Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel (2 page)

“Are you asking me to take you home?”

Caution lurked beneath her sensual mask, but her hand reaching up to rest neatly between his pecs defied question. “I think…maybe I am.”

Her bravery to step up and take a risk stirred a fire within him. Cupping her hand beneath his own, Ransom slid it down his stomach to his groin, letting her feel the bulge between his legs. A bulge that turned rock solid when those plump lips of hers parted on a silent gasp.

“Are you sure? I thought you weren’t supposed to talk to strangers, let alone get into a car with one.”

“Do you have candy?” she said with a laugh.

“I’m sure I can think of something to give you to suck on.”

Her eyes widened and she swallowed. It took several heartbeats, but he watched as she drew up another batch of courage. Eyes on his, her breasts pressed against his chest, the nipples hard points that gave rise to illicit thoughts—among other things—and the hand she held against his cock gave a gentle squeeze.

“Take me home, Ransom, so we can get to know each other better.”

Well hell. He’d tried to be respectful and give her a chance to change her mind, but he was no boy scout, and who was he to try and dictate a woman’s thoughts anyway. Given an opportunity like the one she was offering, Ransom would be crazy to say no.

So he didn’t.

Prying her hand from his dick, he took a moment to drop a couple bills on the counter to cover the tab, then with a hand on her back, led her away.

TWO

RANSOM HAD ONCE BROKEN his arm while playing street hockey with his buddies from grade school. That was painful, but not as painful as the throbbing in his skull or the cramping in his stomach he was greeted with now.

Jesus. Christ. He’d forgotten what it was like to have a hangover. Rolling over was a feat in itself, one that produced a rolling wave of nausea. Moaning, Ransom tossed his arm over his eyes as much to stem the tide as to block the offensive morning sunlight pouring through the bedroom window.

“Here you are.”

Jolting at the sound of the female voice, Ransom shot upright, then crashed right back down, releasing another pained groan. At that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to be concerned with the stranger in his apartment or the black hole in his memory. Last thing he remembered was sucking down a glass of whiskey, determined to forget certain parts of his life.

It seemed he’d accomplished his task.

It didn’t take much to know that somewhere in there, he’d gotten himself wasted enough to bring the woman home.

Soft movement on his right side put him on alert. “I brought you some aspirin and a glass of water.” Her voice was sweet, familiar. When the bed dipped, he pried his dry eyes open and found a fresh-faced brunette with kind eyes staring back at him.

Taking in her tousled hair, clean face, and one of his dress shirts buttoned just enough to hide the good parts, Ransom found himself wishing he could remember something of the night before.

“How do you feel?”

Taking the pills she offered, he sat up and tossed them into his mouth then accepted the glass, downing every last drop of water without taking a single breath. Regrettably, it wasn’t a quick fix by any means, so when he forced himself to remain upright, it was torture at its finest.

How did he feel? “Like I’ve been run over by a truck…and someone shit in my mouth.” Running his tongue over his teeth, he wondered how much energy it would take to get to the bathroom to brush them and decided it was more than he could afford.

“I bet,” the woman chuckled in amusement as she drew up a leg and got comfortable.

Ransom’s eyes narrowed on her. “What’s your name again?”

She studied him, tilted her head, then smiled. “Dani.” When he didn’t say anything, she said, “You really don’t remember me, do you?”

This could go one of two ways. Either she’d be reasonable and understand the confusion, or she’d grow a second head and flip out. Ransom was hoping for the former because he simply didn’t have it in him to deal with the latter. Cautiously, he shook his head no, and immediately regretted it. His head pounded in revolt.

“We met last night, had a few drinks. You called a cab and it brought us back here.”

Christ. His car. Ransom squeezed his eyes shut tight, thinking of having to call someone to take him to pick it up and all the questions that would result in. And there would be questions. Almost as many as he had now.

Hanging his head, he closed his eyes and asked, “Did we have sex?”

Dani’s indelicate snort was almost cute. “Not hardly.” When he raised his head and gave her a questioning look, she explained. “We messed around in the cab a bit,” she admitted, a fine blush creeping up her neck as she fiddled with the buttons on her shirt—
his
shirt. “I honestly didn’t think you’d had that much to drink. You seemed fine, but as soon as we got back here…” She shook her head and the expression she wore spoke for itself.

