“YOU’VE GOT to be fucking kidding me, man.”
Alex met my gaze across the table and grinned, showing off the lipstick smeared on his cheek. He’d been practically fucking a redhead in our booth for the last fifteen minutes, and her moans had officially reached soap-opera-acting level of ridiculous. Not that I minded if a girl wanted to get laid, but that wasn’t a puck bunny’s MO. They were out to catch a free ride and didn’t give a single shit if they liked you or not. A shiver crawled down my spine. It made me feel used and dirty. I had to get the hell out of there before he convinced her to get on her knees beneath us.
Not that I expected anything less. Alex had always been a bit of a puck slut.
He gave me an unapologetic shrug but disentangled himself, dropping her feet to the floor, then smacked her ass. “How about you get us a beer, sweetheart?”
“How about you come with me?” Even though we all knew she would do it anyway, she still pouted when he just stared at her. With one last look, her shoulders dropped, and she walked off in a huff toward the bar.
The club was in a warehouse with giant concrete pillars that divided the space and multicolored strobe lights pulsing over a dance floor. On the furthest side, there was a long glass bar serving every type of drink you could think of.
“She’s going to spit in your beer,” I said with a grin wide enough that I knew my dimple was showing and raked my hand through my messy brown hair.
Alex laughed. “Eh, never know. I might like it.”
“Alright, fucker.” Standing, I grabbed my coat from the booth. “I’m out before she comes back with friends.”
“Hey, you’re supposed to be my wingman,” he argued.
“If I wanted to catch bunnies, I’d have stayed at the rink.” Sure, I was down when he asked, still high off our win, but I wasn’t interested in these girls.
“Fucking picky bastard. Hold up,” Alex grumbled under his breath and searched the crowd before a slow smile formed on his lips. Then he gestured toward the other side of the club with his chin. “How about them?”
I followed his gaze to a girl at a bar-height table. She was tall, blonde, and had a deep tan that gave her a sun-kissed look. By the way Alex looked at her, she must’ve been his type, but I was too blindsided by the hot-as-fuck brunette standing beside her to notice.
“Fuck me,” I said low under my breath as I took in the brunette. She looked like some kind of sexy librarian, wearing a short pleated skirt, thigh-high socks, and chunky black boots. She smiled at her blonde friend, then dipped her head, getting ready to take a shot.
My mouth watered when she licked the web between her thumb and pointer finger, getting it ready for her friend to pour salt on. She had a devious-looking smirk on her face, and I counted with her. One. Two. Three.
Next, she sucked the salt off, tossed back the shot, and bit into a lemon. I swallowed hard when a sexy little shiver ran through her. I wanted to be the reason she trembled like that.
“I’ll see you back at the house, buddy.”
Alex was talking, but I didn’t register his words. The brunette dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling it into a high ponytail, revealing a sexy silver layer underneath. This girl was just full of surprises. She fucking owned the hot nerd thing she had going on, and I groaned, tracing the line of her neck. There was a spot below her ear that looked biteable—
A hand landed on my shoulder, snapping me out of my daze, and Alex smirked at me.
“What?” I asked, ignoring the rasp in my throat.
“I said I’d see you at our place.” His voice practically screamed, I told you so.
The brunette propped her elbows on the table, her back straight and her ass angled out behind her. My pulse kicked up, sending my blood rushing down. Jesus fucking Christ.
“The brunette is mine.” I growled the words, and Alex just laughed, smacking my shoulder.
“Yeah, buddy. Tonight’s going to be a good fucking time.”
As soon as she bent over, all my attention focused on where her fingers glided over the thin band of visible skin between the top of her sock and the bottom of her skirt. I was already walking before she stood. I didn’t know who this girl was, but tonight, she was fucking mine.
Alex walked right up to the blonde and gave her a cocky smile. “Besides being sexy, what do you do for a living?”
He should’ve been arrested for that line, but it hadn’t let him down yet. By the way the blonde smiled, it wouldn’t fail him now.
The librarian choked on her drink and shook her head. She looked like she was about to say something, but her friend cut in.
“Does that ever work for you?”
Alex moved closer, his voice dropping low. “Don’t know. Does it?”
I didn’t hear the blonde’s reply because now the brunette’s attention was on me. Her teeth ran along her bottom lip as her gaze slowly worked its way up my chest. That’s it, baby. Look at me.
As if she heard my thoughts, her eyes flashed to mine, startling when she found me already watching her. I ran my thumb over my bottom lip, exactly where she gnawed on hers. As a result, her cheeks flushed a deeper pink. So fucking adorable.
“I’m Alex, and this dickhead’s Jax. He’s been dying to talk to you, so I took pity on him and brought him over.”
