Dirty Deal (A Perfectly Matched Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (9 page)

Her skirt was so small and tight that he hadn’t been able to look at her for most of the ride over. If he’d so much as dared, he would have pulled the car over the second he saw her and convinced her to change her mind if only so that he could catch another glimpse of what was underneath that tiny skirt. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought she was teasing him on purpose. Even now, his cock twitched at the thought of having her all to himself.

Q sat at one of the small cocktail tables along the cinder-block wall. He hadn’t noticed, but apparently the two women had been chatting as they’d moved through the crowd, and now they were each in a fit of laughter.

It should have been a nice sight, but it was chilling to see them with their heads together. The mischievous grin on Serena’s face did nothing to help matters, either.

“I’d like to offer a toast.” He raised his glass and the ladies followed his lead. “To the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.” He pinned Serena with a stare and clicked his glass with hers. “And to a wonderful night together.”

Rather than responding to the thinly veiled pass, Serena sipped her drink, but she couldn’t hide the blush on her cheeks. Point one, Bryan.

And the wins just kept coming. For a solid hour, they hung around the table and talked about Q and her business. About what high school had been like. About everything.

It was a strange sort of thing to watch his sister and Serena. After their difficult childhood, Q had abandonment issues, and while she was outgoing, she’d never been one to get close too quickly, but with Serena the friendship seemed almost instantaneous. Within the first hour, the women were already starting to finish each other’s sentences.

In fact, the fates were so in his favor that even the fake girlfriend thing was working like a charm. Girls who had previously latched onto him at events like this tried to inch toward them, but Serena was quick to shut them down, playing her part to the hilt. Probably more than technically necessary, but he wasn’t complaining. It was all going perfectly.

And then Piper showed up.

“Well look who’s here! Hey Bryan, hey Q! Sabrina,” she added, shooting an icy look in his date’s direction.

“Now Piper, don’t be such a witch, you know that’s not her name,” his sister said, leaning closer to Serena and baring her teeth at his ex.

Damn. And things had been going so well.

“How was the apple pie, Bryan?” she asked, pointedly ignoring Q and pinning her too-bright gaze on him.

“You’d have to ask the raccoons,” Serena said with an apologetic shrug. “He was so stuffed from eating all my pie, we had to throw yours away.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. One second, Piper was faking nice and the next, she was tugging her earrings off and lunging for Serena. He stepped between them, and Q held Piper back as she screamed at Serena over her shoulder.

“You scrawny little bitch! You think you can hold on to him any better than I did?”

“Listen here, you crazy ho,” Q hissed. “If you fuck up my party, I’m going to wring your little neck, you hear me? Now either walk away and find some friend who can talk you down or I’m calling the cops.”

Nostrils flared, and she seemed like she was going to argue, but one look at the dead serious expression on his sister’s face and Piper took a step back. “Yeah. Okay.”

“No more trouble tonight. I mean it,” Q warned.

Piper shot one long, last look in his direction before turning on her heel and stalking away.

“That never gets old,” Q said with an eye roll. “Sorry, Serena. You okay?”

“Yeah, we’ve danced this dance a couple times. Tell you the truth, I’m getting kinda used to it.”

Q smirked. “See that? You guys would make a great couple. Maybe you should try—”

“Hey, would you look at that,” he cut in. So much for Q to the rescue. The easy, relaxed vibe at the table was long gone, and now with every word out of his sister’s mouth, Serena’s face grew more panic-stricken. He had some serious backpedaling to do, and the only way to solve things was to get away from the touchy-feely and back toward the…touchy.

Before Piper had ruined everything, it had been going great. Serena was clearly intent on punishing him for his confidence about the way their evening would end. There was a lot of leg crossing and brushing against his shin in the process, or she would lean forward just the slightest bit too far, letting him know that tonight’s lacy bra was a midnight blue that matched her corset-style top.

He wasn’t sure if she planned on following through, but he was going to do everything in his power to see her naked again. Now that Piper had set him back to square one, and Q had started flapping her mouth, he had his work cut out for him.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” He stroked Serena’s hand from across the table, running the pads of his fingers along her delicate knuckles.

“Isn’t this your song?”

“Olivia Newton John’s ‘Physical’ is your song?” Q raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah.” He held out a hand to Serena. “Serena loves oldies. Want to dance? Q, I hope you don’t mind.” His sister shrugged and Serena eyed him warily as she took his hand in hers.

Once they were in the middle of the floor, his hands were on her hips. He pulled her close.

“This isn’t a slow song,” she said and tried to pull back, but he kept her there and whispered into her ear.

