Seductive in Stilettos 1: New Adult Romance Read online

  War pulled him out of his reverie. "You okay?"

  Shane nodded. "Yeah, I'm cool. Let's go. Where are we headed next?"

  War grinned. "Spice nightclub."

  Spice. The place was new and in the Gaslamp District. It was supposedly a sex club, but for the most part, it was very BDSM light. But they did have a dominatrix that was more than happy to bust out a whip if that's what you were into. The one thing going for them was they had some very sexy burlesque dancers.

  Shane wasn’t a fan of birthdays. They’d never been cause for celebration in his house. Just a reminder to his father that his mother had loved someone else. A good birthday consisted of his old man drowning his memories of his unfaithful wife in alcohol then muttering the usual names as Shane would drag his drunk ass to bed. Bastard. Loser. Son of a whore.

  If it was a bad birthday—well it was probably best if he didn’t remember the bad ones. After all, the scars had healed, hadn’t they?

  By contrast, War always insisted they celebrate his birthday. It didn’t matter if they had money or not, his best friend had always found a way to come through. Even if it was just getting Mindy O’Reilly to gift him with his first blow job.

  So, even though Shane wasn't really in the mood, he smiled broadly at his friend. He could suck it up. Bring on the fun. Fun was his middle name. Besides, this was his last night to really let loose. Come Monday, the two of them started work for Shane’s uncle, Caleb Atkins. Shane wanted to get the job right. He needed this shot. A chance at normalcy. A chance to know the other part of his family. A way to assuage the guilt over what happened with his father. May the old bastard never rest in peace.

  He followed War out of the club and was surprised at how the line wound around the block. Synthesis was cool and all, but this was kind of ridiculous. Girls in staggering heels wearing T-shirts that doubled as dresses wiggled in place in line. And well, he was a guy, so he wasn't immune to the view.

  Warrick muttered, "I'll get the valet." But he didn't budge, instead, stared with interest at two girls in line who gave him the twice-over. And true to form, War forgot all about the car.

  "Ladies, how would you like to celebrate my friend's birthday here?" He slapped Shane on the back.

  The girls were pretty in the standard southern Cali way. Bleach blond, natural tans, pristine, white smiles. And they had the club uniform on—neon, tight, one-shoulder dresses that barely covered their crotches. Absently, Shane wondered if they had underwear on. The taller one smiled at him broadly.

  So not what he was in the mood for that night. But he realized he needn't have worried about too much attention from vapid and empty-headed. Warrick turned on the charm, and both the girls were mesmerized. Shane had to give it to the guy. He was smooth with girls. They didn't even faze him.

  Time and again he'd seen it, the two of them would walk into some place, and half the chicks in the room would stare at Warrick. The other half would immediately try to catch his attention.

  Behind him, Shane heard a rushed clickety-clack, clickety-clack, and he turned to see what was happening. And there she was. The girl who'd been dancing for him. She scrambled out of the club with a panicked expression on her face.

  Either she was in an extreme hurry or she wasn't looking where she was going, because she slammed right into his chest. It only took him a split second to catalogue every physical aspect of her. In her shoes, she stood about five feet, ten inches. Given her heels, she was more probably around five feet seven. The scent of flowers and strawberries drifted into his nose, and it made him want to bury his face into her hair.

  Her body was toned and slim but curved. He already knew her hips were unreal as she'd rolled them for his viewing pleasure on the dance floor. Her breasts weren't enhanced, but nice and full. And currently, they here high and firm and pressed into his chest.

  All the blood he normally used to fuel his brain rushed south with every pump of his heart.

  She stumbled back, and he steadied her by her elbow.

  She blinked up at him. "Shit, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going and—"

  Behind her, there was a commotion in the club near the exit.

  Her eyes went wide. "Gotta go."

  "Wait, are you okay?"

  "Uh, not really, I need to get out of here."

  He nodded to Warrick to give him a minute, and then dragged her around the corner of the club. He tucked her into the corner by one of the loading bays and blocked any view of her with his body. "You running from the cops or something?"

