No Strings
Attached
a Falling for You novella
Nicolette Day
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Tara Fuller. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce,
distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary
rights, please contact the Publisher.
Entangled Publishing, LLC
2614 South Timberline Road
Suite 109
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Visit our website at
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Edited by Heather Howland
Cover design by Heather Howland
ISBN
978-1-62266-179-4
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition
June 2013
The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks
mentioned in this work of fiction: Jimmy Choo; Girl Scout; Honda; Time; Walking Dead; Levi’s; Spandex; Guinness Book of
World Records; Heineken; Rubik’s Cube.
For all of my readers
Thank you
Chapter One
“It’s a sign.”
Hayden Summers tugged at her heel stuck in the drainage grate outside of the Orchid
Lounge. The music vibrated the walls and pulsed out into the parking lot, making her
heart thump in time with the song. Apparently the universe wasn’t on board with this
whole one-wild-night plan. First, her car refused to start, and then she dropped her phone
in a puddle in the parking lot. Okay, so she threw it into a puddle in the parking lot. To be
fair, she hadn’t meant for it to land in the puddle. And her ex had just texted her that he
was getting married. To her cousin. As if breaking her heart into a thousand pieces hadn’t
been enough. He felt the need to move on to her family members now. Freaking parasite.
Now her shoe was being held captive by this bitch of a drainage grate. She was starting
to think the universe wanted her to be celibate forever. Overhead, a clap of thunder
rumbled across the pitch-dark sky, as if to drive home the point. Oh yeah, definitely a
sign.
Her assistant grunted and helped her pull on the sleek black pump. “It’s not a sign. It’s
a shoe. A. Very. Stuck—” It jerked free, and they both fell back onto the pavement with
an umph. Lilly blew a twist of blond hair out of her eyes. “Shoe.”
Hayden grabbed the shoe and frowned. The heel to her Jimmy Choo was…missing. She
looked around and spotted it still stuck in the grate. Well, that was fan-freaking-tastic.
They might have killed her feet, but they had also cost half of what she’d made on her
last freelance job, and this was going to be her only chance to wear them for the next
year. She wasn’t exactly up with the fashion scene in Sudan, but she was guessing shoes
like these wouldn’t suffice when she was trekking across the war-torn country to get shots
that would land her a coveted spot in Time magazine.
Hayden stood up, brushing her dress off, and helped Lilly to her feet. “It’s okay. I have
a pair of flats in your car.”
Lilly laughed. “You are such a Girl Scout. I’ll bet if I stepped on a rusty nail, you’d have
a round of antibiotics in your purse for me. I wouldn’t even have to go to the ER.”
Hayden headed for Lilly’s Honda and popped the trunk. So she might be a tad
obsessive-compulsive. She stared into her emergency bag. Perfectly folded T-shirt and
jeans. Flats. Toiletries. Aspirin and a bottle of water. A box of condoms. Okay, maybe
more than a tad.
Lilly held up the box and grinned.
“What? You told me to be open-minded.”
“I said be open-minded. I did not say to pack for a weekend trip to the Poconos. You’ve
got enough rubber here to last you a month.”
Hayden grabbed the box and threw it back in the bag, then slammed the trunk shut.
“What if I end up going home with someone? Or staying the night?”
“You’re kind of missing the point of a one-night stand.” Lilly checked her hair in the side
mirror while Hayden slipped on her sparkly black flats.
“I don’t like to be unprepared.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that. A zombie apocalypse couldn’t catch you off
guard.”
Hayden stared up at the buzzing blue orchid hanging above the black double doors. A
strange mixture of excitement and determination overwhelmed her. She’d never done
anything like this. But saying the past year had been a dry spell would be an
understatement. She hadn’t even had a date in eleven months, let alone a good roll in
the sack. And she’d be damned if Shane “the cheating bastard” Peterson would be her
last sexual experience before she went off and risked her life. She wasn’t stupid. The job
she’d landed with Time might have been a photojournalist’s wet dream—the kind Hayden
had built her résumé for years to get a shot at—but it didn’t come with any guarantees.
People didn’t always come back from a job like this. Not in one piece anyway.
So she’d made up her mind. She wasn’t getting on that plane tomorrow with regrets. It
was time for the universe to pull the stick out of its ass, because God knew it had taken
her eleven months to get over the damage Shane had done and do the same. She’d
worked her butt off for a year. A year of no social life and no man to warm her bed.
Well, unless you counted her best friend, Jace, falling asleep on her couch every Sunday
night during their weekly Walking Dead date. Or in the weeks after she’d left Shane.
She’d lost count of how many times Jace had crawled into bed with her and let her cry
herself to sleep on his chest, his arms the only thing in the world holding her together.
That so didn’t count. Not when she’d been all weepy and pathetic. And definitely not
when it was Jace she’d been wrapped around. He didn’t see her that way, and now he
never would. Not only did she lack the ability to attract men, she’d somehow managed to
push Jace away, too.
“No…no, no, no.” Lilly put her hands on her hips and frowned. “I know that look. You
are not bailing. If I can put up with the Antichrist tonight, you can put on your big girl
panties and have one night of fun before you leave me.”
Grateful for the distraction, Hayden shook her head. “Nate is not the Antichrist. If you
would take the time to get to know him, you’d like him.” How could two people so close
to her repel each other so strongly? Putting Jace’s brother and Lilly in a room together
was like trying to get oil and water to mix.
Lilly snorted. “Doubtful.”
“If it’s too much for you, I do have wine and a new label maker at home. I’ll even let
you help me finish labeling the moving boxes. Going once, twice…” Hayden grinned.
A look of pure horror crossed her friend’s face. “Dear God, you are like one bad date
away from collecting cats and wearing crochet sweater-vests with animals on them.
Aren’t you?”
“Of course not.” Hayden looked up at the starless sky and thought about how much
she’d miss this. The bustle and buzz of downtown Charlotte. The scent of magnolia trees
laced with the breeze. Jace. “You know I’m allergic to cats. However, I can’t make any
promises about the sweater-vests. They do look cozy.”
“Ha ha.” Lilly leaned on the trunk and grinned. “Make fun now, but when you’re knee-
deep in sand and craving a pumpkin latte, you’ll be thanking me for dragging you out of
that apartment so you could have a memory to keep you warm at night.”
Hayden laughed as they made their way over to the big metal doors of the club.
“Having a good night, ladies?” The bouncer’s lips quirked as he perused Hayden from
head to toe, clearly amused. She should never have let Lilly talk her into this dress. She
tugged on the edges of the tight black fabric that disappeared mid-thigh, longing for her
trusty Levi’s. He held out his big hand. “IDs.”
“You’re not seriously going to card me, are you, Ron?”
He laughed. “Sorry, doll. I could get fired if I don’t.”
She dug into her bright red clutch and pulled out her wallet, then flashed him her ID at
the same time that Lilly dangled hers over Hayden’s shoulder. “Happy?”
He took a good look, as if he hadn’t known her for three years and her best friend and
his brother didn’t own the bar. “I’d be even happier if you’d tell Jace I deserve a raise.”
She shoved her wallet back in her purse. “If he ever decides to talk to me again, I will.”
A lump swelled in her throat. Jace had pretty much shut her out the last two weeks. To
be more exact, since the night she told him she was taking the job in Sudan. She thought
he’d be proud of her. He’d always been her biggest cheerleader—even more so than her
own parents. Whether he was reading her work over her shoulder when they met for their
morning coffee or texting her while she was on location, Jace was always the one making
her believe she could accomplish the impossible. But not this time. This time, he’d gotten
pissed off and then disappeared, putting an impenetrable wall up between them.
“Oh, he’ll talk to you all right.” Lilly grabbed her arm and steered her through the doors,
blowing a kiss to Ron. “In this dress, anyone with a dick and half a brain will have
something to say to you.”
Hayden squirmed again, pulling the fabric. If only it were a couple of inches longer.
Maybe then she wouldn’t feel like her vagina was on display for the entire club to see.
“Stop fidgeting,” Lilly scolded, tossing her mass of thick blond curls over her shoulder.
“I can’t help it. It’s so short.”
“That’s the point.”
Lilly tugged her toward the bar. Jace didn’t get behind the bar much anymore, but
when he did, he always drew a crowd. A squealing, bouncing, nausea-inducing crowd,
just like the one in front of her.
“Looks like your boy is here,” Lilly said, standing on her tiptoes, looking for a seat. How
she hadn’t broken her neck in those five-inch zebra-print heels was beyond Hayden’s
comprehension. They defied the laws of physics. “How are my boobs? Jace Jennings
worthy?”
Hayden turned away and ignored the ugly burn in her chest when Lilly tugged on her
bra to ensure the girls were on display. She hated when her assistant flirted with Jace.
And the fact that she hated it just irritated her even more. “For God’s sake, Lil, will you
stop adjusting? You’re on the border of nipple territory. I think they’re good.”
“Oh, for the love of all that’s holy, they’re both working tonight?” Lilly sighed. “All that
hotness on display and a sea of silicone separating us. So not fair.”
Hayden spotted a flash of the brothers working side by side before a group of guys
slapping one another on the back blocked her view. Nate and Jace were behind the bar
tonight. That didn’t happen very often, and it explained all the excitement. They may
have had some attractive bartenders working the club, but none of them compared to the
Jennings brothers and the routine they’d spent years developing.
Right on cue, she heard Nate’s voice ring out a command, and a bottle of vodka flew up
above the bar. She didn’t have to see to know that Jace had caught it behind his back to
make his signature drink. Cheers erupted. It wouldn’t be long before they had girls lined
up on the bar for body shots. Hayden rolled her eyes and muttered, “Show-offs.”