“So let’s dance fast.” He swayed against her and pulled back just enough to watch her cheeks flame. He knew she could feel the heat of his desire pressing into her, but she made no move to back away again. Instead, she ground against him more, almost urging him on.

He had no idea what the tempo or song was. Hell, they could have been playing the theme from
Jaws
for all he cared. Serena’s gaze was locked on his, her lips slightly parted, and she didn’t tell him to stop as his hands slid lower, over the curve of her ass, and they danced on.

He pressed his face against her hair again, whispering, “I know what you were doing. Before Piper came over.”

“Do you?” She pulled away and eyed him. “Why don’t you tell me, then?”

“You’re trying to torture me.” He spun her around and then dipped her. Just as he’d hoped, the move had caught her by surprise. She stared up at him, breath caught, and he planted a kiss on her parted lips.

“I’m sorry to tell you it’s not working.” He pulled her back to standing, but this time she didn’t miss a beat.

“Oh, but I think it is,” she responded, grinding against him as if to prove her point.

“It’s true that I want you,” he said. “But the problem is, you want me just as bad. So you’re torturing both of us, and I’m not sure why.”

She forced a laugh, but it was hollow, and her eyes were wide.

Slowly, he ran his fingers down her back and whispered into her ear. “Are you trying to tell me that if I ripped your panties off right now, you wouldn’t be wet for me?”

Her silence was answer enough.

“You’re a grown woman. I’m a grown man. So why do we have to stop? Nobody is going to get hurt.” He caught her earlobe between his teeth and she arched into him. “That is, unless you ask very, very nicely.”

She shivered against him, and he wondered, not for the first time, what they were still doing there. He’d come like Q had asked, but his obligation was fulfilled now, and all he wanted to do was spend a little more time alone with the woman in his arms.

“What do you say we get out of here?” he asked softly.

To his everlasting relief, she nodded without hesitation. “Okay. Let me run to the ladies’ room, and I’ll meet you by the exit.”

She pulled back and gave him a searing look that made him think about following her, but Q would kill him if he didn’t at least say good-bye.

He watched Serena go, unable to drag his gaze away. She was a catch. No question. If he was a different guy, or it was a different time in his life, maybe…

Nope. The whole reason they’d hit it off in the first place was because neither of them wanted anything serious. No point in screwing up a good thing with wishes and regrets. They’d at least have tonight, and maybe even until he had to leave, if he had any say in the matter. Then, after that, it would be a clean break. It was best for both of them.

But damn, was he going to miss her.

Chapter Eight

Serena fussed with her hair in the mirror, but no matter how she rearranged it, it seemed hell-bent on remaining a total mess. Then again, what was the use of putting time into pinning everything in place only to have Bryan tousle her again in his bed tonight?

Because she was definitely not done with him. In fact, she couldn’t wait to finish what he’d so cleverly started out on the dance floor.

A sweet, seductive heat coiled around her spine at the thought, and she rummaged through her purse in search of her pouty pink lip gloss. He was right. There was no reason to be afraid. She needed to stop letting her fear control her every move.

She liked Bryan.

A lot. So why was she trying to fool herself and him into thinking she didn’t? Maybe spending more time with him would wind up biting her in the ass. Maybe she’d be even sadder when he left, but for now? She was going to soak up every second with him and let the chips fall where they may.

She might have to keep her feelings to herself to keep from scaring him away, but she was good at that. Especially since she’d only have to do it until he had to go back. A day that seemed to be coming at warp speed now.

Resolute, she turned to go, heels clicking softly on the floor as she made her way to the ladies’ room door. So softly, in fact, that if they’d been any louder, she might not have heard the quiet sniffle that sounded as she reached for the doorknob.

Normally she would let it go. Not that she was soulless or anything, but if she locked herself in a stall alone to cry, she sure as hell wouldn’t want a stranger bugging her.

And still, something stirred in her at the next pitiful snuffle and made her turn around.

“Um, is someone in here? Can I help?”

There was no answer for a long moment, but then the stall on the far side of the room creaked open and out walked Piper, black mascara streaming down her miserable face. No matter what she might have felt for the woman before, or how bitchy she’d been since day one, all that was crushed by the weight of her pity. There was no denying the anguish that lined her every feature.

Piper didn’t say anything, just rested her palms on either side of the ceramic basin, but Serena didn’t prompt her. She stood, her hip pressed against the concrete wall, and waited quietly to hear what Piper so clearly needed to say to her.

At last, the other woman mumbled something that sounded like, “I knew it was you.”

“Sorry?”

“I knew it was you when you came in here. With the”—she nodded toward Serena’s ice-pick-thin stilettos—”heels and everything. Nobody dresses like that in real life. How can you even walk in those?”

