The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I was just drunk enough to be pissed off. “What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.
He crossed the room, stopping maybe a foot away from me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he countered in return, his eyes narrowing and his words coming out sharp.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m doing this fundraiser for the hospital. Get the hell out of here.” I waved my hand. “Someone just paid five thousand bucks for a date with me, and I’m not gonna screw it up by having you here when they show up,” I muttered, my speech slurring a little.
Nate stared at me for a beat, his eyes taking on a wicked gleam before his mouth kicked up at the corner. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m the one who bought a date with you.”
My body was on fire, heat flashing through it in a rush and my belly spinning in flips at the raw desire in his eyes. Nate drove me crazy. He’d been Alex’s best friend for as long as I could remember. If you’d told me I’d have thought he would be sexy when I was about ten, I’d have laughed until I peed my pants.
Everything had felt normal until sometime over a year ago. As if tectonic plates shifted in the earth, I looked at Nate one day and suddenly noticed he was obscenely handsome. Making out with him that night was the biggest mistake I’d ever made. Desire had shifted from a loose idea into something concrete, very real, and very intense.
Nate annoyed me. He always told me what to do, just like my brother. The last thing I needed to do was to be attracted to him. Unfortunately, my body wasn’t getting the memo. Just now, my panties were already giving up the fight.
“Oh, I don’t think so. I’ll do it all over again if I have to. I’m sure you can get a refund.”
Meanwhile, my nipples stood at attention and my channel clenched, vividly remembering the feel of his fingers buried inside me.
Nate
Holly Blake stood defiantly before me, testing every ounce of my restraint. But then, she’d been testing me for years. With her thick blonde hair loose around her shoulders and her curvy body poured into her outfit, I could hardly think.
At the moment, I couldn’t even remember how I ended up at this fucking fundraiser. Not that I had anything against fundraisers. My memory shifted into gear, kicking through the haze of raw lust Holly’s mere presence had created. My buddy had roped me into going because he’d been dragged into helping out. I was there for moral support only. The last thing I expected was to bid on a date with someone. But the second I’d seen Holly on the stage, there was no fucking way I was letting someone else win a date with her.
I’d been speechless—not something that happened often, by the way—when Holly pranced out on the stage in the sexiest excuse for a nursing costume I’d ever seen. Sweet Jesus. If I didn’t screw her right now against the wall, I deserved a fucking medal.
Her breasts were spilling out of the tight blouse, and I was pretty sure I could see her panties if she bent over even a little. I idly wondered if they were red to match her bright red high heels.
I took a deep breath, shackling the need galloping through my body. What the hell had she just said? Oh yeah.
“I got the winning bid, and I don’t want a refund,” I replied.
Her brown eyes widened and then narrowed. I was pretty sure she was a little drunk. Holly had never been one to hold back, but right now, she was a little freer than usual, let’s just say.
“Why?” she demanded.
“Jesus, Holly. You’re fucking parading around out there half-naked. Trust me, I saw your options. I’m your best bet. The guy who I outbid was pushing seventy. Not that there’s anything wrong with being old, but I don’t think he’s your type. What the hell are you doing here anyway?”
I knew I sounded pissed off. I also knew I had no right to feel that way, but it didn’t change anything.
Holly spun around, flinging a hand up in the air and giving me the finger as she walked to the far side of the room. Not that the room was too large. She turned back to me, crossing her arms and setting her feet apart.
“What the hell are you doing here? Like I said before, I’m here to raise money for charity. That’s why. And I sure as hell don’t need you fucking everything up. I might actually get to meet somebody here. But now you’re here, so I’m stuck with you.”
My head was spinning as I tried to catch up to what she was implying. “What the fuck do you mean? You might meet someone?”
Holly sighed, letting her arms fall and resting a hand on her hip. Holly was all kinds of tempting. Her blonde hair was most often pulled up in a slapdash ponytail, and she was usually wearing scrubs. Even when she made zero effort to look good, she was sexy as sin. Dressed like this?
I was so screwed.
“I need another shot,” she muttered, turning around and walking to a table in the corner where, lo and behold, there were a few bottles of alcohol. She proceeded to pour a shot of tequila and knock it back inside of a few seconds.
“It’s not like my dating prospects are any good in Willow Brook,” she mumbled as she turned back to face me. “I figured I’d raise a little money for this hospital thing and maybe I might actually meet someone. Not you. I didn’t need to meet you.”
For the second time tonight, I was speechless.
Fuck it.
I strode to her, reaching for her hands and tugging her against me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she murmured as her body bumped against mine.
“You don’t need to meet anybody,” I said flatly.
Holly’s breath hissed through her teeth. When she gulped in air, her breasts pressed against my chest. It was then I realized my miscalculation. Because I couldn’t be near Holly and not want her. Fiercely.
Having her this close meant there was no way for her to miss the fact that I was rock hard and ready. Her eyes narrowed again, and she jabbed her finger in my chest.
“You don’t get to say whether or not I need to meet anybody. You’re not my keeper, so don’t fucking act like it.”
“No. But I want you, and I know you want me. So, let’s stop dancing around and do something about it.”
