Climax (13 page)

LAUREN SMITH was born and raised in Tulsa. She attended Oklahoma State University, where she earned a BA in both history and political science. Drawn to paintings and museums, Lauren is obsessed with antiques and satisfies her fascination with history by writing and exploring exotic, ancient lands.

T
onight is the start of my grand adventure. And since it's my birthday, you guys are welcome to join in the fun.” Kat Roberts grinned as she spread out the folded piece of paper on the table so her friends Lacy and Mark could see.

They were nestled in the corner of the Pickerel Inn just outside Magdalene College in Cambridge, catching a brief break from studying for exams. The pub was full of other students, all enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and the fish and chips the pub served late into the night.

“What on earth is that?” Lacy asked as she brushed her hair back from her face and peered at the list.

Kat tapped the paper. “A list of ten things every undergraduate should do while studying and living in Cambridge. Number one? Drink a glass of Nelson's Revenge at the Pickerel Inn pub on Magdalene Street.”

Mark, Lacy's boyfriend, chuckled. “Have too many Nelsons and he'll definitely get his revenge. You Americans aren't used to our stout ales.”

Kat was only half-listening as she studied the list, contemplating the other suggestions it gave. She'd moved to England in August to start college while her dad worked in London, and now more than ever she wanted to do something wild, something fun and crazy. Her parents had divorced when she was a kid, and she'd been living with her father, whose job entailed frequent corporate moves. She'd been too afraid to get close to people and break out of her shell. She didn't want to make connections with people only to have to leave and never see them again. It reminded her too much of when her mother had left.

But that's all changed. I'm finally living in one place for three years. I'm making friends here. Roots. For the first time I can really live.

Now she yearned for an adventure. She wasn't used to being wild and crazy or doing things out of her comfort zone, but she wanted to be that way.

Baby steps, she had to remind herself. That's why she'd picked this list from an online article about attending school in Cambridge. It had fun things for her to do. Things she might not have otherwise tried. Now that she'd settled into her classes and schoolwork, she could focus on enjoying the whole college experience. She'd picked an easy item from the list first—drinking a pint here at the Pickerel—but she'd work her way up to the bigger items soon.

Mark leaned forward, his elbows propped on the old wooden table. “Is this really all we get to do to help you celebrate your nineteenth birthday?”

“He's right, Kat. We should be doing something really fun tonight. Like going clubbing!” Lacy curved her lips in a charming but teasing smile that under other circumstances would've made Kat laugh.

“Clubbing? Lacy, you know I can't dance. I'd fall flat on my face. Maybe if I drink enough you can talk me into it.” Kat winked at her friend and gulped down more of the cider and beer blend she had ordered. It wasn't strong, but she wanted to get warmed up before going for the Nelson's Revenge.

Lacy grinned. “You're officially nineteen, and as this is your first semester at college, we need to make something amazing happen. Leave high school behind. This is your chance. Let's go dancing, meet some hot guys.” She jerked her head suggestively toward a nearby table where a group of decent-looking men were watching them, pints in hand and friendly smiles on their faces. She nudged Mark in the ribs. “Right?” She winked.

Mark put an arm around Lacy's shoulders and shook his head, silently laughing. “You have a hot guy right here for you, no need to find a new one,” he teased.

Lacy rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean,
for Kat
. She needs some action.”

Kat couldn't disagree. She'd never really dated in high school since she and her dad had moved every couple of years. Maybe Lacy was right. Now was the time to give it a try.

“First I'll drink my pint, then I'll work my way up to meeting hot guys. How's that?”

Mark shook his head. “I think you're underestimating your appeal. British blokes like me would love to date an American. You'll have no trouble getting a guy.” He nodded at the same group of men his girlfriend had pointed out. “Start with them. They look nice enough, and if they aren't, I'll beat them up for you.” Mark put up his fists with a silly, goonish expression that made Kat and Lacy giggle.

Kat adored her new friends. She'd only known them since August, but something about them, their natural warmth, the way they opened up to her, made her feel like she'd known them for years.

