Tristan nudged my arm, damn near knocking the beer bottle from my hand. "You scored tonight. That's something, right?"
"Yeah. It's something." I raised my bottle in mock salute then tilted it back and drained half of it in several long swallows. I noticed Dylan studying me and I met his gaze straight-on, silently daring him to say something. He shrugged and looked away then jumped back into the conversation he'd been having with Sean and Luke.
I pulled the phone from my front pocket, frowned at the time, then unlocked it and tapped the icon for my text messages. No alerts, no new messages. Not since Addy's latest one almost an hour ago.
Be there soon—XOXO. A
I grinned in spite of myself but the grin only lasted a few seconds before I jammed the phone back into my pocket. It had been nearly an hour. Where the hell was she? Had something happened? Had she been waylaid by her father for some reason? She'd been in the owner's box with Jacqui and that fucking jerk I'd seen her with at the party, along with some men I hadn't seen before, probably her father's friends. Maybe she hadn't been able to get away as soon as she had planned.
Or had she changed her mind? Because yeah, wouldn't that just be the fucking whip cream on the shit cake tonight had turned into? Now I knew how she must have felt a few weeks ago when I hadn't shown up.
Shit.
I didn't want to feel that way. Didn't want to be so hung up on a woman that I was constantly checking my phone, wondering where she was. And I sure as hell didn't want to feel that spurt of jealousy that ripped through me at the thought that maybe she had gone somewhere with that other guy, the one she called a slimy snake in the grass.
Fuck.
No, I wasn't jealous. I was just...I didn't know what the hell I was, other than being in this foul fucking mood. I should get up and leave. Walk home. The walk would clear my head, as long as weaving through the drunks on Bourbon Street didn't fuel my temper.
Yeah, that's what I should do...but I didn't. I didn't want to leave and miss Addy. I could deny it all I wanted to but I needed to see her tonight. Needed to hear her soft voice with its soothing accent and gently rolling vowels. Needed to see her dark eyes flare to life with heat and passion. Needed to feel her soft hands against me as she searched and explored every inch of my body. Needed—
I just needed. Period.
And fuck. I was in trouble. I'd never needed anything before—but I needed Addy.
I sat there in a state of denial, frozen in place as I mentally argued with myself. As I tried to convince myself I didn't really need anything, that this was nothing more than my foul mood combined with alcohol. Maybe I would have succeeded, given a few more minutes or hours or hell, even days. Then Addy walked in, her dark hair falling in waves around her shoulders and a sparkle in her dark eyes. Her gaze immediately landed on mine and her full mouth curled in a welcoming smile as she headed toward me.
Yeah, I was definitely in trouble.
And for once, I didn't give a shit.
I grabbed my wallet from my back pocket, pulled out more than enough bills to cover the tab plus some, then pushed to my feet.
"What? You're leaving?"
I wasn't sure who asked. Luke, maybe. Or maybe Tristan. I didn't care, just nodded and met Addy halfway, my hand closing around hers and pulling her with me.
"Nathan! What are you doing? I just got here."
"I know. Now we're leaving."
"But I—"
I spun her into my arms and pulled her against me, my mouth closing over before she could say anything else. I swallowed her soft sigh and deepened the kiss, my cock instantly hardening when she pressed her sweet body more fully against me.
I broke the kiss with a low growl and stared down at her. Her parted lips were damp and rosy from my kiss and her wide eyes were glazed with surprise and need. She didn't say anything as I led her from the bar, just tightened her hand around mine and held on as we walked up Bourbon Street.
It took longer to reach my apartment building on Iberville than I thought it would because I had to slow my gait for Addy to keep up as we dodged the growing crowds looking for a good time. But we finally made it, both of us breathing a little heavy by the time I pushed open the door to my apartment. Addy's hurried breathing was no doubt from the fast pace I'd kept up but mine was from something completely different.
Need.
Burning, twisting need.
I kicked the door shut, dropped the keys to the floor, then pulled Addy against me. The kiss was hard. Desperate. Driven by a burning need I didn't understand and didn't want to question. Not now. Not when the only thing that mattered was the woman in my arms.
I ran my hands along her side, my knuckles grazing bare skin as I dragged the hem of her silky blouse up. Her back arched, pressing the weight of her full breasts against my chest. I wanted—needed—more. So much more.
I broke the kiss and stepped back, freeing her from the blouse with one hand as the other caught the lacy material of her bra. I yanked the edge down, felt the breath hitch in my throat as her breast popped free. The dark rosy nipple pebbled under my gaze, hardening into a tight peak that begged for attention.
I dipped my head, pulled her breast into my mouth and sucked. Her sharp gasp filled the heavy air around us, encouraging me. I closed my teeth around the hard peak and gently bit down and was rewarded with another sharp gasp. Her hands tangled in my hair, holding me to her as I sucked and nipped and licked and teased.
But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. I wanted her. All of her.
Now.
I slid one hand down her side, dipped my fingers into the waistband of her pants and pushed them down past her hips. Her breathing grew heavier, faster, sharper as I eased my hand between her legs, fingering her through the scrap of lace covering her pussy. And fuck, she was already wet, so fucking wet as she rocked against my hand, my name a ragged whisper falling from her lips.
I stepped forward until her back hit the wall then dropped to my knees in front of her. One hand closed over her hip, steadying her as I removed her boots and peeled her pants off. Then she was standing before me, clad only in a lacy bra, all luscious curves and smooth skin. Her chest rose and fell as she stared down at me, her dark eyes wide and glazed with passion.
I sat back on my heels and just stared at her, drinking in every glorious inch of her sexy body as blood surged in my veins. My cock throbbed with need, already anticipating the feel of Addy's tight pussy clenched around it. The feel of her heat. Her fire. The heady explosion of release.
But not yet.
Not yet.
I coaxed her legs apart, reached up and parted the hot flesh of her pussy. Traced her clit with the tip of my thumb and was rewarded with a soft cry. I slid my finger inside her wet heat, swallowed a moan when her muscles convulsed around it. I eased my finger out then looked up, my gaze catching and holding hers as I dipped my finger into my mouth and sucked, reveling in the taste of her against my skin and on my tongue.
She moaned, the sharp sound filled with need. Her hands closed over my head, her fingers twisting my hair as she guided me toward her. I dipped my head and closed my mouth over her pussy. Licking. Sucking. Teasing. Over and over as her hips rocked against my mouth. I eased one finger into her then another. In and out. Slow and gentle at first, then harder. Faster. Reveling in the heat of her pussy. Reveling in the silky wetness coating my fingers and lips and tongue. In the feel of her muscles clenching around me as she came. In the sound of my name in her ragged voice as she wrapped one hand around my wrist and held it in place, riding my fingers with wild abandon.