Ransom didn’t even know the details, but he was already feeling the sting of embarrassment. Swallowing the foul remnants of bile clinging to his tongue, he made peace with the fact that he was a glutton for punishment. Frankly, the black hole in his head, once he could think clearly again, would drive him back to the very bar that put him in the position he was in now, so there was nothing to be done but face the ugly truth.

“Go on,” he croaked, swallowing again to suppress the lump attempting to climb his throat.

She grimaced. “How to put this nicely…Well,” she sighed, “good news is the walk hosed down just fine and the carpet in the living room didn’t stain, but I couldn’t quite get all the chunks picked out of the artificial tree by the door. Oh, and I’m fairly certain my clothes are trashed.”

“Jesus. Christ.” How fucking humiliating. Why, the one time he lost control, did he have to do it in front of someone like her? This must be rock bottom, because he wasn’t sure he could handle any more falls. “I’ll pay for new clothes,” he assured her.

“No need. They weren’t my favorite, and anyway, I have too much clothing already. Or at least that’s what my mother keeps telling me.” The playful roll of her eyes made Ransom’s heart flutter.

Flutter.

What kind of man had a heart that
fluttered
? No wonder Joe chose his brother over him. He’d bet money Rebel’s heart had never done any fluttering. He probably would have ripped it from his chest and given it a hearty slap for even considering it.

“Your color is coming back,” Dani observed. Reaching out, she placed her hand against his forehead just like his mother used to do when he was sick. It was the only time anyone had ever touched him that way—caring, attentive. Concerned. It felt amazing. Just the heat of her skin against his was a soothing balm to his fragile state of mind.

Their gazes connected and, call him crazy, but Ransom felt something pass between them. Something familiar maybe. A connection.

Slowly, her hand slipped lower, lightly tracing down one side of his face, her fingertips grazing his temple where his pulse raced, down to his cheek where her palm cupped him gently. When her thumb skimmed over stubble, making a muffled scratching sound, he knew for certain there was something between them.

He may not have a memory of the previous night, but some part of him felt her inside him. She claimed they hadn’t slept together—at least not sexually—but she’d already left a mark.

His eyes dropped to her full, provocative lips, and the stirring of desire he felt inside was something he couldn’t ignore. He needed to taste those lips, needed to feel her mouth moving against his, needed more of that heat. Everywhere.

Leaning in, he was prepared to take what his body demanded, when he became acutely aware of his current state.

Just before their mouths collided, he jerked back, earning a look of confusion from Dani.

“I’m sorry. I—it’s not you.” Shit, that was the wrong thing to say.

Moving away from him so fast he hardly had time to process it, Dani barked a sharp, humorless laugh. “Let me guess, it’s you. Like I haven’t heard
that
before,” she muttered angrily.

Grabbing her purse from a chair in the corner where he sat to put on his shoes each morning, he watched her reach inside and retrieve a pair of shapeless, wholly unattractive slippers that, apparently, passed as shoes.

“Where are you going?” She didn’t even have a way home.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m leaving.”

“Wait, Dani. I didn’t mean that how it sounded. It
is
me.”

“You’re right, it is,” she said with a defiant lift of her chin that caused his heart to ache for no damn good reason at all. He didn’t even know her.

She stood to leave and, he didn’t understand why, but something shouted at him not to let her go. The last time he’d ignored that voice, his world crumbled apart around him. He’d be damned if he let it happen again.

Jumping out of bed, Ransom ignored his brain’s feeble protest and rushed to meet her at the threshold, cutting her off before she could leave the bedroom and his life.

A thought that terrified him, but he outright refused to acknowledge.

Grasping her wrist, he pulled her back. Too hard, as it turned out. Instead of merely stopping her, Ransom sent her flying backward…and straight into his arms.

“Oh!”

“Umph!”

“I’m sorry,” they said in unison.

Then Dani came to her senses. “Wait, I’m not sorry. What the hell!” With both hands flat against his chest, she attempted to shove him back, but Ransom had just enough presence of mind to dig in and hold on.

She didn’t get anywhere.

“I’m sorry for being rough,” he said amidst her continued struggles. “I just couldn’t let you leave without explaining myself first.” Dani jerked and yanked against his hold, and if he held onto her any tighter, he was afraid he might hurt her. “Please stop fighting and listen. Dani!”