  She grinned up at him and giggled. "I wish it was that simple. Nothing like that. I'm just looking for a little freedom."

  Okay, file that under they were so gonna talk about that later. "Where did your friends go?"

  "They're distracting—"

  Someone with a walkie-talkie spoke into his piece just feet from them. "No sign of her. Wait, there's some kid here, let me ask him if he's seen her. Hey, kid?"

  Her eyes flared wide, and a panicked expression flitted over her beautiful face. "Kiss me."

  Alarm bells rang in his skull. But right now, he didn't give a shit. Later, he'd focus on all the discordant pieces of the night. Later, he'd ask her what she was running from. Later, he'd ask her why she had to hide. Later. First, he was going to do as she asked.

  Chapter 3

  Tris held her breath. With the rising panic, time slowed and her senses sharpened. Only a few distinct sounds filtered in past the thundering of her heartbeat. Mr. Intensity's sudden change in breathing. How good he smelled—spicy with a hint of musk. She wanted to lean in and nuzzle his chest just to get more. She also noted Roland's brisk footsteps in their direction. But most importantly, she wasn't afraid.

  She was insane to have let Syd and Xia talk her into this. What was she thinking running out on the security detail? There had been no plan and that wasn't like Xia at all. One second they'd been following Roland and his goons through the back of the club, the next thing she knew, Sydney had thrown herself to the ground in an epic faux trip, complete with hysterical sobbing. Xia hadn't missed a beat, immediately tripping the guy behind her and shoving her jacket at Tris. It hadn't been much, but it had been enough of a distraction for Tris to run. And she'd done so blindly, figuring if she could just get out of the club, she could figure it out from there. Too bad she hadn't really thought about what to do beyond that. At least the jacket was a bit of camouflage, even though it looked more like a bolero on her than a blazer.

  The way Mr. Intensity narrowed his gaze on her lips told her he was going to kiss her, but the anticipation made her shiver. Was this what all the fuss was about? She'd been kissed before. But those were purely experimental with disastrous results. For the most part, she couldn't stand to be touched. Any sexual contact made her freeze from the inside out.

  She tried to suppress a shudder at the memory of warm, dank breath in her face. The only thing that had stopped her attacker from also being a rapist was his inability to get it up. She still couldn’t shake those long ago memories. Made dating kind of a drag. But with this guy, there was none of that. Instead, she felt flushed. Tingly all over.

  The first brush of his lips over hers was hesitant, slow. Like he was testing the waters to see if she'd bolt.

  No. Running. Here. Tentatively, she slipped her hand between them and took hold of his TT-shirt, sighing into the kiss, letting his scent wash over her.

  Immediately, the tone changed, and he dragged her body closer, fitting her more solidly against his hard frame. He slid his hands into her thick hair and groaned. In a low whisper he said, "I can't take my eyes off you."

  As he licked over the seam of her lips, Tris opened to give him access, needing to taste him. His tongue slid over hers expertly, teasing stroking, delving, leaving none of her mouth unexplored.

  She dug her fingers further into his T-shirt, and he made a sexy moaning sound at the back of his throat. The hand at her waist tightened roughly, and the hand in her hair tugged a l
ittle, coaxing her to angle her head the way he wanted to further deepen the kiss. He tasted like Vodka and mint and something spicy. Mostly, he tasted like freedom.

  The length of his erection pressed into her, and she shivered. He was hot against her, thickening.

  Roland's footsteps drew closer. "Hey, kid, did you see—"

  Mr. Intensity tore his lips from hers and tucked her head against his chest. Bonus. His body was broad enough that he completely shielded her from view. She totally took full advantage of their close position and inhaled his spicy cologne. He kept looking down at her as he spoke, and she felt the rumble in his chest.

  "Can't you see I'm busy here, man?"

  There was humor in Roland's voice as he said, "Sorry, didn't realize. Carry on."

