Hooked (TKO 2)

Chapter 1

I’m not the best guy in the world. I’m the guy your mother will warn you to stay away from in the bar because I only want one thing.

And I usually get it.

Things at Joe’s are looking just like they should tonight. The drinks are coming, the music is bumping, and the hotties are here. Damn, it’s going to be a good night. I shouldn’t be here tonight, or any other night, but it’s the only way I know how to deal, and keep my head on straight.

Mom is dying. Dad knows it, I know this. It’s why I fight. I fight to help pay her medical bills, and make sure the house is taken care of. Dad shouldn’t have to carry that weight alone, and I refuse to let him.

She was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago, and she was a strong fighter from the beginning. The cancer went into remission, but it’s come back with a horrible vengeance. She’s steadily going downhill, refusing to go to the doctor. Her stubbornness pisses Dad and me off, but we don’t let her see that. We don’t force her to go, either, which is probably wrong on our parts. I just don’t want to make anything harder on her than it already is. I can’t imagine my life without Mom in it, but soon I’ll know what it’s like, and I’m going to hate it.

Garrett buys a round of shots, passing them out to us, and lifting a glass to Raegan. “I’d like to give a toast to my sexy, stubborn-ass girlfriend. She’s one hell of a woman, and I love her so fucking much.”

Before I throw my shot back, I shoot her a grin. “I fucking love her, too!”

She rolls her eyes at me, laughing. If there’s one thing I’m happy about, it’s that Garrett found Raegan. They are perfect together, even though they are aggravating as hell sometimes.

As much as I want to hang around these two tonight, I can’t help but scan the crowd. I glance between a blonde with a pixie style haircut and a brunette whose breasts are spilling out of her shirt. She approaches the bar.

Come to Daddy. Raegan and Garrett already know what I’m up to, and they don’t mind. They’re used to my antics. I stroll toward the brunette at the bar.

I watch her intently. She notices me, and her eyes widen as her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink. She’s gorgeous. Her hair cascades over her shoulders, the ends meeting where her cleavage begins. I lick my lips as I inch closer to my prey. She knows what’s coming. It’s written all over my face.

“What’s your name?” I whisper into her ear. She practically shudders at the sound of my voice. That’s right, baby, I want to say.

“Hilary.” She turns and stares at me, looking so sexy and innocent.

“Hi, Hilary,” I say, twirling a strand of her hair around my finger. “I’m Lance. Can I buy you a drink?”

She looks a little nervous at first. Something about her is familiar to me, but I can’t put my finger on it. “Sure. Bud Light.”

She’s a beer drinker, nice. I expected some fruity cocktail, but I can handle anything. She sips the beer as a song comes on, and I grab her hand, leading her to the dance floor. I don’t see Raegan or Garrett anymore. They must have left. An upbeat tempo plays as we begin to dance. Hilary is grinding her ass all over me. Damn, she’s turning me on. Her perfume hits my nose and the soft fragrance lingers for a moment. I can tell there’s already something different about this girl, but what am I thinking? I’m not here to analyze her. I’m here for a different reason.

Two songs later, we’re still dancing. She’s right where I want her. “Come with me,” I growl. She places her hand in mine as I lead her back to the closet. Not very romantic, I know, but I’m not a romantic guy.

I crush my lips against hers, and she lets her mouth open slightly, letting my tongue explore hers. She lets out a light moan as I lift her shirt over her head. I cup each of her breasts through her pink lace bra, teasing each one through the fabric. She closes her eyes and throws her head back as she lets out another moan. I’m fumbling with the button on her pants, and I’m so close to finishing this and getting what I need. As the button unfastens, her eyes pop open and she stares at me. “Wa-wait,” she stammers. I stop to look at her.

“It’s okay, baby,” I murmur, leaning in to kiss her again.

“No, wait…I’m a, a virgin.”

Every breath inside me is sucked away. Did this girl just say she was a virgin?

Panic floods through me. I can’t do this to her. I can’t take her virginity away in some sleazy closet of a bar. Fuck. I pull away from her as if she’s toxic, and stumble backward until I bump into a pile of boxes. The boxes I would have bent her over. Shit, I can’t think about this right now.

“I’ve, uh…I’ve got to go. I’m sorry, Hilary.”

I rush out feeling like an even bigger jackass for leaving her alone in that closet, probably scared. I’m heartless, yet I don’t feel that way right now. I want to go back in there and scoop her up in my arms and tell her she deserves better, but when have I ever cared about any girl I’ve brought in there? I don’t go back in there. I head straight for the doors, and walk out frustrated as hell.

I stand in front of my truck trying to adjust my pants, attempting to dismiss the hard-on I got from Hilary. I can’t believe she’s a virgin. Christ, I need to be more careful at the bar. Is she even legal? I don’t even want to think about that right now. Her face stays imprinted in my mind like I’ve seen her somewhere before but I can’t quite recall.

Where do I know her from? All of a sudden I remember we went to the same high school. Hilary Vaughan. How could I forget her? We were in the same graduating class. She always kept to herself, content to read rather than become engulfed by all the relentless high school bullshit. She was bullied constantly, and I stepped in more than once to defend her. Even though I barely knew her, I couldn’t allow a person to be treated that way.

I am frozen in place, lost in thought, unable to believ

e I just pulled Hilary Vaughan into a dirty closet.

“Hey, Lance. Leaving so soon, babe?” Shelly approaches me, swaying her hips. We’ve had many a round in the closet at Joe’s. Her blue eyes are fiery with desire tonight, and her blonde hair is pulled up in a messy bun. The skirt she’s wearing should be illegal, but maybe that’s why I like her time and time again. Easy.

“Yeah, not feeling it tonight. I’m just going to head out.” I reach for the handle of my truck door, my keys in my hand.

She pouts. God, I love her lips. “Oh, come on, baby. Not yet. We haven’t gotten to have our fun yet. It’s been a while, you know.”

It’s been at least a few weeks since I’ve run into her. I shouldn’t be excited to see her, but I am. “I have some time for you. Hop your fine ass in my truck.”

I open the door, letting her in first. Once we’re inside, and the doors are shut, she immediately reaches for the zipper of my jeans. I groan as I help her lower them. She wraps her soft hands around my dick before pulling it into her mouth. Oh god, yes, this is just what I need.

Shelly moves her mouth up and down my shaft, making me grunt with pleasure. “Oh yeah, baby, that’s it.”

She presses her lips on the tip, almost sending me over the edge. I have to blink for a moment, readjusting my eyes in the dark, and shake my head. I haven’t had that much to drink, but I see Hilary there instead of Shelly.

What the hell? Hilary. Damn, why is this girl stuck in my head?

I can’t look at her face anymore, even if this is the most amazing blowjob I’ve ever had. I stop Shelly and pick her up on the seat where the skirt she’s wearing slides up to reveal she’s wearing no panties. Growling, I reach for a condom. Once I slide it onto my dick, I steady her hips and slam into her, trying to forget Hilary’s face. Once I’m finished, Shelly sits up and plants a kiss on my lips. “Damn, Lance, that was hot. I missed this.”

“Me too, Shell.” I’m lying. Not that it wasn’t amazing, but she wasn’t the one I wanted to be with.

“Catch ya later, baby.” She smiles as she steps out of my truck and makes her way back into Joe’s.

I start the truck, silently cussing myself for being such a dick. I need to go home. That’s the only place I want to be right now. All I can see on my way there is Hilary’s face. Every song I hear on the radio, I imagine her. More than anything, I imagine the expression on her face as she told me she was a virgin. Asshole, that’s what I am.

Dammit, I fucked this up big time.