So much for olive branches.
Hold them out in this town and people just use them to torch you.
“Well, this has been real, but I think I’m going to bounce—”

“No, wait, that’s not what I meant.” Piper rested her head against the wide mirror before finally turning to stare Serena in the eye. “What I meant was that when I saw you for the first time, I knew that he would like you. You’re so pretty. And of course you like him back. Who wouldn’t? He’s got this charm about him, you know?”

Serena nodded, though she still backed toward the door. She wanted to help the woman, but there was no telling if she was really coming to terms with things or if she was on the edge of some Single White Female shit, and if that was the case, then Serena was going to make damn sure she was at least near an exit.

“I know it’s…I know I’ve been…” Piper coughed and shook her head. “I can’t do this. I can’t be around him. I saw him drooling all over you on the dance floor, but you’ll see one day, when he’s sick of you. How it feels to be cast aside. I know you think he loves you, but I thought that too once.”

Serena lifted a hand. “Say no more. Message received.”

And it had been. Not only now, but in the million times she’d heard it before tonight. When her mother had said it through tears to au pairs and then over the phone to “business liaisons.” Or when her father had whispered it threateningly to pool boys and tennis instructors. Or when they both silently thought it to themselves when they lived their long, loveless lives.

So what was the difference?

They’d gotten caught up, just like Piper had, just like Serena was now. They’d all forgotten that this infatuation bullshit was fleeting, a spark of a chemical reaction that triggered total insanity in everyone it infected.

But maybe that wasn’t fair, either. Piper’s relationship had ended years ago. And Serena’s parents might never have had a good relationship at all. It seemed like they’d just spent their time collecting tally marks on a never-ending scoreboard. What if, with the right guy, she could do it better?

And what if it’s not worth the risk…?

“Thanks for the warning. Really.” Serena wrestled with the contents of her bag again and came up with a pack of tissues. “Here. Take these.”

Piper palmed them, staring down at the package for a moment before staring up at Serena again. “I’m sorry. None of this is your fault, and I apologize for dragging you into it.”

With a deep breath, Serena scrounged in her purse again and pulled out her business card. “Maybe what you need is a chance to move on. Give it some thought.”

Piper’s face was blank, but she took the card all the same.

With a nod, Serena turned on her heel and strolled from the room, determined to leave Piper—and all the thoughts that had come along with her—in her dust.

For the rest of the night, she was going to be with Bryan and savor every word, every touch, and forget this little run-in had even happened. Tomorrow, she’d think long and hard about everything, when the emotions weren’t so close to the surface.

Five minutes later, they were back in his truck, charging toward his place like they were escaping the zombie apocalypse.

Still, even with the radio blaring and the promise of the rest of the night in Bryan’s arms ahead of her, the image of Piper crying alone in a bathroom stall clung to the back of her mind. For some reason, every time she thought about it, all she could picture was herself in Piper’s place, tears streaming down her face.

Sitting in a bathroom stall, completely and utterly alone.

It hurt. Ached at her insides until her lungs felt dry and she was sucking in air, trying to remember what it had felt like to breathe normally. This was all going too far. Maybe Piper had been the world’s way of letting her know just that.

She closed her eyes, letting the summer wind whipping in through the open window calm her. A few moments later, Bryan leaned in and turned down the volume on the radio.

“I’ve never seen my sister like that before,” he admitted with a grin.

“What do you mean?”

“She just gravitated to you. But I can’t say I don’t understand.” He rested his palm on her thigh. “You have a sort of superpower that way.”

He shot her a look that was just as affecting as the ones he’d been giving her on the dance floor, but in a whole different way. It was warm. And sweet. And so wholly disarming, it made her throat clench. She almost said something. Almost told him to pull over so she could walk home. That if she spent another moment alone with him she’d be totally lost.

Almost.

One more night,
her heart whispered as she looked into his smiling eyes.

Just one more night, for real this time, and she’d let him go…

…

“Did you want a glass of wine?” Serena asked.

She had been quiet on the ride home. Contemplative. As he looked at her even now, she seemed tentative. The quick smile and air of confidence that usually radiated from her were nowhere to be found.

She’d changed her skirt and top and had donned a pair of boxer shorts and a camisole. Her face was pink and shining, having been scrubbed free of makeup, and her long blond hair hung free down her back. She was just as beautiful as she’d been all fussed up, maybe more so. But there was an unsettling vulnerability about her that he’d never seen before.

“No thanks, I’m good.” He closed the gap between them and touched her cheek. “You okay? You look…sad.”

She held his gaze for a second before shaking her head, and then the smile was back, albeit at half the normal wattage. “I’m good. Long night. Long week, really. Lots going on at work.”

