Daring Dane (Intoxicating Passion #3) (3 page)

How could one man be so impossible? He went
from caring and protective to a total jackass in sixty seconds. If it weren’t
for his sexy, melt my heart eyes, and the longing I felt when he gazed at me, I
would forget the whole thing.

A part of me, a small, nagging part of me,
wanted him to fix things. I wanted to be the woman who changed Dane Davidson
for the better. It was probably stupid, childish, to think I could, but the
realization didn’t stop the desire. I hurried to my vehicle, locking the doors
before I was even fully closed in. I hated running from Christopher, constantly
hiding and looking over my shoulder. I wanted him in jail for this. Or better
yet, maybe he would leave the country when he found out I’d pressed charges.

I hated living in fear.

###

“So he apologized?” Leela asked for the
thousandth time.

Ok, probably not the thousandth, but it felt
like it. I nodded in response.

“And asked you out…for Valentine’s day?” she
questioned…again. Her voice was laced with doubt and uncertainty, coated with
vengeance.

Grimly pursing my lips, I bounced my head up
and down.

“That pisses me off, Korah. I get he’s
worried about you after the whole Christopher thing, but that doesn’t mean he
just gets to swoop in and treat you like all his other women.”

“To be fair, I don’t think Dane has dated in
the past decade,” I pointed out sarcastically.

“I don’t care,” she raged on. Her long blond
locks were swinging as she paced, her face red with anger. “I’m not letting him
hurt you.”

“I said no. I already have a date.”

She stopped, turning to face me. “You do?”

“Yep,” I agreed. “This guy in one of my
classes asked me to go out, said Valentine’s Day is always depressing, so we
could make the best of it together.” I smiled, thinking back to how shocked
Dane looked. “I may have made it seem like more when I rejected Dane.”

She smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling
with mischief. “I see. I like it.” She moved forward, joining me on the couch.

The very same spot Dane and I had began our
passionate lovemaking. Sex. Romp. I didn’t know what to call it. I remembered
the way my legs felt wrapped around his waist, his strong arms carrying me
through the apartment, his luscious lips claiming mine as his tongue delved in,
making me wish he explored further.

“Korah?” Leela screeched, waving a hand in my
face. “Hello?”

“What?” I asked lamely.

“I asked you if you had feelings for him,”
she reiterated gently.

“Does it matter? He’s a playboy. I deserve
better.” My heart shattered thinking of not having Dane. He stirred something
within me I thought was killed by Christopher.

She took my hand in hers, squeezing softly.
“Men can change…not because we want them to, though, but because they want to.
It has to be them. Just wait and see what happens.”

She let me be after that. I curled up on the
sofa, getting lost in my thoughts. Dane may or may not be my future. No matter
what happened, he had been the one there for me directly after Christopher
attacked me. Dane and I were a lot alike…both broken, scared.

Would things ever change between us?

Valentine’s Day: the day men got screwed for
not doing enough and women were disappointed for having too high of
expectations. Flowers, candy, movies, romance…why was one day so damned
special? The legends surrounding the
holiday
were iffy at most. One tells of a priest marrying young lovers against the law,
another says it’s believed to be the mating day for birds, another says it’s
the anniversary of some guy named Valentine’s death.

What was romantic about any of that?

One made me think of some old dude in long
robes ushering two young people into a closet to marry them. The birds…well, it
gave me images I wasn’t too happy about. And the death? How is the death of
some guy equal to the biggest romantic day of the year, supposedly?

No matter how I felt about it, one thing
bothered me. Korah had a date for it.

And it wasn’t me.

Korah was a pain in the ass. A beautiful,
sexy pain in the ass. Everything she did drove me to the brink of insanity,
only to have her gorgeous eyes or innocent smile bring me back. When she told
me she had a date, I wanted to kiss her and throw my body out of a moving
vehicle at the same time. Her actions confused me. One minute she was sexy and
seductive, the next weak and vulnerable. After the shit her ex pulled, I
couldn’t imagine her dating anyone.

I didn’t like it.

Did I want to date her? No, I didn’t think
so…but why didn’t I want anyone else dating her? What the hell was wrong with
me? Why did this chick get under my skin so badly? I barely knew her, and yeah,
I’d screwed her, but when did that ever cause any feelings to surface?

Feelings?

Slamming both fits against the wall, I leaned
my forehead against the cool wood, closing my eyes and trying to gain some
control. I felt like I was losing myself to some unknown emotion and I wasn’t
prepared for it. Stripping down, I quickly dressed in something nicer and
decided to go out.

It was time I quit letting Korah get under my
skin and get another woman under my body instead.

###

“Keep them coming,” I motioned to the
bartender. Six shots in and I still saw Korah’s mesmerizing gaze and her plump
pink lips, looking so tempting and delicious.

He sat the glass down in front of me, pouring
the dark liquid and sauntering off. I gripped it, downing the drink, squinting
my eyes at the burning as the Jack Daniels worked its way through my system.

I was well on my way to being drunk.

I called for a beer, wanting to be able to
roam freely among the fresh meat in the room. Thursday nights in the bar were
always popular. The weekend was right around the corner, the boys were horny
and the girls were lonely. It worked out perfectly.

I noticed a tall blond in the corner, her
hair short—even with her chin, and her skirt even shorter. She leaned against
the wall, looking bored. Weaving my way through the crowd of sweaty, wanting
bodies, I stopped inches from her.

“Hi,” I slurred, dipping my head down to her
level, pressing my body to hers.

She reacted instantly, gripping my arm with
her claw-like nails and smiling seductively. “Hi.”

“Wanna get out of here?” I suggested,
circling my lips around the bottle neck and taking a long chug.

