Mine to Steal (Mine to Love) (5 page)

“Where’re you going?” I slur, reaching out for her again.

“This stupid thing won’t come off,” she grunts, before tugging the shirt off over her head. “Now,” she commands tossing her shirt to join mine on the floor. She clumsily pulls me over her and onto the bed. The moment our bare skin touches, I’m not sure how long I can last.

“I don’t want to think tonight,” she whispers against my lips. I don’t know what it means, and I don’t care because I’m the one right here with her.

“Then don’t,” I answer.

My hand is holding the side of her neck as I continue kissing her; her hands are travelling down my back and stop at my waist. Her gaze finds mine and locks as she slowly unzips my jeans but never breaks our connection.

As my hand leaves its place against her neck, I gently move my lips over her collarbone and journey down pausing to tease between her perfect breasts that are still contained within the bra.
I’ll tackle that damn thing in a minute.

When I reach her stomach, she writhes beneath my touch and her hands tug at my hair. “Don’t stop,” she warns. I raise my eyes to look at her,
but I have another destination in mind as I continue my downward tour to free her of those damn jeans.

She lifts her hips so I am able to peel the tight fabric and expose her taut, smooth thighs. I stand up and hold her leg so I can pull the jeans from each ankle. My jeans are next to come off before I take my time kissing my way from her knee, to her thigh and just above the sensitive area covered by her lacy G-string.

My boxers, her bra, and that sexy piece of material are the only thing that separates us, but I don’t care. Touching the small of her back while she is in my arms, the feel of her skin scorches against mine, and I want more.

“I want you,” she whispers as she runs her fingers delicately over my hard abdomen and then beneath my boxers. “Now. These have to go.”

“So does this,” I answer, running my fingers underneath her bra strap and kissing her shoulder. She swallows hard and nods against me in agreement as her body shivers slightly.  Slowly, she leans forward, resting on her elbows, and I work the snaps at her back, but stop and laugh. “Where in the helz the snap?”

Her sudden laugh catches me off guard, but she grabs my hand.

“Here,” she says placing it to the center of her chest. My hand is stilled while I feel the rapid rising and falling of her chest. I drag my hand up and lean in to kiss her again, a soft, unhurried kiss. I can feel her heart rate quicken beneath my hand and is palmed over her chest. “Take it off.” She sighs, dropping her head back in anticipation.

I remove the silky piece of material
, and she pulls my body flush against hers.

“You feel so good,” I confess as my lips continue finding someplace new to touch.

This woman is consuming every one of my senses, and I want more. My hands can’t touch her fast enough, and I want to taste every bit of her.

“You’re so beautiful,” I admit while looking at her naked body. Through the fog of the shots and beer, I see curves and skin and hips arching against me, and I drink her in.
Damn, she’s sexy.

“So are you, t-
” she says before my lips collide into hers. Her soft moans send my body into overdrive as I give in to the night neither of us planned and both of us want.

* * *

“Trey,” Jett whisper-shouts between taps on my door.

Instantly I look to the side of my bed and find it empty, and when I look at the bathroom, the door is open and the light is off.

She’s gone.

“Trey,” he yells a little louder. “Open the
fuckin’ door.”

My boxers are on the floor in the same place I left them last night.
This morning? Earlier?

“What time is it?” I
demand as I finish pulling them on before I open the door. I rub my eyes as I wait for him to answer.

“
Three,” he answers before looking back toward his room. “You got any condoms? You know, one that you didn’t let expire?”

“Goodnight,” I grunt before I shut the door and lock it, to make sure that he won’t barge in.

She left after I fell asleep, that much is clear. I never got her name. Hell, I never even got to see what she truly looked like between the dark apartment and dim bar lights. All I know is that I spent the night with someone who had my attention as soon as I saw her and now she’s gone. Just like that.

The workday will come early, so I l
ie back on my bed and roll onto my stomach to get the sleep I know I need. As soon as my head hits the pillow, her sweet, flowery perfume drifts up and brings hazy memories of the mystery woman to mind.

Her legs.

Her lips.

Her body.

Her voice.

All of them lull
me into a deep sleep, where she takes center stage in my dreams.

The buzzing I hear next to my bed rattles the loose change
sitting on my nightstand. The noise might as well be coming from across the room because I have no luck silencing the damn thing. I extend my hand over to stop the noise, somehow managing to knock a glass over, and the shattering glass jolts me upright. I instantly regret the swift movement that causes me to grab my pounding head. My eyes refuse to open, but I can see faint sunlight through my eyelids. I squeeze my eyes tighter as I try to shield them from the intruding light source, but it hurts even more.
Everything fucking hurts.

I
consider the time and I wonder if I can sleep in a few more minutes, but there’s no way. I’ve already snoozed the alarm once and now I’m running behind. I lie back down and yank my pillow over my head, but the smell of perfume lingers on the pillow, and once again, she’s in my head. Try as I might to block it all out, there’s no escaping it.

Flashes of
her
at the club and in my bed come to mind, reminding me of what happened last night.

Maybe
I should have skipped the late night clubbing and drinking, but then I wouldn’t have spent the night I did with the enigma I did. Granted, I wouldn’t be sporting this nasty hangover that is inconvenient considering I have to be on a plane this afternoon. Despite my tired and achy state, I drag myself from beneath the sheets and notice the clothes strewn about the room, but there’s no trace of her anywhere. 

