He cursed under his breath, a surge of protective urges exploding in his chest. He was going to wring his brothers’ necks.
“Don’t even act like you care.” She turned and stormed away again.
“Goddamn it, Addy. Slow down and talk to me.” When she didn’t, he grabbed her arm. So much for treating her like a lady, but she was not making it easy. He looked down at her, annoyed and beyond attracted to her despite her angry scowl. “Is that what you think? That I don’t care if you’re embarrassed? Because I do fucking care. I care a whole hell of a lot more than I’m comfortable with.”
She stared up at him and wrenched her arm free. “I’m not embarrassed.”
Addy never lied, at least not that Jake could remember, which was why the unfamiliar tone of her voice stopped him cold. “You’re a sucky liar.”
She rolled her eyes, her go-to move when she had no response. Jesus, now he was reading her mannerisms? She really had gotten under his skin.
“It’s my fault,” he reluctantly admitted. “I told Blue and Gage, but I didn’t think they’d tell anyone.”
“You told them?”
“They kind of guessed, but…Fuck. Yes, okay? I’m sorry. But they swore they wouldn’t tell anyone.” Guilt sat like lead in his gut. “I’m sorry.”
She turned away, breathing so hard her shoulders visibly rose and fell.
“Look, Addy,” he said in a softer tone. “You’re right. Normally I wouldn’t give a damn who found out, but with you I do.”
She huffed out a pithy laugh.
“What the hell? Do you really think I wanted all those women to find out?”
She shook her head, still not facing him, and said, “It wasn’t your fault. Sally saw us walking back to my room this morning, and she said something, and someone caught wind of it. And then I told Gabriella.” She turned, arms crossed, with an apologetic smile.
He blew out a breath of relief. “If you told Gabriella, then you’re just as floored by whatever this is between us as I am. Talk to me, Addy. You’re so pissed off. How could I have fucked this up already?”
She squared her shoulders. “There’s nothing to fuck up.”
That was a hard pill to swallow, because it meant last night had affected him far more than it had her. But when he stepped closer, heat blazed between them. Her eyes darkened, and her breathing shallowed. This was not one-sided. She stared at his chest as if she wasn’t ready to face the truth.
“We’re playing by my rules this time, Addison.” He tucked a finger under her chin, lifting her face so she had no choice but to meet his gaze. “There may not be anything to fuck up yet, sexy girl, but we both know there could be. Be my date for Trish’s wedding.”
“Be your date? You don’t date, Jake, and I think we both know that I don’t either.”
Needing a barrier between thoughts of her with other men, he crossed his arms. Her eyes went to his biceps. Damn he liked that. He flexed his muscles, earning a soft laugh that sounded a hell of a lot sexier than the snappy attitude she’d been giving him. He stepped closer, settling his hands on her hips. She was so petite he wanted to protect her, though as she’d flatly pointed out, she didn’t think she needed protecting. Another hard pill for him to swallow.
“Go out with me, Addy. Let me take you to the wedding like a real date.”
“Why? As some sort of one-upmanship with Niko? He’s a really nice guy, by the way. You shouldn’t look at him like you want to throttle him.”
He took a step back and paced. “So now you’re into him?”
“No, I’m not into him. I’m just saying he’s a nice guy.” Her eyes traveled along his torso, hitching at his chest. “Too nice for me.”
That brought him to a stop. “How can a guy be too nice for you?”
“Nice is predictable. It’s pretense. I want real.”
Her eyes sparked with a challenge he didn’t hesitate to accept. He tugged her against him, brushing his whiskers over her cheek. Her body shuddered against him as it had last night. “You want me, Addy,” he said in a low voice beside her ear. “I’m as real as a man can get. And I want you. Don’t fight it.”
She pressed her hands flat against his chest but didn’t push away. It wasn’t much, but he’d take it.
“That’s just a twisted girl hangover.”
He laughed. “I think I’ve had enough women to know if I was prone to girl hangovers or not.”
Her scowl returned. “Not helping.”
“Come on, sexy girl. What’s wrong? Did I ruin you for all mankind? Because I’m totally down with that idea.”
“You wish, and don’t call me that.” She pushed from his arms.
