Crossed (12 page)

“Not here, please.” Hunter began collecting my wardrobe from the ground. “But whatever you think I’ll like, we’re buying it.”

“Well, then I hope you have a big limit on your credit card.”

“For you, Grace, there’s no limit.”

Hunter kissed me once more before looking around. “Thank goodness for privacy.”

I giggled, “You think anyone heard us?”

“Does it matter if they did? What’s wrong with two people wanting each other so much they cannot wait to get home? Besides, it’s their fault.”

“How is that?”

“Well, if they didn’t carry such sexy clothes, there wouldn’t be a problem. I don’t understand how a guy is supposed to help himself when he sees a beautiful woman seducing him.”

“Seducing?”

“I’m sure I’m not the first. And if you said you didn’t seduce me, Grace, you and I would know that was a lie.”

He was right. I had been trying to tempt him since the first outfit I put on. My cheeks heated. Was I being too forward?

“And I loved every single minute of pretending to be busy.”

I felt my mouth open, and I punched him in his arm. He grasped my wrist and kissed my bunched fingers until my full palm opened up. At that moment, the words
the one
began drumming in my head, over and over again.

CHAPTER 12

The screams pierced my ears. Who knew that a few glistening male bodies strutting along a mirrored walkway could turn the hormones of mature women to those of teenage girls.

If you can’t beat them, join them
, I thought, waving a ten-dollar bill in my hand. The Hercules look-alike slid on his knees to the edge of the stage, jutting his hips forward so that I could stick the paper down his teeny-weeny G-string, which barely covered a gigantic bulge. First, I just stared. That thing couldn’t be real. I mean, I knew that men came in all shapes and sizes, but this guy had to be stuffed.
Maybe they make implants…

My thought was interrupted when he tugged on the top band of his glittering strap, giving me a sneak peek at his package. Gross! I wouldn’t want that inside me for the life of me. I was sure that as soon as his balls hit me between my legs, I’d be gagging on his tip.

“Which one of you bitches chose this joint?” I asked, laughing. Even after a few rounds of drinks I was sober enough to know that it took a special kind of man to do right by me. A man who flipped my world upside down each time I saw him—one who made me wonder whether I’d finally found
the one
on the doorstep to my salon. No, I had to stop that kind of thinking about Hunter, because every single time I’d thought about a guy being
the one
, I’d failed. And I hadn’t had enough of Hunter yet to let myself fail. He’d been absolutely wonderful, checking on me every day since I went back to my salon. Sometimes I wondered whether he had parked outside, watching me work.

Lilly’s hand flew up. She pulled her lips away from sucking on her magic mojo mix to yell out, “Me!” Her white veil nearly fell off. Our bride to be was so gone, I was sure she wouldn’t remember anything from the last-minute bachelorette party Emma had planned. We were all to be bridesmaids at her wedding in two weeks, and I couldn’t wait to see my friend walk down the aisle. I’d already added Hunter as my official “plus one.” “What’s wrong with him?” she added.

“Lack of gravity two weeks ago messed up Grace’s marbles,” Emma teased. “Or maybe it was someone else?”

“I hate you!”

“I love you too.” She wrung her arm around my shoulder, leaning into my ear. “Please don’t be mad. I’m only teasing.”

“I know, Em. I know.”

“So we’re all good?” she asked, half surprised. “I mean, we’ve never missed two weekends in a row.”

“Yup, we’re all good.”

“And how many drinks have you had? Or did Hunter do something this afternoon to make you smile? He did, didn’t he? Grace!” She shook me by my shoulders. “You’ve been holding out on me. Tell me everything!”

“There’s nothing to tell—yet—but I think we’re officially dating. I really want to give it a chance, Em. He may be…”

“Please don’t say
the one
!” Emma plugged her ears, acting like a five-year-old who didn’t want to listen to her parents.

I pulled her fingers out of her ears. “I’m not, Em. But I really like him. This one could last.”

While I kept looking at the stage full of pure male muscle and nakedness, all I could see was Hunter’s face pasted on every single stripper. I ate them alive with my gaze, feeling hotter each time I thought about Hunter exiting from behind the curtain, walking straight at me with a wicked smile, and telling me how much he wanted to please me, right there in front of everyone.