Fucking asshole. I cut him a glare, but I was distracted when the librarian introduced herself. “Sidney.”
Her name felt good rolling over in my head, but before I could say anything, a guy cut between us, wrapping his arm around her waist and handing her a drink. “Drink up. Curtis wants to dance.”
He was tall, but not as tall as me, with a lean frame and perfectly styled hair. When she smiled up at him, a jolt ran through me, and a muscle ticked in my jaw. Disappointment mixed with something much more dangerous coursed through me. I tipped back on my heels, needing to get a grip on myself. This girl was fucking trouble.
The guy leaned in closer, his mouth just above her ear, but he spoke loud enough for me to hear. “Oh, he’s hot and jealous.”
The fuck? He gave her another squeeze, then let go, burying his nose into the neck of the man behind him. In the seconds it took for me to catch up to what was happening, the shorter guy had wrapped his arms around him. Sidney gave them a warm smile, and relief flooded me, knowing the guy was already taken.
He held his hand out. “Hey, man. I’m Anthony, and this is Curtis.” He pointed to his boyfriend, who grinned at me.
“Jax.” I took a long sip of my beer, and everyone looked at me with identical smiles, but not Sidney. Her gaze was fucking molten. Oh, she liked me jealous. If she stuck around, I had a feeling she’d get what she wanted.
Her friend—I thought she said her name was Mia—grabbed Alex’s hand and began tugging him to the dance floor. “Let’s dance.”
He didn’t need any encouragement, already heading in that direction, and Anthony and Curtis followed them.
“We’ll catch up in a minute.” I stalked toward Sidney, happy she didn’t contradict me. No, her gaze was warm on my skin, and there was a slight smile ghosting over her lips. I practically towered over her, her slight frame completely blocked out by my larger one.
The group gave us knowing looks, then dispersed into the crowd.
A giant balloon floating above the table caught my attention. I swear my heart stopped dead as I stared at the blue congratulations balloon with a baby on it. All the blood drained from my head, and my attention went back to Sidney.
I swallowed hard. “Is that for you?”
Her mouth twitched and pulled to the side before she let out a laugh. “You should see your face right now.”
Her voice lowered with a subtle rasp, only made sexier by her amusement at the same time her grin grew, until it was practically blinding with pride. “My internship at Parliament was accepted today. Apparently, this was the only congratulations balloon available.” She laughed. “Anthony thought it was hilarious.”
Not pregnant. My muscles relaxed, and the circulation returned to my body as I slowly registered her words. “No shit, seriously?”
“Don’t be too impressed. I need another letter of recommendation. Those two got a little prematurely excited.” She nodded, watching me a bit too guarded. I fucking hated that she lost some of her confidence.
I leaned in closer. “Hey, you’ve got this.”
“How can you know that?”
I’m overwhelmed by the need to wipe the unsure look from her face. “I bet you’re at the top of your class, right?”
She bit the side of her cheek before answering, “Yeah.”
“You’ve already got other recommendations?”
“Yeah.” She stood straighter now. Good.
I pushed harder. “Do you think you can kick your internship’s ass?”
She smiled at me, eyes brighter than they were a second ago. “Yeah, I do.”
“Then don’t worry. You’ve got this.”
She let out a deep breath, and her entire body relaxed. I clipped her chin with my curled forefinger. “I’ll leave a good impression on you so you remember me when you make it big.”
Heat flushed across her chest, and I followed it up her neck, running my tongue along my top teeth. She was so fucking responsive. I wanted to find out if she blushed like that everywhere. She shifted forward but stopped herself with a hand on the table.
Come on, Sidney. Come get me.
She broke eye contact, looking at her hands. “Do you come here a lot?”
It was a random change of subject, but it was a start. “Enough to know you don’t.”
She huffed out a laugh and shrugged. “I don’t go out much. Busy preparing to be that ‘important politician’ you were talking about. I’ve got to keep my image clean.”
The things I wanted to do to her were anything but clean. I tipped my voice low until it was a gravelly rumble, forcing her to step into me to hear. “Do you go to school here, Sidney?”
She sucked in a breath when I said her name and bit her lower lip. Fuck. She needed to stop doing that. I was already too fucking turned on.
Her mouth pulled to the side. “Yeah, one semester left. I go to the University of Windsor.”
A spark of interest flashed in my chest. “Yeah?”
She gave me a quick nod, and that interest turned to anticipation of seeing more of her.
“Me too. Kinesiology major.” I moved in closer until the toes of our shoes brushed against each other, and she was forced to tip her chin up to meet my gaze. She took a deep breath in, and energy kicked up around us, drawing me closer. I lowered my head above her, keeping my voice steady. “I bet you’re a poli-sci, right?”
