Indulgence (Taking Chances #1) (12 page)

Stepping into the light, I scrutinized the man’s face.  His square jaw, the shape of his lips.  It took a moment for me to realize who this man was.  “Brix?”

“You know him?” Luke growled.

“Fuck me!  I thought it was you,” Brix exclaimed, pulling me away from Luke into a hug.  His cock pressed against my stomach.  Under normal circumstances, I would’ve melted.  Brix was sexy as fuck and naked.  Sure he was gay, but I didn’t care.  The contact of his body was exactly what I needed with all of the tension I’d endured over the course of the evening.  “What are you doing here?”

As quickly as he hugged me, he released me, taking a step back.  Brix rubbed the back of his neck, his nervous energy I was accustomed to suddenly ever present.  “The same as you, I’d assume.  Gosh, I never expected to see you here.  Is Jacoby with you?”

At first I was stunned by the question.  I’d pretty much forgotten Jacoby existed thanks to Luke.  I chuckled.  “Could you see him in a place like this?”

“Jacoby?” Luke asked, his voice strained behind gritted teeth.

I tilted my head up, looking at Luke, who hovered over me.  Light stubble had started to form along his chin and jaw.  I wanted to push up and lick him.  “My ex.  The one I told you used to call me Red.”

“Ah.  And this is?” He nodded toward Brix.

“This is Brix Johnson, my yoga instructor,” I turned to Brix, “and this is Luke.  He’s been my tour guide for the night.”

“Pleased to meet you.”  Brix offered Luke his hand to which Luke accepted with some reluctance.

Brix rubbed his jaw.  His eyes drifted down my body but bounced right back to my face.  I chuckled at his boyish charm.  It was a good thing he was gay or I might’ve felt uncomfortable about the way he was staring.  “So,” he stammered.

“So,” I repeated, amused by how nervous he appeared to be.  I didn’t blame him.  Being in his presence made me nervous as hell, too.  

“Are you okay?  I mean, after the way you ran out of yoga tonight, I was worried.  Jacoby said…” Brix yammered on, but I stopped paying attention.  It seemed like a lifetime ago that I’d run out of the yoga studio, upset by Jacoby’s news and stupid request.  To think I thought my world was coming to an end when in reality, it was only beginning.  Between Jacoby and Amber, I found myself in what should’ve been the most uncomfortable position imaginable—naked with a stranger—yet I felt more at peace in this moment than I’d felt in a long time.  My ex and best friend did me a favor.  They gave me a chance to experience the world.

 My mind came out of the fog it was in just in time to catch Brix’s last sentence.  “This might be a little forward of me, but I was wondering if you might want to be with me tonight.”

His words stopped me cold.  “I beg your pardon?”

Brix rushed his fingers through his hair, his nervousness at an all time high.  “Fuck.  I knew I shouldn’t have listened to Jacoby.  I just figured you were here and I was here and it might be fun if we, well, you know.”

“Fuck,” Luke interjected.

Brix rubbed the back of his neck, shuffling his feet.  “When you put it that way it sounds so dirty.”

“Hold up.  I thought you were gay!” I blurted out.

Brix and Luke both stared at me incredulously.  “What?  Who told you that?” Brix asked.  

“No one.  I just assumed by the way you flirt with Jacoby…”

Brix flailed his hands.  “I don’t flirt with Jacoby.  All I ever do is talk about you.”

“Me?”  I must’ve stepped off into an alternate reality.  This couldn’t be happening.

“I’ve had a crush on you for the longest time.  Jacoby was trying to help me muster up the courage to ask you out.”

My brain was mush.  I didn’t know how to respond.  I liked Brix and he was here, available for me to finally enjoy myself.  But my body was revved up for Luke.  There was something about him that called to me.  He was under my skin, moving through my veins.  However, no matter how I spun it, Luke was off limits.  

Luke gripped my shoulders, turning me to face him completely.  My skin tingled under his touch, burning with desire.  “Go with him, Red.” There was a hint of jealousy to his tone.

“I’m sorry, do what now?” My voice rose a few octaves.

“You should go with your friend.”

I eyed him in askance.  “You can’t mean that.”

“Oh, but I do.”  

I jerked back, pulling myself free from his grasp.  His eyes were dark, calculated, and distant.  He straightened his body, instantly losing that languid coolness about him.  His hand slipped into his pockets and his charming grin disappeared.  I suddenly felt dirty.  Used.  “What the hell?  All of this meant nothing to you?” I roared.

A cool calmness engulfed him.  His lips twitched, but there was no smile to be seen.  “What was it supposed to mean?  I’m only a spectator.  To be honest, I’ve been away from my post for far too long.  I should be getting back to work.  You’re not alone anymore, and I’m sure
Brix
here can take care of all of your needs.”

The words were coming out of his mouth, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe them.  “Luke, no.  You can’t…” I rasped.

“I can and I must.  It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Ms. George.”  He leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to my cheek.  My head swirled, intoxicated by the feel of his lips finally on me, even in the most platonic of ways.  

Luke stepped back, stopping me from reaching for him.  “Have a good evening.”  Turning on a dime, he marched out of the room.  I stood there, frozen as Luke disappeared.  He was gone, and so was the tingling feeling.  All night long I’d felt my body on fire, live with lust and want, because of that man, and it was all a sham.    

