The Wilde Side (3 page)

"Count me in, too," Alex said, and raised his bottle of beer to Scott before taking a drink.

It was a direct challenge, and none of the Wilde men ever backed down from a dare. Which was precisely why his brother had issued the bet in the first place, to goad Scott into approaching the woman and provide Joel and Alex with a bit of amusing entertainment for the evening. And for a hundred bucks, Scott decided he was willing to take a chance that there was a whole lot more substance behind the seductive looks that had passed between him and the blonde.

Scott made his shot, smacking the eight ball solidly into the side pocket, winning him the game. With a smug smile, he picked up the two tens on the table that had been riding on the game and tucked them into the front pocket of his jeans.

"Since I seem to be on a winning streak tonight, you're both on." And if his luck held out, it would prove to be one helluva interesting evening. "Get ready to suck it up and pay up, boys."

Chapter 2

I
n all her life, Ashley had never been the recipient of what had to be some of the worst pickup lines in dating history. Neither had she ever gone to a bar to deliberately troll for men, and it was becoming increasingly obvious to her that she'd underestimated the singles' scene outside of polite society.

She'd been approached by half a dozen men so far, none of which had sparked the slightest twinge of interest – sexual or otherwise. They were all too slick and cocky, their arrogance nearly palpable, making it much too easy to turn down their advances.

Sighing, she turned her gaze back to the gaming area of the bar to take another glimpse of the only guy in the establishment who'd made her feel hot and bothered – just by the smoldering heat she'd seen in his expression the few times their eyes had met from across the room. She was startled to find that
he
was heading her way, which immediately gave way to a heart-pounding thrill that vibrated throughout her entire body.

Oh, yeah, he could very well be the one, she thought as she silently appreciated his lean, rock-solid physique and his confident stride that seemed to keep time with the music the band was playing. The tan cotton T-shirt he wore clung to his broad shoulders and tapered to a flat stomach, and his well-worn jeans were snug in all the right places, accentuating narrow hips and hard, strong-looking thighs. There was a rugged edge about him, just enough to give her the impression that he was the kind of bad boy she was looking for tonight.

She took a drink of her Cosmopolitan, licked her lips, and slowly dragged her gaze back up to his face. His gorgeous, masculine features were backdropped by thick black hair that looked as though it had been repeatedly finger combed. He also had one of the most sensual looking mouths she'd ever seen on a man.

He was, undoubtedly, what her girlfriends would have labeled
the full package
. And as he neared, she felt her breathing deepen, felt her body warm and soften ... her skin tingle.

Instantaneous attraction.

Sexual magnetism.

It was all there, clamoring inside her, making her squirm restlessly on the bar stool in anticipation. She prayed that he wouldn't lay a cheesy pickup line on her and ruin what was finally beginning to look like a very promising evening – because if he did, she was out of there and on to new territory.

He came to a stop directly in front of her, his jean-clad thigh barely brushing her bare knees, making her completely and totally aware of him and his overwhelming presence. Very casually, he placed one hand on the edge of the bar beside her, his wide shoulders blocking her view of everything except him.

Not that she minded. This close, she could see that his irises were a beautiful, vivid shade of blue, shot with shards of deep gold and rimmed in black. His eyes were intense and compelling, and she felt seared straight to her soul.

Then his full lips curved into a sexy, disarming smile that made her melt inside. She held her breath, captivated by his gaze and that arresting grin of his as she waited for him to speak first.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here," he said, his voice a deep, delicious baritone that made her think of smooth, rich Godiva chocolate dissolving on her tongue. "And I'm going to be completely up front and honest with you."

With a lead-in line like that, she was certain he was heading toward a clever come-on, and she tried not to let her smile prematurely turn into a grimace of disappointment. She was determined to give him a fair chance to speak, just as she had all the others.

She tipped her head and prompted, "I'm listening."

