Taking What's His (Entangled Brazen) (8 page)

They started moving to the music, which was an admittedly slower beat than the song before it. His hips moved in a way that she didn’t think was possible, and he kept his hand on her lower back the whole time. His touch burned through her thin shirt. If she didn’t know better, she would swear she wasn’t wearing one at all, from how distinctly she felt him.
Knock it off, Lydia. He’s not interested
.

“Why did you come over here?” she asked, trying to distract herself from the man, who was driving her insane without even trying. “Isn’t Barbie going to miss you?”

He cocked a brow. “Is that her name? I didn’t ask.”

“Do you always flirt with people without asking their names?”

“All the time.” He shrugged. “Most of the time, I never plan on seeing them again…come morning. Except with you.”

For some reason, knowing he had a protocol made her sick to her stomach. “Sorry for ruining your thing. Though, you don’t
have
to see me if you don’t want.”

He rolled his hips in a way that screamed sex. Dirty, dirty sex. “We’re in the same bar, so I kind of did have to see you.”

“Not really.” She swayed, and he stared at her hips. When he glanced back up, he wore a naughty smirk. The same one that had pulled her under his spell the other night. “You could have kept talking to Barbie, and I could have kept dancing with Paul, and this wouldn’t be happening.”

“Ah, but it’s not that easy.” He led her toward an alcove, never breaking beat once. “I saw you, and then I saw him, and I had to step in.”

Her heart fluttered. “Why?”

“Isn’t that what friends do?” He tugged her into the shadowed hall, the darkness enveloping them both. She stood still, her hands fisted at her sides, as he circled her, like a shark with its prey. She swore she felt his fingers brush her hip, but it might have been her imagination. “Stop friends from making mistakes?”

“Yeah.” Her nails dug into her palms. “But who says he was a mistake?”

“Did he call you ‘baby’?”

She blinked. “Well, yes. But so did you.”

“When I wanted to fuck you and forget you, I did. That’s what he wanted. I haven’t called you baby since I realized who you were. Since I realized…”

She cocked her head. “Since you realized what?”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s no good for you.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s a mistake. Maybe I don’t want—”

His fingers drifted over her butt, feather-light and almost nonexistent. “Was he me?”

“N-No.” She bit down on her lower lip. “But—”

He pressed her against the wall, his leg slipping in between hers. “Then he was a big fucking mistake.”

Chapter Ten

Holt rolled his knee against her core, grinning when she moaned and clutched at his shoulders. Her sharp nails dug into his skin, and he loved every fucking second of it. Seeing her with that asshole on the dance floor, grinning and smiling and having fun, had sent him over the edge.

Especially since the punk obviously thought he was going to be going home with her. He wasn’t. Little fucker.

Seeing her flirting and dancing had only driven home the point he’d had in his head earlier: If she was going to be with a dickhead, why couldn’t it be
him
?

He
could be her dickhead.

At least he’d try to do his best not to hurt her.

“I missed you, Lyd.” It had been only a couple of days since he’d walked away from her, but it had felt like a fucking lifetime. “Did you miss me?”

She made one of those sexy little sounds in the back of her throat. “What are you doing? I thought you wanted to be friends?”

“Friends do this,” he muttered, nipping on her ear.

“Not mine.” She stiffened and shoved at his shoulders. “What’s going on, Holt?”

“I can’t stand it. Seeing you with another guy, any other guy, isn’t acceptable. I can’t do it, can’t just be your friend. I take it back.”

Her fingers tightened on him. Not pushing, but not pulling him closer, either. “You can’t just—”

“Yeah, I can.” He leaned into her, trapping her against the wall. “And I am.”

She bit down on her lip. “So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want to bring you home and fuck you until you stop thinking about other guys. I want to claim you. Own you. Make you come more times than ever before.” He bit down on her shoulder at the same time he cupped her breasts, squeezing them. “And I won’t leave before finishing this time.”

“Just for tonight?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted honestly. “All I know is we’re not finished yet. I can feel it all the way to my bones. Can’t you?”

She nodded. “I can.”

“Good.” He ran his thumbs over her nipples. They were hard and aching for his touch. “Then let’s keep doing what we’re doing until we don’t have that feeling anymore. Until we’re finished.”

“What about Steven?” she asked breathlessly.

Holt hesitated, still not entirely okay with that part of their situation. “He doesn’t need to know. Do you need him to know?”

She shook her head. He didn’t see it, but he felt it. “God, no.”

His chest tightened. He didn’t want to tell Steven, but she
really
didn’t want to. And it made him wonder why. “Good.”

“But are you sure? I don’t want you to start, and then leave before we…you know. Finish.”

He dropped his head into her neck. He’d sooner cut off his left leg than leave her naked and wanting in bed again. “I’m not leaving like that again, Lyd.”

“Are you sure?” She nudged him. “Because if you get me all hot and bothered again, then take off…I’ll legit kill you.”

