The Tornado Page 12

  The rest of the evening passed in a blur as I worked the bar and downed more shots from the patrons. An hour before closing, my boss came out to replace me behind the bar and told me to go have fun. The DJ started playing all my favorite music, and I took to the dance floor with my sisters and Ruby. I felt completely exuberant as I danced, tilting back my head to laugh, spinning as the room spun. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had so much fun. As I finished a turn, my eyes fell on Asher once again. I licked my lips as my body pulsed.

  I knew of only one way to end such a great evening properly.

  Him

  I LEANED AGAINST the bar and sipped at my club soda with lime, my eyes glued to Jewel as she danced with her sisters and her friends. I knew the guys were talking around me, but I couldn't focus on anything they were saying. I couldn't focus on anything but the way Jewel looked when she danced.

  I'd seen her dance before, at the studio, but that had been for her showcase piece. The dancing she was doing now was purely for fun and it was so much sexier. Every move her body made was rhythmic, graceful, and smooth. It was fucking hot.

  The girls all started moving back toward us then. I narrowed my eyes. I could tell by the way Jewel swayed slightly in her tall heels that she was pretty drunk.

  "We're taking off," Alexis was telling her sister. "We've got kids and everything."

  "Aw, you're so lame," Jewel said, pouting. She smiled then and embraced her sisters.

  "How are you getting home?" Rachael asked.

  "Ruby, or something," Jewel replied vaguely.

  I glanced at Ruby, who was currently being nuzzled by Connor. By the looks of things, she wasn't going to be too keen on playing chauffeur again.

  Jewel hugged her sisters again, then Alexis turned toward me. She smiled. "Good seeing you again," she said. "See you at dinner tomorrow."

  "Yeah, sleep tight," Rachael chimed in. "You'll need it." They both smiled and slipped out into the night.

  I felt Bailey's hand clamp down on my shoulder. "Those are some scary chicks," he said. "Good luck tomorrow. I'm heading out."

  "Can I get a minute?" I grumbled. "You know, since I drove and everything."

  Bailey laughed. "I meant, I'm taking a cab, Grumpy."

  I stared at him. "The hell would you do that?"

  Bailey glanced at Jewel, who was hugging some of the waitresses, and then jerked his head toward her. "Take the lady home, man," Bailey said, then clapped me on the shoulder before leaving the lounge.

  I stood uncertainly, then caught Ruby's eye and flicked my head toward her. She came over to me.

  "Hey, I’m gonna take Jewel home," I said.

  Ruby eyed me suspiciously. "She's pretty drunk. I should make sure she gets home okay."

  "I got it," I said. "It's no problem."

  "Baby, let the man take her home, so I can take you home and show you those moves I mentioned before," Connor said, appearing behind her, clasping her shoulders and leaning into her neck. I smirked. Connor had met his match. I had a feeling Ruby really would eat him alive. Ruby glanced at Connor through heavily lidded eyes, then turned back to me.

  "If you're sure…" she said, still somewhat uncertain. I nodded. Ruby shrugged and moved toward Jewel to speak into her ear. Jewel's eyes cut toward me as she listened to Ruby, then she nodded and reached out to hug her friend, her eyes still on me. Unless I was mistaken, her dark eyes went even darker as she looked at me.

  After Ruby and Connor left, Jewel walked up to me. She tilted her head back and shook her head slightly, her hair cascading down her back. I was mesmerized by it, and her lips curled into a smile as she followed my eyes.

  "So, Officer Safety—you're my chauffeur," she said, wobbling just a little in her shoes. "Hope your brother doesn't mind his car going all the way out to Little Italy again."

  I smirked at her and popped a toothpick in my mouth. "It's not his car going to Little Italy. It's mine. And he took a cab home."

  She watched me chew the toothpick, her eyes widening slightly. "You have a car?" she repeated. "Since when?"

  "Since ever," I replied.

  "Well...why do you always take the bus and the train then?"

  "Saves gas and money," I replied. "Plus parking anywhere in this city is a bitch." I nodded toward the door as I saw her eyes lose their focus a little. "Get your stuff and I'll take you home. You, uh...you hit it a little hard tonight."