"After watching you turn down so many guys, my brothers over there made a bet that I wouldn't fare much better." His blue eyes twinkled charmingly, transforming him from sexy Adonis to boyishly adorable in a flash. "I've got a hundred bucks riding on this, and if you'd be so kind as to pretend that you're interested in me for just a half hour or so, I'd be happy to split the profits with you."

She stifled a burst of amused laughter at his outrageous proposal, and one quick glance over his broad shoulder at the two good-looking men standing at the pool table watching them so intently was enough to confirm his claim.

She couldn't believe they'd placed an actual wager on her ... but it was this man's truthful, straightforward approach that earned her respect and increased the odds in his favor. Instead of allowing her to be the brunt of a humiliating bet, he was letting her know right up front what was going on so she didn't end up looking like a fool later.

How could she not appreciate such a considerate overture – not to mention the fact that he was willing to split his earnings with her – except it wasn't his cash that she was after?

She told him as much. "I don't want your money."

"Okay." He nodded in understanding, and obviously taking her comment as a rejection, he started to pull back, his regret tangible. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

Without thinking, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt before he could step away, shocking herself with her assertive action when she'd never been so forward with a man before. Then again, wasn't she supposed to be brazen and bold tonight – the kind of confident woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it?

And what she wanted was him.

Letting go of his shirt, she splayed her hand on his chest. He was hot and hard beneath her palm, his body a work of honed muscles and sculpted planes. He was, undoubtedly, one hundred percent virile male. "I may not want your money, but I do appreciate your honesty about the bet."

He lifted a questioning brow "Do I detect an 'and' in there somewhere?" he drawled hopefully.

He most certainly did, and she seized the opportunity to turn up the seduction a few notches and see where it led the two of them. "
And
... I'm very interested in you." Summoning a sultry smile, she trailed a manicured finger down the center of his taut abdomen to the leather belt cinching the waistband of his jeans. His gaze darkened with heat, and the muscles along his belly shifted and rippled beneath her tantalizing touch, making her own nipples pucker tight in response. "No pretending about it."

He lowered his hand to her knee and feathered the callused tips of his fingers along the expanse of smooth thigh bared by her short skirt, giving back as good as she was dishing out to him, and increasing the slow-building attraction between them. "Well then, if it's not my money you want, how can I repay you?"

"Actually, you already have." She released a grateful sigh. "The men in this place are finally backing off."

He laughed, the unmistakable humor in his tone giving her another glimpse of a man who was not only forthright, but seemed to have a playful side, as well. "You definitely caused quite a stir with your entrance."

She detected more to his statement than a simple comment, and she considered asking him what he meant, but then his long fingers drew lazy, arousing circles along the inside of her knee, scattering her thoughts. Desire took hold, coiling low and deep inside her. She ached to uncross her legs in a very unladylike manner, just so she could feel the stroke of his hands skimming their way higher, to the place that was suddenly pulsing with heat and need.

So,
this
was lust, she thought with amazement ... and it felt so good, so thrilling and exciting and forbidden, she wanted to drown in the sensation.

He lifted his hand and gently curled his warm fingers along the side of her neck, holding her in place. She watched, mesmerized, as he slowly dipped his head toward hers, and her heart thumped erratically in her chest. At first, she thought he was going to kiss her, but he bypassed her parted lips and grazed his jaw along hers, until his mouth came to rest right up against the shell of her ear.

She heard him inhale deeply, filling his lungs with the scent of her skin and hair before releasing it in a long, slow exhale and murmuring into her ear, "Care to join me out on the dance floor so those other guys can eat their hearts out and wish they were me?"

The moment was incredibly sensual, so sweetly intimate in a way she never would have expected. His breath was hot and damp against the side of her neck, his voice so rough-and-rumble sexy she couldn't stop the shiver that coursed through her – didn't want to, actually. She wanted to experience everything this man, and this night, had to offer.

And part of that was letting everyone know that
he
was the lucky recipient of her affections – including his betting brothers. "I'd love to dance with you."