He snort-laughed. “I’m sure. But make no mistake: I’m done fighting this attraction between us because I’m not good enough to try anymore. Done trying to be the good guy by keeping my hands off of you. But that doesn’t make me better. It makes me worse. You should say no. You should turn me away.”

She stood there silently, and he held his breath. Half of him wanted her to say no, and the other half of him wanted her to say yes. One half was louder than the other. “I already told you earlier. If you’ll knock, I’ll let you in.”

He dropped his forehead on hers. “Well, I’m knocking.”

“Then come in. I’m waiting for you.”

He kissed her, right there in the hallway in a crowded bar. He shouldn’t start anything right now. He should hold her hand and bring her back to his place, while whispering sweet words to her. He should woo her. But instead, he wanted to make her come, with his name on her lips like some sort of fervent plea. He
needed
to.

Fuck the Tootsie Pop.

I want to know how many licks it takes to get to the center of Lydia.

The skirt she wore was ridiculously short—part of what had driven him crazy while she’d been on the dance floor—so he dropped to his knees in front of her and dragged it up. She gasped, her hands falling on his head. “What are you doing?”

“No one comes back here because it’s a staff hallway, and I locked it. I owe you for last night, when I left, and it’s time for me to pay.” With one finger, he pulled her panties to the side. They were soft and lacy. It made him wonder what color they were, because it was too dark for him to see. “Hold on tight, Lyd.”

She dug her hands into his hair, holding on tight as ordered.

Gently, he raised her leg and rested it over his shoulder. He could already smell her sweet scent. Feel her intoxicating heat. Leaning in, he flicked his tongue over her clit. She was better than anything he’d ever tasted before. Even more so than the water he’d chugged after being stuck in the one hundred and ten degree hell that they called a desert for eight hours.

She moaned, the noise mixing in with the loud music from the club. Her nails dug into his scalp, and she pressed against him, her hips moving restlessly. “Oh my God, Holt.”

He deepened the intimate kiss, moving his tongue in circles over her. He could feel her whole body getting tighter, more frantic, and he knew she was close.

Hell, he could taste it, too.

Her hips moved faster, so he thrust a finger inside of her, crooking it just right. She arched her back, one of those sexy as fuck moans coming out, and then she froze, her heel pressing into his back. Afterwards, she collapsed against the wall, her body going lax.

Standing up, he swiped his hand across his mouth, pulled her skirt back into place, and caught her hand. “Come home with me tonight?”

“As if you needed to ask?” she said, laughing lightly. “Yes. God, yes.”

He nodded once, even though she couldn’t see him, and led her back into the crazy madness of the bar. As they worked their way across the floor, he caught sight of Paul, the dick she’d been dancing with earlier. He watched her leave, looking like a deflated puppy, but she didn’t even glance Paul’s way.

She was too busy watching
him
.

Thank fucking God.

As they walked into the night, she followed him silently. He’d die to hear her thoughts, to know what she was feeling right now. “You okay?”

“Mm hm.” She smiled up at him. “I’m more than okay, because you just did amazing things with your mouth.”

A smartass reply came to mind, but he couldn’t get it out.

The words all jumbled in his head. He curled his hand into a fist. She’d said he’d done amazing things with his mouth. At least he could still get some things right. Since his mind had bailed on him, he remained silent.

A building pressure sprouted behind his forehead, making him wince. Shit, he was getting the headache a few days earlier than usual. And he’d already invited her home with him. If he tried to back out now, she’d think he was running. He wasn’t.

Maybe if he took the pills soon enough, he’d be okay. Maybe he’d be able to tuck her in to bed, and then suffer in silence while she slept.

“I’m glad you came to your senses,” Lydia said, still smiling. “Giving up something that good is sacrilegious.”

Guilt slammed into his chest. She thought it was a good thing he’d given in to his primal urges to claim her as his. She was wrong. She’d be much better off if he didn’t. Hell, he could barely form a coherent thought on the best of days. And she was about to see his fucking worst. He opened his truck door for her. “A-After you.”

“Okay.” She hesitated, resting a hand over his heart. It was as if she already knew how strong of a hold she had over him, and was taunting him by placing her hand over the one part of him that she hadn’t laid claim to yet. “But before I go with you, I need a promise.”

Fuck me
. He gritted his teeth, his head aching even more than just moments before. He didn’t make promises to anyone. Not after the last one had led to him killing a good friend on a battlefield deep in the bowels of hell. “Tell me what you want.”

“When you decide that feeling that we aren’t finished yet is gone, just come to me. Be honest. Don’t run. Don’t hide behind your alleged shortcomings, and act as if you’re doing me a favor by running. If you want to be done, we’ll be done. But don’t run without saying a word.”

“I won’t.” He cradled her cheek. “When we’re done, I’ll let you know. I can’t promise you forever. I can’t promise you a long time. Hell, I can’t even promise you tomorrow. But I can promise not to leave you without a proper goodbye.”