  She smiled then giggled. "I did, didn't I?" she admitted. "I'll be right back." I watched her teeter off toward the back, stumbling in her heels.

  I knew what had happened the last time I'd left her to go get the car, and I didn't want to risk putting her through that again. I waited patiently by the door, chewing on my toothpick, until she reappeared from the back, tugging a long black sweater around herself, a bag slung over her shoulder. She crossed the room toward me. "We gotta go," she said thickly. "I can't take any more goodbyes."

  I chuckled and gave her my arm for balance as we headed out into the night. "I didn't know this was all so emotional for you."

  "Me either," she said. "I'm not sure why it's so hard now."

  "Maybe all that tequila had something to do with it," I joked, cringing away when I felt her elbow in my ribs sharply. I led her across the street where my black Dodge Charger was parked.

  "How predictable," she teased. I smirked and opened her door, making a mock bow as she moved past me to drop into the seat. "Thanks, Officer Safety."

  As I drove, I felt her eyes on me. I glanced over briefly and caught her smoky brown eyes locked on me and traveling slowly down my body.

  I swallowed. "What's up?" I asked.

  "Nothing," she replied, her voice suddenly low and velvety. The tone made my ears prick…and my cock. My body heat rose and my muscles bulged, so I kept my eyes front the rest of the trip. But she still watched me the entire way.

  I pulled up to her building and got out to go around and open her door. I was halfway around the hood of my car when her door opened and she got out, dragging her bag behind her.

  "Walk me to my door?" she asked in that same low tone. I was confused. Of course I would walk her to her door. Didn't I always?

  "Of course," I replied. Her hand slipped around my elbow again and we took to the stairs toward her floor. I cleared my throat to speak and then suddenly grabbed her arm when she slipped a little.

  "You okay?" I asked, and she laughed.

  "Yes, Officer Safety," she replied. "Just a little tipsy I guess."

  She was slurring slightly, and I tightened my hold on her to make sure she cleared the rest of the stairs. We moved down the hallway toward her door, and when we reached it, she turned around and leaned her back on it, curling her sweet lips at me.

  I cleared my throat again and hesitantly returned her smile, nearly jumping when I felt her hands slide up my chest suddenly. Instantly, I felt blood rush to my cock.

  "What—what’re you doing?" I asked, one of my hands closing around hers and stopping its movement.

  "Nothing," she whispered back, her other hand sliding higher to wrap around my neck. I felt her tug and found myself leaning toward her as she brought her face to me, her full pink lips parting slightly.

  It felt like I was going to die if I didn’t kiss her. I had eyes for no one, nothing, but this jaw-dropping gorgeous woman before me. My body was on fire at the want in her eyes. Parts of me were bulging, throbbing, pumping, but other parts were ripping and tearing—the parts that knew this would be wrong.

  I almost did it. But at the very last second, with every ounce of willpower I had, I turned my head, and her moist lips landed on my cheek. I realized I was gripping the doorframe, and at her little growl of frustration and want, I tightened my hold.

  "Asher," she whined in a whisper, her hand coming to rest on my cheek and trying to turn my face toward hers. I felt the whisper of her breath against my lips as she tried again. And again, it took all of my strength to pull gently away and not slam her hard against the door and
taste her.

  This time I reached up and took her wrist in my other hand. "Jewel," I panted. "Come on. You're wasted."

  "Maybe so," she replied. "But I'm not too drunk to know that I want you." She pulled her wrist from my grasp, my hand too willing and eager to let it go, and this time she wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled her face closer. Her lips brushed mine before I took a step back, breaking her hold.

  "Don't," I rasped. "Not like this."

  "Don't you want to kiss me?" she asked, leaning her head back against the door.

  "Not if it means taking advantage of the fact that you're drunk," I replied gruffly. "Let's go inside."

  Wordlessly she turned her back and dug through her purse until she came up with her keys. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment and wondered if I was crazy. A gorgeous, sexy girl—one I was completely infatuated with—had thrown herself at me, told me she wanted me, and I was saying no?

  She finally got the door unlocked and almost fell through it when it opened. I grabbed the back of her sweater to keep her from falling and then hauled her in to grasp her waist.