“You’ve got it.” Her throat lifted with her swallow.
Come on, Trouble. Ask me something.
She didn’t disappoint. “So, kinesiology, that’s impressive. Planning to work for some pro sports team when you graduate?”
“Something like that.” I rolled back on my heels, and she raised a brow. She studied me, clearly not happy with my vague answer, but I didn’t want to ruin this moment by bringing that into it.
Sidney stepped back, creating distance between us just as a server walked by. They connected with each other faster than I could warn them, sending Sidney tipping forward. I caught her in my arms, and her touch was like a live wire shooting straight through my veins. The scent of citrus—orange and grapefruit—surrounded me, and I had to fight back a groan. Heat practically poured off her where we connected, soaking into my skin. She stared at my mouth, eyes dark, teeth sinking into her perfect full bottom lip. She didn’t move, and I didn’t interrupt her as she took me in fully. Fuck, the way she was staring at me turned me the fuck on. I swallowed hard, then lowered my lips above her ear and murmured, “Caught you.”
“I… I didn’t mean—” she said, flustered.
Deciding to put her out of her misery, I gestured toward our friends. “At this point, if Alex gets any closer to Mia, they’re going to become one.”
She lifted onto her toes, placing a hand on my shoulder for balance, and craned her neck to see them. I knew she felt my low rumble under her soft touch.
Her fingers curled into my shirt, but she didn’t face me when she said, “Is he always like this?”
I lowered my chin to her ear, focused on the millions of goosebumps that rose over her skin. “A shameless flirt? Pretty much.”
Sidney leaned back, her gaze traveling from my mouth to my eyes, and I spread my fingers over her back, tugging her closer. She made a soft sound that had my breath catching in my throat and my dick growing hard. I searched her face, wanting—no, needing—to know that she felt this too. That I wasn’t the only one driven fucking crazy just being near her.
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip before a sensual grin formed on her mouth. “Are you hitting on me?”
“Maybe. Is it working?”
Her smile grew. “Maybe.”
My grip tightened, her words sounding distinctly like a yes. She was throwing off fuck me signals, and god, I hoped I was right. I paused, not sure where to go from here. At first, I found her hot, but fuck if I wasn’t more interested now. There was something about her. She was clearly smart, and there was a level of sass coming off of her that had me itching to—
“Want to dance?” Sidney asked, cutting off my thoughts.
“Fuck yes.” I practically growled the words, and I was rewarded by her shiver. Sidney entwined our fingers, and I followed her like a lost puppy, but who could fucking blame me? She looked delicious in her short plaid skirt with a white slim-fitting T-shirt that had come loose.
Sidney picked a spot on the dance floor out of sight of our friends, turned to face away from me, and swayed to the beat. She moved in slow, languid motions that made my dick harder with each second I watched her. My hands curled with restraint, and Sidney’s breath caught in her throat when they landed on her hips, tugging her back into my chest. Fuck. She rolled against me until her ass pushed into my groin, driving me insane. My mind chanted the same thing over and over, like some kind of fucking caveman. Mine.
I needed to take her home tonight, or it would fucking kill me.
Blood rushed to my already rock-hard cock when I ran my fingers just below her skirt and squeezed her exposed thighs. A low growl escaped the back of my throat when her entire body trembled in my grasp. Fuck, she didn’t know how close she had me to the edge. She leaned her head on my shoulder, tilting it to the side, making room for my mouth, and hummed when I licked up the narrow column of her neck.
“You smell so fucking good.” I groaned, burying my face in her shoulder.
She whimpered, and I flipped her to face me, needing to capture it with my mouth. We were so close her breath fanned over my lips, but she tucked her chin to stop the kiss.
The fuck? I dropped my forehead to hers, breathing in each of her breaths. Sidney’s hands ran up my abdomen, and I groaned deeply when she dug her nails into my chest. Her lips were pink where she bit into them, and I fucking craved to run my tongue along the marks. Her mouth formed a perfect pout, and I shifted close enough that it nearly brushed mine with each inhale.
Sidney made a low, pained sound before jerking her head back. She sucked in several breaths, and her eyes widened on me.
Ice filled my veins, replacing the heat that had been building. Did I read her wrong? Did I push her too far? “I’m sorry. Whatever I did, I’m fucking sorry.”
She let out a long sigh, then shook her head, a smirk forming on her full lips. “That’s rule number one: no kissing.”
