I was breathing fast, my chest rising and falling, as he continued to sway to the music. I wanted to whirl around in his arms and kiss him then drag him into the back of the bar and rip off his clothes and have him take me hard against the wall.
Ream groaned then nibbled on my neck. Shivers trickled across my skin, and I licked my dry lips. “I’ll be there for you. He doesn’t get you like I do.”
I jerked at his words, stiffening. Lance. Fuck. What was I doing?
The tingling in my legs had faded, and I knew it was safe for me to go back to the table. I tried to yank myself from his arms, but he only tightened his grip. “Let me go.”
“You’re making this messy between us. Call the guy tonight. Tell him you’re with me.”
“What? I can’t do that.” I didn’t do well with any guy telling me how it was going to be.
“Can’t or won’t.”
“Both.”
He spun me around, looped his hand around the back of my neck dragging me back in close, then took my hand and put it between us and pressed it up against his cock.
“You feel that?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “It hasn’t touched another fuckin’ girl since it was deep inside you.” His fingers tightened on my neck. “You know why? Because it wants no one else. I want no one else. We started something and it was good. No, it was fuckin’ great. I’ve never had that, baby. Never thought I could.”
Holy shit. He hadn’t slept with anyone since me? I tried to think of something to say. I was good at hurtful remarks. Shit, I’d called his dick melting ice cream, but he threw me off my game and it took me a minute to pull myself back together and find my voice. “Could’ve fooled me. I seem to recall you saying…” I pushed hard on his cock “…it shrunk every time I was around.”
“You’re feelin’ it right now, beautiful. Tell me if I lied.”
Neither of us moved for several seconds, our eyes locked, my hand on his cock, his hand coiled around my neck. People around us danced and sang to the new Hedley song while we stood frozen in the middle of the dance floor.
“You getting shot was the second worst day of my life. And I’ve had some seriously fucked-up bad days. I spent eight months wishing I wasn’t on tour so I could be with you. Now, I’m back and the only way I’m running again is toward you.” He lowered his voice, and the gravelly, deep tone drummed into my chest. “Fight me all you want, Kat. I’m going to keep coming.”
I thought of the only thing I could to try and get him to back off. “Shows you don’t give a crap about me. The worst thing for me is to get stressed out and you’re the cause.”
Ream threw his head back and laughed. The reaction to my excuse was one I hadn’t expected and I glared at him. “Oh, baby. That excuse won’t work with me. You see, I know how you quiver beneath my touch. How your breath quickens. I know you’re soaking wet right now. You’re putting the stress on yourself by denying us.”
“I may want to fuck you, but that’s semantics. I have a perfectly good guy I’m dating that will look after my needs.”
Ream’s grin washed away instantly. “You said you haven’t fucked him.”
I didn’t say anything, even though I wanted to lie and say Lance and I had screwed and it was amazing. But I wasn’t stupid. Ream was hanging onto his cool by a thread, and I wasn’t going to be the one to break it.
He suddenly let me go, turned, and headed back to the table without a single backwards glance. And damn it, I was hoping for one.
I was going to have to address the Lance issue. I needed a safe relationship and Lance could be that guy except … I was dating him while wanting someone else. I had to get over Ream and stop this constant need that flowed through every part of me. Was it even possible to stop the feelings?
I went and sat beside Crisis, and he looped his arm on the back of my chair and leaned in. “Brett’s been watching you and Ream. You’re a wanted woman, sweetcakes. I’d kiss you right now, just to make both of them jealous, but I think I’ve surpassed Ream’s limitations.” He nodded to Molly who was serving drinks at a table close by. “She was watching too. Wonder if she’s interested in you or Ream?”
I smacked his shoulder, laughing. Then I sobered. “It was all on purpose, wasn’t it?” From the corner of my eye I saw Ream signing some girl’s stomach with a black marker. It appeared like now that Logan was taken, Ream got all the attention.
“He’s my best friend. Moved in with my family when we were sixteen. Asshole is like a brother to me.” Crisis lowered his voice further. “He was pretty fucked up. And a stubborn goddamn mule. We fought like a couple of testosterone driven mountain lions.”
I hadn’t known Ream moved in with Crisis. But I really didn’t want to talk about Ream anymore tonight. What I wanted was a few more shots to numb out that shit on the dance floor, and Brett was serving. “You getting to the point?”
“Yeah, sugar. I know Ream better than anyone. I saw what he was like after the two of you hooked up. He was so pissed off all the time. He was hurting, Kat. You did something to him. Women are objects to him. He doesn’t care about them, never has. Not one chick lured him into more than a basic sexual encounter, and trust me, they tried. But after you … something changed.” Ream had just said the same exact words to me. “Why do you think I pushed the flirting with you?”