“Let’s get a seat.” Lilly leaned down and whispered in her ear, “And I know you said no
frat boys, but if I were you, I’d make an exception for the blond one undressing you with
his eyes over there.”
Hayden nodded, feeling nervous and fluttery inside. God, was she really going to do
this? Yes. But not before she got a drink in her. Or three. She pushed past a group of girls
who looked young enough to have bedtimes and hopped up onto one of the sleek leather
barstools. Jace was farther down the bar pouring a drink, completely unaware of her
presence. His dark hair was styled into messy spikes. The deep, intricate colors of his
sleeve tattoo swirled down his forearm to peek out from the navy blue Henley shirt that
was pushed up to his elbows.
The way the fabric stuck to his cut, muscular frame was enough to make a girl drool.
And he didn’t have to take off his shirt for her to know the artwork didn’t stop there. His
parents’ names were inked in old English just over his heart. He laughed at something a
girl whispered into his ear, then slid her a drink with a lemon and moved on to the next
person.
She sucked in a breath to calm the flutter of nerves that had erupted at the sight of him
and arranged the unused cardboard coasters on the bar into a perfect line. One inch
between each of them. No more. No less.
“Is he still pouting? I’m the one who should be upset. After you leave I’m going to have
to go back to lame wedding photography, but you don’t hear me bitching about it. I’m
taking a more proactive approach.” Lilly worked her way up onto the barstool next to
Hayden, taking the same sideways stance to keep her red Spandex mini from riding up.
“Like getting you laid. I’m thinking I’ll get into the Guinness Book of World Records if I
pull it off.”
“Who’s getting laid?” a familiar deep voice rumbled.
Hayden raised her chin to meet Jace’s intense gaze. His eyes looked like mocha with
sparks of gold. Something in those sparks caught fire, making her breath catch, and she
pulled her hands away from organizing the coasters. He folded his arms across his wide
chest and cleared his throat.
“Hayden,” Lilly interjected. “And me if I’m properly persuaded.” She winked, and
Hayden kicked her shin under the bar, feeling the heat of humiliation flush her skin.
Having a night of reckless abandon with a complete stranger was one thing. Jace
knowing about it was another. He’d always been overprotective. There had been that kid
who had pushed her off her bike in the sixth grade, the horny frat boy who tried to feel
her up at a party sophomore year when she didn’t want it, and a half dozen guys in
between. They all had gotten an introduction to Jace’s fist.
A dark look settled across his face. “Shouldn’t you be packing?”
Here we go…
“You haven’t spoken to me in two weeks. Not a phone call. A text. Nothing,” she fumed.
“You do not get to dole out a lecture now.”
He’d even skipped out on their morning coffee date at Amelie’s. Amelie’s for God’s
sake! They’d never had an argument that could keep either of them away from the magic
of a twice-baked chocolate-and-almond croissant.
“If you missed me, all you had to do was say so.” He raised a brow, giving her that
cocky expression that he knew would piss her off. He’d been perfecting it for years. “I
take it you’re still leaving tomorrow?”
He knew the answer, so Hayden didn’t bother to respond. If she did, it would only lead
to another argument. And she didn’t want to spend her potentially last moments with
Jace arguing. When she didn’t offer any words, he nodded, and his jaw ticked.
His expression darkened to a scowl when his gaze drifted from her face, down her
throat, past the curve of her breasts, and stopped where the rest of her disappeared
behind the bar. A shiver of warmth spread down her spine, around to her belly, and she
took a breath to stop it from going any farther. The universe was a cruel bitch for making
the hottest man in the room the one who found her as sexually appealing as a goldfish.
On the other end of the bar, an air horn blared.
“It’s that time again, ladies!” Nate held a megaphone to his mouth, and the crowd
started to scream. “You know the drill. I need three pretty ladies on the bar and one
lucky son of a bitch who loves tequila.”
Hayden started to back away, but Lilly grabbed her wrist and thrust her hand up in the
air. “I’ve got one right here!”
Hayden’s face flushed red and she jerked out of her friend’s grasp. “What the hell do
you think you’re doing?”
Lilly smiled, a challenge in her eyes. “Helping you let loose and leave boring Hayden at
the door. That was the plan, wasn’t it?”
Yes, it was. And she was right. Hayden needed this. It was just a body shot, for God’s
sake, and tonight was supposed to be about shedding her inhibitions and having fun.
What was the worst that could happen? Jace wouldn’t let some freak manhandle her
more than necessary.
“Fine.” She placed a foot on the barstool. “Help me up.”
Lilly squealed as Hayden hopped up onto the bar. Jace caught her by the elbow, the
look on his face wary. “What are you doing, Hayden?”
“You needed a volunteer, didn’t you?” She shrugged out of his grip and lay back on the
bar. “You got one.”
Jace took a step closer, his hand resting in a clenched fist next to her hip. His jaw
tensed as he looked her over.
“Got your guy over here, Jace!” Nate yelled.
“No,” he growled. “I’ve got this one. He can take the other two.” He grabbed the bowl
of limes Nate slid over to him and plucked a bottle of tequila from under the bar.
Hayden’s eyes widened, and she sat up on her elbows. One girl was already laid out at
the other end of the bar with her shirt hiked up. “Wait. What are you doing?”
“A shot.” He leaned close enough to whisper in her ear. “Or would you rather me beat
the shit out of some poor guy for putting his mouth on you?”
Hayden gasped. She should have been pissed off—she’d never taken his caveman crap
in the past, and there was no reason she should start taking it now. In fact, she should’ve
hopped right off that bar and told him to go screw himself. Instead, all she could think
about was the fact that Jace was about to put his mouth on her, even if it was only
because he was being overprotective and unreasonable. He nudged her back down, his
jaw clenched.
Music thumped all around, and the light over the bar flashed like a dozen erratic
spotlights. The anticipation was almost too much. Her heart was about to beat out of her
chest. Jace picked up a lime wedge and held it to her lips. “Open.”
She parted her lips, and he gently placed the lime between them, then pushed her skirt
up her thigh another inch. God, if he went any higher, she was going to lose it. Right here
in front of all these people. It was like her body had no idea that it was her best friend
with his hands all over her. Well, it might have known, but right now, it didn’t seem to
care. The next thought fled from her mind as his tongue made contact with the inside of
her thigh. He left a hot, wet stripe of moisture against her skin, then sprinkled salt over
it.
Nate laughed at her expression and slid his brother a shot of tequila. “Better hurry up,
bro,” he said. “I don’t think our girl’s cut out for this.”
Jace’s gaze connected with hers, and there was so much heat in it she squirmed
against the bar. “Ready?”
She nodded, and then he was licking the salt from the inside of her thigh, lingering,
kissing every grain from her skin. Heat pooled between her legs, and a familiar ache
worked its way down her belly. Jace took one last lick that went a little higher than
necessary, then stood and downed the shot. He stared at her, his lids heavy. “Relax,
Hayden,” he whispered.
And then his mouth was on hers.
Hayden closed her eyes and shuddered as Jace sucked the lime from between her lips,
wishing she could taste Jace instead of the lime, drowning with want for something that
was inappropriate for about a thousand different reasons. The sound of people clapping
and drinks being ordered brought her back. When she opened her eyes he was staring
down at her, his hands braced against the bar. Was he shaking?
He looked away, and for the first time ever, she couldn’t place the emotions that were
scrawled across his face. He was still mad she was leaving, obviously. She got that, but
didn’t he understand she couldn’t give in? She pushed herself up until she was eye level
with him. “I don’t want to leave things like this.”
His gaze settled on her mouth for a few moments before he closed his eyes and
pressed his forehead against hers, as if he were trying to compose himself. “Then don’t
leave.”
He stepped back and made his way to the other end of the bar without looking back.
Hayden slipped back onto her barstool, feeling dizzy and hot all over. What the hell was
that? Was he messing with her? More tricks to try to get her to stay? If that was the
game Jace was playing tonight, then one thing was certain. Yes, she definitely needed a
drink.
Chapter Two
Jace Jennings gritted his teeth and reached for a bottle of vodka, trying, and failing, not
to watch Hayden and her friend moon over a couple of guys who had sidled up to them
as his brother poured them drinks. What the fuck was she thinking, going out dressed like
that? Was she trying to get him arrested? Because that was exactly what was going to
happen if that asshole’s hand drifted any lower on the irresistible curve of her back. He
really needed to get it together.
He still hadn’t recovered from seeing her in the tight scrap of black fabric she called a
dress. From having his mouth on her, tasting just enough of her to torture him. He’d had
to walk away before he did something stupid or embarrassed himself. He was still hard as
granite, even with the distance between them. When she climbed up onto that bar, he
didn’t know what he was going to do, but he sure as hell wasn’t thinking friendly
thoughts. Maybe brush the caramel-colored hair from her pleading eyes. Kiss her. Drag
her to the back, shove that little dress up, and touch her in every way imaginable until
she promised not to leave him. That’s what he should have been doing. Making her see
him differently. Giving her something she wouldn’t be able to live without.
He rubbed his lips, reigniting the taste of her, and stifled a groan. “Is Ron letting every
horny asshole in Charlotte in tonight, or is it just me?”
His brother shook his head and chuckled as he mixed a drink beside him. “Are you
referring to all the horny assholes in general, or just the one talking to Hayden?”
