CHAPTER1
Couples drape across each other, hips thrusting and skin glistening as bodies move in time with the music. Seduction and whispered promises pulse through the room like a soundtrack to the night.
Noisy bars are not my scene. Friday nights are usually spent buried in medical journals or finishing a double shift at the hospital, not wearing sexy lingerie and prowling through a crowd of sweaty strangers for the one who will take me home.
I smooth the thin black dress down my hips and ignore the tremble in my hands. Hospital scrubs would be more comfortable.
Wearing your work uniform will not get you what you want, Avril.
Lucas.
Just thinking about him makes my heart stutter. He's here, somewhere, waiting to tease me and make me crave what I shouldn't.
I scan the crowd and see one unrecognizable face after another until I catch a set of dark eyes watching me from the bar.
An entire room of bodies separates us, but my skin pulses like he's right next to me.
Lucas presses a glass to his lips. Amber liquid swirls at the bottom before disappearing down his throat. His tongue darts out, catching a stray drop.
What will he taste like when I finally get my mouth on him—salty or sweet? I let my eyes slink down his waist to his thighs, deliberately taking my time, so he knows what I'm thinking.
We've played this game for too long, drawing the other in with heated glances and accidental touches, pushing each other to the edge but never jumping.
Taking that leap would have been reckless. I couldn't do it, not when so much was at stake.
Things are different now.
My chest tightens at the distant ache pulling me into a past I'm trying to forget.
Tonight is about moving on.
I focus on the anticipation humming through me and the dress that's so tight it molds to my skin.
Lucas' eyes rake down my body, scorching a path over each curve and dip until that familiar heat sparks in my belly. The temptation to give in and beg him to touch me is almost too much.
But I can't give in. I need to win the bet.
When Lucas suggested the bet over a drink, it was tempting to roll my eyes and pretend my heart didn't try to leap from my chest. But I didn't because it was too tempting to resist.
One week without sex—self-indulgence included—as we tease each other mercilessly.
The winner gets to take control and act out every fantasy—no boundaries, no rules.
I don't have a harem of bodies desperate to be under me like Lucas, so the no sex part is easy, but the no touching… Before the bet, my nights were spent with my hand between my thighs and Lucas's name on my tongue.
The past five days have been torture.
I've resisted giving in to temptation for years. I'm not about to lose my head or panties tonight.
Two more nights.
I force my unwilling eyes away from Lucas to trace a lazy path across the crowded bar, feigning boredom.
Short, sandy hair and a familiar face catch my attention.
William moves on the dance floor, hands roaming over the body rubbing against him, but his attention is on Lucas. The hunger burning inside me flashes on William's face.
He knows what Lucas tastes like.