Grasping her hand in his, he led her out to the crowded dance floor. There wasn't much extra room without bumping into someone, but Ashley didn't mind the close proximity that caused their bodies to brush frequently and heightened the sexual tension between them. It had been too long since she'd gone out dancing, and it didn't take her long to lose herself in the throbbing tempo of the music infusing her entire being.

Emboldened by anonymity and encouraged by the provocative heat darkening her partner's gaze, she turned around and shimmied her bottom oh-so-sinuously against the fly of his jeans, teasing and tempting him with her risqué move. A strong arm snaked around her waist, and she sucked in a quick breath as he splayed his large palm against her stomach, then aligned her backside to his groin in an erotic position that made her feel wickedly wanton.

He was obviously a man who wasn't content to be a passive bystander to her seduction, and she liked this more aggressive, dominant side to him. He was so big and warm and hard behind her, and he was also a great dancer and knew how to move his body to the evocative beat of the music. His hips gyrated against hers, slow and rhythmically, in a way that was completely, inherently sexual and set her blood on fire.

Just when she was certain she'd go up in flames, he turned her around to face him and drew her as close as two bodies could get with their clothes on – from her breasts, their bellies, all the way down to the thigh he'd wedged between hers. His hot, hungry gaze caught and held hers as he cupped her buttocks in his palms through the material of her skirt and pulled her hips even closer, forcing her lower body to arch against his thigh for a tighter fit.

The friction of denim chafed the tender skin of her inner thighs, and she moaned deep in her throat as his muscled leg pressed high and hard against the flimsy barrier of her silky panties and the aching flesh beneath. He was undeniably aroused, and so was she. The branding heat of his erection pressed insistently against her stomach, and she was so turned on she knew if they didn't bring an end to their scandalous behavior soon, there would be no stopping her body's reaction to the slow, insidious thrust and roll of his hips against hers.

God, dancing with him was better than any foreplay she'd ever experienced, and she could only imagine the pleasure he could give her if they were alone and naked and free to explore more intimate desires. She shuddered at the illicit thought.

His lean jaw clenched, as if he was barely holding on by a thread of restraint, as well. "Let's take this somewhere more private," he said roughly, seemingly reading her mind.

Ashley wasn't about to refuse something she wanted just as much.

He pulled her off the dance floor, and she had to take double steps to keep up with his quick, determined stride. Just as they broke away from the crowd, he came to an abrupt stop and let go of her hand.

"Wait here a sec," he said, then continued on to the bar to talk to the big, burly guy who'd served her a drink earlier. The bartender pressed something into his hand, and then he was striding back toward her – and she had the sudden realization that she didn't even know his name yet.

Before she could ask, and without a word of what had just transpired at the bar, he grasped her hand again and headed toward the back of the establishment, and all she could do was follow.

They passed the gaming area, and she caught sight of the two guys this man had identified as his brothers, staring at them in stunned disbelief. Feeling just a bit naughty, and knowing she'd never see them again, she smiled and waggled her fingers at the duo, letting them know in no uncertain terms that their brother had won the bet. And in Ashley's estimation, he'd definitely earned that hundred-dollar wager.

She thought they were going to slip out the back door to the parking lot, but instead, she found herself being guided down a corridor, then up a set of stairs that led to a second level of the bar. He unlocked a door with the key in his hand, switched on a light, and once inside, pinned her up against the nearest wall with his big body, with his hands braced on either side of her head.

Before she could take in her surroundings to see where they were, he captured her mouth with his, and nothing else mattered but this man and this incredible moment of finally kissing him.

The feel of his lips on hers was exquisite, warm and heated, and undeniably demanding. When their tongues touched, then tangled silkily, fire licked through her, deep and low. He tasted dark and dangerous, like wild, untamed lust, and she felt an amazing sense of feminine power that she could make this man so hungry for her.

With a low growl deep in his throat, he closed the scant distance between them and pressed his lean body up against hers. His strong thighs widened on either side of hers, trapping her hips against the thick, impressive erection making itself known. She could feel the heat and hardness of his chest crushing her breasts and the breathtaking ripple of muscles in his belly and flanks as he shifted even closer.