Jace made a grunting sound and focused on making the next batch of drinks for the girl
pressing her cleavage against the bar with a come-and-get-me smile. He wasn’t
interested. For almost a year, he hadn’t been interested in anyone other than the one
person he couldn’t have. It had been easy to ignore his feelings for Hayden when she’d
had a boyfriend. He’d been able to go out, bring a woman home for one sweaty night of
pleasure that never left him quite satisfied, and then send her on her way. But after that
asshole had cheated on her, left her broken and needing him to stitch her back together,
it became impossible to lie to himself anymore. He loved her. As much as he’d tried to
deny it, she was forever the voice in his head. In his heart. Pushing him to be more, to be
better. And now she wanted to go to a place from which she might not come back. A
place where he couldn’t protect her. He rubbed his chest, then poured a round of shots
for the girls in front of him and slid them over.
“Those guys are regulars, Jace.”
“Maybe we need new regulars,” he grumbled.
“Maybe.” Nate shrugged. “Or maybe you need to stop lying to Hayden about how you
really feel about her.”
Jace clenched the bottle in his hand. Was it that obvious? If it was, he needed to get it
together. It would only complicate things if she knew. Hayden was hell-bent on leaving. If
he brought up his feelings now, she’d think he was just trying to talk her out of taking this
job. It would only push her further away. And he wasn’t willing to risk losing her because
his dick didn’t understand the boundaries of the friend zone.
“It’s not like that,” he said. “I don’t want her to get hurt again. The last thing she needs
is another asshole like Shane in her life. It’s taken her almost a year to get over that
shit.”
Nate backed off and let one of the other bartenders take over the already tipsy crowd
pushing against the bar. “I call bullshit. You love her.”
“You love her, too.”
Nate laughed. “Yeah, I love her like a sister. You’re in love with her, and you’re a
fucking liar if you say otherwise. So, why are you holding back? Why are you just
watching this happen? Letting her leave?”
“Letting her leave?” Jace laughed humorlessly and stalked to the other end of the bar
to put some distance between them and the crowd. Nate stuck the bottle he’d been
holding under the bar and followed. Even with the extra distance, Jace’s gaze still
gravitated to Hayden. The guy next to her whispered something in her ear, and she
giggled as his hand disappeared below the bar, out of Jace’s line of sight. Motherfucker.
This wasn’t how she should be spending her last night at home. She should be spending it
with him.
“You think I want this? This…this is her dream. Something she’s been working toward
forever. Who the hell am I to ask her to walk away from it? Do you have any idea how
many times she put her life on hold for me when Mom was sick? So that I wouldn’t have
to do it alone?”
Nate dropped his gaze to the floor, his jaw tense. Jace knew it was chickenshit of him
to remind his brother that he hadn’t been around when their mom got sick. Nate had
been overseas, doing exactly what their father had always wanted, following in his
footsteps, fighting for our freedom. But it was true. Hayden had been the only one who
had stayed by his side. He’d had to grow up when he was just a seventeen-year-old kid
who didn’t know how to cook a meal or pay a bill. God knows he wouldn’t be the man he
was today without Hayden’s help.
“If I ask her to stay for me, it will be the most selfish thing I have ever done. And you
have no idea how fucking selfish I am. How badly I want to lock her in a room and keep
her from doing this. She deserves better than that. Better than me.”
“Did you ever think she might feel the same?” Nate raised a brow.
“She doesn’t,” he said, watching her appear and disappear through the jittery crowd.
“She shouldn’t.” He’d never let himself hope for that. Hayden didn’t need complications
right now. She needed him to be supportive. Proud of her. And he was, damn it. Hayden
trusted him for a reason, and he’d never give her a reason to question that trust. What he
needed to do was walk away and take a cold shower like he had every Sunday night for
the past year. And after seeing her in that barely there dress, he’d need a damn cold
shower tonight.
The pounding rhythm of a new song began, drowning out the rush of his heartbeat. He
looked up, and his gaze clashed with Hayden’s for a split second before Lilly pulled her off
the barstool and onto the dance floor. She gave a small smile meant just for him, but her
green eyes looked glassy and sad. Then the smile was gone, and the dull ache in his
chest roared to life. He made another round of drinks and watched Hayden lose herself in
the music. Swaying her hips as her body found a rhythm to match the hypnotic beat. He
couldn’t take his eyes off her. She’d pulled her hair up, and he could just make out the
little orchid tattoo on the back of her neck that he’d dared her to get in college. He’d
obsessed over that little branding of ink for far too long. He’d even named his club after
it, for fuck’s sake.
He’d only imagined about a thousand times what that spot might taste like. What her
hips would feel like in his palms as he licked it from stem to petal.
Down, boy. He glared at the front of his pants, which were feeling ball-strangling tight.
Not the time. Not the place. When he looked up, the jackass from the bar was back.
Buzzing around her like a horny fly. Jace’s teeth ground together, and his jaw popped.
“Jace?” Nate stepped in front of his view, brows pulled together. “Everything all right?”
Jace dropped his gaze to where Nate was looking. He’d poured tequila all over the bar,
missing the shot glass completely.
He blinked and rubbed his hands over his face. “Yeah. Fine. Fucking perfect.”
“Go home, man.” Nate glanced over his shoulder and shook his head as he helped wipe
up the mess. “Go home before you start shit you won’t be able to take back. Sleep it off.
Talk to her in the morning. Hayden’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”
Jace watched Hayden for a few seconds more and then nodded. Nate was right. He
couldn’t stick around for this. He didn’t want to. And he wasn’t going to make any moves
tonight. She’d only look at it as a ploy to get her to stay. He needed to go home, come up
with a game plan. He’d have to catch her in the morning before her flight. Change her
mind. Make her see reason. How he was going to do that, he didn’t fucking know, but he
had to figure it out.
“You sure you guys have it covered?”
Nate laughed. “I think we can manage. But you think you could grab a case of
Heineken from the back before you go?”
Jace slapped him on the back. “Yeah, no problem.”
“Hey, Jace?”
He stopped at the sound of his brother’s voice and turned around.
Nate’s gaze flitted to the dance floor, then back. “Make this right with her. Whatever it
takes. I don’t want to see her go any more than you do.”
Jace swallowed and nodded. If Hayden left, he wasn’t the only one who was going to
end up with a hole in his heart. She’d always been like a sister to Nate. Hell, she’d been
like a sister to him at one point, too, but somewhere along the way she’d become so
much more than that. She’d become someone he couldn’t live without.
“Whatever it takes.”
Chapter Three
The decibels of the music shattered Hayden’s concentration as she stumbled to a stop a
few feet from the storage room door. The door was propped open, and a sliver of light
spilled out into the hall. Trembling, she fished her strawberry-flavored lip gloss out of her
clutch and smoothed the light pink color across her lips. Was she actually going to go
through with this? She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, her heart beating out
a rhythm so loud it rivaled the hip-hop song echoing through the hall.
The guy she’d met at the bar was nice and really cute. He was in sales. They had
similar tastes in music and movies. And when she’d told him about her job, he hadn’t
made her feel like she was a fool chasing after a dream that would never materialize.
Had her body figured out how perfect he was for this job? Not exactly. She wasn’t
burning up with the need to be sweaty and naked with the guy, but he was nothing like
Shane, which meant he was exactly what she needed. And the way he’d been grinding
against her on the dance floor left no doubt as to where he’d wanted this night to go.
When he’d whispered in her ear, “I saw a storage room in the back. Meet me in ten?” she
hadn’t even been shocked.
She had, however, been shocked with herself when she’d agreed.
If she kept going over this in her head, she was going to end up breathing into a paper
bag instead of having the best sex of her life. Or at least what she hoped would be the
best sex of her life. She dropped her lip gloss back into her clutch, and her stomach
fluttered. The sound of shuffling curled around the door’s edge.
He was in there. Waiting.
She stepped forward but froze, palm pressed against the partially open door, trying not
to hyperventilate. The fact that she was brave enough to make it this far was a freaking
miracle. But no way could she do this with the lights on.
Don’t think about it, Hayden. Just do it. Go for the gold. Carpe diem. All that crap.
She reached in and flipped off the light, slipped inside, then kicked the doorstop out of
the way so the door shut behind her. Something that sounded like a box hit the floor, and
she let the muttered curse that followed guide her to him through the dark. Her pulse
pounded in her ears, and other parts of her tingled with anticipation and awareness. It
had been far too long since she’d had sex. The fact that she was resorting to one-night-
stand-in-a-storage-room sex was only proof of that. Where would they even do it in here?
She hadn’t thought this through, but she had faith. Dan would figure something out.
Wait, Dan? Don? Shit! How could she not even remember his name? She held her
hands out so that she didn’t run into anything, and her open palms, unexpectedly,
collided with a hard, warm chest. She didn’t give him time to respond to her sudden
presence. Instead, she gripped the fabric of his shirt in her fists, yanked him down, and
crushed her lips to his.
He gave a stunned, muffled grunt into her mouth, fingers hesitant against her hips, but
it didn’t take him long to catch up. He tugged her against his body and took control.
Standing on tiptoes, she stretched up to wrap her arms around his neck, to bring them
even closer together.
She hadn’t remembered him being this tall, this hard, pressing against all the places
where she was soft and sensitive. Heat and need sparked low in her belly and rushed
between her thighs. If she hadn’t felt the connection she was looking for on the dance
floor, she sure as hell did now. She felt ravenous, ready to devour him whole just from
this infinitesimal taste. He teased her lower lip and then slipped his tongue inside her
mouth. Without thinking, she sucked on it, ripping a groan out of him that was so loud
she could feel his chest vibrate against her breasts. If only she could feel those euphoric
vibrations lower. God…she needed him just a little lower.
Instead, he pulled away.
“Wait, wait,” he whispered.
