My face hurts from smiling so much. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was this happy and free. Seeing my favourite cousin marrying the man of her dreams after everything she’s been through made me ridiculously happy and a little jealous at the same time. I don’t let myself dwell on that—not right now anyway.
But now I’m exhausted. All this dancing has me beat, and my feet are crazy sore. I reach out and touch Ash’s arm. “I need a breather. You want anything? Water, juice?”
Ash is positively glowing. “Axel’s gone to get me something. You go; I’m fine here.”
I nod, and walk off the dance floor towards the bar situated under a huge tree. “Cold water, please.”
The bartender finishes drying down his small work area, then gives me a smiles and winks. “You’ve been going at it pretty hard out there,” he says as he fills up a glass with ice water.
“Yeah, what can I say? I can’t resist an opportunity to pull out some old-school moves.”
He hands me my water and I turn around to find somewhere to sit, then notice one of Axel’s groomsmen sitting alone at a table in the corner. He’s waving at the bartender. Glancing over my shoulder, I realise that the bartender isn’t even looking in his direction. Furrowing my brows, I turn back, and he’s grinning. I look left, then right, but there’s nobody else here.
Touching my hand to my chest, I mouth, “Who? Me?”
He nods slowly, then crooks a finger in my direction again. I eye him sceptically, and he grins. He is crazy gorgeous. A three o’clock shadow covers his sharply defined jaw, and as I get closer I notice his eyes are like pools of melted chocolate. I do love chocolate, I grin to myself and continue my approach.
I take a seat two down from his. “Hi,” I say before lifting my sore feet to the seat next to me. I undo the clasp at one ankle and slide my shoe off my aching foot, then do the same with the other.
The groomsman frowns and tilts his head to the side. “Why are you sitting all the way over there?”
An embarrassed smile tugs at my lips. “I just took my shoes off. Trust me, you should be thanking me for giving you a little space.”
He shakes his head. “That’s ridiculous,” he says, then pushes to his feet and closes the space between our seats. He drops down in the chair right beside mine. “That’s better,” he says, throwing his arm around the back of my seat, then delivering the most devilish smile I’ve ever seen.
His hypnotic gaze drills into me and I can’t look away. Swallowing, I attempt to find my voice.
“Ah …” I close my mouth, then open it again. “Umm, okay.”
Umm, okay? Seriously, Kalista? I want to bang my head on the table. You’d never guess I was known as the Ice Queen in certain circles by the way I’ve just melted into a puddle for this guy.
“I’m Abe. And you are?” he asks, with an outstretched hand.
I look at it, then back to his face and back to his hand again then I take it. “I’m Kalista. Nice to meet you, Abe.” My words come out quieter and breathier than I had intended, but I got them out, so there’s that.
Abe keeps his fingers wrapped around mine. “The pleasure is all mine,” he says in a gravely tone that has my insides coming to life.
I frown when he doesn’t release my hand right away, and I attempt to take it back. My nose scrunches up as I ask, “May I have my hand back now?”
I need my hand back. I need to realign my equilibrium, and I can’t do that while he’s touching me.
“Fuck you’re cute,” he croons, and I swear I gravitate towards his muscular body that is suddenly really close to mine.
I blink a couple of times. When did he get so close? And why is he still holding my hand? Then his thumb swipes across my knuckles ever so gently, making me shiver. I swallow hard. What the hell is going on with me? Pull yourself together, woman!
Abe’s lips quirk into a grin. He has nice lips, and those teeth—so perfectly straight and pearly white. I do like a man with good oral hygiene.
I have to shake my head to physically pull myself out of this daze I’ve found myself in. Clearing my throat, I ask, “So, how do you know Axel? I’m assuming he’s your connection to this wedding, seeing as you were one of his groomsman.”
Abe bows his head slightly. “He’s my baby brother.”
“Of course, he is,” I say with a nod. Now that he’s mentioned it, their similarities are glaringly obvious. They have the same build, although being this close to Abe I realise he’s somewhat larger that Axel. But they have the same colour hair, and the same sharp facial features. I can’t believe I didn’t come to that conclusion myself.
He still hasn’t released my hand, and I find that I don’t even care anymore as his thumb continues to stroke my skin softly, almost soothingly. I just sit there and stare at him, taking in his incredible bone structure. He’s so damn gorgeous. His suit is fitted to perfection and does nothing to hide the muscular body underneath.
“My brother tells me you’re Ash’s cousin?” Abe says.
I wonder if he’s actually interested or just making small talk as I sip my cold water. “Yes, we’d lost touch over the years, but I’m so glad she reached out again after she met Axel. I’d missed her.”
He shifts his chin in a semblance of a nod. “She’s good people. How’d you end up losing contact?”
This question hurts my heart, and I do my best to brush it away before my mood turns morose. “Family stuff. We were young. It wasn’t something either of us could control.”
Abe eyes me for a moment, and I think he sees the pain I’m trying to hide behind my smile. He drops the topic, thank god. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to Axel. I’ve never seen him happier. And hell, I’ve never seen Ash with anything but a smile on her face.”
I look out to the dance floor. My beautiful cousin is slow-dancing with her new husband, and it melts my heart. A smile splits my face. “I’m so happy she has him. She’s a beautiful soul—she deserves this.”
