Exposing the Bad Boy (15 page)

“Uh huh.” His sarcasm dripped, thick as molasses. Taking a bottle of beer from behind the bar, he turned his probing squint back to me. “Say what you want. I could see it on your face today.”

I blew air between my tight lips. “
When?
”

Sipping his drink, he crossed his ankles. “On the roof. The instant I showed up with Pike.” The name made me squirm. “Yeah, you made a face
sort
of like that.”

Fiddling with the ends of my hair, I scowled. “I was just impressed with the outfit Maximal designed.”

“Oh please, you already knew what it looked like.”

Heat swam up my neck. The whiskey didn't soothe my discomfort away.

Sighing, Alex said, “And anyway, it wasn't just that. I was watching you when he jumped. Ellie, if your body wasn't glowing from how badly you wanted to tackle that boy's nuts, then I've lost touch with reality.”

“Alex!” Gaping, I jerked my eyes side to side. “Be quieter, you're so vulgar.”

“If
that
was vulgar, Ell, than you're in big trouble.” He gave me a gentle poke. I realized he was pointing, so I followed his arm. Not far away, laughing with a trio of women that surrounded him, was Pike. “Just look at him. I can tell he's a kinky type. Those tattoos, woof.”

Finishing my drink, I pushed the glass away, rougher than I meant to. “You're wrong—about me, I mean, not how kinky he is—or—whatever.” I grimaced at Alex's delight. “Even if I
did
like him, come on.” I waved at Pike's entourage. “You've been with Maximal longer than me. You know what these guys are like once the fame hits them.”

Shrugging, he continued to study Pike. I was having trouble looking away, too. He'd changed into tight jeans, a thick white belt pulling my attention to his slim waist. His pale grey shirt highlighted the definition of his muscles, exposing the vibrant art along his shoulders and forearms.

Damn him for looking so good,
I thought bitterly. Could I really blame the girls for draping all over him, giggling and vying for his approval?

One of the woman—a tall brunette in taller heels—put her fingers to his neck, whispering in his ear. Pike's lips coiled in a wicked grin at their secret.

Huh, why yes. I CAN blame them.
Massaging my temples, I willed my disgust to fade away. I knew this was going to happen. It was my fault for getting so involved. The only thing I could control about this situation was myself.

I didn't have to sit here and watch Pike flirt.

“Where are you going?” Alex asked, seeing me push off the bar.

“To clear my head,” I mumbled, weaving through the dancing bodies. There was a chance I was overreacting. The thing is, I just didn't know! I'd never dealt with much... what was this even, jealousy?

I'm jealous? Hah!
What was there to be jealous of? What did Pike and I even
have?

The air around me vibrated with the earth-churning bass of the music. As it dug into me, I remembered the significant rush of energy I'd experienced the day I'd fallen through the sky.

Fallen with
him.

Stumbling, I clutched at my stomach.
Dammit.
That was it, wasn't it? I'd thought I was only winning Pike's bet so he'd sign, but in reality, I'd done something so much more.

Something even beyond conquering my fear of planes and heights.

I'd wound my existence—my heart—into that daring moment...

And I'd done it with Pike Moss.

I wanted to laugh, it was that insane. I was supposed to rope this guy in for Maximal and collect my bonus. Instead, I'd roped myself up with him and didn't know where the knots began. I was trapped, and in the long run, that meant torment.

Thanks to me, he'll be on TV. He'll be in the papers. I'll get to be reminded constantly of what he's doing with others.

Without me.

Over my shoulder, I glanced back at where I'd last seen Pike.

His deep-ocean eyes were fixed right on me.

Gasping, I bumped into a pair of people dancing beside me. They gave me a dirty look, then moved away to keep grinding on each other.
Shit.
The girls were still chattering at Pike, but unless I was imagining it, he wasn't listening.

He's watching me. Why?

It didn't matter why. I had to go get some fresh air. If I stayed, the pounding of feet and vibrato would tear me to ribbons. The whole party seemed to be slipping under my skin. I'd never felt so raw, so vulnerable.

I wanted to run...

So I did.