Hayden reached up and touched his lips, still dizzy from his kiss, his touch, the
realization of how badly she wanted this.
“No talking,” she said, quivering. “Just…just kiss me. Please.”
He froze under her touch as if he were surprised, then he slowly pulled her hand away
from his mouth. He held it for a moment, lacing his fingers through hers, before pressing
his lips to the inside of her wrist. In that moment, she felt raw and exposed in a way she
shouldn’t feel with a complete stranger. A stranger whose name she couldn’t even
remember. The muffled beat of the music and their heavy breathing pulsed between
them. He slid his fingers up the side of her face as if he could see her through the dark
and finally kissed her.
What’s His Name didn’t hold back anything this time. She opened to him, accepting of
all he had to give. Their tongues twined as he slid his big hands around to the backs of
her thighs. He pulled her against him, and she could feel against her belly how much he
wanted her, the heat of him burning all the way through her dress. She arched and
wiggled, wanting his hands on her. Wanting him lower. When she whimpered into his
mouth, he lifted her a little, pinned her to a shelf, and thrust his pelvis once against her,
his hard length hitting her right where she needed him. He cursed against her mouth and
pulled back as if he hadn’t meant to do it.
“Don’t stop,” she breathed against his lips, lifting her hips and letting her dress ride up
farther to close the space he’d put between them. He couldn’t stop now. She’d been too
long without this. She needed him to touch her. Now. Everywhere.
With a growl, he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her so hard and passionately she
felt as if she’d been branded. His hips thrust forward, grinding against her in slow,
delicious torture. She pushed her fingers into his hair and tugged just enough to make
him groan.
“Fuck, you feel good.” His voice was a familiar rumble of heat inside her mouth.
Wait…familiar? Nothing about Dan…Don…whatever the hell his name was…was
familiar. He nipped at her bottom lip, pulsing against the juncture of her thighs, and
Hayden’s eyes flew open.
Oh my God.
“Jace?” Her world was spinning. The dark was too much. Hayden pushed at his chest
until he backed up a few steps and dropped her to her feet. Fingers pressed to her lips,
she stumbled back into the shelf, knocking something over. Oh, God…this wasn’t
happening. It couldn’t be.
“Hey,” he said. She could hear him moving closer, and there was nowhere left for her to
go. The room was too small. “What’s wrong?”
She couldn’t breathe. “Turn the light on,” she gasped. “Please.”
Footsteps echoed through the dark, a switch clicked, and Hayden squinted from the
sudden onslaught of light. Jace stood in front of her, brows pulled together like he was
confused, pissed off, and turned on, all at the same time. His dark hair stuck up in every
direction where she’d just run her fingers through it. He took a step forward, and
Hayden’s gaze dropped to the bulge straining against the zipper of his jeans.
“Oh my God…” She touched her lips that still burned with Jace’s taste. Not Dan. Don.
Whatever. Jace. She’d almost had sex with her best friend. “Oh my God.”
“Yeah, you said that.” Jace glared at her. “What the hell is going on here, Hayden?”
He was pissed. Probably mortified that he’d just had his tongue down the throat of
someone he considered a sister. A purely asexual being.
“You…you…” She covered her face with her hands. They smelled like him. Soap and
mint and something purely Jace. How had she not noticed? “I’m so sorry. You weren’t
supposed to be in here.”
Slowly, she let her fingers fall away from her face. Jace’s head was cocked to the side,
and he was staring at her as if she were a Rubik’s Cube he couldn’t figure out. She
recognized the moment he did, though.
His eyes narrowed to slits, and he pressed his lips into a tight line. “So, you’re telling
me you didn’t know it was me? You came in here to…what exactly? Hook up with some
random asshole?” He stabbed his fingers through his hair and cursed under his breath. “In
the storage room of my bar?”
Hayden pushed past him to get to the door. She’d endured enough humiliation for one
night. She didn’t need Jace to rub her face in it. She jerked on the door handle, but it
wouldn’t budge.
“Hayden, stop.” Jace stomped up behind her, caging her in with his heat. A shiver that
did not belong there rolled down her spine as she recalled how all that heat had felt
pressed against her skin just moments ago. “Will you wait a goddamned minute? Please?
We need to talk about this.”
Hayden jerked on the door handle again. Why the hell wouldn’t the thing let her out?
“Why do you care? You’re not even talking to me, remember? And why the hell won’t this
door open?”
Jace’s breath feathered across the back of her neck, and she froze, gripping the handle.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the fireworks igniting inside of her. Jesus, she
needed to get it together! This was Jace. The problem was, her sex-starved hormones
didn’t seem to know the difference now that they’d had a taste. Her body felt like a
traitor, feeling things for the man standing behind her that she hadn’t allowed herself to
give in to since she was a naive little high school girl, thinking he could ever see her as
someone other than a buddy. “Why not?”
She didn’t know what she expected. For him to close the distance between them. Kiss
the back of her neck. Slide his hands over her hips. She was surprised by how much she
actually wanted those things to happen. They didn’t, though. Cool air replaced his body
heat, and her eyes flew open. She spun around, and Jace was plucking a bottle of tequila
from one of the shelves.
“Because that doorknob is broken. You can’t open it from the inside.” He picked out a
spot on the floor and settled down, kicking off his boots.
“No.” Any heat that Hayden had been feeling disappeared in an instant. “You’re
messing with me.” The universe would not be that cruel. Not after this disaster of a night.
He raised one brow. “Why do you think I had it propped open?” He took a swig and
grimaced. “We’re not getting out of here until Nate sends someone to restock. And
considering I just took a load out there…it’s going to be a while.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, and hope ignited inside. “Wait! What’s His Face. He was
supposed to meet me in here. He’ll come.”
“What’s His Face?” Jace raised a brow. “You don’t even know his name and you were
planning to fuck him? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Yeah, well,” he muttered around the bottle. A guilty look crossed his face, and he
averted his gaze. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”
“No, no, no.” Her heart stuttered and not in a good way. She’d seen that look before.
“What did you do?”
Another swig of tequila. “I told him to leave you alone or I’d kick his ass from Charlotte
to Wilmington. Needless to say, he’s not coming.”
Hayden wanted to rail at him. Punch him in that ridiculously handsome face for
interfering with her life with his overprotective big brother act. Again. But no. Right now
she just needed to get the hell out of here and away from Jace before she hurt him or
jumped his bones. Both were very bad ideas. She scrambled for her clutch and groaned
when she realized she didn’t have her phone. It was at home, where she hoped to God it
would be functional again once it dried out. “Please tell me you have your phone.”
He set the bottle down beside him and closed his eyes. “It’s in my office. Face it,
Summers. You’re stuck with me.”
Chapter Four
“How long do you think we’ve been in here?”
Jace sagged with relief at the sound of Hayden’s voice. She’d gone at least an hour
ignoring him. He’d known interfering was a dickhead move, but he couldn’t help it. And he
sure as hell didn’t regret it. If he hadn’t, she’d be in this room doing God knows what with
that tool. “I don’t know. An hour maybe.” The club was still in full swing outside the door,
and no one had come. He honestly didn’t expect them to until closing, which by his guess
was still a couple of hours away. If he was being honest, he wasn’t ready for that door to
open. Once it did, Hayden would be gone. After the shit he’d pulled tonight, maybe for
good.
Hayden shifted and tugged on her dress. She had to be uncomfortable on the hard
floor. The instinct to take care of her was almost overwhelming. It always had been, but
something felt different now. They’d crossed a line, and he still didn’t know which side
she wanted him on. She made a frustrated sound in her throat, and Jace reached back
and stripped his shirt off over his head. It was hot as hell in that room anyway.
Hayden gasped. “What are you doing?”
He laughed and folded his shirt to make a cushion out of it. “Here.” He set it beside him
on the ground. “But you have to sit by me if you want it.”
That probably wasn’t the best idea he’d ever had. Not when it was taking everything in
him not to pin her up against the wall and finish what they’d started.
Hayden bit her lip, and he didn’t miss the way her gaze traveled over his chest,
lingering on his ink, before landing on the T-shirt. He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t
stop thinking about that kiss, then. Could she possibly want him the way he wanted her?
She sure as hell had an hour ago, but that was also before she’d realized he wasn’t the
asshole she’d met at the bar. Finally giving in, she crawled over to sit on the makeshift
cushion.
He nudged her arm with his. “I’ve been told my lap is also a very comfortable option if
you want to give that a try.”
“Don’t push your luck.”
He chuckled and rested his head on the wall. “You know, I haven’t seen you in a dress
like this since—”
“Senior prom,” she finished for him.
He smiled and absently rubbed his thumb in a slow circle on her thigh. Thank God she
didn’t stop him, because he needed that little bit of contact with her right now more than
he wanted to admit.
“You looked so pretty in that pink dress. The one with the lace design around the
bottom. It was wasted, but you still looked beautiful. I don’t think I told you that night. I
should have.”
Hayden closed her hand over his, stopping the circles he was drawing on her bare leg.
“It wasn’t a waste. It was where I wanted to be.”
She’d ditched her prom date last minute, showed up dressed to the nines, and helped
him take care of his mom all night. Feeding her broth. Reading her Tennyson until she fell
asleep. Holding his hand while he watched the cancer eat her away. Even Nate hadn’t
been able to stick around to watch that shit; he chose to join the Marines and put an
ocean of distance between himself and the pain instead. But not Hayden. She’d stayed. A
constant companion in the hell of his youth. He couldn’t ask her to do that again. Give up
such an important piece of her life for him. He had to figure out a way to let her go.
“I didn’t really want to go with Justin anyway.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal,
and Jace couldn’t contain his laugh.