She shifted back a few inches, and my hands tightened on her hips, not letting her go. My gaze flicked from her mouth to her eyes and back, trying to process anything but the desire to taste her. I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip, and she tracked the movement while her tongue wet hers. Sidney’s words finally broke through the haze of lust, and they hit harder than they should. “What?”
“Rule number one.” She leaned away, but her fingers still dug into me like she didn’t want to let me go. Good. I didn’t fucking want her to.
My gaze searched hers as if I would find the answer there. Sidney was already turning away, but I caught the disappointed look in her eyes. She gestured to her table with her thumb. “I need a drink.”
Me fucking too, Sidney.
She pulled from my grasp, and I immediately missed the feel of her. What the hell was happening? One minute, we were all over each other, and the next, I stood here stunned. She was already at the table before I snapped out of it.
“What do you mean rule?” I asked as soon as I reached her.
She finished her tall glass in a few sips. “Just what I said. I have rules for this type of thing.”
“What sort of thing?”
“One-night stands.”
“What if I want it to be longer?” Where the fuck did that come from?
“That’s rule number two: one night only.”
My brows pinched together, not sure what to make of it. I should’ve been happy she was down for one night. Hell, I should’ve been ecstatic. What guy didn’t want that? Apparently me, because her taking more off the table didn’t sit right.
Curious, I played along. “Okay, I can respect your game.”
Her glare was ruined when she hiccupped. “Rules, not a game.”
My hands rose in surrender. “Sorry. Rules.”
“That’s better. Look, we’re getting way off course here. You’re hot. I’m pretty sure you think I’m hot. Come home with me.” She hiccupped between her words and swayed on her feet.
I caught her, holding her closer than necessary, and tried not to preen when she wrapped her hands around my back. Her pupils were blown wide, and I swallowed hard when her tongue snuck out, wetting her bottom lip.
So fucking pissed at what was about to come out of my mouth, but I’d never been and would never be the type of guy who brought a drunk girl home. No matter how tempting she was. “It fucking kills me to say this. And it really fucking does, but you’ve had too much to drink tonight for this conversation.”
She frowned.
I slid my phone toward her. “How about you give me your number and we can do this again? Sober.”
She chuckled, shaking her head. “Nope, can’t do that.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “Tell me this isn’t another rule.”
Sidney propped her chin on my chest and sucked in her bottom lip, looking sexy as fuck. I tipped my head back to the ceiling and took in a deep breath. Please, fucking god. This couldn’t be happening. I had never chased a girl in my fucking life, and this girl had me hooked. “What if I gave you mine?”
She scrunched her nose. Fucking adorable. “Rule number three: no exchanging phone numbers.”
“How the fuck does that work?” I had to stop myself from tightening my grip. I was getting dangerously close to being an asshole, but come the fuck on. These rules were killing me. “What happens if you’re into a guy?” If only my boys could see me now. I’d never live it down.
She gave me an apologetic smile, and I already knew what was coming. “Breaks rule number five.”
“Tell me,” I deadpanned.
“Being into a guy leads to dating, dating leads to relationships, and relationships lead to feelings. Rule number five: no falling in love.”
A muscle ticked in my jaw. “How many rules do you have?”
“Five.”
“What’s the fourth rule?” Someone grabbed my shoulder, twisting me to face him and effectively cutting me off.
“Congrats, buddy. That goal was insane,” he screamed over the music, and his breath reeked of beer.
“Goal?” Sidney’s head tilted to the side, looking me up and down as if seeing me for the first time.
The big guy beside me wore my team’s teal hockey jersey. He turned around, showing her the back, where the last name Ryder was written across it in large white letters. He faced her and smiled. “Yeah, sweetheart. You going to pretend you don’t know you’re hooking up with the Huskies’ star forward?”
“Jax Ryder?” she asked with a little shake of her head like she was telling me to say no.
“Yeah.” I swallowed hard. For the first time, I got the impression my name was going to backfire on me.
Her shoulders slumped, and she looked so fucking disappointed before lifting onto her toes and leaning closer to me. Her eyes were wide as she searched my face, and I wished I could make out their color in the dim club light. I reveled in the heat of her body pressed tightly against my chest as she brought her mouth closer to mine, so close I could feel her breath fan across mine. My mouth watered, and it took everything in me not to close the distance. Come on, Trouble. Kiss me.
“That’s really too bad, Jax.” She closed the distance, kissing me just to the side of my lips, then broke away from my arms, brows pulled together. She took a step toward her friends, nearly tripping as she did. I so wanted to help her, but her words caught me up. “Rule number four: no hockey players.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope.” She gave me a downcast smirk and wiggled her fingers goodbye before turning around.
My gaze tracked her ass the entire time, and a slow smile curved across my lips. I never could resist breaking the rules.
