As I approach the bar, I see a bright hue of pink fabric flash in the corner of my eye. I turn, but two large men step in my way, blocking the dress. It’s either Selena or Olivia. My sister wouldn’t be caught dead in a Vegas club in pink, despite the fact it’s her favorite color. I pause and wait patiently for the men to move, they do eventually and when they do, I see Olivia sitting at the bar wearing a short, pink dress. I also see Maddi standing beside Olivia giving her shot after shot. I mentally count a total of four. It turns out Maddi is quite the drinker. Olivia, however, can barely keep her shit together after a single glass of wine and should know better than to over-drink when I’m not around to take care of her—especially in a place like this. As Maddi steps away, a tall, boyish looking biker wearing a leather vest and dark jeans slips into her spot and leans into Olivia, breathing all over my wife.

I start forward, but Jackson snags my arm. “Watch,” he shouts in my ear. “She doesn’t know you’re here, see how she handles it.”

He keeps his grip on my arm, not allowing me to step in and help. Olivia smiles politely at the creep who is so obviously (and so creepily) ogling her. I hate it. I yank my arm from Jackson’s grasp and start forward. As I reach her, the guy leaves his chair and slumps away from the bar. I want to shout after him, but for the sake of the situation, I decide against it. I go unnoticed as Olivia slumps onto the bar, dropping her head onto her arms, so I reach out and brush a lock of hair away from her cheek. She jolts upright, slapping my hand away. The surface of my skin prickles and my eyes catch hers. The fierce look in her glare is that of a wild cat and I smile. Good. She should be slapping hands away. When her eyes focus on my face, the scowl on hers fades, replaced by an excited smile.

“You scared me!” she slurs, launching herself off her chair and into my arms. “Please, please, please take me home.”

“Where’s Selena?” Jackson asks Olivia, casually scanning the bar.

Olivia’s face falls and I can see her drunk self can’t conceal the frustration she feels toward Jackson. I guess Selena told her.

“She went home,” she replies bluntly. “She wasn’t in the mood, thanks to you.”

“It sounds like I did her liver a favor,” Jackson retorts.

Olivia scowls and shakes her head at him. It’s typical fucking Selena dragging Olivia out somewhere and then deciding she’s not in the mood. A lot of the time, Selena only looks out for herself and that’s my biggest issue with her. Selfish to the core, that woman is.

“Aw, please tell me you’re not taking away my only drinking buddy?” Maddi pouts, slipping in front of us. She signals to the bartender and he puts down two more shots. She sways on her feet as she downs the two tiny glasses of whiskey. I should glare at her or tell her off for coming here, but I know better. Maddi does what she wants.

“Grab her,” I say to Jackson, turning away from the bar. “Let’s go home.”

I don’t have to check my phone to know I only have an hour and a half until dinner. A dinner Olivia and I were supposed to attend together. It seems I’m going solo, something I haven’t done in a while… in every sense of the word.

Chapter Three

Olivia

Jackson and Maddi occupy the front half of the car, leaving Seth and I alone in the back. I finger the button to Seth’s jeans and he swats me away. I can’t help a giggle as I try to get his pants open again and again.

“Olivia,” he warns me, his voice low and rough. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

It would have been threatening if he wasn’t biting back a smile. I sit back in my chair, reach down, and quietly unclip my seatbelt. Then, I twist in my seat and look at Seth. He watches the buildings whip past us, completely oblivious to my next attack. I’m not going to do anything, at least not while Jackson and his sister are here, but I enjoy making him feel uncomfortable—as he so often does to me. I put my hand on his knee, and his lips twitch. I trail it further, moving my fingers along like a spider. He peers sideways at me and I smile innocently up at him. As I reach his mid-thigh, Seth unclicks his own seatbelt and I yelp as he grabs me, bunches me up in his strong arms, and pushes me flat against the backseat. He crushes me under his weight to the point of being unable to breathe, and brings his mouth right by my ear.

“Is this want you want?”

“I wanted attention,” I say, breathlessly. “But this is nice, too.”