Abe licks his lips and I stare at his mouth. “Speaking of beauty,” he murmurs as his eyes rake over my body.
Heat spreads through me like wildfire. I feel its flames licking at my lower belly the longer his gaze lingers. “Thank you,” I mumble. “You’re quite the specimen yourself.”
I want to bang my head on the table. Yes, I really did just say that, to his face.
My cheeks flame, and I touch my glass to my forehead, cooling my overheated face. Abe chuckles beside me and the vibrations of it ripple through me. “Tell me something about yourself, Abe,” I say, trying to shift his focus off of me for a moment, just so I can catch my breath.
“What would you like to know?” he shoots back.
“Are you married?” The question passes my lips before I can stop it, and again I blush furiously. It’s his touch, his hand still on mine—it’s messing with my brain-to-mouth filter.
His grin is blinding with those pearly whites. “No, I’m not married, or dating anyone right now either. You?”
“Ah no, no husband or boyfriend lurking in the wings. Not that I know of anyway,” I say with a frown. For all I know, my father has another potential candidate lined up just waiting to pounce as soon as I get home.
“She gorgeous and funny. You’re a rare combo, Kalista.” His eyes roam up and down my body as he speaks, making me shiver and lean farther into him. The arm he draped over my chair now comes to rest on my shoulders, tugging me nearer. “What else would you like to know?”
My nervousness shows when I reach up and tug on my earlobe. “Umm, what do you do for a living?”
“I run Alpha One Protective Services. It’s my company,” he explains.
Sweet Jesus, he just got hotter. I’m smiling like a star-struck fangirl. “Protective services? Like, security?”
He nods. “That too. We specialise in all the elements that go into keeping our clients safe. If they need a top-of-the-line security system, we’ve got it covered. If they need around-the-clock protection, we do that too. Or if they have a stalker or something like that, we come up with the best course of action to keep them safe and eliminate the threat.”
Oh my, he’s legit. Guess the badarse vibe he’s throwing off is real too. I’ve always had a weakness for strong men, and he definitely ticks that box.
A wicked grin stretches across his lips. He leans forward, his mouth almost touching my ear. I feel his warm whiskey-scented breath on my neck as he whispers, “But nobody will be able to protect you from me tonight.”
He sucks my lobe into his hot mouth, and a shot of desire shoots right through me, all the way down to my toes.
It feels so, so, good. My head lulls, allowing him better access. I really should be playing a little harder to get, but it takes me a full minute to follow through. I clear my throat. “Thanks for the offer. I really appreciate it; it’s good for my ego.”
A gush of air fans across my neck and shoulder, and I turn to face him, finding laughter in his eyes and a grin on his lips. “What?”
Goddamn it. He has to have dimples too. It’s not fair.
“While I’m glad you appreciate the offer, I’d rather you take me up on it. I’ve been watching you dance, watching your body move to the music. I was imagining you moving beneath me, while I fucked you slowly,” he says with a devious grin.
Heat shoots down my spine, coiling in my belly, and my body is begging me to give into him. That grin combined with that dimple and his nearness to my over-heated body as he continues to rub circles over my knuckles—it’s almost enough to make me cave.
I have to bite down on my lip to stop myself from whimpering, but the sound comes from deep within me anyway. It’s been too long since I’ve been with a man, let alone one this raw and carnal. Squeezing my eyes shut, it takes me a minute to clear my head enough to come up with a decent comeback. “I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t appreciate me doing the sprinkler in bed. You’d come out the other side with some serious injuries.”
Abe chuckles, but my snark doesn’t deter him at all. His lips brush the shell of my ear. “You want me. I can see it in your eyes, in the way your body is responding to every word that leaves my lips. Now I’m putting my offer on the table.” His lips move to the spot behind my ear, and he proceeds to press delicate kisses down my neck between his words. “One night.” Kiss. “No strings.” Kiss. “Your mouth-watering curves.” Kiss. “My hard body.” Kiss. “As much fucking as we can get in before the sun comes up,” Kiss.
That final kiss lands on my lips, I fall into it devouring, tasting and relishing in the sensations running through my body.
I’m a quivering, shivering, panting mess of hypersensitive nerves and need. I swallow hard, glancing up into his mesmerising eyes. They’re alight with desire and I know it’s reflected in my own.
He moves even closer, pressing his hard chest into my back. “I have the urge to run my tongue over every inch of your delectable body,” he breathes into my ear, then nips on the lobe.
His words cause me to squirm in my seat. Wetness dampens my underwear, and longing like I’ve never known pulses deep inside me. I know he feels it because his grip on my hand tightens momentarily. I forgot he was even holding it.
“Come up to the house with me,” he asks, softly biting my neck, then licking the tender spot.
I close my eyes. Am I really considering this? His hot breath moves down my neck and back up again, then his free hand is on my leg, near the hem of my floral skirt, and his lips are on my throat, pressing open-mouthed kisses to my sensitive skin.
Why am I not stopping him? He’s a complete stranger. But then again, that’s part of the appeal. He doesn’t know me—he doesn’t know who I am. And I will never see him again. The temptation to let myself enjoy this beautiful man’s touch, uninhibited by the façade I normally have to maintain, is too much to walk away from. I whisper back, “Take me to the house.”