Jane's Surrender (Hard World Tour #2) (5 page)

By the way, he was usually clenching his fists, drinking himself into oblivion, and giving the stink eye to all of Sam’s bed partners; you didn't have to be a genius to figure out why.

“
How am I making you mad?” I asked. Her beautiful emerald eyes held disbelief. She just shook her head and threw back another shot.

Ariel was a thing of beauty, an hourglass body with curves that made men turn their heads, long, red curly hair, which shined like fire on a bright sunny day, and those eyes of hers. No wonder men all over the world went crazy for our little mermaid.

“
Because you’re grumpy and refuse to drink or dance,” she pouted.

“
I’m not. I’m just a bit tired; that’s all.” It was a flat out lie, and she probably knew it, but after a long hard stare, she let it go. It was for the best too. I wasn't about to share everything, because there was no point in doing it. Although the four of us were the closest friends possible, we sort of had two camps inside the group. Sam and Bella shared a special bond, while Ariel and I shared another. That’s why we were always attuned to each other’s mood swings and everything else.

“
Fine. Are you gonna go then?”

“
Yep. I need some good sleep.” I leaned closer and kissed her on her soft cheek. “I’ll buy your favorite cookies.”

“
Carbs for more curves? No, thanks,” she snorted, gulping one more shot and flashing me a picture of her in workout clothes on her Instagram page. “After all, I have a fitness blog going on for curvy women. I can’t eat them.”

“
Chocolate chip cookies, babe.”

She narrowed her eyes, raised her chin slightly, and looked at me suspiciously. “How many?”

Ah, I knew it would be easy to bribe her. I moved closer to her, and whispered in her ear, “Five.”

She glanced around, nodded, and we shook hands.

“
It’s a deal. But keep it quiet. The walls have ears.” I swear if people heard what my friends and I talked about, they would think we needed to be locked up.

“
Pinky swear.”

She rolled her eyes, and said, “Just go.” Then she blew me a kiss.

“
Yeah, just don’t be mad,” I replied. Her attention was already on the hot-looking guy on the dance floor, who was making his way toward her. She flashed him a cocky smile and licked her red, lipstick-covered lips.

Looked like she had found her prey for the night.

I made my way through sweaty bodies, people who were kissing, and several drunks who wanted to play grab ass, but were quickly shut down by the security guys who removed them.

Near the exit, the wall was made of several small mirrors, which created some kind of weird art composition. It was hard not to notice myself in the reflection, not that there was much to look at.

There wasn't a lot to admire about me. I was skinny, but my firm ass was often noticed. My dull brown eyes were framed by black hair cut in a bob. I wore biker-chick clothes, because I loved bikes. My body sported several tattoos. I was plain, just like my name implied. Every damn magazine in the world made it their mission to point out how funny and out of place I was among all the beauties in my band. It hurt the first time, and—who was I kidding?—it still did, but I had to accept it. I wasn't about to show weakness to anyone, especially the paparazzi.

Finally, outside, I breathed the fresh spring air and loved the way the breeze calmed and cooled my body.

Las Vegas was beautiful in its own way: all those lights, casinos, and interesting buildings. Everywhere, people had fun, and it was a good change from our busy New York life. People smiled, waved, and took pictures. Some of them were seriously drunk, but still laughed their asses off. The tourists were dressed in colorful Hawaiian shirts, and the locals in suits or jeans.

What made the majority of the people in this city different was the excitement that shone in their eyes and the aura of adventure around them.

My attention was on my surroundings, so the push from behind that made me fall forward came out of nowhere. My heart racing, I was just about to land on the hard concrete when strong, masculine hands caught me from the front and held me tight, saving me from a painful fall.

“
Sorry, hun, didn’t see you there.” I looked back at a young guy who wasn’t older than mid-twenties as he gave me an apologetic smile. The bump was an accident, not anything to get angry about. It could have been a lot worse had it not been for the guy who caught me.

I gave him a reassuring smile and opened my mouth to speak, but I wasn't given the chance as the chest under my palms vibrated from the stranger’s raspy voice.

“
Maybe next time, you’ll pay better attention to where you’re going.” His voice was deep, husky, and masculine, and surprisingly, it sent shivers down my spine all the way to my toes.

The guy who accidently pushed me paled, mumbled something under his breath, and quickly took off running.

Curious, my eyes moved up, and my breathing stopped for a second.

He was tall; his wide shoulders blocked my view behind him, almost as though I was standing in front of a wall. He was rather bulky, his arms muscled, evident by the way his black shirt stretched over them. My hands moved of their own accord over his brick-hard chest. Instantly, my palms tingled; I moved them away quickly and stepped back. Somehow, the move was like losing my anchor.

What the hell was that? I finally looked at his face. He had the deepest, most beautiful sapphire eyes I’d ever seen. Those glorious eyes were surrounded by long lashes and set into his perfect, handsome face. His shaggy blond hair fell to just below his ears but didn't reach his shoulders. His kind smile brought attention to his full lips. He gazed down at me with an expression in his eyes I didn’t understand, because no one had ever looked at me that way.

I’d never met a man like him, and I didn't understand my body’s reaction to him. I had visions of his naked skin against mine, two bodies entwined in bed, making love for hours.

I found it hard to breathe. “Thank you,” I whispered. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. He gave me a half smile and moved forward.

I fought the need to step back, because it seemed like he was a predator and I was his prey. His whole attention was focused on me, his eyes narrowed.

“
Don’t move back from me, sweetheart,” he growled.

