Take a Chance (9 page)

Mark barked a laugh and reached over to punch
Steve in the shoulder. “I do believe our friend here wants to get
the club open so he has a place to play with his new girl.”

“
That so?” Derek
asked.

“
Wouldn’t hurt. And since
her brother’s agreed to back off, I should have her ready in a few
days.”

Chapter 8

Ethan slid onto the bench seat across from
Lloyd and the man jumped. As in, his whole body levitated out of
the seat and landed with an audible plop.

“
What the hell? You scared
the shit out of me.”

Across the table, Ethan shook his head and
braided his fingers in front of his chest, leaning in and looking
at ease and comfortable. “Man, you’ve got to get cool. If I didn’t
already know what you’re into, I’d be suspicious as hell. Chill a
little, look like we’re having a good time.”

“
Not easy to do—” Lloyd
leaned low across the table. “—when I’m trying to get
co-conspirators out of jail and make plans for the next plot to get
the codes.”

“
Any luck on getting John
and Bill out?”

“
Not unless you have some
serious cash.”

“
They’ll have to sit,
then.”

Lloyd gulped some coffee and hovered low on
the table. “Until they decide to make a deal and give us up.”

“
Won’t happen. Besides, it’s
only been two days. County lockup isn’t that bad.”

Lloyd stared at him over the top rim of his
glasses. “And you know that how? Been there yourself?”

“
No.” His secrets stayed
private, even to his closest friends. “Now, I need to get hold of
Dena Lindsay. We need to have a come to Jesus meeting real
quick.”

“
You are absolutely out of
your mind, Ethan. Between her brothers and that security guy, you
don’t have a chance of getting her alone.”

“
I’m working on it. Trust
me, this’ll work.” Even as he said the words, he knew Lloyd was on
his way out. The man had no backbone, despite his education. Sooner
probably than later, the erstwhile friend would vanish, leave town
and set up somewhere out of state. Maybe even change his
name.

“
Don’t expect me to break
the law again. I’m not going to jail for you.” Lloyd scooped his
papers into a thin briefcase, tossed a five on the table, and left
in a hurry.

Good riddance. But he still needed the
password for the stock accounts and without help, he wouldn’t have
enough muscle to make another attempt to grab little girl Lindsay.
He’d made discrete inquiries about John and Bill, hoping they’d be
released soon and he could put them to work, but they were in
pretty bad shape.

A ping on his phone took his attention in
another direction. The cutie he’d met the night of the worthless
break-in was making contact. Not that he needed a woman in his
life, but she was a diversion and hopefully a decent lay. With the
right incentive, she’d at least be an alibi.

“
Hey, beautiful. What can I
do for you?” he asked. Women were easy and he enjoyed the games
they thought worked with him.

“
You left a message. I’m
calling you back.”

“
Right, sorry. Hectic day,
but I was hoping we could get together tonight.”

“
Sorry. I have to study
tonight. I have a final in the morning. Maybe tomorrow?” she
asked.

“
Great. Tomorrow. Call me
when the test’s finished and we’ll make some plans.” He smiled when
she easily agreed. Pussy tomorrow gave him something to look
forward to. Watching the call close, he saw her number, clicked on
it and did a quick search. She might be worth more than a fuck. A
few more clicks and he found her social media center.

Damn, but the girl loved to post pictures of
herself. Sure, she was cute but not drop dead gorgeous.

And hello Miss Moneybags. His little chippie
was friends with his mark. Another click and he hopped to Dena
Lindsay’s page.

Son of a bitch. His new girl had smart
friends, the kind that used privacy settings. Well, worth a shot,
but no go there. Unless Sara could be convinced to share
information about her friends.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Ethan
dropped his phone in his pocket and left the diner. By tomorrow
night, he’d have a room set up for their tryst, one with no ties to
his name, and a way to convince Sara to spill her guts.

