My nipples pebbled into hard, painful points, and a rush of hot moisture soaked my panties. Every gust of air against my sensitized skin added to the need pulsing low in my belly.
“You think Marshall can do that?” Josh’s voice wrapped around me like a velvet embrace. “Fuck you the way you need?”
“And you can?” I managed. Oxygen. I needed oxygen. “Keep dreaming.”
“I wasn’t offering.” Josh’s hand grazed my knee for a millisecond, just long enough to set my body aflame. “But it’s nice to know that’s where your mind went.”
I was saved from having to formulate a witty response in my current lightheaded state when someone cut into our conversation.
“Jules?”
The unfamiliar voice had the same effect as a bucket of cold water.
I jerked back, heart pounding, while Josh took his time resettling in his seat with a dark, satisfied smile.
That fucking bastard.
After our interloper left, I would pay him back. Somehow.
In the meantime, I had someone else to deal with.
My eyes fell on the preppy, somewhat familiar-looking guy who’d interrupted us. He wore the unofficial D.C. men’s uniform of a blue-and-white gingham shirt and khakis, and he’d slicked back his hair in a way that did nothing for his features.
He fixed me with an expectant stare, which I returned with a blank one of my own until my memory pieces slotted into place and recognition dawned.
It was Todd…the guy who’d stood me up weeks ago.
16
JOSH
I’d met my fair share of douchebags, but I could say with utmost confidence the guy standing before me was the douchiest of them all.
Maybe it was his oily smile and the way he slicked back his hair, like he was a smarmy politician running for office. Or maybe it was the way he leered at Jules, like she was a juicy steak and he hadn’t eaten in days.
Irrational loathing replaced my earlier satisfaction at successfully working Jules up.
You need someone to bend you over and fuck that attitude right out of you.
Whiskey had loosened my tongue, and Jules and Marshall’s kiss had given me the final push to say what I’d been thinking. To say what we’d both been thinking since Vermont.
Jules could hiss and snarl all she wanted, but she couldn’t hide her desire. She wanted me as much as I wanted her, and we both hated ourselves for it.
“Todd.” Jules packed a gallon of disdain into one word.
My mouth ticked up into an involuntary smile before it flattened again.
She knew this guy?
“I thought that was you, but I wasn’t sure. You look even better in person,” he told her chest.
My jaw tightened. I appreciated breasts as much as the next guy, but that was just damn rude. He hadn’t looked her in the eye since he arrived.
Part of me was grateful for the interruption, which came right as I was about to do something I would regret. Another, darker part of me wanted to gouge his eyes out for looking at her that way.
I rolled my glass between my fingers, disturbed by my violent, unwanted thoughts. Where the hell had they come from? Since when did I care whether other men looked at Jules?
I don’t. Todd has a punchable face. That’s all.
“You don’t.” Jules’s voice oozed enough sweet venom to fell an elephant. “I guess pictures can be deceiving.”
This time, I couldn’t hold back a grin despite my irritation.
She was savage. I fucking loved it.
If Todd was offended, he didn’t show it. I wasn’t even sure he heard her; he was too busy ogling her breasts, which strained against the buttons of her shirt.
“I’m sorry about our date the other day,” he said, and just like that, my grin disappeared again. “My car broke down and my phone died. I texted you a few times after, but you never responded.”
I pieced together the puzzle before Jules responded. This was the guy who’d stood her up at The Bronze Gear?
Jesus. I thought she had better taste than that.
“If by the other day, you mean almost a month ago, then apology not accepted,” Jules said coolly. “You also never texted me, but it’s okay. I suffered a massive lapse in judgment when I swiped right on you. I’m back to normal now, so you can run along.” She shooed him away with a wave of her hand. “Also, my face is up here, asshole.”
Todd’s face flushed an angry shade of purple. “I was trying to be nice because I felt bad about what happened. You don’t have to be such a bitch about it.”
A low growl rose in my throat.
I opened my mouth, but Jules beat me to it. “As far as I can tell, you’re the only one bitching here. I’m just enjoying my drink.” She arched one brow. “Keep bothering me, and I’ll have security throw you out on your ass for harassment. So if you don’t want to be humiliated in front of all these people…” She gestured at the crowd around us. “I suggest you take my earlier advice and leave. Immediately.”
Todd’s lips thinned, but he was smart enough not to test the validity of Jules’s threat.
“Don’t say a word,” Jules said after Todd stormed off. She tossed back the rest of her cocktail without looking at me.
I raised my hands in surrender. The coiled tension in my muscles eased with Todd’s departure, though traces of aggravation simmered in my veins. “Not a peep.” After a long pause, I added, “You swiped right on that guy?”
Pink tinted her cheeks. “I’m busy with law school,” she snapped. “My options are limited, and I have needs, so…”
“You lowered your standards to hell?”
“Perhaps, but at least I haven’t reached you yet,” she said sweetly. “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen you with anyone lately. What happened, Joshy? Ran out of women who’ll fall for your bullshit?”
“It’s a choice, Red. I can get any girl I want at any time.”
“False. You can’t get me.”
“I haven’t tried.”
We stared at each other, our implied challenge hanging thick in the air.
If I tried…would she succumb to what her eyes told me she wanted? Would she let me bend her over and take her like I’d said earlier, or would she fight me for control every step of the way?
My lips curved.
Something told me I already knew the answer. Jules never made things easy. It was one of the things I secretly liked about her.
“You’re an arrogant ass.” Calculation entered her eyes. “Since you’re so confident in your abilities with women, let’s play another game.”
Intrigue bloomed. “What kind of game?”
“It’s simple. We see which one of us can get the most phone numbers in an hour.” Jules cocked her head, her hair spilling in waves of coppery silk over her shoulder. “Winner gets bragging rights.”
It might seem low stakes to an outside observer, but bragging rights for us held the same cachet as a Rolex or Lamborghini. Maybe more.
Nothing mattered more than our pride.
“Deal.” Cockiness filled my smile. Jules was good, but I was going to win.
I always did.
“Good.” She glanced at the giant clock hanging on the wall. “We reconvene at ten to seven.”