I shiver as his warm tongue traces my earlobe and my head spins—most of it is due to alcohol—that I know, but there’s a small section of my brain that feels like it’s detached and spinning in the opposite direction. That section spins only because he is close. His clean scent filters into me and I drag in an inhale.

“You forgot,” he whispers to me, kissing my earlobe.

“Forgot?”

Seth lifts himself off me and oxygen floods into my lungs. I use my elbows to push myself into a sitting position and I rest my head against the back of the chair to keep from tipping over. Seth’s expression becomes pinched—his lips pursed into a thin line.

“You forgot that we have dinner in an hour.”

I still. Jackson reaches down and turns on the radio, giving Seth and me a little more privacy. Maddi glances over her shoulder, wide-eyed and sorry. Oh no. He’s right, I did forget. For two weeks he’s reminded me of this dinner… and I freaking forgot!

“Holy shit,” I utter, pressing the palm of my hand to my forehead. “I forgot. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mea—”

“It’s okay,” he simply says.

I shift in my seat, moving closer to him. I rake my fingers through my hair and slap my face a few times. Seth grabs my hands in his large, warm ones and pulls them into his lap with a throaty laugh. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sobering myself up,” I tell him.

“There’s no need. You’re not coming.” He reaches up and strokes my cheek. “Let’s get you home, put you in the shower, and get you to bed. I’ll go alone.”

I snuggle into his hand before dropping my head to his shoulder. I’m not going to argue. I’m in no state to be walking around in a tight dress and heels. “I really am sorry.”

“I know you are, but don’t be. It’s all right, really.”

“Really, really?”

He ponders for a second before smiling down at me. “Really, really. I cart you around to all of my events. You deserve a night off.”

My heart swells. At times, I’m scared of Seth’s reaction to things. It can go either way, and most of the time, his reactions go south, but every now and then he throws me a curve ball. It’s the curve balls I live for. They keep me on my toes and keep him unpredictable… just the way I like it. I grab his face and pull it towards mine before crushing my lips to his. I expect him to pull away, instead, he opens his mouth to me and I dip my tongue inside. My entire body vibrates as his rough hand glides up one of my thighs, inching my fabric higher and higher. I want more. My heart threatens to beat its way out of my chest and I know if I open my eyes and see his face, I’ll burst into flames.

“Seriously? Now?” Maddi complains from the front seat, turning the music up louder. “You two are gross.”

Seth nips my bottom lip and takes his delicious mouth away. I pout and snuggle back into him. I want to kiss him forever. I want to feel the rush that his body creates inside of me. When he touches me, I feel like a volcano ready to burst its lid, and when I eventually spill over, my entire being is hot. The heat cannot be quenched, it pours slowly, bubbling and burning everything its wake. It’s an unstoppable force… an inevitable side effect to Seth Marc’s powerful touch.

And I can’t get enough.

***

I open my eyes and cringe away from the bright lights. I feel my entire body weight being suspended above the ground as I’m carried to my room. My head spins worse than it did in the car and if I didn’t know better, I’d say Seth was spinning me around and around and around just for the fun of it. I groan and he squeezes me against him with a light chuckle.

“Almost there.”

My eyelids are heavy, as heavy as stone, and I close my eyes again. The next time I open them, he’s carrying me up the stairs, through the bedroom, and into the bathroom. He puts me down and leans me against the wall, all while keeping a firm grasp on my shoulder. He stares at me with his suddenly bright, brown eyes as I kick off my heels.

“I’m going to undress you, baby, and then put you in the shower, okay?”

I giggle as a playful feeling bubbles to the surface. “I love it when you talk dirty.”

He laughs once, his eyes catching mine. “I’m sure you do, but I mean business right now.”

“I’m sure you do,” I mock him, doing my best Seth impression. I grip the collar of his shirt and pull him into me. “Let’s have some fun.”

He crushes his body to mine, presses me against the wall, bringing his face inches from mine. Bees fill my tummy, threatening to tear through the lining and wreak havoc in other parts of my body.