* * * *

Dena jumped when the doorbell chimed. It was
late, almost ten, and she had to be in the office early tomorrow.
Nobody showed up at her door at this time on a workday. Besides,
Susan and Kellie were at a seminar in Houston.

And Steve, the jerk, hadn’t called since the
night of the break in. Not after he’d put her to bed with an
unbelievable orgasm and a sweet kiss good night.

But really, why would he call her? Between
her brothers and her relative innocence at the ripe old age of
twenty-five, she was too much trouble for a man like Steve
Gladston. He dated women who knew how to take care of him. Gave him
wild sex and expected nothing in return. With the attack at work
and the incident after their second date, he’d most likely put her
in the ‘do not touch’ category and filed her name away in his
never-again box.

Damn. Pessimism wasn’t good for her. Neither
was self-doubt, but she couldn’t help it. She’d been born with too
many ideas in her head and no way to manage them. It made her a
definite multi-tasker, but a skewed companion in general. Only one
or two of her friends could keep up with her sudden subject changes
during a conversation.

Checking the peephole had her chest
tightening like a rubber band had wrapped around her and then
popped.

Steve Gladston, wide-shouldered,
slim-waisted, breathtaking man, was on her front stoop. He looked
good enough to eat, a vision of hot man-candy even through the
little hole in the door.

She didn’t need to look down to check her
sexy little outfit. Fuzzy jammie pants, an old football jersey from
one of her brothers, and slippers with kittens on the toes.

Seduction material.

Wasn’t she lucky to be prepared?

Opening the door anyway, but only a few
inches, she showed her face and waited to see what he wanted.

“
Did you at least look
through the lens?” he asked, his voice husky and sounding more like
a bossy brother than a man she wanted to sleep with.

She sighed, not sure what she wanted to do
with him now. “Yes. I saw your truck in my drive, too. I’m not an
idiot. And we’ve had this conversation before.”

“
I didn’t say you were. Are
you going to let me in, sweetheart?”

Maybe she was an idiot, because she wanted
him in her home, even when he didn’t call ahead. She stepped back
and let the door swing in. He walked into her instead of into the
room, pressing every bit of her body against his and holding her in
place while he kicked her door closed. When she tilted her head up,
he was waiting. His mouth slanted over hers and conscious thought
hid while she absorbed the raw desire spiraling from his mouth to
hers.

His hands roamed her body, touching every
tingling spot she had until his palms settled on the fleece pants
covering her rear. “Soft, but you won’t need these to keep you warm
tonight.”

His hands slipped inside the waistband and he
pushed them off. “Hm, commando. I like. Now, I have to wonder
what’s under this old jersey.” The shirt landed on the rug and he
leaned back.

An immediate urge to cover her body with her
hands rushed ahead of her brain and she crossed her arms. Suddenly
naked while he was fully clothed was uncomfortable, but then she
remembered the night he’d put her to bed. She’d been bare for him
then, too. She let her arms slowly return to her sides and heard
his murmur.

“
Good girl, Dena. Thank
you.”

His voice, the deep rasp with a hint of need
created the sound of sex and permeated the space around them.

It took the breath from her chest.

“
I’m going to take good care
of you, Dena,” he said in a voice that surrounded her. “You’re mine
to pleasure and care for, and I’m going to show you how good it can
be.”

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move from the
spot in front of him, but her body responded without her help. Heat
slid from her chest to her belly and lower. His hand cupped her
chin and tipped her head back to gain access to the tender skin
underneath her jaw and he nibbled his way to her throat. Wet heat
stroked inexorably lower until he reached the line of her
collarbone. Openmouthed kisses continued, moving south to lick at a
nipple.

She jerked at the sudden tightening sensation
and heard a soft chuckle. “So beautiful, Dena. I’m going to enjoy
making love to you tonight. Tell me that’s what you want.”

“
Yes.” Barely able to hear
the words, she hoped he understood. Her knees wobbled and he caught
her, one arm scooping her up under her knees while the other kept
her against his chest. His teeth nipped at her bare shoulder and
she cried out, the erotic sensation flying along her nervous system
like a lightning strike and flaring at each junction.