“
I don’t know you. Don’t call me that.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me back on his chest, resurrecting that electrifying feeling of his presence. His body was as hot as summer in Texas, and his tanned skin made me want to run my fingers over it.

“
What do you want me to call you then?” he whispered against my lips, which were a hair’s breadth away.

“
I...I don’t know,” I gasped. What was this? What was I doing? He was a stranger on the street, and I was in his arms feeling like he was the only one who could give me oxygen.

Before any of this could make sense to me, he lowered his head and covered my lips with his.

It was like the world stopped.

And I was left alone with him in it.

He slowly nipped my lips then licked and sucked on the lower one, which made me moan, a perfect opening for him to deepen the kiss.

This was our first kiss. All I knew about kisses was that they were gentle and tender.

The few guys I let kiss me were shy, and they didn’t really make my toes curl, but their kisses were nice. They weren't passionate, because I simply didn't inspire those feelings in men.

Those kisses seemed dull and uninteresting compared to the one from the stranger.

His kiss was deep, passionate, hard, and painful. It seemed as though he wanted to devour my mouth and leave his imprint on me, like he was marking me for everyone to see and punishing me at the same time, but for what, I didn’t know. He guided his tongue into my mouth, making me shiver and shyly answer his kiss, which earned me another growl. Following his lead allowed me to learn those kind of kisses, and I never wanted them to stop. My whole body was on fire, and for the first time in my life, I felt heat between my thighs, and my nipples got hard from the contact with another person. When my lungs burned from lack of air, he released my lips. We were both breathing heavily, and our eyes were still locked on each other.

“
Beautiful.” The word was like cold water washing over me, and I was suddenly aware of everything happening around me. His compliment wasn't the truth, and it broke the spell.

I hated that he had kissed me, but it was hard not to want more. For one damn minute, I believed in magic again. But the real world and memories forced me back from my fantasy world to land on my ass.

Hard.

“
I need to go.” I had to get out of there, from him and a situation I didn't understand, which confused me. Everything was blurry, and I just wanted to run away.

That wasn't right.

That wasn't me.

I’d never reacted to men like I did him; I just never liked guys, period.

Except Jeremy, but thinking about him made my heart ache, so I didn’t.

I’d already met the man of my dreams and knew he loved someone else, so I had to live with that.

I wasn’t looking for love. I was done.

Drake

She was beautiful.

There was simply no other word to describe her.

She had the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen in my life; they made me think of delicious milk chocolate melting on my tongue. Her long black lashes didn't need any kind of mascara. She had high cheekbones, tanned skin with a healthy glow, which made a striking contrast with my own pale skin. Her short black hair reminded me of Victoria Beckham’s hairstyle, but I had no clue what it was called. Her lips were naturally pink and had some kind of gloss over them, which emphasized their fullness. She was petite; her head barely reached my shoulders, and her body was fragile. Although when she fell, I noticed her shapely legs and toned, firm ass.

My little pixie.

Like I said, she was beautiful, and I couldn't think of anything else but having her.

The minute she looked me in the eyes, I was a goner.

I knew people didn’t believe in love at first sight and thought it was bullshit, but I was always a hopeless romantic. Somehow, I was sure that once I met the woman of my dreams, I would know her instantly.

That happened with my dad, although the woman he fell in love with wasn't my mom.

Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew the girl in front of me was my destiny and she was meant to be mine.

And mine she would be.

“
Stay with me.” My voice was husky from the desire I felt for her. I barely restrained myself from grabbing her and never letting her go.

Not now, not ever.

“
This is crazy,” she said. Her soft voice was like a gentle careless to my ears.

“
Maybe. Do you care if it is?”

She gave me an uncertain look, as though she wanted to believe me, but knew she shouldn’t. She had wildness inside her; I could feel it, and it was fucking killing me.

I wanted to taste it, to make her lose herself with me, to forget herself. She was silent for a moment, and I knew some internal battle was going on. Her facial expressions were too vivid to mask her struggle. Finally, she came to some kind of conclusion.

“
For just one night,” she whispered, grabbed my shirt in her hand, and clenched it. She hesitated for a second, and then took a step closer to me and swallowed. “And then we can come back to reality.”

I leaned down and kissed her, and she exhaled a sigh and opened her lips. She tasted like rich candy, and I wanted to forget myself in her. Her lips were unpracticed and unsure, like she didn't know what to expect from me and wanted me to guide her. I moved my hand to her hair and tugged on it slightly, which earned me a moan. She moved back, looking at me confused.

“
What do you want?” I asked her. She blinked several times, but said nothing else. By the way her pulse was rapidly beating in her neck, I could understand she was nervous, but it was her decision.

If she chose me then, it would mean she was mine forever. I may’ve sounded fucked up and stalker-like, but that wasn’t the case. I just knew the girl in front of me was it for me, and nothing would ever change that. She licked her lips and I moaned inwardly, because it made me want her more, but I made no move, waiting for her reply. She took a deep breath, licked her lips, and whispered, “You.”

This was enough for me.

She sealed her fate.

She was going to be mine.

Taking her soft, small hand in mine, I moved us to my bike parked a few feet away. I straddled it, grabbed my helmet, and extended the hand with it to her. She gave me a puzzled look as her eyes went from me to the helmet and back at my face.

She paused for a second, her hands stopping halfway, but then she shook her head, apparently reaching some internal decision, took the helmet, and put it on without any directions from me. She grabbed my shoulders and sat down behind me with a confidence that told me bikes weren't a new thing for her.