  "Yeah, I plan to."

  When he fused his lips over hers again, there was no decrease in potency. Her knees turned to liquid and heat flooded her core, making her wet, making her want him. She was so focused on the slide of his tongue over hers that she didn't even realize the footsteps were moving away from them.

  It wasn't until he moaned low and broke the kiss that she even realized where they were.

  He dropped his forehead to hers. "I—uh—I think he's gone now."

  Gone? Why had he stopped kissing her? He should keep doing it. Like all the time. Then her brain came on line. Gone. "Oh right. He's gone." She lifted her head, titling it back slightly. "Uh, thank you for that."

  He didn't release her. Instead, for a long moment, they stood, lips just within kissing distance, staring at each other, their breathing slowly returning to even. Finally, he took a step back and released her. "Uh, I should put you in a cab."

  "Yeah, you're right. Thank you." She was too keyed up to even think straight. All she wanted to do was sway into him. The little voice in her head screamed as loudly as it could. Go, have fun for once. Take the chance. If her dad had his way, she'd be back on a plane to Trinidad by Monday. For once, she was going to do something she wanted.

  "I'm staying at the Hard Rock," she blurted. Smooth Tris, real smooth. In her next life, she was going to get some experience with guys before she got to college.

  His breath came out in a rush. "Yeah. I-uh, I'm staying there, too."

  Come on, Tris, be daring. "Do you want to walk me back?"

  Chapter 4

  "You know, generally, when I help a girl escape a government hit squad, I like to know her name first," Shane joked.

  She smirked. "Is this the part where I tell you I'll have to kill you if I do? It's a shame, because I'd just started to like you. Besides, it’s probably in your best interest. Plausible deniability that you ever met me."

  His lips twitched. There was something alive about her. But at the same time, she seemed like she kept herself tightly under control and never let loose. "Fair enough. I'm Shane. In case you find you ever need to know it." He could think of several scenarios off the top of his head. And all of them involved her being naked.

  She laughed and smacked a hand on her forehead. "My name…uh, it’s uh, Sydney.” She shook her head. “This is so backward. Next time I go out with my friends, I'm going to need a better escape plan."

  "Do you need to text them or anything, to let them know you’re okay?"

  Her beautiful brown eyes went wide. "Oh, shit, yeah."

  He quickly texted War that he'd gotten caught up and was headed back to the hotel. While she texted, he took advantage of her preoccupation to study her. The moonlight kissed her cinnamon-brown skin, making it appear iridescent. She'd pulled her thick, straight hair off her face, pinning back the front, showcasing her killer cheekbones and wide, almond-shaped, chocolate-brown eyes. The sweat at her temples had turned the thick hanks into springy corkscrew curls.

  He was already well acquainted with her full lips, but it didn't stop his mild preoccupation with them. She tasted like autumn, and he wanted to kiss her again.

  "So, if you weren’t escaping some government conspiracy courtesy of Enemy of the State, then what were you running from?"

  She shook her head and slid her phone back into her clutch. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But I promise, I'm not in any kind of serious trouble. I just needed some freedom for a night."

  When they reached the hotel, he held the door open for her and she slid inside, barely brushing her body against his. They both froze for a long moment before conversation restarted.

  She cleared her throat. "I promise, you're not going to have any Homeland Security guys after you or anything."

  He narrowed his eyes. He'd learned early how to determine if someone was lying. For the most part, she was telling the truth, but she was evading. Avoiding telling him something other than her name. "If you say so. But, if you were in trouble, you could tell me."

  She shook her head. "Thank you, but I don’t need any protection or anything. Matter of fact, I could use a lot less protection."

  So she thought he had a hero complex? The doors to the elevator opened, and he smiled down at her before asking, "So what floor?"

  The tip of her tongue peaked out to moisten her lips and he stared.

  Her response was hesitant. “I—uh…what floor are you staying on?"