  "All right, time for bed,” I murmured. "Hey, Rocky," I said, spotting the cat curled up on the blanket. "Just putting your drunk mom to bed," I added, before steering Jewel into her bedroom.

  "You talking to my cat?" she mumbled over her shoulder.

  "I am," I affirmed, then leaned her against the wall of her room. I turned toward her bed to remove the pile of pillows and dropped them on the floor, then pulled her comforter back. I turned back around to face her and my jaw dropped.

  Jewel had taken off her sweater and kicked off her heels, and was in the process of unzipping her leather tube top. She slowly pulled it from her body, her eyes not leaving me, and dropped it on the floor. She wore a strapless lacy black bra underneath. Her hands moved to the waistband of her shorts and she unbuttoned then unzipped them. I was frozen, unable to resist the carnal part of myself and do anything more than watch.

  I almost reconsidered then, almost grabbed her then, wanting nothing more than to slam her against the door. But then the image of her cut ankle, and the image of her tears, passed through my mind, and I shook my head. When she started to slowly inch her shorts over her hips, and I caught the sight of a matching black lace thong, I finally snapped out of it.

  "Jewel!" I rasped, averting my eyes. "Stop." My heart pounded, and my breath was heavy with uncontrolled desire.

  "Asher, I'm trying to let you know you can have this," she said, velvet soft, letting her shorts drop off her legs. She stepped out of them and then began to saunter toward me. As soon as her hands landed on me, my body stirred to life immediately. I shifted uncomfortably as my cock started to get harder.

  "I know you want it," she whispered throatily, and pressed against me. She took one of my hands and wrapped it around her back, letting it settle on her hip. My fingers grazed the lace of her underwear and the smooth, soft skin of the top of her ass. My cock surged at the touch, and I stepped back from her, still keeping my gaze off her. My damn cock had never been this fucking hard for a woman before; it was starting to hurt.

  If I looked at her, I was dead. The raw, primal beast inside me would fucking take her. And it would take her hard and fast. No matter the consequences.

  She's drunk, I told myself firmly. She’s fucking worth more than this.

  "Jewel, go to bed," I said, my voice a pained rasp. "Come on. You're blitzed. You don't even know what you're saying right now."

  Her hands slipped down to my shirt and started to slowly pop open the buttons. With each button undone, my resolve began to weaken, little by little, as I felt my tip dampen.

  "Sure I do," she whispered into my neck, and I actually shivered. Fucking shivered! I bit back the curse that came to my lips and sighed. Hard.

  “You want me to take you to bed?” I rasped. “I’ll take you to bed.” I closed my hands around her waist, lifted her body, and slammed her onto the bed. Her hazy, slightly bloodshot eyes widened a little and she started to smile. The smile quickly disappeared when I gathered my willpower and yanked the covers over her, still not allowing myself to take a real good look at her body. I tucked the blankets in tightly around her, doing my damn best to not change my goddamn mind.

  I felt like I’d just gone ten rounds in the ring, through all that shit.

  "Are you serious?" she spat, staring up at me. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

  "Jewel, I'm not going to do this with you, while you're drunk," I said, through heavy pants, looking down at her. I had to bite back a smile at the look of drunken fury on her face as the covers violently shifted when she shot up.

  "What? Am I not good enough or something?" she demanded. "’Cos I'm not one of those plastic bitches from your fan club?"

  "You're actually perfect," I replied, more calmly. "I just have way too much respect for you to do this when you're wasted. Trust me, Jewel, you’ve taken me to the fucking edge tonight and I’m seriously considering slamming you hard in that bed and taking you like you are all but begging me to do—but you don’t need someone to fuck. You need a friend. And I’m gonna be that friend, even if it fucking kills me. Even if I have to cut my own damn dick off.”

  "Yeah?" she barreled on, obviously not really hearing me. "Well, fuck you!"

  I shook my head, holding back a grin. "There’ll be no fucking me tonight. Trust me, I’m just as pissed at that as you are. But mark my words—I’m coming for you, Jewel. When the time is right, I’m coming. See you tomorrow evening." I turned for the door.