The boom of his voice grabbed her attention, and her face shot up, her expression filled with shock. Well hell, now he’d scared her.

Figuring she was a few seconds away from screaming bloody murder, he spoke fast. “I’m sorry for yelling. I just wanted you to know that when I said it was me, I meant it. I want to kiss you, so much, but I can’t.”

“Why?” she snapped, her eyes shooting daggers and her body language warning him that if she didn’t like his answer, he was likely to get a knee to the balls.

“Because I’d prefer to brush my teeth first.”

There was a long pause in which Ransom stared and Dani blinked. Then, with little warning, she burst into laughter.

At first, all Ransom could do was stare at her, but then, as the bubbly sound filled the room, a niggling of memory crawled back into his headspace. That laugh.

No amount of booze could erase such a spectacular sound.

Covering her mouth, Dani’s eyes continued to smile as she tried to gain control of herself. “I feel like such a dope.”

“Please don’t.”

“How can I not? You spent the night puking your guts out and I get offended because you don’t want to kiss me? Gah, can you imagine?” Her face screwed up, the sour pinch of her lips and wrinkling of her nose renewing Ransom’s discomfort.

“So…” Ransom started, the question lingering between them.

“Oh yeah,” Dani agreed, waving her hand through the air, “go do your thing. Absolutely. I’ll just be…over there?”

He followed the direction of her hitched thumb to the bed and smirked. “Meet you there.”

As he turned, so did she, and Ransom couldn’t help laughing to himself as he watched her fairly skip her way across the room and leap headlong into the pile of blankets.

He’d never been one for taking women home before, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to regret this one. Dani was something else entirely from what he was used to. Sexy, curvy, charming, sweet, and vivacious. And all that in just the last twenty minutes.

He was looking forward to finding out what other qualities she possessed.

Soon.

THREE

WHEN RANSOM LEFT THE bathroom, having minty fresh breath and damp skin from a lightning quick shower, he found Dani sprawled out in the center of the bed, the buttons of his shirt undone to reveal a strip of creamy, pale skin stretching from her throat all the way down to a thatch of neatly trimmed bronze curls.

His mouth watered at the tantalizing image she made, and he took a moment to look his fill. Memorize every dip and curve. When his gaze reached the soft swell of one generous breast, he caught a hint of her dusky nipple peeking at him through the thin, white fabric, and the miniscule tether that still remained of his self-control snapped.

“I’m not sure you know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” he said with a thread of warning clear in his voice, “because when you leave my bed, I guarantee you’ll be walking funny.”

His vision laser focused on his prize, his cock swollen and heavy between his legs, Ransom strode toward the bed with purpose. He’d had a fair amount of meaningless sex since taking the high road, and all of it had been as dull as the blade of a butter knife, but this…He was confident that this was going to be the exception.

Dani had set off a spark he hadn’t realized was missing, and now every cell in his body was a lit fuse, ready to blow any second.

He had a feeling he’d be working out a lot of math problems in the near future.

Hooking his fingers in his boxer briefs, he shoved them down his hips and past his thighs, his cock leaping out as if it were spring-loaded. “I can’t wait to get between those silky thighs,” he said, his tongue poking out to wet his lips.

With one knee on the bed, Ransom reached out and grabbed one of her trim ankles, but the instant he gave it a tug to spread her open, he knew something was off.

“Dani?” Gaze darting up, he saw that she was in the exact same position she was when he left the bathroom—arms above her head, face turned away…every muscle slack.

“Dani,” he repeated more forcefully as suspicion grabbed hold of him. Climbing the rest of the way onto the bed, he crawled up over her, noticing how small and delicate she was along the way and thinking he must outweigh her by at least fifty pounds. Probably more.

That alone caused a flare of dominance to rise up inside him. And the position she was in wasn’t helping any. His hands itched to claim her wrists, to bind her beneath him as pounded into her.

At the mental image, his cock jumped, reminding him that it was still there—ready and willing. Which was impossible to forget, especially when he felt the sensitive head glide across the inside of her soft thigh, arrowing straight toward her vulnerable and very exposed flesh.

With a groan and a whole lot of self-restraint, Ransom ignored the driving need to get inside her and instead grasped her chin. Turning her face toward his, he found that Dani was, indeed, asleep.

Well fuck.

