Nocturnes (15 page)

Or maybe I was right, and he was thinking about someone else while we did it. That little flare of restraint, the subtle reluctance when I asked who
she
was, had deep roots.

I’m glad it’s dark. My cheeks burn with the flames of self-consciousness. Rax would probably get a kick out of knowing what he did to me, so I wrestle him for the upper hand by blowing off our escapades in the park as business as usual.

I tug my jeans into place and button up. With a casual hair flip, I turn to him and say, “You ready to go?”

Shit. He’s staring at me. I want to stare back at all that bad. Instead, I do my best to look utterly bored.

He slips two fingers into my front jeans pocket and pulls me into his arms. Still sitting beside the fountain, he rests his head on my chest and captures me in a steel hug. I let out my breath and drape my arms around his broad back.

“I’ll leave you alone after tonight, Lola.” My sweater muffles his words.

Please don’t,
I wish I could say. “Okay.”

He withdraws his wallet from his back pocket and thumbs through the bills inside.

“You—” I stop myself. Of
course
, he has to pay me. It’s the only way to ensure the clean break I need to keep him out of trouble. This was nothing more than a business transaction, negotiated fairly, and executed without a hitch. Refusing the money would be a sign of reluctance to let him go. In this moment, I’d like nothing more than to spend the rest of tonight lying in his arms, but there’s too much for both of us to lose.

He stuffs the cash in my palm and curls my fingers around it. I tuck it in my pocket without further comment. We fold up the blanket. He carries it.

As we walk toward the car, his pinkie hooks mine. I almost trip over my feet. Such a small, sweet gesture from a big, damaged guy. My damn eyes water, and I turn away to blink a couple of times.

Shit. I was afraid of this.

Rax Wrathbone is…getting to me.

Which makes saying goodbye that much harder.

Spinning blue and white lights draw my attention ahead. I look at Rax. He looks at me. We both say, “Shit!”

A police car inches to a halt on Victory.

Rax squeezes my hand and pulls me with him in the opposite direction. “Come on.”

As we jog through the park, my heart races with a combination of fear and exhilaration at the thought of getting caught. Rax guides us toward the wall where the foliage is thickest. A car door slams and a flashlight swings in a wide arc. Pounding footsteps follow.

“Over here,” Rax whispers.

Clinging to the trees, we round a corner and dart into the shadows. He points to a section of dense bushes. I crawl through the leaves and dirt. He slips in behind me and covers us with the blanket. I always thought that tattered old brown thing was the ugliest piece of shit ever, but now I’m so glad I threw it in the trunk a year ago. It should make the perfect camouflage.

Approaching taps of government-issued shoes click on the brick pavement. When the light shines through the weave of the blanket over our heads, I get a clear glimpse of Rax’s face. He’s grinning from ear to ear. Ridiculously, I am too. I press my lips together to keep from laughing. Why do people get stupid and giddy when they hide? I did the same thing as a kid when Papa used to play hide-and-seek with me.

Damn, it’s nice to feel that young and carefree again, sneaking out past my bedtime with a bad boy. If Rico could see me now. I squeeze Rax’s thigh, and he grabs my hand.

We sit in silence for the longest minute of my life. The footsteps pick up again and fade into the distance. We stay quiet. After what feels like ages, Rax says, “I’m gonna see if he’s gone. Be ready to run just in case.”

I nod.

Rax pokes his head from the blanket and inches up the wall. He looks around. Grasping my hand, he pulls me to my feet. I scan the park too as we brush organic clutter from our clothes.

“Wanna make a run for it?” he asks.

“Yeah. I feel like a fugitive.” I giggle.

He smiles down at me. “You’re the hottest fucking fugitive I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

My jogging breath trips in my chest.

“The cop’s probably still around. I’m not sure it’s safe to go back to your car. He might be staking it out.”

“So, what do we do?”

He shrugs. “Cab it back to the Quarter?”

So much for Mr. Romantic. The trembles in his hand make me think he wants—maybe
needs
—another drink. Damn it. Doesn’t he know he’s breaking my heart?

If you keep him close, he can’t drink. You don’t have any liquor at home.

“How about we cab it back to my house instead?” I should
not
have said that. It was manipulative and selfish and unprofessional. Not to mention really, really stupid.