“Bullshit. You liked that douchebag since freshman year. Not that I ever understood
why.”
Hayden shifted uncomfortably beside him and sighed. “I only told you that so you
wouldn’t know the truth.”
“Oh yeah?” He raised a brow, feeling pleasantly warm with the tequila in his veins and
Hayden by his side. “And what was that?”
“That I had a huge crush on you.”
Jace’s heart roared to life, and blood rushed behind his ears. Silently, he replayed a
hundred memories with Hayden, trying to dissect them and see them through new eyes.
Why hadn’t he known?
Because back then you were a fucked-up, hurt kid who didn’t want to see what was
right in front of you.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.
Hayden stretched her legs, pointing her toes toward the door, and laughed. “God, Jace,
why? Because I knew you didn’t feel the same. Because I was just one of the guys to
you.”
He may not have realized that he was in love with her back then, but one of the guys?
“You were never one of the guys,” he said. “The guys didn’t give me hard-ons every time
they pranced around the lake in their swimsuit.”
She burst out laughing and slapped her hand over her mouth. He didn’t have to look to
know she was turning red, the color stretching up her neck to flush her cheeks. He loved
it when she blushed. No. She was definitely not one of the guys. She’d always been more.
It had just taken a decade for his head to catch up with his heart. And now it was too
late.
Dragging up old memories only reminded him of how out of character tonight was for
her. The Hayden he knew never would have taken a risk like meeting some random
stranger for sex. He knew he shouldn’t push her, ask her the questions swirling around in
his head, but he couldn’t help it.
“What was all this about, Hayden?” He watched her thread her finger through the belt
loop of his jeans, just like she always did when she was thinking. “None of this is like
you.”
“I know it’s not.” She made a frustrated sound that was probably sexier than she
intended it to be. “That was the point. I just wanted one night of fun before…”
He frowned and rested his chin on top of her head. “Say it.”
“I know it’s dangerous, okay? I get it. I get why you don’t want me to go. But this is
important to me, Jace.”
He shifted to face her, not missing the slight tremble in her bottom lip before she
sucked it between her teeth to calm it. Damn it, he wanted that lip between his teeth.
“Explain it to me.”
Hayden tucked her hair behind her ear, and an image of it wrapped around his fist as
he consumed her flashed through his mind. He looked away to regain his control. If
wanting Hayden the past year had felt impossible, having a taste of what it could be like
was going to kill him. Touching her, tasting her…it had been fucking perfection. It was all
he could think about now. He doubted he’d ever stop wanting more.
“It’s not just about the money or the spot in Time,” she said. “People need to see
what’s going on over there. We sit here in our coffee shops and bars, blissfully unaware of
what the guys over there are sacrificing for us. Guys like Nate. Guys like your dad.”
The passion in her voice combined with his brother’s name and the memory of his dead
father caused a piece of him to crumble inside. She believed in this. She believed in it as
much as she believed in him. In his family. He wanted to give her this. Just let her go and
hope for the best, but…he couldn’t.
“I can’t lose you, Hayden.”
“You won’t,” she said. “Nate came back.”
He gritted his teeth. “Nate came back fucked up in the head.”
His gaze dropped to where her finger tugged on his belt loop. Her wrist brushed the
bare skin on his side, and he shuddered with want. Did she have any idea what a simple
touch from her did to him? Couldn’t she see how much he wanted her, or was she just as
blind as he’d been all those years ago?
“If you’re so sure you’re going to come back safe, what was tonight about?”
Her finger slipped out of the loop, and she folded her hands in her lap. “If you had any
idea how long it’s been since I’ve had sex, you wouldn’t have to ask.”
“Sex?” He raised a brow. “All of this was about sex?”
She scowled at him. “You try going without for eleven months.”
Little did she know he had gone exactly that long. He hadn’t been with someone else
since the day that asshole had broken her heart and she had claimed his. He also knew it
was a shit excuse. They both knew damn good and well she’d never been one for casual
sex. She’d gone longer than eleven months before without doing something crazy like
this. This was something else.
“He’s getting married,” she whispered. “To Julia. The wedding’s next month. He texted
me to tell me about it.”
Jace frowned down at her, watching the emotions play out across her face. A single
tear slipped down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her wrist. He
knew she hated feeling weak and out of control. And he hated that that bastard still had
this kind of power over her. He wanted to beat the fucker within an inch of his life for
hurting her this way. He would have, too, if Hayden hadn’t made him promise to leave it
alone. Jace had known Shane was a piece of shit from the first day he’d met him. He just
wished Hayden hadn’t had to walk in on the asshole banging her cousin to figure it out for
herself.
“Do you still love him?”
“No!” She shook her head. “Of course not.”
“Then why does it matter, sweetheart?”
“It doesn’t.” She looked away. “It’s just…he’s moving on. He gets to be happy. All I’ve
gotten to be the last year is broken. And if something does happen, I don’t want Shane to
be the last person I…” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “It doesn’t
matter now. What’s another year, right?” She laughed humorlessly. “Shane was right. I’m
not…sexy. I couldn’t even pull off a one-night stand.”
The mention of that load of crap her asshole ex-boyfriend had said in an attempt to
justify what he did a year ago set Jace’s blood on fire. Fuck that. He would not have her
thinking she wasn’t sexy. In fact, he’d make it his mission to prove her wrong. If she
laughed in his face, shut him down, so be it. But it was time for someone to fix what that
jackass had broken. And that someone was going to be him. The thought of anyone else
touching her made him crazy.
He tipped her chin up with his fingers. “You don’t think you’re sexy?” He laughed. “Did
you not see what you did to me earlier?” What she was still doing to him just by sitting
next to him. He shifted to adjust the situation growing to an uncomfortable size down
below. He was getting hard all over again just thinking about the way her body and
mouth had been molded to his.
“That doesn’t count,” she said. “You didn’t know it was me.”
Jace’s heart beat the shit out of his ribs as he traced her jaw with one finger. Admitting
this felt as if he were cracking himself open for her. “I knew it was you.”
Hayden blinked at him, confused. “You knew?”
He nodded, hoping she felt even an ounce of what he did inside. After all this time
together, how could she not? She had to. He just needed to coax it out.
“Don’t get me wrong. It took me off guard when you kissed me.” He smiled. “But the
way you smell, the way you felt under my hands… I knew it was you.”
“And you kissed me back…”
“Yeah,” he said gently. “I kissed you back.” He’d wanted to do so much more than just
kiss her back. He cupped her face and she closed her eyes, leaning in to his touch. “If this
is what you need…” God, how to say this without sounding like he was just trying to get
laid? This had to be about her. “I don’t want you to leave with regrets. If you need this—
one night to erase that bastard—I could give that to you.”
She shot to her feet and backed away as if he was made of fire. “What exactly are you
suggesting?”
Jace followed her up, determined not to let her get away. Not this time. “Sex.”
“W-With you?”
“With me.”
Her mouth dropped open, and her back hit the closed door.
“Come on, Hayden. Don’t act like you didn’t feel anything earlier. Are you going to
stand there and tell me you’ve never thought about it? Not once?”
Her face flushed in the dim storage room light, and she averted her gaze. “Have you?”
“Yes.” He stepped into her space, his breath stirring the hair lying across her forehead.
“You’re a beautiful, sexy-as-hell woman. Of course I have.”
“Jace…” Her hands found his chest, but she didn’t push him away. “I don’t want to ruin
our friendship.”
“So we won’t ruin it.” He rested his palms on the door on either side of her head and
leaned in. “It’s just one night. We both get what we want. What we need. And then we
walk away.”
God, he was a special kind of bastard, lying to her like this. Because he had no
intention of walking away after this. Ever. Hayden exhaled a shaky breath, and it fanned
across his throat, the heat seeping through his pores and fueling his desire for her.
“What we both want?”
“Yes.” He leaned in a little closer, soaking in her heat and her smell. They were driving
him over the edge of reason. “I want you, Hayden. Here. Now.”
“Just one night…right?” She slid her fingers down the planes of his chest, slowly,
brushing them across the bare stomach at the edge of his jeans, and he hissed in a
breath.
“Just one night.”
Chapter Five
Jace closed what little distance was between them and skimmed his nose over her throat.
His breaths were ragged, and she couldn’t help but notice the way his forearms trembled
on either side of her face. God, was this really happening? Sure, she’d fantasized about it.
How could you not with Jace? The man was panty-melting hot. But it had always been
just that. A fantasy. And when she woke up, hot, sweaty, and unsatisfied, she was just
his pal again.
But now there was no denying what he wanted.
A nervous tremor rolled through her, rocking her to her core, and she swayed into him.
“We should stop…talk about this,” she said, feeling something hot unravel low inside her.
Why was she trying to give him a reason to stop? She didn’t want him to stop. Right now,
all she wanted was to obliterate the space between them, consequences be damned.
Jace slid back a few inches and cupped her face in his hands, holding her so tenderly it
seemed at complete odds with the intensity burning in his eyes. “Do you want me,
Hayden?”
She could lie all she wanted, but her body was bound to give her away. Why couldn’t
she let go? If she was going to for anyone, why not Jace?
Because you’ll fall in love with him all over again, and then he’ll walk away just like he
said he would. Just like he does with every other girl who ends up in his bed.
Jace wasn’t some random stranger. He had a permanent place etched inside her heart.
If this went badly, if she lost him, the pain it would cause would be irreparable. He hadn’t
promised her anything here, other than tonight. In fact, he’d assured her it wouldn’t be
anything more. This wasn’t about him being unable to resist her or being in love with her.
