Dirty Ties

A curvy woman leaned her hourglass hip against his knee. Little black dress, platinum hair, bright red lipstick, the red forming a crimson sheen as she licked her pillowed lips.

He reclined against the stool back, his gaze following the fingernail she trailed down his chest, around the shirt buttons, disappearing beneath the counter. His eyes flicked to hers, his lips parted.

I slammed back the martini in two gulps. Dammit, I should’ve gone over there. I still could.

God, all that perky cleavage on display. And her youthful smile so full of sass. She could have any man in the room. I couldn’t blame her for choosing the most attractive one.

Her mouth moved, no doubt seducing in sultry tones. I didn’t have a chance at stealing his attention back. Nor should I try. Picking up a stranger at a bar without a background check? Too much risk for a selfish night of pleasure.

He caressed his knuckles over her bare shoulder, down her toned bicep, and wrapped long fingers around her elbow, yanking her close. My stomach clenched, but I couldn’t look away as he dipped his head. He angled his mouth near her ear, moved his lips in a whisper.

Her body tensed right before he removed her hand from his lap and used it to spin her away. Then he dragged his stool closer to the bar, gave her his back, and downed his beer. Dismissed.

Ouch. If that had been me… Fucking hell, I couldn’t handle another rejection. It had been fourteen days since Seth went limp inside me. Five days since Evader yanked my mouth off his cock and zoomed away.

My confidence with men had plunged into no naked touching, tasting, holding, kissing. Okay, it had only been five days, but was it an indication of the weeks and months to come? A future of going to bed alone while listening to the laughing moans of Collin and Seth? Fuck that.

“Been waiting for that fossil to leave.” A deep voice interrupted my pity party. “Finally moved his old ass from this seat.”

Charming. I dragged my attention from the man across the bar and met arctic blue eyes inches from my face.

He sat, facing me, and bracketed my stool with his long legs. “Name’s Holden.”

Holden radiated sex appeal. It danced in his eyes, glowed in his cheeks, and tumbled through his voice.

His boyish charisma brought a smile to my lips. “I’m—”

“The finest lady to grace this club. Don’t freak out, but I’ve been watching you since you walked in.” He looked me over from my lips to the bows beneath the flare of my short dress. When his eyes came back to mine, he shook his head, grinning. “So damned hot, girl. There’s not a guy in this place who doesn’t know it.”

I was either desperate for compliments tonight or that was a really good pick up line.

He angled his blond head, holding that All-American smile with an ease that seemed involuntary.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” I held out my hand. “I’m Kaci.”

His happy expression didn’t flicker with recognition as he grasped my hand and placed it on his hard thigh. He was too young to connect my name to my face. He’d probably never even heard of Collin Anderson.

Why did it matter anyway? I wouldn’t be leaving with him.

Fifteen minutes later, we’d covered the standard pleasantries, agreed on the underlying subversiveness in the retro decor, disagreed on the quality of the Chicago Bears quarterback. Basically, avoided all things personal even as the way he looked at me grew more and more intimate.

He bent in, his nose so close he could smell my breath. “Come home with me.”

Oh wow, that was forward. I pulled my hand away, even as my needy insides tightened at the inviting curl of his plush lips and the glimmer in his lusty eyes. He was undeniably good-looking yet dimmed in comparison to the sexy broodiness I’d recently acquired an attraction for.

“No.” My gaze swept across the bar and landed on the stool that had been empty since Holden showed up.

Holden reached for my hand, and I yanked it back. “Kaci, I promise—”

“Take a hike.” An unfamiliar voice dripped over me, low and rich like syrup. A voice that could only belong to—I shifted around, and oh my God—haunting green eyes. Or were they yellow? Definitely smoldering.

He bent at the waist, resting his arm along the back of my stool, the overhead pendant light illuminating his daunting expression and the complex hues of his eyes.

Golden irises, ringed in green, fastened on Holden. “Find somewhere else to put your dick. She’s married.”

14

Kaci

She’s married.

I sank deeper into the barstool and closed my eyes, realization landing like a brick in my gut. He’d stared at me all night because he recognized me. I was certain those weighted looks were sexual in nature, but apparently knowing I was married had discouraged him from approaching.