Hardwired (The Hardwired Series) (Volume 1) (17 page)

* * *

The yoga studio filled quickly and the instructor wasted no time warming us up, mentally and physically. I needed this. I needed to burn off all the decadent New York meals I’d been treated to, but what I needed more was clarity, to be centered. I couldn’t ever seem to empty my mind of the constant chaos that Blake created within me.

By the half hour, I was straining for perfection in a wheel pose, my torso bending up toward the sky. I breathed through the discomfort. I was sorely out of practice. The challenging movements drained me but awakened me at the same time, as each muscle activated to keep me in good form. In an audience of a dozen or so other attendees, I refused to falter.

The class ended just as I was ready to give up. We lay in relaxation and my thoughts floated to Blake. So much for emptying my mind. When we devoted our practice, I sent love and light to him. I missed him terribly. No sooner had I rolled up my mat, when my phone vibrated next to me, a quiet intrusion into my hard-earned calm. I fumbled for it, too eager. I hurried out into the hallway for some privacy.

“Erica, it’s Max.”

“Hi, how are you doing?”

“Great,” he said.

“Is everything okay? I mean, with the deal?”

“Absolutely. That’s why I called, actually. The legal prep is taking a little longer than expected, but everything is still on track.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “That’s great. Thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem. How’s everything with the site?”

“Going great. I’m actually in New York doing some networking. It’s going really well.”

“Excellent, that’s what I like to hear.” Someone was talking to him in the background. “I’ve got to go, Erica, but I’ll keep you posted, all right?”

“Wonderful, thanks again.”

“See you soon.” He hung up.

We were so close to hitting this milestone, I could taste it, but even with his reassurances, I would worry until everything was absolutely finalized. I tried to ignore all the ways it could fall through, but knowing about the rivalry between Blake and Max now added exponentially more possibilities to the list.

* * *

Alli fussed over me to the point of ridiculousness. We went through a series of outfits before settling on a strapless black cut out mini dress. The dress was scarce in the fabric department, but the evenings were hot and the club was bound to be even hotter. Reluctantly, I agreed. We primped and polished until we were both satisfied. Heath let out a little growl when he saw Alli, scooping her up into his arms and giving her a chaste kiss, at least compared to the others I’d borne witness to the past few days.

I ignored them, scavenging the wine fridge for some chilled Prosecco. They broke their embrace when I popped the cork. As they disengaged, the intercom sounded. Heath went to the panel and buzzed his guests in.

“Who’s meeting us?” I asked Alli.

“Jess and Trevor.”

“Friends of yours?”

“Yes, Jess and I went to high school together. They’ve been in L.A. for college and just moved back and are engaged now, so they’re living it up before having kids and all that.”

Moments later a tall blonde in a fire engine red dress came through the door. After spending the week with the lovebirds, I was excited to have some new people to talk to, but soon realized I would also be the fifth wheel when Jess’s fiancé walked through. Trevor had jet-black hair and deep blue eyes, a rare and exotic combination. Slightly shorter than she was considering the heels, he made up for the height with his looks.

“I’m Jess.” She beamed as she came toward us.

Jess was bubbly and reminded me of Alli in that way.

“This is Erica, my best friend from school,” Alli said. “Erica is wildly talented and beautiful, so you two should get along great.” She winked and sashayed over to Heath, who sat on a leather armchair. He and Trevor caught up on something sports related that threatened to put me to sleep instantly.

Jess motioned toward the kitchen where she tasked herself with filling our champagne flutes.

“I’ve heard so much about you, Erica. I feel like I already know you. Alli raves about what you’ve done with your business.”

“Thanks. Yeah we’ve been inseparable for the past few years, getting it going.”

“I can imagine.”

“Speaking of inseparable,” I murmured, motioning to Alli twisting Heath’s hair affectionately.

“No kidding. I miss those days.” She sighed.

“Those days?”

“Don’t worry.” She lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “They call this the honeymoon stage. They’ll eventually figure out that the other isn’t completely perfect, and then we’ll see what happens.”

I laughed, feeling a little guilty it was at Alli’s expense. But I liked Jess. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so hopeless after all.