This was Jace doing what he always did. Taking care of her, erasing the hurt she was
feeling, no matter what the cost. It should have made this decision easy, but it didn’t. It
just…hurt. It had taken years to get over loving Jace when they were kids. Could she do it
again?
“Hayden?” He slid his thumbs down her neck and rested them over her pulse that beat
wildly with the force of her want. His touch burned a path that went bone deep, brushing
her soul, awakening emotions she hadn’t allowed herself to feel for years. She didn’t think
anymore. She let her body and heart take control, choosing to give herself over to this, to
him, even if it was only once. Even if she walked away heartbroken in the end.
“Yes,” she said with bated breath. “I want you.”
“Then we’re done talking.”
Before she could respond, his lips slammed against hers, hard and urgent like he
needed her to breathe. She opened her mouth with a whimper, and Jace took advantage,
sweeping his tongue inside to taste her. He groaned and brought his body flush against
hers, pressing her into the door so that all she could feel was the heat of him, warming
all the places where her too-tight clothes were plastered against her body. His chest
swelled against her aching breasts. His erection, hard and hot, pressed against her,
promising things she’d only dreamed of.
Oh, God…she was lost, and she never wanted to find her way back. Hayden allowed her
hands to roam over his body, over the ink she so admired and wanted to taste, then
opened her mouth wider under his. What had been forbidden territory for so long was laid
out to explore, and she couldn’t get enough.
Jace pulled away, breathing hard, his dark eyes blazing with want and passion,
searching her face as if he were looking for an unspoken answer. Whatever he was
looking for, he must have found, because he claimed her mouth again without an ounce
of hesitation. He tasted like tequila, lime, and pure Jace. He slid his hand up her ribs and
closed his fingers over the thin fabric covering her breast. He rubbed his thumb over her
nipple, and she arched into his waiting hand with a moan.
“Hayden…” Her name was a groan rolling off his lips as he kissed his way down her
throat. He released her breast to slide his hands up the backs of her thighs and lift her
against the door. She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking them together. His body
held her in place, and he began to move his hips, creating a delicious friction against the
long-neglected bundle of nerves that his erection rubbed over and over. Jace jerked the
front of her dress down, releasing her breasts. For a moment he just stared while he
caressed her jaw with his thumb.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he whispered.
“I am?”
His eyes met hers. “Yes.”
Without warning he set her on her feet. Hayden looked up at him, confused, ready to
protest, until Jace fastened his lips around her nipple. His mouth was hot and wet…
perfect. Her hands flew up to his head, and she threaded her fingers through his hair.
“Oh. My. God.” Hayden moaned as if she’d just eaten the world’s finest chocolate, and
Jace grinned against her breast. He ran his warm palm along the inside of her thigh
slowly, sliding up until he reached her panties. He nudged the silk aside and stroked her
right where she ached.
“Fuck…you’re so wet.” He rubbed slow circles over her for a moment before he shoved
her dress even higher, driving one finger and then a second inside her. “You’re wet for
me. Say it, Hayden.”
Her head fell against the door, and a moan vibrated her throat. “You. Only you.”
Jace dropped to his knees and the room around them fell away. So did the sound of the
music thumping against the walls. Only Jace existed. He found her clit with his thumb and
pressed. Hayden cried out, grinding into his hand. She was beyond being embarrassed.
She needed this. Needed him and all he had to give. Pressure built, pushing her higher,
hotter, until she was ready to explode.
“I’m going to erase that fucker from your mind, Hayden.” His lips moved against the
sensitive flesh on her stomach. “I’m going to make you come so hard you’ll only think of
me.”
She choked on a sob wrapped around a moan. He was right. She’d never be able to be
touched again without thinking of this. She’d never wanted anything or anyone as much
as she wanted Jace, now or ever. He licked a path between her breasts and nipped at the
underside of her chin. He curled his fingers inside her and growled, “Come for me.”
And then she was there, tightening around him as she screamed his name. Spots
danced across her vision and pleasure exploded to life inside of her, sending waves of
sparks through every vein, over every inch of her skin.
After he’d wrung every ounce of pleasure out of her, he stood and faced her. For one
immeasurable moment, they just stared at each other, breathing hard, and then Hayden
reached for him, slipping her fingers into his belt loops to pull him toward her.
Nothing would be the same after this.
He went for his zipper, but she beat him to it, jerking open the button and freeing his
erection. He didn’t bother to take off his jeans, just shoved them down to his knees.
“You have no idea how much I want you right now, Hayden.” His lips grazed her mouth,
his voice a rumble of heat. “Too much.”
She’d deal with the pain of “right now” later. Hayden wrapped her hand around his
shaft, and he groaned as he fumbled for his wallet. He thrust into her hand as if he
couldn’t stop himself.
He felt around in his pocket and froze. “Shit!”
“What?”
“My wallet…it’s in the office with my phone.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I
don’t have a condom.”
Silence hung in the air between them, and suddenly Hayden laughed. She couldn’t stop.
She laughed hysterically until tears gathered in her eyes, and Jace wiped them away with
his thumbs, looking at her as if she’d lost her damn mind.
“I-I have a whole box.” She shook her head and laughed. “In Lilly’s car. I didn’t want to
be unprepared.”
“You unprepared? Guess there’s a first time for everything, right?” He grinned and
brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “What do we do now?”
The laughter died in her throat as she met Jace’s hungry gaze. She was on the pill and
she trusted him, but she couldn’t pass up this opportunity. She wanted to see him beg.
Wanted him to be as mindless and crazy for her as she was for him. She leaned up and
ran her tongue along his top lip, and he growled. He gripped her hips, pulling her forward
so that she could feel him between her legs, and they both gasped.
Hayden peeled his fingers from her hips and dropped to her knees. She licked the tip of
his cock, and Jace groaned so loudly she could feel it like an electric current all the way
down to her toes. “You don’t have to—”
She sucked him down deep, and his words morphed into a moan. She knew she didn’t
have to. She wanted to. Jace had bossed her around and called the shots for years.
It was her turn.
A loud bang forced Hayden’s eyes wide open, and then the door moved behind her
back. Jace looked down, meeting her panic-filled eyes, and his palm flew out to hold the
door shut.
“Just a minute!” he choked out. He tucked himself back into his jeans and jerked her up
by the wrist, then righted her dress to cover her. He smoothed his hands over her hair
and kissed her forehead.
“You ready?” His voice sounded gruff.
She nodded, feeling dazed, and he took his hand away from the door.
“Dude, what the hell are you doing in here?” Nate shoved the door open and froze mid-
step, his arms loaded with a big box. He looked back and forth between Jace and
Hayden, raising a brow. “Did I interrupt?”
Jace averted his gaze, shoving his fingers through his mussed hair. Hayden smoothed
her hands over her wrinkled dress, feeling her face heat.
“I came in to—”
“She came in to talk to me and kicked the doorstop out,” Jace cut in, grabbing his shirt
off the floor and pulling it over his head. “She didn’t know about the knob. We’ve been
stuck in here for hours. Thanks for the rescue, asshat.”
Nate’s grin earned him a death glare from his brother, but he just waltzed in and set
the box down. “Yeah, you both look like you’re miserable.”
With escape possible and Nate analyzing her freshly sexed state, the room suddenly
felt too small for the three of them. She couldn’t breathe. It didn’t matter if the world
outside hadn’t existed a few minutes ago. It existed now. What the hell had she been
thinking? She was leaving tomorrow! And Jace… She didn’t want to imagine a life that
didn’t include Jace when she returned. Would he even be able to look at her after this?
Go back to Sunday nights eating Chinese takeout on her couch as if nothing had ever
happened? Because she didn’t think she could. Heart in her throat, Hayden snatched her
clutch off the floor and pushed past Nate. “I…I need some air.”
She sped through the nearly empty club and made it a few steps into the parking lot
before a warm hand seized her wrist, bringing her to a halt. “Hayden, wait.”
She couldn’t face him. Not yet. Maybe not ever. She scanned the parking lot for Lilly’s
car, but it was gone. So much for girl code. Her assistant was probably cozied up with
some frat boy, reliving her college days.
Jace spun her around and gripped her shoulders. The look in his eyes was frantic,
desperate. She’d never seen Jace like this, hanging on by a thread. “What… Were you
just going to leave?” He sounded angry, hurt, and confused. He gestured back at the
club. “After all that?”
“No…I just want…”
“What?” His chest heaved, and he gripped her tighter. “What do you want?”
Did she want to leave it alone? Forget it? She looked up at Jace, at the light sprinkle of
rain gathering in his hair, running down his temple. In twenty-six years, no one had ever
managed to make her feel even a fraction of what Jace had in that room. She was scared
as hell about what would happen when the sun shed light on the whole mess in the
morning, but for right now…she wanted to finish what they had started. For tonight, she
wanted to imagine that she could actually have this. That it could be real. The look in his
eyes was almost enough to fool her into thinking it was true. She slid her hand up his
chest and gripped the fabric of his shirt in her fist.
“I want you to take me home,” she whispered. “And I want you to stay.”
Chapter Six
Jace didn’t even remember the drive to Hayden’s apartment. Years from now, he was
sure he’d only remember this. His mouth crushed against hers, conveying just how much
he wanted her as he licked the rain from her lips. She fumbled blindly with her purse,
searching for her keys. When she finally pulled them out, he grabbed them and opened
the door, then kicked it shut behind them once they’d stumbled into the dark.
“Please tell me the movers haven’t taken your bed yet,” he murmured against her lips
as her bottom hit the back of the sofa. He really wanted to take her on a bed. Laid out so
he could see and taste every inch of her, worship her the way she deserved.