Her electric green eyes glanced over me, a
thrill I usually felt in my pants, but it did nothing this time. She stopped
when she got back to my eyes and nodded. “With you? Hell yeah. Let’s go, Big
Boy.” She grabbed my arm, pulling me along behind her outside.

Once we were a few feet away from the
entrance, she backed to the closest hard surface and tugged me to her roughly,
her mouth on mine instantly. Her sloppy, demanding tongue forcefully entered my
mouth, her claws raking in sync over my body. I allowed her to take control,
though nothing she did got me going.

Her hands were too rough, her nails too
sharp. Her hair was too blond.

We kept on for longer than I liked, finally
stumbling further up the street to a skanky looking hotel. She pulled out a
key, showing me she intended a rendezvous long before she set eyes on me. Or I
set eyes on her.

I drank too much to know the difference.

Once inside, before the door was even closed,
she peeled off clothing, throwing it in every direction. Her body was
beautiful, the curves and mounds a sight to behold. Initiating the kiss this
time, I pushed her to the bed, laying my body atop hers and delving my tongue
within her warm mouth.

She felt and fondled me, causing me to grow
hard. She freed me of my clothing, her eyes heavy with desire, her body arching
and bucking beneath me.

She was ready, more than willing, and yet, I
couldn’t do it. I pressed against her entrance, I could sink deep within in an
instant, but I didn’t.

“What’s wrong?” she moaned, pouting almost.
“Come on, baby. I want you.”

Closing my eyes because I couldn’t look at
her anymore, I stood and started dressing.

“What the…”she murmured. The bed squeaked as
she stood. Her hand landed on my bicep, forcing me to turn to her. “What is
your problem? You come up to me and ask me to leave with you, get me all
dripping wet and shit, and now you’re leaving?” she screeched.

I backed up, slightly worried she would
attract outside attention. “I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”

“Why not?” she demanded. Her tantrum reminded
me of a child acting spoiled over a toy.

Did she really think this would get me to
screw her? “I don’t owe you a reason,” I scoffed, tugging my shoes on.

Her palm met my skin with a sting and I
grimly stared at her.

“Tell me,” she snarled. Her hand was lifted,
ready to strike again.

I grasped her by the wrist shaking my head.
“You aren’t hitting me again. I said I can’t do it and that’s that. Get dressed
and go find some other asshole to take care of your needs.”

She glared at me. “You could tell me. This is
ridiculous!”

I lessened my grip on her wrist, dropping
her. “You aren’t her,” I said, turning and slipping out the door. I heard her
wail as she slammed the door behind me. I didn’t care.

The alcohol wasn’t as effective, but I still
felt it coursing through my body. Stuffing my fists in my pockets, I walked as
fast as my unsteady legs allowed back to the bar. I slumped down on the
sidewalk, sitting there for what seemed like ages. I wouldn’t drink and drive,
but I didn’t want to call anyone. I wanted to be alone. Away from it all.

Korah dominated my thoughts. I couldn’t have
sex with a beautiful, naked woman for God’s sake! Something was seriously
wrong.

Maybe I needed a therapist.

I kept my head bent, ignoring the chattering
voices all around me. I stayed that way until one pulled me out.

“Fancy meeting you here,” she cooed.

I glanced up, seeing Korah’s friend from her apartment
standing above me. “Hey.”

She nodded, sliding down and sitting beside
me. “So…why are you sitting outside a bar in the middle of the night?” She said
it with no sarcasm, no hint of laughter, only honest curiosity.

“Dunno. Drank too much to go home.”

“Couldn’t call someone?”

“Could have,” I shrugged.

She nodded, fiddling with the hem of her
shirt. “Alright. That explains a lot.”

There was the sarcasm.

I grinned, “What was your name again?”

“Leela, though you reek right now, so I’m not
sure you’ll remember that tomorrow. You’re Dane.”

“Yep. Dane the dumbass.”

She snorted. “Why do you say that?” she
chuckled.

“I can’t get Korah out of my head,” I
admitted. I glanced at her wearily. “I’ll regret that later.”

“Probably,” she agreed. She scooted closer.
“Why do you miss her?”

“She’s beautiful. And she doesn’t want me
like other women. Doesn’t throw herself at me, or anyone for that matter.
She’s…different.”

“I agree, she’s wonderful.”

“I screwed it all up.”

Her brows furrowed. “How?” she asked.

“She has a date tomorrow.”

“So?” she asked, looking genuinely confused.

“So? He’s probably good for her. I’m not.” I
said a bit dramatically.

“Why aren’t you?” she quizzed.

“I’ve got issues.” I ran a hand through my
hair, leaning back and stretching my legs out. The drunken people would
probably trip over them. I didn’t care.

“We all do, Dane. It’s how you handle those
issues that counts. You can let them consume you, completely dictate your life
and control your every move and decision. Or….you can conquer them. Face them,
deal with them, acknowledge them, and move forward with your life. You, Dane
Davidson, are the only one that can make the decision. You care for Korah? Do
something about it. Too scared to do anything? Decide if it’s something you let
consume or you conquer.” She stood then, nodding once, and left.

She was right. The sarcastic blond friend of
Korah’s told me exactly like it was. She put me in my place. On the side of the
street, hanging out beside a bar.

It was time to decide if the Korah situation
was something I let consume or conquer me.

        
Valentine’s
day…why had I agreed to a date of any kind again? The thought caused dread to
surface. I felt nauseated at the prospect of getting ready. And actually going
out and being around a bunch of lovey dovey couples, possibly seeing PDA or
worse, a proposal?

It made me want to hide with Elle under my
bed.