Nothing like putting it right out there, Eve.

“You’re serious.” He doesn’t believe me.

I don’t believe myself.

I whip out my phone and call my friend Jon, who owns the taxi company. He promises to send someone right over.

God, what have I done?

Rax grins at me. The silver loops at the corners of his bottom lip shine in the moonlight. “I’ll give you another five hundred to be yourself for the rest of the night.”

I snap my eyes to his. “What does
that
mean?” I don’t like where this is going.

He leans in close. “It means, I want to hire you for your services as an escort without the fancy put-ons and feigned interest and giving me what you
think
I want.”

Now I’m offended. I’m not sure why. “You want to pay me to have ‘real’ sex with you? Sorry, I can’t do that.” Fuck that. I stomp away, throw the blanket over the metal slats, and mount the fence.

Rax scales the wrought iron right behind me and drops to his feet. Keeping to the shadows, I watch for the taxi, mentally grumbling the whole time.

“I never said anything about sex.” He takes my elbows and spins me to face him. “I want to spend some time with Eve.”

What?

My lip quivers. I bite it. When I told him my real name last night, he never acknowledged it. I figured—
hoped?
—either he didn’t hear me, or he wanted nothing to do with my life outside of the club. Outside of sex.

“Why?” Flustered, defensive, angry, and a little embarrassed, I’m having a hard time looking at him. The real me is the one thing I
shouldn’t
show him. Way too much risk involved—both physical and emotional. It’s not that I don’t
want
to introduce him to Eve. It’s that I
can’t
. Not if I want to keep my job. Eve and Lola are mutually exclusive.

“Because, goddamn it…” Fire sparks in his eyes, and his cheek ripples. “Because…you take me away from all the shit in my life.” He pivots and stalks to a nearby bench. Wrapping the blanket around his shoulders, he shivers.

Every man must know that when you dig through all the drama and cries for attention, women, at their core, just want to save them. We want to nurture them. And fix them. The key to a girl’s heart is through her mother complex.

Was Rax’s comment the call for help I’ve been subconsciously waiting for? My double X chromosomes are adamantly nodding.

I join him on the bench and steal some of his covers. He scowls.

“I’ll make a deal with you.” I’m
so
going to regret this. “I’ll give you the real Eve if you’ll give me the real Rax. For one night. Then we can go our separate ways.”

He starts to blubber something, and then shuts his mouth and shakes his head. A gentle breeze picks up those black waves of hair and blows them over his shoulder. God, I could kiss him. Staring across the street, he frowns and settles against the bench. That’s when I figure him out. He’s vulnerable and doesn’t want anyone who’s close to him to know. I make an easy sounding board. Or maybe a good distraction.

I’m jealous of whoever this lucky girl is.

Touching his arm under the blanket, I say, “Whatever’s bothering you—well, if you want to talk, I’m a good listener. If not, we can say goodbye and be done with it.”

He sucks his bottom lip. “I’m not good at talking. At least not about anything important.”

“I understand.” Do I ever.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, my guts churning at the thought of impending goodbyes. I may never see him again after tonight. That hurts way more than it should.

The taxi pulls up. I stand, shaking inside but wearing my armor on the outside. “Why don’t you take this one? I’ll have my friend send another cab.” I pull out my phone and scroll through the contact list, hoping like hell he’ll stop me.

He rises from the bench, tosses the blanket around my shoulders, and drags me close with it. My brain turns to gray goo as he leans in and presses the words, “Get in the car,” into my mouth. The tail end of his demand is the beginning of a hot kiss.

Moaning, I shut my lids and absorb his warmth, the muted rush of his tongue sweeping mine, and the dizzying high that follows when we separate. I’m having a serious love-hate relationship with my emotions at the moment. Wanting him so badly but denying myself the forbidden fruit of his heart is goddamn torture. The waffling back and forth does my head in.

He slides the blanket off my shoulders with teasing slowness. I want him to do that with my clothes. Strip me instead of stripping myself. Letting him do all the work while I reap the rewards.

I can’t take the waiting another second. I grab his hand and tug him into the back seat with me. A police car turns the corner, heading our way. Rax and I slip down the seat cushions in sync. I giggle as I give the cabbie my address, and he drives away.

