“You’re not stagnating, gorgeous.” Mr. Sheridan hooks his arms around me and pulls my body to his.

I collide with hard muscle and gasp, surprised by the contact.

“You’re blossoming, ripe, ready, so fuckin’ ready.” The man, this handsome near-stranger, covers my open mouth with his, the force of his embrace driving my head back.

I clutch his shoulders, savoring the strength under his suit jacket and allow him to ravish me, too stunned to think. He plunges his tongue in and out of me, fucking my mouth, and that’s what it is—fucking. His kiss is rough and primal. His scent fills my nostrils. He tastes of the liquor he’s been drinking. I’m scorched by his touch.

By another man’s touch. Edward’s hands aren’t gripping my hips. The ridge pressing against my stomach doesn’t belong to the man I love. Edward’s tongue isn’t in my mouth, stroking mine.

I flatten my palms against Mr. Sheridan’s shoulders and push, breaking our kiss. “What are you doing?” My lips hum, swollen with passion.

“I’m seducing you.” His voice is husky. His eyes are as black as night. “The best way to get over a man is to get under a new one.”

“Get under a new one?” I blink. “You didn’t say that? Tell me I misheard you.”

“You didn’t mishear me.” His expression is adorably sincere as though he expects this cheesy line to work. “If you’re feeling down, baby, I could feel you up.”

The silliness of Mr. Sheridan’s reply meshes with the shock of Edward’s betrayal. I twitter, the sound edged with hysteria.

Mr. Sheridan lifts both of his eyebrows.

One, two, three more giggles escape my lips. “That’s bad, so very bad.”

His lips twitch. “Bad is what I do best, gorgeous.”

His corniness sets me off. I hold onto his arms and laugh so hard; tears roll down my cheeks and my stomach hurts. It feels good to let this out, the merriment releasing some of the darker emotions building inside me.

Mr. Sheridan’s chest shakes against my breasts, the tremors building in intensity until his chuckles join mine.

This gets me going again. I cling to him and laugh and laugh and laugh.

Several moments pass.

I finally sober. “Thank you, Mr. Sheridan.” I wipe the moisture from my cheeks. “I needed that.”

Mr. Sheridan slides a hand inside his suit jacket and removes a tissue. “Allow me.” He dabs it over my skin, his tender care of me soothing my battered heart. “And call me Smoke, not Mr. Sheridan.” His eyes sparkle with caramel specks.

“Smoke?” I tilt my face upward. “You’re named after the club?”

He folds the damp tissue and puts it back in his pocket. “The club is named after me.”

That can’t be his real name.

“It’s my real name.”

I lift my hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t say it wasn’t.” Not out loud. I had thought it.

“You didn’t have to say it.” Mr. Sheridan, Smoke, brushes his thumbs over my cheeks, leaving a trail of sweet sensation on my skin. “I’ve been answering that question for thirty-three years, since the day I was born.”

“You must have been a gifted baby.” I grin. “Speaking from birth.”

His throaty chuckle makes me happy for some reason.

“Do those lines actually work on women?” No one can be that dumb.

“On certain women, yeah.” Smoke nods. “But then any line would work on that type.”

“What type?” I lean into him, relishing his warmth.

“Women, girls really, wanting nothing more than a good fuck, no strings attached.” He unsticks a curl from my forehead. “No one expects a man using those lines to stay around. I can hit it and quit it and no one gets hurt.”

“Hmmm…” That makes sense. I guess. I examine him. “Is that why you’re dressed like a 1970’s Las Vegas lounge singer tonight? You’re looking for a casual fling?”

His lips quirk upward. “I dress like this every night, but yeah, that’s one of the reasons.” Smoke pushes my hair behind my ears, his touch gentle. “So what do you say, baby? You want to rock my world?”

“That’s tempting but I’ll pass. There will be no rebound sex.” I meet his gaze. “I don’t want to do anything now that I’ll feel guilty about tomorrow.”

“There’s no tomorrow, only here and now.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s no way to live.”

“It works for me.” Smoke shrugs. “But hey, I understand why you’re saying no.”

“Good.”

“You’re holding on to what you had with Eddy.” He plays with my hair. “Trying to make another impossible relationship work.”