Wicked Innocence (Wicked Innocence 1)

Facing me, she straddled the chair, thrusting her bare hoo-ha inches from my face. I dissolved into another round of giggles, the vodka obviously having gone straight to my head. This was why I didn’t drink.

She rolled her eyes again, but looked mildly amused this time as she continued to dance to the rhythm of the music.

“So, what’s up with this guy?” she asked.

“We kissed, but now he doesn’t want anything to happen. Which would be fine if I didn’t have to be around him all the time. I feel like such an idiot.”

“The best way to make him realize he’s being stupid is to act like you don’t care. Don’t pine over him. Let him realize his mistake. Though requesting a lap dance was pretty genius,” she added with a chuckle.

I grinned. It was hard to take this chick seriously when she was rubbing her nipples in my face.

Finally the song ended. She stood up and put her thong back on, flashing me a smile. She held out her hand, which I took, and led me back out to the main area where the guys greeted me with cheers and high fives.

Sax stood behind them, scowling. His eyes flashed angrily as he grabbed hold of my hand. I bit my lip to hide my smile. He was so damn pissed and I loved it.

“We’re going. All of us. Now,” he growled.

***

“Where’s the chick that was throwing herself over you at the bar?” Liam said, throwing a grin in Sax’s direction. “Thought you would have had her bent over your bed by now.”

“I’m not you,” Sax shot back, his eyes darkening. He glanced my way. Our eyes met for a brief moment before he looked away. “I don’t fuck everything with a pulse.”

“Hey, who said they had to be breathing?” Harry laughed. His eyes fell on me, and then dropped to the floor. “Sorry, Micah.”

“Don’t mind me. I just had a lap dance, for God’s sake.”

“You’re surprising, M. I never would’ve expected that from you,” Harry said with a grin. I saw him glance at Sax. What was that about? My stomach flipped. Had he said something to Harry about us…our kiss?

You’re being paranoid. Harry is the last person Sax would confide in.

***

We got back to the motel and ordered some takeout. After all the food and several more rounds of drinks were gone, the guys left to go back to their own room. I sat on the floor watching Sax, who had been knocking back the drinks like there was no tomorrow. For someone who doesn’t drink, he sure can put a few away.

“Hey, what’s the go for tomorrow?” asked Liam, sticking his head back through the doorway.

“I don’t know. I’ve got shit to do around here, so you guys can take the van.” He threw the keys to Liam. “Just be back by eight in case we have a show. And no drinking.”

Liam rolled his eyes and nodded. “What about you, M?”

“I’ll just hang around here too, I think.” I smiled at him. Wow. He was calling me M. I felt a twinge of happiness. That meant I was starting to fit in. I glanced at Sax.

Well, with most of the guys, anyway.

I stood up and walked toward the bathroom, aware that Sax’s eyes were on me. Closing the door, I locked it. My body was craving a nice hot shower.

I turned on the taps and waited for the water to reach temperature. Peeling off my clothes, I let them fall to the floor before stepping under the stream of water.

Holy shit, that feels good.

Tilting my head back, I let the hot water run down over my face. I loved my showers, and going even a day without one has been awful. I could feel the tension in my shoulders melting away.

Under the sanctuary of soothing hot water, my mind wandered back over the evening’s events. It had been a fun night—especially seeing Sax get so worked up. He had been so concerned with what I was doing that it occupied his whole night.

Why had he kissed me in the first place? No, it wasn’t even the fact that he didn’t want to explore whatever this was, it was the way he just shut me off with no explanation. You’d never know he was the older one. I might be shy, and I might keep to myself, but I knew enough to realize that communication was the key to any relationship, whether it was work or romantic.

Turning the taps off, I stepped out onto my now wet clothes and reached for my towel. Fuck. I’d forgotten to bring my pajamas with me. Sighing, I wrapped the towel around me and kicked my clothes into a pile in the corner of the room.