the door.”
“I’m nicely asking you to leave. For your sake and mine. If I had known who you were, I would have never let it get this far.”
She hesitated, stunned. And then she shot me a dirty look. I watched her pull the shirt over her head. The black lace dared me to go back for another round but it was quickly hidden away when she pulled on her wet shirt.
“Asshole,” she muttered and stormed out the door.
I flopped back on the couch, still hard as hell, still tasting her on my lips, still catching the faint scent of vanilla, and shook my head.
“Fuck me,” I groaned.
I had dodged a bullet but there was a part of me that was regretting it. Never ever had I lost control like that. Maybe I had drank more than I thought. No. I was stone-cold sober. Whatever just happened was on me. I couldn’t blame it on the alcohol.
She just had that kind of allure. Too bad she was a damn student. Nothing could ever happen between us.