The dusk darkened into the night, and we made our way to the lobby. A long black limo pulled up to the curb. I looked to Alli to confirm my suspicions. She nodded with a smile. Indeed, that was our ride.

The driver rounded to the door nearest to us, opening it for our entry, I assumed. My breath caught and I reached out to grab Alli’s hand.

Blake stepped out and stood before me, looking as dashing as I’d ever seen him. He was dressed head to toe in black, his shirt casually unbuttoned at the top. Jesus, why couldn’t he be wearing one of those stupid T-shirts when he dropped in on me like this?

The mere sight of him had my heart racing. A slow heat slid over my skin, inflaming my senses as I raked him in. Behind me I heard a
whoa
from Jess, thankfully not within earshot of Trevor.
Yeah
, I answered in silent agreement. He was a smoking hot slice of heaven, and as much as I loved him in those clothes, I could think of nothing else but taking them off. She could
whoa
all she wanted, but I’d be the one doing it. The past couple days had shown me how possessive I could be with him.

But what was he doing here? I wondered if it was Alli or Heath who had tipped him off. As much as I wanted to care, I didn’t. My whole body came alive knowing he was close enough to touch it, to set me off in ways that no one ever had. I clenched my fists, stilling myself and crushing Alli’s hand.

Our eyes met for a second before Heath pulled him into a quick one-armed guy hug and introduced him to Trevor. Blake made small talk with them, his back to me, an arrangement that had me nearly sick with need. I needed many things from him at the moment, not the least of which was his acknowledgement of my presence. Alli had me dressed to the nines. What the hell did a girl need to do? Now I knew what it was like to be like every other hot-blooded woman he passed over.

Everyone started piling into the limo. I held back a beat and he stood behind me. His hand on my back and breath on my neck that had me panting in seconds. We needed time alone, like now. I submerged the need to drag him back to the condo and got into the limo, shimmying to an empty spot. He slid right next to me, his thigh pressed into mine. The contact stirred my longing for more of him, but he seemed detached. He looked away, seemingly interested in Heath’s usual banter but not responding to him, or me, one way or the other. Nothing would indicate that we were together. Were we? Blake’s thoughts meant infinitely more than what the other guests in our party might pick up from our body language. Not knowing felt like torture.

We pulled up to the club. A long string of would-be patrons lined the block. While others stepped out of the limo, I realized that we could have a second to ourselves once they left. I wanted to keep him here, to talk about everything that had happened. I wanted to break through this mood that had him so quiet.

Trevor stepped out behind Jess, leaving us momentarily alone. Words caught in my throat but before he could move to leave, I grabbed Blake by the jacket and pulled him to me. I crushed my mouth onto his, kissing him with a wild hunger. He met me full force. Our tongues tangled and I pulled him closer. He slipped his hand under the tight elastic of my dress, cupping my ass and grazing the edge of my panties. I moaned into his mouth, forgetting myself and our surroundings.

He clenched his teeth and growled a little as the driver poked his head in. Blake grabbed my hand and pulled me out after him. The quintessential red velvet rope lifted for our group as we stepped ahead of the line. I offered those we bypassed an apologetic look that was met with eye rolls and catty stares.

Heath led us up a few flights of stairs to the private rooftop deck he’d reserved. The air was still hot, but a steady breeze swept over us making the temperature bearable, a calm reprieve from the heat of the day. Our fingers interlaced, Blake and I meandered to the edge while the rest of the group settled onto a large outdoor sectional that matched the modern outdoor space.

Jazz music hummed, but at a reasonable volume that made communication possible. I leaned forward on the metal railing overlooking the traffic below us. Blake nestled behind me. I sagged into his body, grateful to be with him again and filled with relief that he still wanted me as much as I wanted him. His hands roamed, touching my skin where the dress didn’t cover it.

“You’re lucky I’m here. If I found out you were wearing this in public without me, I’d have to punish you.”

A heat built in my belly at the threat. “You like it?”

“I’ve been hard since I set eyes on you.”

I smiled. I loved that I could do that to him.

“I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I thought you missed me,” he murmured, licking the rim of my ear before biting gently on my earlobe.