  His gaze didn't leave her lips. "Why, you want to check to see if I have monsters under my bed?" A hint of red tinged her cheeks, and Shane grinned. "I'm teasing, come on."

  He pressed the button for the penthouse floor. War insisted his twenty-fifth birthday should be spent in style. But then War also insisted that he needed twenty-five blowjobs to commemorate the occasion. Clearly, he shouldn't listen to his best friend regarding all things.

  There were four suites on the Penthouse level of the Hard Rock Hotel. It was great and had a killer view, but there was something a little over the top about the whole place. It was way flashy and not really his style. He led her into his room and tossed the key card on the foyer table. The first thing she did was slide off her shoes. Then, she spun around inspecting the room.

  "This is, wow. Very nice."

  He shrugged. "It's my birthday, so War insisted we do it up."

  "Oh, shit." Her eyes went wide, and in the low light, her eyes looked more brownish green. "I interrupted your birthday. I'm so sorry. I'll just b—"

  When she tried to sidestep him, he reached out and took her hand. "Oh, no you don't. You've already improved the night a hundred fold. It was already getting old watching the line of cute girls slip War their numbers and drool over his every word. Especially since he'll never call."

  She rolled her eyes. "Oh, like you're such a troll. You know you're good-looking."

  Shane cocked his head and grinned. Between himself and War, his friend was more prone to the ego stroking, but knowing this particular girl found him attractive made him want to preen a little. "I tend not to flirt with pretty girls at bars." Probably because he rarely went to bars. And when he did, he didn't understand enough of the dynamics to actually have fun. Though, with War, it was usually a little more enjoyable.

  She frowned. "Why don't you flirt with pretty girls? Are you and he, like, a thing?"

  He barked out a laugh. "What? No. I'm straight. He's straight. Everyone is straight. Very straight."

  She ducked her head a little, and a hint of pink lit her cheeks. "Well, I, uh, already figured you weren't gay, but you never know."

  So she hadn't missed the massive hard on in his jeans. The one that was currently begging for release. But just watching the way she played with her fingers and tugged on her dress, he knew she was nervous. She wasn't the type of girl to go to some strange guy’s hotel room.

  Despite how much his lips still tingled from the kiss, he gave her the out. "You know, we don’t have to do—" Shut up, shut up. You sound like a douche.

  She focused that keen gaze on him. "Oh, I know." Lifting her chin, she added, "Pretty clear, I'm a novice, huh?"

  The hell she was. Her dancing had driven him to the edge of madness. And that kiss, well, he sure as hell wasn't e
ver getting sleep tonight.

  "Come here," he croaked. He was nervous. When was the last fucking time he’d been nervous? Who the hell was this girl? And why did she have the power to make him insane without even trying?

  Her brows rose, and she blinked at him in surprise. Finally, she complied. She stepped into his space, and he had to hold his breath, trying to prepare for the pang of need. But it was pretty useless. The moment he touched her, he was in trouble.

  When he slid his lips over hers, testing the waters, she released a shuddering breath. Just like before, she opened right up for him, like he had the magic code. She slid her tongue over his, and his body went hot and tight, like his flesh was stretched too tight over every muscle.

  This time, instead of clutching onto his T-shirt, she wound her arms around his neck and toyed with the hair at his nape, driving him slowly insane with every score of her nails.

  He backed her up, taking little steps, trying to accommodate for her height. Finally, he gave up and just picked her up. Even with her dress, she wound her legs around him easily and held on tight.

  He held her by her ass, fitting her more securely against his body. His cock needing to seek out her sweet heat.

  Even with his eyes closed, he found his bedroom easily and kicked the door shut behind them.

  He didn't even break the kiss to settle her on the bed. With every little moan, she rotated her hips upward trying to get closer, and he hissed. Need coursed through his veins, and he couldn't think. His desperation to have her blocking out all other thought.

  He finally broke the kiss to settle her farther up the bed against the pillows. She protested and reached for him.

  He chuckled. "I'm coming right back, I promise." He yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it somewhere behind him.