Whispered words of praise accompanied light
kisses along her jaw while he carried her to the bedroom. His voice
was an aphrodisiac. No matter the words spoken, it enticed and
seduced, creating moisture and breathlessness and mind-bending
desire.

He didn’t bother with the bedclothes, simply
set her on top of the comforter and spread her out for his
perusal.

“
Beautiful Dena, I’m going
to make you fly for me tonight.”

His fingers went to the waist of his jeans
and he tugged his shirt out and up and over until it lay on the
floor next to her bed. “For tonight, and only tonight, I want to
hear you scream for me. Understand?”

She could barely nod while she watched the
denim lower in tiny increments toward the floor and a stray thought
about her carpet being scorched when those pants landed next to the
bed slipped past the haze of desire surrounding her. Two rough
fingers reached out to pull her attention back to the moment,
tugging at a nipple and bringing on a sharp cry.

Harsh need etched his face and a bead of
sweat formed at each of his temples. The self-control worked at
him, but still he didn’t join her on the bed. Out of reach, she
could only trace the contours of his body with her eyes, and what a
wonderful passage it was. Gorgeously made, broad shoulders were
padded with thick bands of muscle, smooth tanned skin fanned across
a chest with enough defined muscle to make a woman beg, and a
smattering of dark hair crossed his pecs.

She wanted to play in the curls, nuzzle the
light fuzz and nip at his nipples. She wanted to follow the thin
line of hair that descended toward the navy band of his briefs. She
wanted to see—

His thumbs pushed under the waistband and
shoved down, freeing a long thick, ruddy penis with a broad cap
already seeping, one drop of moisture peeking from the thin
slit.

She wanted that. She wanted everything he had
to give, but right at this moment, she wanted that bead of
moisture. With a surge, she lifted her torso from the bed and
licked at the cap of his cock and heard him groan.

Falling back onto the bed, she smiled up at
him. An eyebrow rose, his lips a thin line, and then he said,
“We’re going to have to learn some patience, Dena. And some
control. Did you enjoy that taste?”

“
Oh, yes.” She smiled again.
“You taste delicious.”

His return smile was quick and elusive. “On
the floor.”

With a step back, he made space for her
between the bed and his body, and she rose to stand in front of
him.

“
On your knees,
doll.”

As soon as she was in position, he crowded
her and his heavy cock greeted her with a nudge in the cheek.

“
Open your pretty little
mouth, Dena.”

All the air left her chest in a rush and a
swarm of wild bees invaded her stomach at the sound of his voice.
The tone was new to her, tense, deeper in range, and demanding.

His hand burrowed into her hair and she
tipped her head up to look at his face. The intensity in his
expression took hold of her mind and body and she shivered, not
sure what she’d gotten into and how it would end.

“
Do you want to stop,
Dena?”

She pulled her upper lip into her mouth and
nibbled while she considered giving this idea more thought, but
they were here now and she did want him. She wanted to know what
she’d miss if he walked away from her. She wanted to know what her
life would be, even a small part of it, if she stayed in this
moment and this experience.

Filling her lungs, she jumped in with her
whole heart. “No, I don’t want to stop.”

“
Good girl.”

His hips rocked and the broad head of his
penis nudged her again. “Take it into your mouth and suck it.”

Heart pounding, she did as told, hoping like
hell she could fake it long enough to figure out what to do. And
fast enough to keep him from discovering her innocence.

“
Relax, Dena,” he said, “and
let me set the rhythm. I’ll teach you how I like it.”

Insecurity swamped her and she leaned back,
letting him slip from her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

“
Why?” He cupped her chin,
and his face, when she looked up, wasn’t angry, more curious than
anything.

“
I don’t know
how…”

The flash of a smile as it captured his whole
face was a surprise.

“
You’re never given some guy
a blowjob?”