She smiled into his mouth. “You’re in luck,” she said. “The big stuff doesn’t get picked
up until tomorrow.”
He grunted his approval, lifted her up, carried her down the hall, and kicked the
bedroom door open. The smell of Hayden drowned his senses. Lavender and freshly
washed linens. It smelled like the only home he ever wanted to know. He spotted a stack
of her favorite prints propped against the wall and placed her on her feet. The black and
white photo of the day Nate had come home from Afghanistan caught his eye. The
seconds it had taken for his brother to walk out of that airport terminal to where Jace
stood waiting had seemed like hours. But she’d caught the exact moment they’d been
reunited. The moment neither of them had gotten with their father.
Jace stared at the frozen memory, his arms wrapped around Nate, his face buried in his
shoulder, careful of the sling that cradled his brother’s broken arm. Nate had come home
alive, but he hadn’t been the Nate Jace had grown up with, no matter how much he
looked like himself in the picture. No, it had taken a fuck load of therapy and even more
time to get his brother back to being a fraction of who he used to be. Was that what it
would be like with Hayden? Would the things she saw while over there scar her? Ruin
her? He couldn’t stand the thought of her being anything other than the vibrant, loving
woman who was pushing his shirt up his chest at that very moment. When the shirt
reached his neck, he jerked it over his head and tossed it to the floor.
“Are you okay?” She blinked up at him, long lashes framing her eyes. Cheeks flushed.
Lush, pink lips swollen from their frenzied kissing. She usually wore her hair up, but
tonight it was all undone in caramel waves he wanted to run his fingers through again
and again. He touched her cheek, and she smiled, leaning in to his touch. He never
thought he was capable of loving someone as much as he loved her, but he did. He loved
her so much it fucking hurt.
“I am now,” he said, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. Hayden opened to
him, giving as much as she took. Before long he was consuming her, needing her as much
as he needed the air he was barely taking the time to breathe. It wasn’t enough. He ran
his hands over her back until they found the zipper to her dress, and her breath hitched
as he slid it down, letting the black fabric pool at her feet. He drank her in, every
beautiful, flawless inch. She squirmed under his stare, and he wrapped his fingers into the
sides of her panties.
“I want to see you,” he whispered. “All of you.”
She nodded and bit down on her bottom lip as he dragged her lacy black panties down
her legs. She helped kick them off, and then he stood, shoving them in his pocket. If she
was leaving him, she was leaving him with a fucking souvenir of the best night of his life.
“Lie on the bed.”
She eagerly obeyed, inching her way up toward the pillows as he unzipped his jeans.
Seeing her laid bare for him made his cock twitch with anticipation. She looked like a
dream. This time, he pulled out his wallet and tossed the foil packet he’d needed earlier
on the bed. Nothing short of a meteor slamming into the earth was going to stop this
from happening. Jace shed his clothes and climbed over her. He caught one of her ankles,
then kissed and licked his way up her leg. When he got between her thighs, she was
shaking. He gave one long, hard lick and groaned from the taste. God help him…she was
perfect. Almost sweet, like sugar melting on his tongue. He lingered there, feasting on
her center until she cried out his name and dug her nails into his scalp.
“Please,” she moaned, arching her back.
He couldn’t stop his palms from sliding up her sides, seeking her breasts. He pressed
his lips to her belly button, trying to gain control. If he didn’t, he was going to come
before she ever touched him.
“I need you, Jace. Now.”
Damn, he would never get tired of hearing that. He wanted to push her to say it again.
To hear her beg him for it, but he couldn’t when he needed this just as badly. He crawled
up her body and sat on his knees, straddling her thighs. Hayden reached out, wrapping
her hand around his cock.
“Hayden…” He groaned, closing his eyes. “Baby, I’m not going to last if you touch me
right now.”
“Hurry,” she whimpered, working him up and down, stealing his focus. All sense fled his
brain. He had only one train of thought. Taking her. Being inside her. Now. Right fucking
now. He grabbed the foil packet off the bed. Hayden snatched it out of his hand and
ripped it open, then rolled it on. His gaze was glued to her fingers working the rubber
down his erection. He’d never been this hard. This ready. When he looked up, her hungry
eyes mirrored the desire he felt.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.” There was no hint of fear in her voice. Only certainty. She slid her hands over his
tattooed skin like silk, tracing the old English above his heart. It thumped just a little
harder for her just then, and he wondered if she could feel it damn near pounding out of
his chest with love. For her.
He sucked in a breath, wanting to savor the moment, needing it to last. He didn’t break
eye contact as he slipped his hands under her bottom and eased his way into her in one
long stroke. And then he was gone. Jace’s head fell back with a moan. She fit him like a
fucking glove, just like he always knew she would. They were like two pieces of a puzzle,
finally sliding into the place they’d belonged all along. He slid out and back in slowly,
letting her adjust to his size, but before long, she was whimpering, gripping his hips to
urge him on. He wanted to feel more of her skin on him. Needed it. He lowered himself
on top of her, grabbing her hands and lacing their fingers together above her head,
before he kissed her long and deep.
“Oh God…” He groaned into her mouth, unable to hold it in.
“You feel so good,” she whispered against his lips. “I never knew it could be so—”
“Fucking perfect,” he finished. He thrust into her again, releasing her hands to prop
himself up. Slowly, methodically, he rubbed circles over her nipple with his thumb as he
moved his hips, faster, rougher, gaining a momentum that was driving them both over
the edge.
“Jace…please. I need…I need…”
He kissed her neck, then nipped her ear and thrust harder. “You need me to make you
come.”
“Yes!”
“Say it, Hayden,” he said against her ear. “Say you need me.”
She dug her fingers into his ass and lifted her hips to meet him, moaning. “I need you,
Jace!”
How long had he dreamed of having her just like this, on the razor’s edge, his touch
about to push her over? His imagination was shit, though, because none of it compared
to the real thing. He moved his hips, giving her what she wanted, and she shattered in
his arms, crying out his name so loudly the neighbors probably heard. One, two, three
hard thrusts later and he was there with her, pumping between her thighs, groaning his
release into her mouth.
After, he rested his forehead against hers, sharing her breaths, feeling her heart pound
against his as he etched this moment in his memory. Finally, he pulled out and disposed
of the condom in record time so he could climb back in bed beside her. She grinned up at
him, her eyes looking sleepy and sated. He brushed the hair off her forehead and kissed
her.
“We should have done that a long time ago,” he said.
She opened her mouth to say something in return but then bit her lip and nodded as if
she’d changed her mind. He didn’t want her holding anything back. Not anymore. Her
fingers trailed over his bicep, and she leaned up to press her lips to the ink over his heart.
He swallowed, feeling himself harden against her thigh all over again.
She laughed. “What’s the matter, hotshot? Once wasn’t enough?”
In that moment he knew, down to the depths of his soul, that anything less than
forever with her wasn’t ever going to be enough. He had to find a way to make this last.
Had to find a way to make her his forever. Because there was no fucking way he was
letting her go now.
He smiled down at her, a hopeless, tight feeling filling his chest. “Not even close.”
Chapter Seven
Hayden rolled over, grinning at the delicious soreness in her muscles, and reached out for
the man who had caused it. Instead of smooth, tattooed skin, all her fingers found were
warm, wrinkled sheets that smelled like him. She sat up, confused, squinting against the
sunlight streaming in through the flimsy white curtains.
“Jace?”
No answer. She looked at the clock. Damn it! Her flight was leaving at noon. That only
gave her three hours to get to the airport. Where the hell was he? Hayden grabbed her
cell phone off the nightstand, turned it on, and breathed a sigh of relief when the screen
lit up. Thank God it was working again. No way would she have had time to buy a new
one before her flight. No messages from Jace. Just one from Lilly, asking what had
happened to her last night.
She climbed out of bed, a sense of dread washing over her. His clothes were gone. No.
Jace wouldn’t have left like that. Not without saying good-bye. She padded barefoot into
the kitchen and then into the empty living room, wrapping her arms around herself to
prepare for the disappointment she knew was coming.
There wasn’t even a note. Jace was gone.
Hayden stumbled into the bathroom in a daze and touched her chest where the pain
throbbed, making it hard to breathe. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t
supposed to hurt this badly. They were supposed to walk away from this and still be best
friends, but could she do that now? She gripped the bathroom counter and stared at her
sleep-mussed reflection in the mirror. No. She couldn’t go back to the way things were.
She took longer in the shower than she’d intended, wasting time sobbing into her
loofah rather than getting her shit together for the most important trip of her life. She
should have seen this coming. Jace had promised her one night of sex to erase that
bastard Shane from her mind, and he’d done just that. She could barely remember
anyone who had come before him. She didn’t want to. What she wanted was more. More
of him, more of what they’d shared last night, but his little disappearing act this morning
proved he obviously didn’t.
She was in love with Jace, and now she’d lost him for good.
The next three hours went by in a mind-numbing haze. By the time the cab pulled up to
the airport terminal, she was pissed. Not at him, though. She wanted to be—she’d fallen
back in love with him, and he couldn’t even stick around to have a waffle and say good-
bye?—but she couldn’t. She’d agreed to this, knowing from the start what it was. The only
person she could be pissed at was herself. She swallowed the pain, hating how much she
missed him already, and paid the cab driver.
She wrestled with her bags through security, and once she was through, her phone
started to ring. She dropped everything, digging in her pocket, hoping, praying it was…
Lilly. She sighed and answered. “Hey, Lil.”
“Hey, yourself.” She sounded hungover. “Where are you?”
“Airport,” she said. “Are you still going to be able to meet the movers today? And you
have a key to the storage building where they’re taking everything, right?”