“Oh, I’m calling you that.” When she didn’t respond, he said, “You’re trying your damnedest to treat me like you don’t want me, but I hear what your body is telling me far louder than the words you’re saying. So if I’ve pissed you off, you’d better speak up.”
She looked away.
“This is bullshit, Addy. You don’t hide behind silence. You take shit by the balls and fling it against the wall. I have no idea why you’re so mad. You wanted me last night. Didn’t you?” His gut twisted. He couldn’t imagine he’d misread her desires.
“Yes, okay?” She strode toward him and poked him in the chest—hard. “But I didn’t know it would open goddamn Pandora’s box. Thankfully, I’m leaving for the mountains, where I’ll completely forget about whatever this is. And you’re going back to your life of a different woman every night.”
He grabbed her finger and pulled her against him again, ignoring her struggle to be set free. “You want me, Addy. Admit it.”
She lifted her chin, eyes narrow. “So what? You were a good fuck.”
“You feisty little minx. You’re so small, and so beautiful, and you’ve got a mouth on you that could make a trucker blush.” He framed her face in his hands as he had last night, and that all-consuming heat swallowed him again. “I happen to really dig that filthy mouth of yours.” He cocked a grin. “You were a good fuck, too.”
She fisted her hands in his shirt. “Jake.” She probably meant it as a warning, but it came out like a plea.
“Go out with me, Addy.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve gotten under my skin and messed with my head. Whatever this is, it’s not going away, and we both know it. I want to get to know you better.”
She looked at him skeptically.
“And then I want to fuck you again, the same way you want to fuck me. Only this time we’re doing it in private, and you’re not going to scramble away first thing in the morning.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her gently at first, giving her a chance to pull away. When she tightened her grip on his shirt, he took the kiss deeper, sliding his hands to her ass and holding her against him. She went up on her toes, grabbing his chest so hard she snagged a few chest hairs, but he didn’t care. He’d take whatever she had to give.
“I love your filthy mouth,” he said between kisses.
She panted as he kissed her neck and sealed his teeth over the pulse point that had been taunting him for the last twenty-four hours.
“God, Jake…”
“You’re mine this weekend, Addy.”
“We’re not a thing.”
He sank his teeth into her skin and she cried out. When he didn’t relent, she moaned, pressing her body against him.
“God, what you do to me,” she whispered.
He wanted to lay her down in the grass, strip her bare, and take her every which way until the sun fell from the sky and the stars came out. And then he wanted to start all over again, until she lay spent in his arms. But he wanted something even more than he wanted another hot fuck. He lifted his face and looked deeply into her eyes. Pure, unadulterated lust stared back at him.
“Say yes, Addison. Go with me tomorrow to the wedding.”
“Fine, but we’re not a thing.”
“Mark my words, sexy girl. We will be.”
ADDY LAID HER black minidress on the bed and set her cute black strappy sandals beside it. Her sandals would be easy to kick off once they hit the beach for Trish’s bachelorette party. She chose her favorite silver dangling earrings and silver knot necklace and set them on the dresser. She had just over half an hour to get ready before Gabriella got there to walk down to the party with her.
She went into the bathroom and undressed as she peered out the open window, inhaling the salty sea air and taking in the beauty of the ocean waves rolling along the sandy shore. The sun was just beginning to set, leaving ribbons of orange and gold in its wake. As much as she hated that she was leaving tomorrow, it was probably for the best. Not only did she have a full night of packing and preparing for her trip ahead of her, but she’d been so close to scaling Jake like a mountain today, she needed to get to the bottom of what she was really feeling for him.
She turned on the shower, glad the guys were having their own bachelor party. She didn’t trust herself to behave around Jake. He’d thrown her for a loop when he’d shown up at the dress shop, and even more so when he’d asked her out. Other than their sexy banter and relentless flirting, it wasn’t like they had a deep relationship. It had always been cursory. Hadn’t it? She stepped into the shower thinking that over and remembering the intensity in his eyes when he’d asked her to be his date. Was he that jealous of Niko? Needing to bang his chest like a Neanderthal? Or did he really feel something more, as he’d claimed?