“Are you kidding me?” She didn’t so much as flinch. Dropping his forehead down to touch hers, he cursed under his breath. She must be exhausted from keeping vigil over him all night. He couldn’t really be upset about that. In a gesture that he chose not to analyze, he pressed a quick kiss to her parted lips and carefully extracted himself from the bed.

Standing over her prone body, taking her in one last time, he pulled the blankets up to cover her then got to work plotting the rest of his day

***

DANI WOKE WITH A start. Cataloguing her surroundings—large bed, white everything, modern everything, clean-as-a-whistle
everything
—it took her a moment to recall where she was.

She’d gone home with a man.

Who was named Ransom of all things.

A stranger.

A superhot, categorically out of her league hot man who had at least ten years on her.

A man who had promised her a kiss and so, so much more.

And she’d, apparently, fallen asleep before he could deliver.

Last night was so unlike her. She was the good girl. The responsible one. What had gotten into her?

Whipping the covers back, she scrambled from the bed, fastening the buttons on her borrowed shirt as she kicked her purse and shoes into a pile.

No panties.

Eyes darting around the room, she spotted them peeking out from beneath a discarded pillow and snatched them up, putting them on too.

Her shoes were next, a pair of enormously high heels that she’d bought on discount while shopping with Ashlyn over Labor Day weekend.

Ashlyn! She was probably worried sick.

Fishing her phone from her purse, she powered it on while poking her head out the bedroom door.

Coast clear.

Her phone had a seizure in her hand as it loaded updates and informed her of multiple notifications, but she was only concerned with the dozen or so missed messages from her friend.

The last one came in less than an hour ago.

Where r u? We’re gonna be late!

She checked the time. Damn. Ashlyn’s parents were in town and she’d promised to go with her to meet them for breakfast.

Selecting her phone number, Dani pressed the phone to her ear as she hurried in what she hoped was the direction of the front door, all the while keeping an eye out for Ransom. As soon as she heard her friend pick up, she started talking.

“I’m sorry! I’m a terrible friend and I totally understand if you hate me forever. But I want you to know I will make it up to you.”

“Yes, you will,” Ashlyn’s humorless voice answered.

“Meet you in twenty?”

“I’m at my sister’s.”

“Then I’ll come there.”

“Fine, but be prepared to explain yourself. I want every detail.”

“I promise.”

“And bring donuts. And lattes!”

Dani chuckled and hung up without confirming one way or the other. They both knew she’d deliver.

“Leaving without saying goodbye?”

Startled, Dani let out a
yip
as she spun on her heels. “You scared me!” she shouted, pressing her hand to her chest.

Standing there in a pair of black wash jeans and a royal blue button-down, he was busily tying his tie as he stood behind the kitchen counter regarding her with serious eyes.

How had she missed him standing there?

Feeling as if she needed to say something, Dani cleared her throat. “I um…I need to go. I’m meeting a friend.”

He nodded once, then his gaze traveled over her, creating a maelstrom of feelings that Dani wasn’t prepared to deal with so early in the day.

“Don’t you think you should put some clothes on first?”

Glancing down at herself, her cheeks heated. She had to admit, it was the walk of shame to end all walks of shame. Women usually went home at least wearing what they left the house in. She was going home in a man’s dress shirt and panties.

“What do you suggest I wear?” she asked, cocking her brow to remind him that her current state was entirely his fault.

Finished with his tie, Ransom picked up a glass of orange juice from the counter and carried it to her, his hand extended for her to take it.

She did, but only because she didn’t want to be rude.

“Normally, I’d suggest you putting on the clothes you wore last night, especially since they’ve been laundered. But I prefer this look on you so, instead, I’m going to offer to drive you home.”

She thought of her clothes and how she’d had to pitch them in the trash with a touch of regret. But there was no help for it, so she moved on. “I thought you left your car at the bar last night.”

“A friend returned it this morning.”

Wow, nice friend. Considering his offer, Dani couldn’t really see how she could refuse. It was a choice between standing outside for everyone to see her lady business while she hailed a cab, or preserve what was left of her dignity and take his offer.

“How long before you’re ready to leave?”

“I’m ready now. Just let me grab my briefcase.”

A man with a briefcase. Definitely older. “What do you do for a living?” she asked as they headed out the door together.

“I teach.”