Maybe it was the magic of the city, too. Ever since she'd come here for university, this little Elizabethan-era town had captivated her. Between the shops tucked in crooked, wandering alleys and the tolling bells of the various colleges throughout the day, Kat had been bewitched by this tiny part of the world. It was more of a home for her than any other place she'd ever lived.

“Well, don't tell me you're afraid to give it a go?” Mark laughed.

His brown eyes were dark and full of brotherly mischief, offering a friendship Kat hadn't thought she'd find again since she'd left her last high school boyfriend behind. She and Ben had been good friends, more than she'd ever thought possible with a guy. Like him, Mark was easygoing, with a ready smile and a playful attitude that put her at ease.

She and Ben hadn't been serious, and calling him a boyfriend was really more of a stretch. They'd hung out but never even kissed. When she'd confessed this to Lacy, her friend had gasped and immediately informed her that what she and Ben hadn't been a “real” relationship.

Kat jerked herself out of the spiral her thoughts had taken and focused on her friends. She tipped back her drink and finished it. She couldn't believe it was close to the end of November, and the term was winding down. As much as she'd enjoyed her classes, she was glad for the upcoming winter break. What better way to start the holidays than getting a jump start on her “Operation Adventure”?

When the front door of the pub suddenly opened, an icy wind cut through the cozy atmosphere of the building. Despite the dim gold light cast by the fixtures in the pub, Kat could see more than one person at the surrounding tables muttering, clutching at their coats and glancing toward the front door.

“Oh my,” Lacy murmured, her brown eyes all soft and dreamy as she stared at something behind Kat.

Mark coughed, catching Lacy's attention, but Kat was already turning around in her seat. For some reason all of the breath left her body and she blinked, completely spellbound.

There, framed in the doorway, was a living, breathing god. When he closed the door behind him, snowflakes swirled and eddied around him, clinging to his dark hair and his black knee-length pea coat. He made her think of Hades, the dark god of the Netherworld, in search of his sweet, innocent lover Persephone.

Kat would never have thought she'd describe a man in such terms, but this man…oh yes, the description was perfect. So perfect it almost hurt to look at him. The kind of gorgeous that made a woman's body respond instantly. A slow wave of heat overtook Kat as she stared at him, and she clamped her thighs together when a slow throb began to build in her lower abdomen.

Now that's the sort of man I want to get involved with
.
One who would sweep me away, make me forget who I used to be, and show me who I might become.
A woman who lives life on the edge, who explores dark passions and truly experiences life.
The thought of being with a man like him…it felt right to want him.

The decent-looking guys a few tables away had nothing on this man. And that was just it: He was a man. Nothing about him screamed “college student.” The way he walked, in an almost predatory, graceful movement, sucked her in, and she couldn't look away. He was the sort of man who would stop every woman in her tracks as he strode past, demanding their attention,
their desire
…

His eyes swept over the room, not even noticing her.

No surprise. She was just another undergraduate student bundled up in jeans, a thick sweater, and boots.

Not like him.

A pinch of pain in her chest made her set her cider down and blink rapidly. She'd never minded being invisible before, but looking at this sexy god of a man…she wanted to get his attention. It was a stupid, girlish feeling, but she wanted him to look her way, see her. The pull he had on her was strange, magnetic, like nothing she'd ever felt before. It was as though something inside her was pulling her toward him, erasing everything else around him.

Look my way
, she silently begged.

But he didn't. A knot of disappointment tightened in her chest. There was no way he'd ever notice her.

He's way out of my league. We're in different galaxies.

Even knowing this, she couldn't stop looking at him. This man looked expensive, from his shiny, black boots to the sleek look of his trousers and coat. When her gaze locked on his face, she was lost in a study of him. His aristocratic features were stunning. The man had a jawline that looked like it had been cut from marble, and a straight patrician nose that created an aura of entitled ease. He knew he was attractive and exactly how his mere presence could affect a room.

