Page 7 of Oh, Puck!
Her breath hitches. “Is it dangerous here?”
“Mmhmm.Very.” I let my knuckles brush against hers on the tabletop. “So if you're done with that drink, how about I walk you back to your hotel?”
She leans back, perhaps contemplating whether I'm a serial killer or not. She doesn't look like the kind of girl who does this for fun, but then again, there's this…edginessto her that I can't quite put my finger on.
Like she's giving herself permission to make averybad decision tonight.
“Well. We can’t have me being unsafe, can we?”
The smile she gives me is slow, and so fucking hot it makes my cock ache. I toss a stack of bills on the table, and as I lead her out of Breakers, the cool ocean breeze hitting us, I catch Beck’s raised eyebrows and Mason’s smirk from across the bar.
I ignore them and lead the way up the wooden boardwalk, past the late-night street vendors and a scattering of teenagers who all glance twice at me.
I know they recognize me, and of course, I could be the player Colin Holden wants me to be right now. I could stop with the local fans, have a chat, and sign some autographs for them.
But tonight, I'm not stopping.
Because all my focus is getting the woman beside me to scream my name.
"We're nearly there," I say, letting my shoulder brush against hers.
She leans in closer, letting me wrap my arm around her.Christ,she's soft. "Great."
Her flip-flops click on the wooden boardwalk as we practicallyruntoward the Beachside Hotel. But just as we reach the thick green grass, leading the way towards the oceanview rooms I've been in one too many times, she pauses, turning to look up at me.
“I'm, um… I'm starting a new—” she pauses and studies my face, watching me closely.
The moonlight catches the green in her eyes and it takes all my strength not to fuck her right here, right now.
"You okay? If you don't want to—" I slide my hand over her arm, letting her feel the warmth of my palm. "If you've changed your mind, that's okay."
It's like she has something important to say, something she needs to get off her chest. Hell, I know the feeling. I've spent my entire life trying to hold an entire family's worth of shit together.
Maybe she's the same.
But maybe I don't give a fuck. Not tonight.
"No,no."She shakes her head, eyes growing wide as a wave crashes behind us. "You know what? I told myself I could do this. Ineedto do this. But maybe, just for tonight, I don't want any names. Is that okay? Or is that too weird for you?"
I consider it for a second.
Colin’s voice echoes in my head.Engage with the community, be a face, build a brand.
This? This is the exact fucking thing I need before I clean up my act. One more night of no strings. Just heat and the ocean and a beautiful stranger who doesn’t want to know who I am.
A slow grin spreads across my face. “No names is perfect.”
Her shoulders relax, a quiet exhale escaping those perfect lips.
“Good,” she whispers, her gaze dropping to my mouth.
I lean in, capture her mouth with mine, and from the very first taste, I know…
I am going to ruin this woman.
And I am going to enjoy every fucking second of it.
Chapter 1