As I sit at the edge of my bed, my elbows resting on my
knees, I try to recall something about her, other than her hair. She smelled like spring or something fruity. I wish I could have made out her features, but between the shots and the darkness, very little was visible. Hell, I’m surprised I was even able to perform.

Shit. Did she leave because it was bad or was she embarrassed by what we did?

I remember my hands gripping her waist. The moment my fingers touched her, fire shot through my entire body.

Focus, Trey.
You have too much shit to do today.

Pushing to my feet, I
head to the bathroom and start the shower so I can get moving. While I wait for the water to warm up, I observe my reflection, and I’m knocked back by my ragged appearance. I smell as awful as I feel - the stench of stale alcohol and cigarettes invade my senses. My tongue feels like it’s been rubbed against a piece of sandpaper or as if I licked an ashtray - either way, it’s pretty disgusting.

The shower is steaming when I step in and I try
not to think back on last night, but she refuses to let me go that easy. For the third time since my alarm went off, the stranger has infiltrated my head. Her hands on my body, the familiarity of her - though we’ve never met - and the minty taste of her lips are enough to keep me still a little too long.

From what I recall of
the evening, the band was a little too country for my taste, but the crowd seemed to enjoy them. Jett moped after being teased by Joss but recovered when a random drunk girl who was looking for someone to dance with approached him. I know Jett hates country music, more so than me, but there was no way he was going to pass up the chance to hook up with a sexy girl. He was desperate to redeem himself after his public shaming at the hands of a woman who sounded like she’d inhaled one too many helium balloons.

When the band finished their final set, Jett walked
back over with the girl, who he introduced as Cayenne - as in pepper. I knew what he had in mind and I didn’t care - until I saw
her
. And when she agreed to leave with me, I didn’t give a second thought to letting my brother figure out his own way home, even though it was a dick move.

I have no doubt when I leave
this afternoon, Jett will have an endless trail of women making their way into my apartment. All I have to say is he better not bring them into my bed.

The shower does little to alleviate my hangover, but at least I feel refreshed
when I get out. My typical black slacks and button-down shirt give me the appearance of a put-together guy, but my head is still pounding. I grab some aspirin and down them before I notice Jett’s door is still closed.

“I’m leaving now. Be in by eight so we can go over some things before I head out.”
I beat on the door to wake him up.

He groans from the other side
, and I smile knowing he’s in as much pain as I am. This is the guy I’m about to entrust my company with while I’m gone. I push away the doubt that starts to seep in.

What am I thinking? In what world is it a good idea to leave Jett in charge of anything?

When push comes to shove, I think he’ll get the job done, but to be sure, I need to have a little chat with Hattie and give her a heads up. With that in mind, I head to the office to get everything in line before I go out of town.

In the three years since I opened my own business, I haven’t left the office for more than an afternoon, but if I want to land this contract, I’m going to have to go to Cave’s Camo and Outdoor headquarters in Chicago. I was told the owner, Mr. Cavette, doesn’t do much in the way of social media and relies on an assistant to handle all email communication. After some serious thought, I decided my best bet is to meet with him
in person, which is what he prefers.

“Good morning, Trey,” Hattie greets me as she sets her purse inside of
her desk drawer. “Did you get the email with your itinerary?”

“
Yes, thank you, Hattie.” My voice is harsher than I intend, but it garners her attention. “I need to speak with you before my brother gets in. We’ll get to everything else when he gets here.” She follows behind me and shuts the door, waiting for me to continue.

“Is everything okay?”
she asks as she walks in to take a seat across from my desk. Her forehead crinkles as she bites her lip, and I realize she must think there is a problem with her work, so I rush to alleviate her concern.

“I’m so
rry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but I wanted to talk to you before I leave. About Jett.” I see her relax when she exhales and rights her shoulders before she settles against the seat back. Once I’m sure she’s ready, I continue. “Let me start by saying my brother is a good guy. He’s tried numerous careers, but he’s always had our dad to fall back on.”

“O-
kay,” she drags out as she frowns with confusion.

“I know he has it in him to do great things, but until I’m certain he’s in this with me, I need you to keep an eye on things while I’m gone. I’m going over the agenda with Jett when
he gets here, but I still need you to make sure things get done.”

She cocks her head to the side and
appears pensive before she responds. “So you want me to babysit your brother?”

My eyebrows jerk
up, I’m surprised with her choice of words. “Well, when you put it that way, I suppose so. Jett is an intelligent guy, his business sense rivals my own, but you know what’s going on around this place - maybe better than me.”

She smiles and nods, but I can tell she’s still hesitant to play the role I am asking of her. She takes her job serious
ly, which I appreciate. I’m trying not to offend her.

“Trey, I’m happy to help Jett figure the place out, but I’d rather be up front about this. Instead of basically having me spy on him and report to you, why don’t you tell him what you told me. He might surprise you.”

“You might be on to something there. Do me a favor; grab everything you can on Dr. Jameson’s office, the Rialyn Productions contract, and Palm Industries. We’ll start with those, and I’ll go over as much of it as I can with him. You can fill in any gaps while I’m gone.”

Her response catches
me off guard because this woman knows nothing of my brother, but she seems to be putting faith in him. Hell, maybe I need to do the same and not assume the worst. Hattie appears to be pleased with herself when she exits my office to gather the information.

Buried in a sea of emails,
I peer up from my work when I hear his voice in the distance, but I continue working. He’s talking to Hattie about something when I hear him ask a question.

“So does this mean you’re going to be
my
- ?” I recoil at what I suspect are his next words.