A sweet sharp pain speared right to my groin. I sighed and pressed back into him. “I did. I didn’t think I’d see you here though.”

“I have business here, occasionally.” He nuzzled into my neck.

I melted a bit, until an unpleasant thought invaded the moment.
Sophia
. I chilled at the vision of them together, him seeing her for any reason, platonic or otherwise. She was toxic and spiteful.

“I met Sophia,” I said casually, but I turned slightly to catch his reaction.

He frowned and loosened his hold on me enough to let me turn and face him. My gaze fixed on him. What did she mean to him? If he were planning to see her here, or God forbid if he already had, I couldn’t take it. He had to be here for me.

“She’s a real gem,” I said, unable to disguise my utter distaste for her.

I wondered if he could see past her perfect features. His jaw twitched and he stared out over the horizon, saying nothing.

My insides writhed with the jealousy that had been haunting me since I met Sophia. The way she waved her relationship with Blake around in front of me and that snide fucking smile. I was falling too hard for Blake, and his silence spoke volumes. I winced. I was so naive to believe Heath’s version of the story. She obviously meant more to him than he’d let on.

I moved sideways, feeling trapped between him and the railing, at the mercy of his hands and circumstances that were well beyond my control. I wasn’t about to compete with her. How could I? Before I could get past him, he caught my wrist.

“Where are you going?”

His voice was icy and sent a shiver through me.

“I’m going to go have fun. That’s why we’re here isn’t it?” My tone was clipped, making it clear that I was not enjoying the present moment.

“I came here to be with you,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Me, and who else?”

His features softened for a second, along with his grasp.
 
I slipped easily out of his hold. I found Alli settled on the couch next to Jess, her hand never leaving Heath’s even though they were engaged in two separate conversations. This lovebird routine was starting to seriously wear on my nerves.

“Do you want to go dance?” I asked.

Alli patted Heath’s knee, releasing him from their perpetual connection.

“Let’s go,” she said.

Jess rose with her, already bouncing to the sound of the house music beating rhythmically below us, and together we exited the deck. I hoped Blake was watching me leave, because model or not, I had a hard time seeing Sophia rocking his world the way I had planned to tonight.

As we descended into the smoky darkness of the top floor of the club, I embraced the noise, hoping to drown out the thoughts reeling through my mind. Alli led us to a nearby bar that was slightly sheltered from the noise pounding through the enormous room.

“What’s with you two?” Jess shouted toward me, gesturing between me and the stairs that had led us off the roof.

I shrugged. “Officially nothing.” I was losing my mind over someone who wasn’t even mine to claim. This had to stop now.

“I don’t get it. You couldn’t keep your hands off each other a minute ago.”

I shook my head, not quite knowing what to say. I couldn’t argue that from the outside, hell even from the inside, we were a frustrating cycle of hot and cold. I couldn’t help the way he made me feel.

“Well he’s fucking hot,” she added, downing a shot.

My eyes narrowed at her slightly.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m very happily engaged. I don’t know him like you do obviously, but from the outside at least, he’s kind of perfect. You can’t pin down a guy like that very often.”

I agreed. Chances were slim to none that I’d ever find someone who rocked my world like Blake did. Jesus, every time I was around him I wanted to take my panties off and ignore the little voice in my head that knew better. I was walking a dangerous road with him. Alli of all people should know that, but she remained ominously silent.

We finished our drinks while the crowd on the dance floor filled out. I surveyed the bar and found Blake on the other side, nursing a drink. Heath and Trevor were nowhere to be seen.

I motioned the girls toward the dance floor, leading us deep into the crowd through throngs of people gyrating to an especially popular Rihanna remix. We formed our own circle and began to dance. Slowly my muscles relaxed and I got lost in the moment, moving to the beat of the music that reverberated through my body.

The crowd was tight so when I felt someone behind me, I thought little of it. I moved up slightly, until a strong hand gripped my hip and pull me back slightly, bringing our bodies flush with each other. The motion was so fluid and effortless, I let my body fall into rhythm with his, not caring who he was or what he looked like, but hoping Blake could see me with him. I wanted him to feel an ounce of the jealousy that Sophia had spurred in me.