The Infatuation (Josh and Kat #1 , The Club #5) (43 page)

When we’re done, we hop in the shower, neither of us
speaking.

Clearly, that was a detour neither of us expected or
planned. We’re like fucking dynamite, the two of us. A nuclear
reaction.

“You’re on the pill, right?” I ask.

“Yep. Still on the pill since the last time I told
you.”

“Sorry. Just double-checking.”

She smiles. “Sorry. Ask me as many times as you
need. Yes, I’m on the pill.”

“I’m sorry. My dad used to put the fear of God into
me about having sex without a condom. I’ve never done it before.
I’m just paranoid.”

“You’ve never had sex without a condom before?”

I shake my head.

“Not even with girlfriends?”

“Never. You’re my first.”

I lather her up under the hot water for a
moment.

“So you’ve literally
never
felt sex without a
rubber before me? Not once?”

I shake my head again—and then I grin broadly. “It
feels fucking
amazing.
”

She grins broadly. “Yeah, I bet it does. Jeez, Josh.
No wonder you think I’m amazing. Ha!”

I kiss her. “You are,” I say. “It’s not just
that.”

She throws her arms around me and kisses me. “God,
I’m addicted to you.”

“Me, too. You’re a drug.”

I take my sweet time in the shower with her, washing
her, touching her. And then, what the fuck, why not? I get down on
my knees and eat her out, too, bringing her to a climax that has
her pulling on my hair like it’s on fucking fire.

When we’re done, we dry ourselves off with the
fluffy white towels and get dressed quietly, a sense of doom
descending upon me. The jig is up. There’s nowhere else to run.
I’ve got to give it to her now.

“Can I make you a drink, PG?”

“Sure. Surprise me,” she says.

“My kind of girl,” I reply. My voice is casual,
relaxed. But it’s an act. My stomach is tight. My pulse is pounding
in my ears.

I bring her the drink. “An old fashioned,” I
say.

“Oh, you hipster.” She notices my empty hands. “You
didn’t make one for yourself?”

“I don’t wanna be here when you read my
application,” I say. “I’m gonna go down to the casino and meet
Henn.”

“Oh. Okay. Suit yourself.”

There’s a long pause. I stand, rooted to my spot, my
hand in my pocket.

“Now would be when you
finally
give me your
application, Josh,” she says.

I exhale. “I know.”

There’s another long pause. I’m waiting for her to
say, “Don’t worry about it. I don’t care what it says.” But she
doesn’t. She just stares at me, smiling like a wolf.

“Okay,” I finally say. I grab my laptop from the
table, click into my PDF-formatted application, and lay the laptop
on her lap. “Here you go, Madame Terrorist,” I say. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you kindly,” she says.

“Text me when you’re done so I can come get you. I
don’t want you to be alone out there—now more than ever. I didn’t
like the looks of that Max guy.”

She nods. “I promise.”

I take a deep breath. “Okay. Well. Happy
reading.”

“Thank you.”

I linger briefly, hoping she’ll say never mind. But
she doesn’t.

I bite the inside of my cheek for minute. “Okay,
well, bye.”

“Bye.” She shoots me a clipped wave.

I return her wave and stride to the front door of
the suite, my heart pulsing in my ears. Just before I leave, I turn
back around. Kat’s settling herself into her chair. She takes a
swig of her old fashioned and leans into the screen, biting her
lip.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up. This is
it—the brick wall I’ve been hurtling toward without brakes since I
first laid eyes on that beautiful terrorist. And now the damned
wall is finally here, an inch from my fucking nose, and there’s
nowhere to turn.

I take a deep breath, open the door, and quietly
slip into the hallway.

The door closes behind me.

I close my eyes.

Crash.

This book is for The Love Monkeys, my devoted and
wonderful readers. Thank you for loving my characters as much as I
do—and, therefore, loving me.

USA Today
bestselling author Lauren Rowe lives
in San Diego, California, where, in addition to writing books, she
performs with her dance/party band at events all over Southern
California, writes songs, takes embarrassing snapshots of her
ever-patient Boston terrier, Buster, spends time with her family,
and narrates audiobooks. To find out about Lauren’s upcoming
releases and giveaways, sign up for Lauren’s emails at
www.LaurenRoweBooks.com. Lauren loves to hear from readers! Send
Lauren an email from her website, follow her on Twitter
@laurenrowebooks, and/or come by her Facebook page by searching
Facebook for “Lauren Rowe author.” (The actual Facebook link
is:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-Rowe/1498285267074016
).

-
The Club
(
The Club
#1)

- The Reclamation
(
The Club
#2)

- The Redemption
(
The Club
#3)

-
The Culmination
(
The Club
#4)

-
The Infatuation: Josh and Kat Part I
(
The
Club
#5)

(January 5, 2016)

-
The Revelation: Josh and Kat Part II
(
The
Club
#6)

(January 12, 2016)

-
The Consummation: Josh and Kat Part III
(
The Club
#7)

(January 19, 2016)

- Countdown to Killing Kurtis
(a stand-alone
psychological thriller featuring Lauren’s distinctive humor, unique
characters, “what the fuck!”-inducing plot twists, and a touch of
steam)