He pretended to be flabbergasted. “Now? Are you kidding? This is the perfect time for us to finish what we started. Jackson’s plastered, possible head injuries, hopefully some hemorrhaging so he passes out in the shower and gives us more time to fuck like bunnies on his bed. What is that – California King?”
Nauseous, I shoved past him, speeding down the hall with no plan besides getting as far away from him as humanly possible. But in just a towel, I realized I wasn’t going outside. Not without going back up for some clothes. But when I turned around, Dane stood at the top of the stairs, blocking my path.
“What do you want from me, Dane?” I snarled.
“You know the answer to that but I’m more than happy to be explicit. I want to fuck you, Lara. You can start by losing that towel.”
I ignored him, trying to duck under his arms to get back to the hallway. He blocked me. I tried again but with the same result.
“Lara, what were you thinking when you came to me for information? You’ve known me as long as you’ve known Jackson. I’m not the type to hand out favors.”
“Obviously, but what did you even give me, Dane?” I sneered. “You told me that Jackson had a second phone and you said I should’ve already known that. So excuse me, but I’m not so sure you deserve credit for revealing something that Sawyer just never thought to tell me.” I laughed, genuinely amused as I watched my words pinch Dane’s brows and bruise his ego. “I mean aren’t you supposed to be the evil mastermind among the guys? Don’t they love you for that? I guess it’s more talk than anything,” I muttered before heading back downstairs. He followed as I knew he would.
“Like I said, I give nothing out for free. Unless I’m mistaken, I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing your famous bedroom talents yet.”
I went into the guest room in hopes of finding pajamas that Greta sometimes set on the bed after doing laundry. “You never said that was what you wanted,” I muttered.
“Jesus, Lara, did I really need to?” Dane trailed, a leering smile in his voice.
When I saw nothing but sheets on the bed, I flung the closet doors open. Empty besides spare towels. Shit.
“Tell me what Jackson’s other phone looks like,” I said.
“Silver iPhone 6. Take off your towel.”
I turned and glared at Dane for a second before pacing back out to the kitchen, outwardly calm as my mind raced, trying to figure out my next step.
“So, the same as his main phone. Shocker.”
“Christ, woman, what counts as good information to you?” Dane smirked, watching me open random drawers. “Babe, stop stalling and give me something to look at.”
“Tell me the name of the guy you referred to Jackson.”
“Can’t do it.”
I smirked at him from across the counter. “You won’t rat on Jackson but you’re happy to fuck his fiancée.”
Dane’s eyes dipped to my cleavage. “Not about saving Jax, more about saving me. You can probably guess that I’ve used our favorite ex-con’s not-so-lawful services before.”
“And I can also guess that you’re much more of a seasoned vet when it comes to covering your tracks. Even if this guy gets arrested for breaking into my house, you’d never let his client list ever trace back to you – would you?”
Dane pushed off the other side of the counter, his dark eyes fixed on me as he rounded the corner. “No. I wouldn’t.”
I backed up a step. “And you’re generally happy to throw people under the bus, so why not just tell me his name?”
“Because you still have your towel on.”
My heart thumped. Maybe I didn’t need this information that badly. Maybe I could still play nice and get it from Jackson once he wasn’t plastered. “You know what, never mind,” I said breezily, eyeing my trench coat ten yards away, draped over the back of the couch.
“Really. You’re backing out?”
“You’ve known me for years, Dane. You’re well aware of what kind of girl I am.”
“It’s meaningless sex, Lara, and you’re in a position you’ve never been in before. Pretend I’m Jackson if you must. Or fuck, pretend I’m Sawyer.”
“Dane, it would take a lot of time for me to even think about sleeping with one of Jackson’s good friends,” I said, though my own words made me inwardly laugh as I thought about Jake. Circling the counter, Dane continued at me like a wolf stalking prey.
“Fine. We’ll take it a step at a time. Today, I get to look. Tomorrow, I get to touch.” He smiled as I backed my way toward the door. Still stalking me, his eyes roamed down my body, his tongue lolling behind his parted lips when I slipped in a puddle of shower water. I lost grip of my towel for less than a second but whatever peek I’d given Dane set him off. With a groan, he was muttering a mile a minute. “I’ll tell you his name right now, Lara, and after, you’re going to drop that towel, no questions asked.”