Once it appears the coast is clear, I sit up and turn to Rax. His smug smile makes me want him more. Tonight this rock star’s getting lucky twice. Though, I suspect twice a night for him is pretty mundane.

Hand cupping my mouth beside his ear, I whisper, “So, what’s Real Rax gonna do to Eve?”

Glancing sideways, he cocks a half smile. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

I pull back. “A surprise? I do love surprises.” The anal was a pretty damn good one. Didn’t see that coming at all, though I’d love to get him inside the other hole. Considering how expert his fingers were down there, I have a feeling his dick is even more adept at pleasuring the pussy. God, I hope I find out.

“You got any satin lingerie?” The way he’s staring at me like he wants to devour me puts my hormones on red alert. There’s a good chance I’ll have a pussy explosion of the orgasmic kind before we even get home. Shit, those cunning, hooded eyes, that pierced mouth, and the damn snake tattoo. I gotta feast on all of him at once.

“I’m a stripper. Of course, I do.” My voice quivers along with my insides. I’m fucking Jell-O with this man. And the teenager I was in the park a few minutes ago doesn’t mind one bit. I can’t remember the last time I had an orgasm with another human being involved. I’ve already had one so far tonight, and judging by the raw, uninhibited fire searing the aching space between my legs, another one or two are sure to follow.

“When we get to your place, you’re gonna put it on, lie down on the bed, and wait for me. Understand?”

I smile innocently. “Would you like panties with that?”

The snake smiles back. “Panties would be awesome.” Rax settles into the seat, stares out the window, and doesn’t say another word.

Side A: “Walk on the Wild Side”

When we get to Lola’s loft in the Lower Garden District, she drops her bag on a table next to a faded photograph of a man and a woman with a little brunette kid wearing a ballerina outfit, tiara and all. The ice-blue eyes tell me everything I need to know about the girl’s identity. The other two must be her parents.

“Bathroom’s over there.” Lola points to an open door off the living area. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll be waiting for you in the bedroom.”

I nod and track her sweet swinging ass down the hall. Goddamn mesmerizing. My hard-on is about to escape containment and threaten the entire apartment complex with the load I’ve been saving up since I faked it by the fountain. I’ve never had blue balls this bad. Christ, I could tap her ass and pussy all night and still not unload everything I got stockpiled in these nuts.

Rubbing my crotch, I wander into the kitchen. What I wouldn’t give for a bottle of anything alcoholic right now. I check the fridge. Nothing but health food, soy milk, and a couple of diet sodas. Gag. I pop the top on a Coke Zero and choke down a few gulps. Not even close to what I’m craving, but when I finish here, there’s vodka at home.

Maybe I should make an attempt to clean up. I head for the bathroom and grin like a motherfucker when I switch on the light.

Jacuzzi.

Perfect.

I wash my face and hands, nab some toothpaste, and finger-brush to get rid of any unpleasant oral odors. Then I turn on the hot water in the tub at full blast. Once it tops the level of the jets, I shut it off and swagger slowly down the hall, ensuring my boots hit the floor nice and loud so she can hear me.

Elbowing the door open, I don’t bother checking out her room. I’m here for one thing. To fuck Eve like she’s never been fucked before.

My dick somehow manages to get harder, and I unzip my fly to get some release. My cock stretches and grins. Eve lies on the middle of the black-dressed bed, propped on her elbows, her bare foot waving at me. God, that mane on her, tossed over her shoulders so carelessly as she shakes it out with a neck twist. The cool blue eyes.

I’ve got the urge to hop on her back and break her like a fucking wild horse. Tonight I ride.

When I tear my gaze away from her face, I follow the line of white skin south to a black teddy plumping her tits over the top of the too-small bra cups. I’m digging that color on her. It boasts of impending sin. And it teases my cock to the brink of pain.

I saunter around the bed. A tiny triangle of ebony fabric at the juncture of her thighs peeks from under hem of her short gown. I sit beside her, grab a handful of breast meat and tenderize that shit with squeezes and pulls. Her tongue passes slowly over her lip, leaving a glistening trail, begging me to lick it. I don’t.