“Will you stop worrying? I’ve got everything covered, babe. I swear.”
Hayden sighed. “Do you have any idea how much I wish you were coming with me?”
“I wish I were, too,” Lilly said. “But you know I can’t leave my brother. Not for that
long. For now, I’m just going to have to live vicariously through you and your badass
adventures.”
Hayden gathered her bags and made her way to the gate. She glanced up at the big
screen. Twenty minutes until boarding. Twenty minutes until she was on her way to
putting an ocean between her and Jace. Feeling hopeless, she sank down into a chair,
listening to Lilly go on about her night, which of course did not include being trapped in a
storage room or screwing her best friend. The universe apparently didn’t hate Lilly as
much as it hated Hayden.
“So what happened last night?” Lilly asked. “Did you get down and dirty? You left your
emergency bag in my car, so I’m assuming things didn’t get too exciting.”
Hayden chewed on her lip, waiting for an older man in a business suit to make his way
past her, and then blurted out, “I slept with Jace.”
Lilly hesitated. “You’re fucking with me. Right?”
“I wish I was.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting off a headache. She relayed
everything to Lilly in as much detail as she could, with so many people surrounding her.
When she was finished, she felt drained.
“You love him,” Lilly said softly on the other end.
“Yeah.” Hayden sniffled. “I do. I love him. And now everything is ruined. He was my
best friend, and now I’m just another notch on his belt.” She shut her eyes, trying to quell
the suffocating pain in her chest, when someone plucked the phone out of her hand.
“Hey, what the—”
Jace stood in front of her, his dark eyes intense as he clutched her phone in his hand.
Slowly, he lifted it to his ear. “She’s going to have to call you back.” He pressed a button
to disconnect the call and knelt down in front of her. He set the phone on the empty seat
next to her. Seeing him here, having him this close, made the emotions swirling around in
her chest almost unbearable. He wore a pair of dark jeans that hugged his narrow hips
and a gray T-shirt that showed off nearly the full stretch of artwork that branded his arm.
His hair looked damp, as if he’d just jumped out of the shower.
“Jace…what are you doing here?”
Don’t get your hopes up, Hayden. He just came to say good-bye. Jace wouldn’t have let
you leave without saying good-bye.
“First of all, you are not a notch on my belt.” He slid his fingers up her long skirt and
wrapped them around her calves, sending a fresh wave of heat through her thighs. He
raised a brow. “Understand?”
She nodded, not knowing what to say. Not fully understanding why he was here. She
was too afraid to hope. “Are you here to say good-bye?”
He shook his head and pressed his lips together. “I’m here to give you this.”
He set a cup of coffee next to her and on her right knee, a little paper Amelie’s pastry
bag that smelled like warm chocolate and almonds. His lips tipped into a half smile that
melted her from the inside out.
“It’s Saturday,” he said. “You missed our date.”
She choked on a laugh and nodded, disappointment washing over her, drowning her.
God, this hurt. Part of her wished he hadn’t come. Walking away was going to be so much
harder now.
“And…” He didn’t break eye contact as he dragged a duffel bag over and began to dig
through it. Wait…a bag? Jace finally produced a little velvet box and balanced it on her
left knee. “This.”
No. It couldn’t be. They both stared at the box silently until a woman’s voice rang out
over the intercom.
“Flight 1442 to Atlanta is now boarding.” People started to shuffle around them, rolling
their bags to board the plane.
“Jace…”
He held up his hand to quiet her, though her heart didn’t listen. It beat in an almost
deafening rhythm, filling her with emotions that were just too tangled to sort out.
“I’m coming with you.” He wasn’t joking. His eyes matched his tone, deadly serious.
“What?” Her voice squeaked, and she felt dizzy. “You can’t. What about the club and
your home…”
“It’s all worked out,” he said calmly. “Nate’s going to cover everything while I’m gone.
And as for home…you are my home, Hayden. It doesn’t exist without you.”
He released her calves to stand on his knees between her legs and trap her trembling
fingers between his palms. So, he hadn’t left her. He’d been working out a way for them
to be together. A tear slid down her cheek, scalding her skin almost as much as his touch.
“I don’t understand,” Hayden said. “How did you do all this so fast? It’s impossible.”
Jace grinned. “I think Nate sort of saw it coming after last night,” he said. “It didn’t take
too much convincing to get him to help. There are still a lot of loose ends that need to be
tied up, but it’s nothing he and I can’t handle over the phone. And you said they’d let you
take an assistant. Since Lilly couldn’t come, I just thought…”
Her heart sped up and she feared it might burst through her chest. “Why? Why would
you do all this?”
He looked down at their twined fingers and swallowed before meeting her gaze.
“I love you. I always have.” His voice was gruff, reminding her of the way he sounded
last night when he was all over her, inside of her, owning her in every way. His gaze
flicked down to the closed box on her knee, and he popped it open to reveal a glittering
ring inside. “You don’t have to give me an answer today. Hell, you don’t even have to say
yes next week. But I’ll be damned if I let you walk out of my life and lose the chance that
you might say yes someday.”
He pressed his forehead to hers, leaving her awash in sensations she shouldn’t be
feeling in a room filled with this many people. “I’ve wanted you for far too long, Hayden,”
he said. “I’m not waiting anymore. I want you for the rest of my life, and I want the rest
of my life to start right now. Marry me. Please.”
Hayden shut her eyes against the tears. She’d been so stupid to think she could ever
live without this man. For a year. For a day. He was her best friend. Her everything. No
one had ever come close to touching what she felt inside for him, because of this. They
belonged together. She belonged to him.
Hayden choked on a sob and threw her arms around his neck, unable to hold back any
longer. Jace loved her. He wanted to marry her. If this was a dream, it was one she never
wanted to wake up from.
“I love you,” she whispered into his neck. Jace detangled her arms from around his
neck and pulled back. When their eyes met, his were full of disbelief and awe.
“You love me?” he asked, touching her face, soft and reverent.
She placed her hand over his. “Yes.”
“Yes to you loving me? Or yes to marrying me?” he asked, hesitant.
Hayden wanted to kiss the worry from his face, erase it with everything she was feeling
for him. “Both. Yes to everything.”
And then she was in his arms, lips and bodies pressed so close it started to feel as if
they were one person instead of two. He pulled back and let out a laugh full of relief and
joy. Hayden blinked away happy tears as she watched him slip the perfect princess-cut
diamond ring onto her finger. He kissed each one of her fingers and smiled.
“Last boarding call for flight 1442 to Atlanta.”
“Are you on this flight with me?” she asked hopefully.
He pulled a boarding pass out of his back pocket and smiled. “I doubt I’m on all of the
same connecting flights, but I did get this one.”
Hayden glanced at the boarding gate where the last passengers were handing their
tickets to the customer service agent. She didn’t want to ruin this moment. She wanted it
to last forever. She pressed her lips to his ear and murmured, “I guess it’s time to go
then, hotshot.”
He shuddered between her legs, making a low, guttural sound in his throat. His lips
grazed hers, and he stood abruptly, grabbing his bag and hers, then held a hand out for
her. His eyes looked glazed over, laden with desire.
She grinned. “What are you thinking right now?”
“I’m thinking that I love you,” he said, tugging her up and pulling her against his chest
before placing his lips to her ear. “And I’m thinking I’m really glad you wore that skirt,
because there is no way I can wait fifteen hours.”
His words set off fireworks under her skin, and her heart swelled. She was done waiting
for him, too. As he laced his fingers with hers, she made a mental note to thank Lilly for
more than she could possibly know. If Lilly had never dragged her to that club, no way
would she have Jace here now. Maybe she had the universe all wrong. It wasn’t a cruel
bitch, hell-bent on making Hayden’s life a disaster. It had given her more than she could
ever have hoped for. It had given her Jace. Forever. No strings attached.
Acknowledgments
A big thank-you to my editor, Heather Howland, who once again has made a dream come
true for me. This journey wouldn’t be the same without her. Also a big thank-you to
Haleigh Rucinski for making this book shine and the entire Entangled Publishing team for
helping me bring my stories to life. Thank you to Rachel Harris and Mya Smith. I owe
both of you ladies hugs and brownies for beta reading this one for me. Love you girls!
And to my readers. I am in awe of the love and support you show me. Thank you all. And
thank you to my husband, Jared, and my two sons Colten and Caden, for putting up with
a very distracted Mommy while she worked at making her dream come true. I love you.
About the Author
A mom by day and a romance writer by night, Nicolette Day harbors a weakness for black
and white mochas and books that steam up her Kindle screen. She grew up in a one-
stoplight town in Oklahoma where, once upon a time, she only dreamed of becoming a
writer. Nicolette now lives with her family in North Carolina in a town that has at least
three stoplights. Learn more about Nicolette’s books on her
, or chat with her on
. And if you love young adult romance, check out Nicolette’s alter
ego,
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Hoping to gather donations for her charity, Mercedes Vega boards a cruise ship filled with
the rich and powerful. Instead, she falls into bed with the sexy CEO determined to outbid
her on the property her charity needs. Though their afterglow is shattered, Lucas isn’t one
to give up when something feels right.
Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation for being fearless until his partner was killed
in a raid. Getting involved with reckless, stubbornly independent Ruby Elliott is his biggest
fear, but when he discovers a connection between the beautiful pool hustler’s shadowed
past and the case he’s working, Troy must fight to keep her in his arms.
Document Outline
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Loved this story? Don’t miss these exciting novellas from Entangled Publishing.
- Unleash your inner vixen with these sexy bestselling Brazen releases…
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