People shouted; I ignored them. I just wanted—needed—to get away from... from all of this fakery. This was my world, and I'd fought so hard to be a part of it. Not once had it ever bothered me. It had a purpose, gave meaning to my success.

When I was very young, my father never once in the picture, my mother had impressed upon me that I had to work hard. There was worth in making a name for yourself. Power in climbing the ladder of life.

Romance is a waste,
she'd say.
Love a pointless dream.

The only time she ever praised me was when I beat the odds. But god, that praise was worth it. It kept me going.

I did everything right.
In the hallway, people milled, so I kept moving.
I've never failed at anything I put my mind to.

Why did that success have to hurt so bad, now?

Around a corner, I spotted a stairwell. It was abandoned, the walls blocking the party until it was just a faint hum.

Breathing heavily, I swayed—almost fell down the steps.
Calm down! Just sit, breathe.
Settling on the top of the ledge, I squeezed the railing. My chin hung low, hair blinding me. The darkness was soothing.

Every time my heart beat, I saw his face in my mind's eye.

Stop!

My brain didn't give a shit if I begged. Even here, away from his presence, I was a prisoner. Pike was in my atoms. How could I ever tear him free?

I'm stuck with him for two more days. When I look at his smiling mouth, I'll know it was kissing... touching... other girls.

He didn't owe me anything. We weren't dating and I
knew
that. Why were emotions so complicated?

“Ellie?”

Inhaling violently, I wrenched around. Pike stood behind me, his shadow long in the yellow lights of the hall. No one was with him, but I still saw the after-images of those women, as if I'd stared at the sun too long.

Frowning gently, he took a step closer—then another. “Ellie, what's up? You okay?”

Fighting down the bile that had been filling me, I tried to speak. My voice came out tense, too high-pitched. “I'm fine. I'm just getting some air. That's all. You can go back to the party.”

His steps were soft, but they echoed in my skull. He hovered over me; I counted each second until he spoke. “I know what's going on.”

“Nothing is going on,” I said softly.

Pike parked himself next to me on the step. Our shoulders were close to touching. It took every bit of strength I had to not lean away.

It took even more to not lean closer.

“Ellie. Look at me.”

Shutting my eyes, I gathered myself. “I can't.”

“Sure you can. Just do it.” His fingers touched my knee—I jumped. “Ellie... look at me. Please.”

Please.
How weird to hear that from him. It was so out of character, I couldn't help how I turned to face him. We might as well have been abandoned in the middle of a forest for how solitary this moment felt. It was too easy to forget about the rest of the world when Pike was with me.

He whispered, “There. You did it. That wasn't so hard, right?”

I started to speak, hesitated. “Why would it be? I said I was fine.”

Pike's smile grew like a flower after the rain. “You must think I'm stupid.”

“No, that's... I don't think that.”

Sliding his palm up my thigh, he pulled away, leaving me cold. “I can read between the lines, Ellie. You ran out of there because of me.”

Too quickly, my muscles were hardening into cement. Even my tone was stiff. “You're wrong.”

“I'm not.” His brows hooded over those pure, judging pits of ice. “I know jealousy when I see it.”

My chest thrummed in my panic.
Fuck. Again with the jealousy.
It was the elevator and Becky all over again. Fine. He was calling me out? Didn't he know what social tact was?

Without taking a moment to consider the implications of my shifting emotions, I sat up on the step. The joints in my hands ached from how hard I balled them.

How dare he. What a cocky asshole!
Pike wasn't just going to make me suffer through watching him flirt with others, he had the gall to
mock
me for how it made me feel?

All my cement melted into lava from my righteous fire.

“If you know jealousy,”I hissed, “Then you know scorn. I'm sure you've pissed off a lot of women, I can tell the kind of guy you are.”

Watching me closely, he didn't react. “Go on, tell me who I am.”

“You're—you're!” Stammering, I threw my hands up by my ears. “Fuck! I don't know! You're the kind of jerk that would rub it in someone's face that they clearly like them, when they know they can't... shouldn't...” Trailing off, I grabbed at my rage. It was crumbling, and why were my eyes wet?

“Idiot.”

Hearing his insult, I froze. “Excuse me?”