Short, simple, and to the point. Dani liked it, but she also found herself wanting to know more. “What do you teach?”

“Art history. After you,” he said as they reached his car—a sharp, silver BMW that made her salivate—and he opened the door for her.

Impressed by his manners, Dani happily slid down onto the buttery leather and got settled thinking that of all the guys she’d known and dated, Ransom stood out. He carried himself with an edge of collectedness and confidence that none of the others possessed.

Must be a sign of maturity.

Once inside the car, she directed him where to go and tried for a little idle chitchat, but quickly learned that Ransom was not a man of many words. But that was okay, too. She just used her imagination to fill in the blanks.

She cast him as a school teacher to a classroom of high schoolers. He’d be the young, hot teacher that all the girls fawned over and all the boys emulated. He’d be popular not only because of his looks, but because he was fresh, eager, and unspoiled.

“This is it,” she told him as they slowed to a stop in front of an old brownstone covered in graffiti.

Arching forward, Ransom stared through the windshield at the monstrosity with the same kind of judgment in his eyes that she’d had the first time coming there.

“I know, it looks like it belongs in an eighteenth century meat packing district, but it’s actually pretty awesome once you get inside.”

“You live here?”

“No, this is my friend’s sister’s place. She’s the starving artist type, except she only lives like she’s starving. She’s actually banking some pretty nice profits from her paintings.”

And she was rambling.

“Well, my friend is probably wondering what’s taking me so long. Thank you for the ride.”

Turning those incredible ebony eyes her way, a small smile twitched at his lips. “My pleasure.”

Dani stared at those lips, wondering what they might have felt like if she’d gotten the opportunity to kiss him back at his apartment. He had an amazing mouth. Thick and sculpted, evenly balanced with round, smooth lines. Just looking at them heated her up inside, which got her thinking. And once she started thinking, she couldn’t stop.

Which was why the next thing that popped out of her mouth wasn’t a good-bye, but a “We should do it again sometime.” Then she suffered a flashback, knew by his expression that he was thinking the same thing, and hastily amended the offer. “Not the vomiting part. Just the kissing part. Not that we actually kissed, but we could. I mean, if you wanted to. I wouldn’t want to force you to kiss me.” She cringed, realizing she was rambling again. “I’m just going to go now.”

She reached for the door, readying to make her escape, when she felt his hand on her knee. The light touch was electrifying.

“How about tomorrow evening?”

Pinning her bottom lip between her teeth, she turned back in her seat to face him. “I’d like that.”

They exchanged numbers and before Dani knew it, she had a date planned. Who would have thunk it? Less than seventy-two hours after having her heart ripped out and stomped on, she was going out with a man easily twice his caliber.

Talk about an up-spin!

Her moment of elation popped like a balloon meeting the wrong side of a needle when she walked into the fifth floor studio apartment and found Ashlyn lying in wait, her judgy stare shining on her like a thousand suns.

“Took you long enough, and you came empty-handed.”

Dani held her narrow-eyed stare as she approached and copped a squat on the barstool beside her. “I believe I’m a tad early, and, in case you failed to notice, I’m not exactly decent for public viewing.”

Her quick perusal left no doubt in Dani’s mind that she had, in fact, noticed. “You went bar hopping with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb last night. I just assumed the floosy getup was part of the dress code.”

Dani was not amused. “It wasn’t, and must I remind you yet again that they’re nice. What did they ever do to you?”

“Um, let’s see,” Ashlyn said, craning her head back as she gathered what was sure to be a lengthy list. “They’re ditzes. They behave like ditzes. They give women everywhere a bad name. They major in
fashion
. They’re man-hungry. They skate by on their daddy’s bank accounts. They don’t know the first thing about loyalty. Their noses are so far in the clouds their snot is probably ninety-nine percent rain. Need I go on?”

“First, majoring in fashion isn’t a crime. It’s actually pretty challenging, which lays waste to your claim that they lack intelligence. Second,
you’re
man-hungry. And third, they’re nice. You really ought to give them a chance.”

“I don’t rub elbows with that spectrum of society,” Ashlyn sniffed. “And for your information, I did give them a chance once, back when we were freshman, and it was the single most regrettable time of my life. I’m still saying Hail Marys at church every Sunday to make amends. Besides, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one here. Why can’t you see them for what they really are?”