He wasn’t convinced but nodded anyway. “Do you want me to go?” It took some doing to force the words out, and his gut tightened as he waited for an answer. Whatever was going on with her, she clearly didn’t want to talk about it, but the thought of leaving her like this when she was obviously down didn’t sit right with him.

And hell, who was he kidding? Going back to Q’s and climbing into his lonely bed had no appeal anyway. He wanted Serena in his arms again.

“Stay,” she murmured, rolling to her tiptoes to press her lips to his jaw. “Please stay.”

He leaned in and took her mouth gently, his blood warming as her tongue slid over his bottom lip. She nipped him and then pulled back to lead him toward the couch with a siren’s smile. He tugged her to a stop.

“What say we try a bed for once?”

It was purely selfish, the desire to see her hair spread out on a pillow or maybe watch her walk to the bathroom dressed only in a sheet. She pursed her lips but then nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, sure.”

They walked side by side toward the marble staircase in silence, and it weighed on him. He wanted to make her laugh or gasp or something…anything to make her feel better. On a whim, he ducked toward her and scooped her up in his arms.

“Jesus!” she squealed, clutching his shirt in one hand and looping her arm around his neck. “Don’t drop me.”

She was chuckling now, and the tension between them faded as he carried her up the stairs.

“I’m pretty impressed, Doc,” she purred, squeezing his biceps and wiggling her eyebrows. “You sure are fit.”

He leveled a wink at her. “Welcome to the gun show.”

She threw her head back and groaned. “Ugh, please tell me you don’t use that line. Wait.” She gaped at him in mock horror. “Is that the move?”

He played along. “It’s part one, yeah. You like?”

She ducked her head low and gave his arm a sharp nip. “Actually, I kinda do.”

As he reached the top of the stairs, she pointed him right before turning her attention to his ear, closing her teeth over the soft flesh there.

“My room’s the second on the left,” she whispered, the warm puff of breath sending a hot rush of blood to his cock.

He made it down the hall in record time and pushed the door open with his foot.

“Damn.”

The room wasn’t just big. It was cavernous. The king-size bed was almost dwarfed in the space, and the vaulted ceilings made it seem even larger.

“Too much?” she asked, laughter still coloring her voice.

“It’s…a lot, yeah. But I like it. Especially the cheetah-print bedding.”

“Well, let’s go test it out, then.” She wriggled in his arms until he set her down. The second her feet touched the ground and she met his gaze, though, his brain went dead. He had nothing. No banter, no moves to bust out, no lines to spit. She took his breath away.

“Serena…”

He didn’t know what he was going to say, but whatever it was died on his lips as she yanked her camisole over her head and tossed it aside, baring her breasts to him. His pulse pounded in his ears, but before he could touch her, she bent low and shimmied out of her boxers.

There was just so much to see. His focus ping-ponged between her pouty mouth and the narrow blond strip between her thighs. The need that had quieted to summer rain ramped up to a tsunami again, and he couldn’t wait to feel every inch of those long, lean legs wrapped around him while she screamed his name.

The need to touch her warred with the need to look at her, and he stepped closer. He closed his hand over the soft swell of her hip and tugged her against him. She gasped, tipping her pelvis against him, grinding her soft parts against his hard ones. He swooped down, taking her mouth, sliding his tongue between her lips and mimicking what he wanted to do with the rest of his body. As her tongue swept out to meet his, the electricity between them snapped out of control. It filled his every muscle, every cell, and what had begun as a simple kiss became infinitely more desperate on a dime.

She looped her arms around his neck and responded to him, giving as good as she was getting. His cock pulsed, and he mentally cursed himself for not taking off his shirt before he kissed her so he could feel those perfect, naked breasts pressed against his chest without anything between them.

Serena pulled away and peered at him through gleaming eyes. “For real, though. I want to see your move this time.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” he rasped.

“Good.” Her voice was husky and soulful. He crushed her against him again, slanting his mouth over hers. Her scent swamped his senses, making his head spin. He traced the gentle curve of her hips, moved upward over her satin skin until he felt the contour of her ribs and, finally, the swell of her breasts. He cupped them gently at first, massaging each before plucking at her tight nipples. With every touch, her hips ground against him harder.

He could feel the wet heat of her pussy through his dress pants, and the last of the blood that had been pounding in his ears rushed to his groin, filling him to bursting.

The need to press her onto her back and slide deep was grinding at him, but he fought it. They’d gone the quickie route. Tonight, he was going to take his time. It might be the last, and he’d be damned if he was going to give her anything but his best. He trailed a path down her stomach, but before he reached her center, she pulled away.