“Idiot,” he said again, though there was no hatred or malice in his stare. Some brand of emotion boiled, but I couldn't name it. “You're not wrong about me. Not entirely. I
have
scorned women. I've watched them tear each other up over me.”

He moved suddenly, a hunter in the night that knew my weaknesses. I knew them, too; my body was perpetually aware of how near his mouth was to mine. Warning signals popped like firecrackers. “Pike,” I gasped.

That fierce man stared me down, voice rough and sharp. “But you got one thing wrong. Something so fucking important I can't believe you didn't see it.”

The pulsing of the party was long gone. My heart battled for dominance, rumbling in my ears until I thought I'd go deaf. Licking my lips, I asked hoarsely, “What did I miss?”

Pike folded over me, trapping my chin with his fingers. His other hand was on my hip, pulling me in like we were a human yo-yo. Those perfect lips came down, but they didn't kiss me. He had more to say, his breath tickling over my sensitive flesh. “You missed how I looked at you. You missed how insane you made me, Ellie. Each time we got close, I fought my desire to rip the clothes off your perfect fucking body and just quench my cock inside of you.”

The swell of energy in my belly took hold of my muscles.

Tugging my lower lip away from my teeth with the pad of his thumb, his eyes bounced from there, back to my foggy stare. He said, “You really thought you had to be jealous, Ellie Cutter? After our kiss in that abandoned building... after making out in an open field... and after burying my fingers in your sweet pussy...” Reaching down, he cupped the inside of my thigh, making me groan. “After all that, you honestly thought you had any competition in the whole fucking world?”

I could have fainted. I could have dissolved into nothingness.

This was everything I'd been hoping for.

I needed to know it was real.

Reaching up, I slid my nails across his spine—tangled them in his hair. Pike could have had anyone, and he knew that. Yet here he was, crowded into an empty stairwell with me while the rest of the universe breathed on somewhere else.

Leaning forward, I tasted his mouth. I wanted to move slow, but the urge inside of me had been building for too long. “This time,” I whispered, “No one is going to stop us. Understand?”

Chuckling darkly, he pulled me deeper into the stairwell. “Oh, I understand you loud and clear, Miss Cutter.”

I didn't care what he called me. Not here.

Not in our private bubble.

Together we descended, lit only by the flickering, half-hearted blink of a dying bulb. Seconds ago we'd been kissing. I was suffering from withdrawal already. Pushing him against the cool wallpaper, I stood one step higher just to be level with him.

Pike lurched against me, all smirk and twisting tongue. Inching my palms over the expanse of his shirt, I dipped under, caressing the valley of his stomach; muscle definition that fitness models would kill over.

I didn't know he was letting me set the pace, not until his fingers wrapped around my wrists and clamped them to my sides. His voice was thick, sugary. “We're going to do this my way.”

My eyes flashed, daring him. “Why
your
way?”

“Because you owe me.”

My chest thrummed, reaching into my core and heating me furiously.
The rain checks.
So he'd been serious. God, it was like my most sinful, perverse wish was coming to life.

Watching me like a hawk, he said, “Since I first met you and your smart mouth, I've been fighting a dream that keeps persisting me... no matter how much I try to shake it away.” He dropped an octave lower. “Fuck, I've jerked myself off
so many times
to this dream, Ellie.”

All my senses swayed, branches in a thunderstorm. “What dream?”

His eyes caught the darkness, blue becoming balmy shadow. “A dream where I shove you against a certain wall. Do you know the one I mean? Back when that guard came along and chased us off?” He waited for me to nod. “Well, in my dream, he doesn't get in the way. Instead, after I steal that first kiss, I press your fabulous tits against the cool stone... rip your jeans down... and eat out what I'm sure is a damn
delicious
pussy until you're begging me to stop.”

The color in my vision began to saturate. Speaking was a long forgotten skill. Just hearing him saying the word 'pussy' had mine squeezing with awareness.

Brushing his nose along the back of my ear, Pike whispered, “Honestly though, even if you do beg, I don't know that I'll be able to stop. Guess we'll have to find out.”

I was breathless, choking on the forwardness of his words. Alex had been right; Pike was something else. What had I gotten myself into?