The hint of an arrogant smile played upon his full, sensual lips, so faint that she wondered if she was imagining it. And there was something about how he surveyed the room, like a ruler among his subjects. It wasn't surprising. Like King Arthur, but with dark, chocolate hair rather than fair. He was tall and lean with wide shoulders, and she could tell there were muscles beneath those fine clothes by the way the fabric clung to him. As he strode over to the bar and leaned against it to order a drink, the focus of the room went with him.

A stir of whispers started up a table behind Kat, Lacy, and Mark. A group of college students, three girls, were watching the new stranger, too. Their heads were bent together, and their hushed voices carried just enough that Kat caught snippets of their conversation.

“I think that's…Yes, I'm sure it's him. You go, Talia, ask him,” one girl suggested.

“No way, if that's who he is…He'd never…Too hot though, right? I'd let him do anything to me…” More giggles. “Can you imagine having sex with him? I heard he's a god in bed. I'd like Mr. Sexy to take me home.”

The third girl fanned herself. “He's got a bad reputation, though…total heartbreaker. Never dates, only fucks them, you know…but I'll be damned if I don't want to…”

The conversation was muffled when a waiter delivered the girls more beers, and Kat couldn't hear anything else. So whoever Mr. Sexy was…these girls knew him or knew
of him
. And he had a bad reputation? What kind of bad reputation?

Kat turned her focus back to him, gazing longingly, watching him slide his black leather gloves off to reveal long fingers and elegant but masculine hands. A gold signet ring gleamed on the little finger of his left hand. She swallowed hard as a wave of heat rippled through her so fast beads of sweat gathered at her temples. She reached for her empty glass of cider again, never taking her eyes off the gorgeous man.

“You should probably go get your pint of Nelson's Revenge,” Lacy said. “I really want to go clubbing, so get that drink, check it off your list, and let's go!”

Her friend's voice seemed to break through the odd sort of fog in her head. She didn't want to leave this little pub and go dancing, not when a man like
him
was here. She could have watched him all night.

Clubbing was definitely not on the list of things she'd like to do, but it would get her out of her shell. Of course, it would really help if she had that drink. And getting that drink meant a chance to get close to the beautiful stranger.

“Okay, be back in a second.” She pushed her chair and headed toward the bar. The crowd was thick around the bartender, and Kat could barely see him over the heads of the students laughing and talking as they leaned against the antique wood bar. The only empty spot against the counter was next to Mr. Sexy…

Raising her chin, she started to walk in his direction, attempting to play it cool, like she wasn't going to get turned on just by standing so close to this god of a man.

He probably won't even look at me…but what if he does? Gotta be cool…I can handle this, right?

A second before she reached him, her right foot slipped in a spot of melted snow.

“Ahh!” Kat gasped as she tried to catch herself, but she careened straight into the beautiful stranger. Normally she wouldn't have been so clumsy, but she'd been too focused on him and hadn't been watching the floor. Plenty of people had been slipping all night.

“Oomph,” he grunted, and threw his arms out, pulling her to his chest.

Kat's head fell back as she clung to his shoulders. He was tall, deliciously so, and her head only just reached the bottom of his chin. His hair was swept back from his face, but it fell across his eyes as he stared down at her, and the light kissed the dark brown strands with a faint hint of gold. The color of his eyes was…stunning and made her almost dizzy when she stared. Like losing herself in a kaleidoscope of blue and green in endless splintering shafts.

Her knees wobbled, and she dug her hands harder into his shoulders, trying to stay on her feet.

What is wrong with me?

“Hello, darling, are you all right? Bit of a slick spot, eh?”

That rich voice, such decadent, sinful syllables uttered in that oh-so-perfect English accent, made Kat quiver inside. What was it about accents? They made a girl think strange, silly things, like asking him to talk dirty to her. Oh, the things he could say that would melt her into a puddle just like the snow at his feet. It might kill her with pleasure. The thought was so unlike her that she blinked. There was something about this man that made her want things she'd been hesitant to want before now. Like hot, sweaty sex. She was still a virgin, and yet this man was making her want to strip down naked and jump into the nearest bed with him.