“As much as I’d love to show you a good time, I’m on a tight schedule tonight and can’t afford to miss dinner.”

I catch my lip between my teeth and curl my fingers around the hem of his shirt. Between my legs, I pulse in hot, agonizing rhythms and I can’t possibly allow him to leave just yet. “Who cares if you miss dinner… you can have dessert if you stay.”

His lids grow heavy and his eyes thin, turning me on beyond anything I’ve ever felt before. I can see the gears working behind his eyes—he’s trying to find a way to make it work—to stay with me. His eyes flutter shut and he expels a calming exhale. When he opens them, the lusty slits I like so much are gone.

“This dinner is important.”

My face falls and I sigh, turning around. I guess I can keep it in my pants for one night at least. “Fine, I’ll behave. Unzip me.”

He tenderly brushes my hair out of the way, but in the brief second the very tip of his finger touches the skin on the back of my neck, my entire body is alight with volcanic intensity again. I feel the zip drag down the length of my back and I even hear Seth let out a small exhale as he pushes the pink dress from my body. I drop my forehead against the tiled wall as he runs his thumb down my spine. Up and down, up and down. I smirk.

“Have you changed your mind, Seth?” I tease, arching my back slightly.

“Dinner is important,” he says again, but I think it’s more for him than me.

He unclips my bra and it falls to my feet. I wait for a few seconds, expecting his fingers to curl around my underwear, but nothing happens. He doesn’t move to take off my last piece of clothing, so I turn around. His stare quickly drops to my breasts before coming back to my face. I step closer, happy with the fact I manage not to stumble or sway, and take his hands in mine. I draw him in, placing his hands just below my hips, right on the hem of my underwear.

“One last piece,” I tell him, smiling devilishly.

His face pinches together in a slight strain that makes my heart race. “Do you really need my help with this tiny piece of fabric?”

I nod innocently. “What if I fall over?” He doesn’t move and I bite back a smile. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid you’re not going to be able to leave once I’m naked?”

His eyes darken as he accepts the challenge. Our eyes remain locked as he hooks his fingers around my panties and pushes them off my hips and over my ass. He crouches low as he gently drags them down my legs to pool with the rest of the fabric on the floor. Almost immediately, his hands fly to my legs and I feel his mouth on my inner thigh, kissing me gently. I moan and lean against the wall as my knees quiver, threatening to buckle. I push my fingers through his hair and he stops kissing to rest his head against my thigh.

“Dinner. I have to go to dinner,” he mumbles before pushing himself to his feet. He turns and opens the shower door.

“Wow. Way to be a tease.”

With a swift gesture of his hand, I slump my shoulders and step inside. He pushes the shower head out of the way and turns on the tap. The cold water bounces off the tiles and hits my skin, causing goosebumps to erupt. Not long after, the water turns warm and I’m able to stand under the flow. The water feels nice as it beats down on my neck and shoulders. It clears my head and forces off some of the effects of alcohol. The whole time I stand under the stream, my body refuses to ignore Seth’s presence. He’s still standing with the door open, watching me.

“Don’t you have a dinner to get to?” I ask, biting a smile.

“I’ll get ready once you’re dry and in bed. I don’t want you slipping and breaking your neck while I’m gone.”

So sweet and caring, as always. I turn and bend down for the shampoo, making Seth swear behind me. “You enjoy making this really painful for me, don’t you?”

I straighten my posture and glance over my shoulder, batting my eyelids. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I squeeze shampoo into my hair and massage it into my scalp. I close my eyes as I tilt my head back and let the harsh stream of water blast it from my hair. I do the same with the conditioner, but as I squeeze it into my hand, I squeeze too hard and extra liquid pours out. It drops onto my chest, coating my left breast. Ignoring it, I run the conditioner through my hair and massage the ends before tilting my head back under the water. As I rub the soap from my scalp, I feel his warm large hand close around my breast. I stiffen, lean out of the water and open my eyes. He’s in the shower, clothes and all. The image of his half wet shirt and soaked jeans sends my heart rate sky-rocketing, setting me on fire. He closes his eyes.