  "You're not invited anymore!" she all but snarled after me, and her alarm clock came sailing over my shoulder, just clearing it. Rocky heard the noise and shot past my legs and onto her bed.

  I glanced back at her, taking in the covers clutched to her chest and her wild hair. My hand closed over the doorknob and I gave her a wistful half-smile.

  "Yeah, I am," I said, my lip curling up. Her chest heaved with rage. "Sweet dreams, Nutcracker."

  I could still hear her cussing at me as I shut the door behind me and left her apartment. Once I was outside, I blew a hard breath between my lips as I climbed behind the wheel of my car. I'd tried not to look, but I couldn't get the image of her in that black lace bra and thong, with her smudged eye makeup, and wild bed hair, out of my brain. And my royally pissed-off cock wasn't letting me forget it, either. It was still hard as a fucking steel pipe.

  I had been in a warzone. I had been beaten to near death in the ring. But nothing—nothing!—compared to restraining myself from slamming the most beautiful and the most goddamn sexiest girl in the fucking world.

  "I deserve a medal for that shit," I muttered, then started the car and headed for home, so I could relieve myself in the goddamn shower.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Her

  TONIGHT WAS THE NIGHT.

  Asher was going to meet the family.

  My heart rate increased and I felt anxiety clawing at my throat. I sighed as I sat in Asher’s car, just outside my apartment block. My parents lived on the either side of the courtyard from where I lived.

  We hadn’t brought up last night yet. I vaguely recalled trying to kiss him outside my apartment¸ and then remembered stripping in front of him, begging him to sleep with me. The memory of it flashed through my mind again, and my stomach tensed. I glanced at him, noting how good he looked in jeans, motorcycle boots, and a lightweight knit pullover in a pewter-blue that almost perfectly matched his eyes.

  "Ready?" I asked.

  He nodded. "How’s the hangover?"

  My face burned with shame and self-loathing. What must he think of me? Whether he thought me a crazy woman, he still wanted to meet my whole family. I owed him a big apology.

  "About last night…Um...I’m utterly ashamed of myself and embarrassed," I replied bitingly as I looked out the window toward the apartment block. I heard him chuckle. "It's actually not funny," I said, turning back to him.

  He shook his head, smiling slightl
y still. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you."

  "Yes. You are. And I don’t blame you," I began, feeling a little tension leak out since he seemed to find the whole thing funny. "I was—I was way out of line last night."

  "Yeah, peer pressuring me to sleep with you before we’d even gone on a date was pretty low," he said, grinning. "Shit happens."

  "Shit happens," I agreed, "but that was beyond shit. That was shit on a whole other level. That was not…I don't act…I'm not like—"

  "Forget it," he interrupted, and met my gaze with a half-smile. "Seriously. Not even for throwing your alarm clock at me because I wouldn’t sleep with you and disinviting me to dinner."

  My face burned again as the memory of throwing my clock at him bombarded my mind. I cringed, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. "Yeah. Sorry about all of that."

  He laughed again. "I'm just giving you shit. Seriously. It was hard to keep my hands off you."

  I swallowed, looking up at him. I was incredibly grateful Asher had decided not to capitalize on my extreme drunkenness from the night before. I felt a surge of admiration, appreciation, and even affection for him. It was hard to contemplate that someone like me could turn on a man like Asher. But it also felt amazing to know I did.

  "You probably think I'm a freak, what with me going Emo on you and then… last night…”

  "Don't do that," Asher said quietly, suddenly getting serious. He shook his head. "Don't ever apologize for sharing your past. And I don't think you're a damn freak. I think you're something special.” There was a beat. “Someone who went through a horrible experience and you're trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces." He sighed heavily. "I can relate."

  I looked at him in surprise, wondering if he'd elaborate. "You can?"

  “I can. My pops used to smack my brother, Mom, and me around when I was little. He was an alcoholic. Pretty fucked-up one. It’s why I don’t drink. At all." I knew this must have been a painful topic for him. But he was sharing. And he was doing so to find some common ground with me. "Between my upbringing, and then losing my best friend in Afghanistan—trust me, I know what it is to be damaged," he went on in the same quiet tone.