“Earth to Grace!” Emma shook me by my shoulders again. “You need to stop thinking about him for a moment and enjoy.”

“I can’t help it,” I shrugged.

“I bet you it won’t last.”

At the sound of a potential bet against Emma, my ears perked up. “All right, what do you want to bet?”

Emma had a devious smile on her face.

“If you last more than three months, I will personally go up on a stage at a strip club with nothing on buuuut…” She dragged her
but
out, searching for a piece of attire. When she’d found a white shiny stone on Lilly’s tiara she picked it up between her fingers, saying, “Gems. Little tiny gems glued to my privates and only covering my nipples.”

“Emma, that will never fly. Because your brothers will kill you.”

“No, because you will never last three months,” she laughed. “Are you chicken?”

“One month,” I countered.

“Two.”

I put my hand out as I made my final offer. “Considering that I’ve lasted eight days at the longest, one month is the best I can do. That’s another two weeks, Em.” Honestly, I had no doubt I’d last two months, or even longer, but the prospect of having Emma let herself go on a stage was really growing on me. Maybe I could get someone to fall for her as a stripper instead of as a ruthless PI.

She finally reached out for a shake. “Deal!”

Emma must have had quite a few drinks, otherwise she wouldn’t have agreed so easily. Or maybe deep down, stripping was on her bucket list?

“Can’t wait to see you strut your stuff, Em.”

“Ain’t gonna happen. You haven’t lasted more than nine days with one guy in over a year!” she laughed.

All right, maybe she was right, but she hadn’t seen me with Hunter. She hadn’t felt what I had—lust mixed with a one of a kind friendship, desire blended with mutual understanding and respect. Hunter had given me more every twenty-four hours than the guys I’d dated had in two weeks. Every morning I wondered what each day would bring. Would Hunter tear me apart from head to toe with one of his mind-blowing orgasms, only to put me back together with his kisses? If so, I couldn’t wait. And the way he’d treated me, like I was the center of his world, made me thankful no other woman had been lucky enough to snag him.

“And if I win the bet, you gotta do it.” Emma’s speech was beginning to slur.

“Strip?” I asked, feeling my own buzz take over my brain. My body was warm, veins diluted with courage, and all I was missing was Hunter.

“Yup, strip.”

“Another round,” Lilly called out to the waiter. “Four screaming orgasms. Actually make that five. One’s for you.” She grazed her hand over his bulky tattooed arm. He leaned into her and I overheard him say, “I prefer a blow job.”

“Then get me a creamy pussy and maybe we can share a royal fuck.”

“Lilly!” All three of us shouted.

“What? I’m getting married in two weeks. When am I ever going to flirt again?”

“I think you’ve just redefined
flirting
,” I said, eyeing the waiter. Yup, he was definitely worthy of a royal fuck.

Emma’s brows rose up and down as I caught her regarding me. She made a checkmark gesture with her hand, as if to say she’d already won our bet.

Deep down in my heart, I knew she was wrong. My gut told me that I could pull this off—after all, I only had half a month to go—but in order to do so I’d need to treat this relationship seriously and not let new eye-candy steal the show. But I wasn’t doing anything. It was just looking and not even touching. I didn’t want to touch anyone else, or for anyone else to touch me. Hunter was the only one. Just thinking about him had me heating up in all the right places. My pulse sped, my tummy tingled, and my panties moistened.

“Lap dance!” Emma waved a hundred, tugging at my hand to get ready.

“What? I’m not the bride to be. Lilly is.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You’re trying to make me fail already!”

Emma shrugged as she took in the man candy walking toward us. He wore nothing more than a very short, tight towel that uncovered his extensive thigh muscles each time he took a step.

“Is he not wearing anything?” I asked, suddenly feeling wetter between my legs. This guy was beyond hot.

“Why don’t you reach and see, Grace?” Emma laughed, nudging me forward.

And before I could argue against it, the hunk spun me around by my hand and was leading me away to a secluded area. If I had to bet, I’d say Emma had this pre-planned. What exactly did he want us to do there? I thought lap dances were supposed to be just that, a
lap
dance where my hands rested on the chair while he shook and wiggled his goods. I didn’t expect him to be grinding against me, up and down, slowly making me wish we weren’t this close and on our own. That long pent up demand was bubbling inside me, as it had been more than a week since I’d been with Hunter. I missed him—in fact, I missed everything about him and was seriously considering taking a shot to avoid my monthly periods. Waiting while having him in bed was torture. And today, the first day we could actually be together, I had a girls’ night out I couldn’t miss. As Mr. Towel removed the cloth, swinging his goods in front of my face, I shut my eyes. Thank goodness Hunter wasn’t here to see this.