She nodded. “That’s all I ask.”

“Then get in the truck, so I can take you home.”

She climbed in, and he gave her a boost on the ass. She grinned over her shoulder at him, and he forced himself to smile back as if he didn’t feel like he was about to die. The way she made him feel…it was like listening to a mash-up of warning bells and happy elevator music on repeat, which was confusing as hell.

He didn’t know whether to push her away, or pull her close.

So he did both.

With a
hopefully
carefree wink, he shut the door. The bang made him flinch. A cold sweat already covered his forehead. This was going to be a bad one. He’d have to pop a pill as soon as they walked in the door, and grit his teeth through the pain. He slipped into his seat and kicked the truck into gear, his palms sweaty.

When he glanced over at her, she looked absolutely gorgeous in the moonlight. The streetlights bounced off of her, playing with the shadows, and it only highlighted her generous lips and high cheekbones even more than before.

An urgency that had nothing to do with his headache hit him like a punch in the gut. He’d already had her once, which should have been enough to temper the need rushing through him, but if anything, it only made it worse.

He had to have her, and he had to have her
now
.

Earlier, he’d told her they had to keep at it until the feeling was gone…but what if it never went away? He shuddered and tightened his grip on the wheel.

That was the closest he’d ever come to thinking in terms of long-term, and it was sickening as hell. But what made him even sicker was this next thought:

What if she tired of
him
before he tired of
her
?

Shit, that wouldn’t happen, would it? He stole a quick glance at her, the movement sending a shaft of pain piercing through his skull. She stared out the passenger window, tapping her nails on her thigh. There had to be a way to make sure that didn’t happen. A way to make her so addicted to him that she’d never think of leaving, but not so hooked that he broke her heart when he left.

Orgasms. Lots of them.

That had to work.

“When we get back to my place, you’ll have one minute to be naked in my bed, waiting for me. If you’re not there in time…” He drifted off, letting her imagination go wild with that one.
And while you scramble into my bed, I’ll grab a pill out of the kitchen and hope to hell it works fast for once.

She licked her lips and lifted her skirt a fraction of an inch. “Yes, sir.”

“Good girl.”

He rested his hand on her thigh possessively. She was so smooth. So small. So his. She pressed her thighs together, squeezing his hand in between them. “Sometimes.”

His lips twitched. “Occasionally.”

“Every once in a blue moon.”

“Never,” he added.

She inched closer. “Like right now.”

“What are you going to do right now?” he asked, side-eying her.

“You’ll see.” She rested her hand on his cock. “Know my favorite moment between Rose and the Doctor? It’s when they get trapped on opposite sides of the wall, in two different worlds.” As soon as she finished talking, she squeezed him.

His headache was instantly forgotten. “Jesus, Lydia.”

“That moment of complete and utter loss?” Slowly, she undid the zipper, brushing her fingers across him as she did so. “Yeah. That’s the best few minutes of the show. And when he burns up the sun to say goodbye, but doesn’t get to say he loves her?”

He swallowed hard, keeping his attention on the road by force of sheer will and nothing else. His vision blurred, so he blinked a few times to clear it. “Yeah?”

She freed his cock from his pants, and ran her fingers over it. “Heartbreaking. I mean, I bet they never even had the chance to do something like this…”

“
Lydia
.”

She lowered her mouth to his cock, flicking her tongue over the head. He was hard and aching for her. Had been since the second he’d seen her in the club. Wait, no. He had been since he’d walked away from her, leaving her naked and alone on her bed.

With a groan, she closed her mouth over him and sucked him in. Her hot little mouth was pure heaven and hell, all wrapped up in one. He threaded his hand through her soft hair. They were almost at his place.
Almost
.

When she took more of him in, more than anyone else ever had before, he groaned and tightened his grip on her hair. “Shit, don’t stop.”

She didn’t. She sucked harder, taking the rest of him in her mouth. He almost died, right then and there, from sheer pleasure. That’s how fucking amazing it felt.

He turned into his driveway on two wheels, screeching tires and not giving a damn. Once he slammed the truck into park, he arched his hips up, fucking her mouth. He didn’t hold back, not because he didn’t care, but because he was too fucking gone to think. To worry.

Moaning, she sucked harder, scraping her teeth over the head and running her fingers over his balls, taking all he gave and then some more. He banged his head back against the headrest, sending even more pain coursing through him, and let out a string of curses he didn’t even hear or mean to say.

For all he knew, he released a jumble of words that made no sense at all. It wouldn’t be the first time. There was a reason he held himself back in bed.

Once, when he’d first returned from the war, he’d lost control. After he’d come, he’d collapsed on the bed next to the faceless woman he’d been with that night. She’d looked at him as if he was a monster. Apparently, his words had gotten mixed up in the heat of the moment, and it had freaked her out. She’d been out of his life within two minutes. He’d never lost control again.