“You better not touch her, Nick.” Hunter’s voice vibrated through me.

I shot off the plush seat, nearly knocking the dancer off his feet, inadvertently bumping into his full length. Oh boy, and what a length it was. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, the lady paid for it.” Nick raised his hands.

“I’ll double it if you go away.” Hunter pulled a stack of hundreds out of his pocket and handed it to Nick. “No one comes near, do you understand?”

Nick took the cash, nodded, and disappeared.

“Didn’t you hear me? What are you doing here?” I asked again.

“Working.” Hunter gently tugged at my hand to sit back down.

“You’re a stripper too?” I asked, half confused. That last round of shots was only beginning to work itself into my blood stream.

“No, Grace. I’m filling in for someone at work, uploading and testing the security program.”

“At this hour?”

“Does it matter, Grace? Are you not satisfied? Am I not enough when I eat you out until your muscles burst in my mouth?” He licked his lips. The reminder of his mouth and tongue on me and inside me, and those lecherous words of his, had me squirming in my seat. Were these couches heated?

“Yes, I mean, what does that have to do with anything?”

Hunter opened up his belt buckle. The sound of its metal clip vibrated deliciously through my body.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“What does it look like I’m doing, Grace? I don’t care whether your period is over or not. I can’t take being without you anymore.”

Hunter lifted my hand and drew it up to his crotch. His thick excitement pulsed under my palm, hardening as I stroked over the fabric. I looked up into his eyes. A speck of light, I wasn’t sure from where, shined in his eyes. Or maybe it was lust. Pure lust. Lowering my gaze I licked my lips, only to find that Hunter pulled me up and crushed his mouth to mine. My arms went limp as I let him hold onto my body. He maneuvered his tongue along my lips before tasting me deeper, with raw hunger I hadn’t yet felt. The sounds of the club became distant, and it was just the two of us. I felt my dress scrunch up as Hunter grasped my bare ass, lightly pulling on my G-string, teasing the fabric along my flesh. I pulled away from his mouth, and my heavy breaths mixed with his were the only sounds I could hear. I lifted my leg up to the plush seat, giving him access.

Thank goodness I was all ready!

By this point I didn’t care if someone walked by our private area. Hell, I wouldn’t have cared if they’d somehow brought us both up on the stage, because I couldn’t have pulled away from Hunter’s grip even if I’d wanted to. Carnal need radiated from each of his movements, his hands grasping my body, the delicious way his tongue swept inside my mouth and the way his hips thrust forward; from his arousal rubbing against my belly, drawing out all those pent up desires I’d hidden for so long. And when his hand slid down to my soaked crevice, I felt dizzy. This man had a way of driving me up to the brink of a climax so fast—I fought every single hormone to make this last. It drained my energy, yet gave me so much more at the same time.

Hunter moved my panties to the side, teasing my opening with his fingers before guiding himself inside me. That first hard thrust forced my eyes to open. The dim light from the club shined from the side as I realized where we were.

“Hunter, we ca—”

“Shh.” He drew his slicked fingers over my lips. I could smell and taste myself on them. “It won’t take long, Grace.”

And he seized my mouth, his hand lowering to between our bodies where his hips kept pushing forward and I circled mine. And when his fingers touched my swollen clit, I knew that he was absolutely right. There was no way this would take long at all. The first wave of release came within seconds as that wonderful swell began bursting with each flick and rub of his finger pads. The push of his cock inside me filled me from wall to wall. He swallowed each whimper that left my mouth, until I felt the need to scream. Yet his mouth closed around my lips, forcing the loud release, which wanted to burst out of my mouth the same way it had from between my legs, to be suppressed. And it seemed all that energy still inside me only made my orgasm that much stronger and wilder. I shook in his arms as Hunter hit my depth several more times before stilling. When he finally pulled out to remove the condom (which I couldn’t remember him putting on), the reality of what we’d just done came down on me like an avalanche.