“Addison?” Brix’s deep voice penetrated my fuzzy thoughts.  

Anger swelled inside me as I considered how susceptible I’d allowed myself to be with Luke.  He’d played me.  Toyed with my emotions.  And I let him.  I had only myself to blame.  Luke never made any promises.  He warned me he would follow the rules, and he did just that.

“Brix.” I swallowed back my rage, accepting things for what they were.  Luke and I were nothing.  My silliness had placed him in a role he was never meant to play.  I was the guest and he was the employee, nothing more.  “Let’s go find a spot.  It’s time I put name on my partner card.”

A flicker of light danced over the angled lines of Brix’s face.  The partner card around my wrist became ever present, an anchor keeping me planted in this moment.  I stood there, fighting back the bitterness I felt.  It was imperative that I release the longing that invaded my body for the better part of the evening.  So what if I wasn’t with Luke?  That wasn’t an option in the first place.

Hope and anticipation manifested itself within Brix’s demeanor.  His eyes shined with lust and a hint of confusion.  He raised his hand, hesitant yet willing.  “Are you sure?”  Always the sweet gentleman.

Somewhat terrified by what I was about to do, I took a deep breath and nodded.  Brix was sexy as fuck.  Why wouldn’t I want this?  It was silly of me to think that Luke would come back and whisk me away to a secret place.  He never intended on doing anything further than showing me the delights of
Indulgence
.  He all but said that to me.  What an idiot I was for thinking his sensual taunts were anything more than what they were—a ploy to make me comfortable in this place.

Anger swelled in the pit of my stomach.  I gritted my teeth, biting back the rage that enveloped me.  Here I was with a sexy guy who wanted me, and all I cared about was the rejection some stupid employee had bestowed upon me.  Luke had no interest in me.  If he had, he certainly wouldn’t have left me so easily.

Determined to get my impulses under control and back on track, I pushed my hair behind my shoulders, revealing my bare breasts.  Brix dropped his gaze, raking his eyes over my body.  His mouth opened slightly as he took in my naked form.  When he raised his eyes to meet mine, I saw nothing but want, desire, and lust emanating back behind those green orbs.  He looked at me as if I were something good enough to eat.  Well, dammit!  He was going to eat me, and I would enjoy every second of it.

His body, firm and taut, angled toward me.  A small shiver of desire washed over me, but it was nothing like what I’d felt with Luke.  There wasn’t the undeniable need to own this man burning beneath my skin.  I rolled my shoulders as if to push away the thoughts of my departed escort.  He didn’t matter.  All that mattered was Brix and me and this moment.  Now all I needed to do was convince myself of that fact.

Brix opened and shut his mouth, seeming almost tongue-tied.  I was flattered by his interest in me, and sort of disappointed that I hadn’t believed Jacoby when he told me Brix wasn’t gay.  As if anyone could blame me.  I hadn’t had the best track record with men in the past year, starting with Jacoby, himself.  But in all truthfulness, I’d be a fool to turn down a night with Brix Johnson.  This was what I came here for, to have casual, meaningless sex.  And who knew?  It was quite possible Brix and I were meant for each other.  All of the signs were there.  I’d ignored them for fear of rejection.  It was why I never asked him out, and why I was certain he was gay.  

But fate is a fickle thing.  It did bring us together in the same place at the same time.  My brain and heart both fell out laughing at such an insinuation.  Such a silly, romantic notion.  Fate brought me here to fuck a sexy guy that I’d drooled over for the last year.  Yeah, that’s how fate worked, all right.

“Lead the way,” I stated with false confidence.  

“It would be my honor.”

Chivalrous, Brix took my hand and slipped it into the crook of his arm.  He escorted me through the room as if we were on our first date—not naked and about to fuck each other silly.

Energy buzzed around him.  So much that it brought a smile to my face.  I was flattered he was so excited.  What woman wouldn’t be when a sexy yoga instructor was gleaming to have sex with her?

Oh, a yoga instructor.  Decent sized cock.  A strong, ripped body.  Big hands.  My body and libido hummed with possibilities. If Brix kissed well, then I was set for a good ride.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Brix crooned.  His smile broadened.

I grazed my fingertips along his arm, enamored by the way his skin seemed to respond instantly to my touch.  He was a firecracker waiting to explode—pun intended.  “You know, Brix, I’ve always found you sexy,” I confessed.  It was true.  Had I not been certain he batted for the other team, I would’ve probably followed up with Jacoby’s suggestion a month ago and asked him out.

Brix slowed his steps, tilting his head to look around me.  I cast my glance to the bed on my left and realized it was empty.  My heart thudded and my breath hitched.  A sense of nervousness engulfed me.  I was really about to do this.  

Sliding his hand through the silky mesh, Brix took a further look inside.  “I thought Jacoby was blowing smoke up my ass when he said I should ask you out.  You never seemed interested.”

“That’s because I thought you wanted to blow Jacoby.”  The words tumbled from my mouth before I could stop them.

Not skipping a beat, Brix responded, “This one’s empty.”  

He pulled back a sheer, billowy curtain to reveal an almost perfect romantic setting.  A large bed adorned with a white, fluffy comforter perched in the middle of the makeshift space.  Cloud-like pillows rested at the top of the oversized bed.  Shadows and warmth from the fireplace danced over the beautiful setting.  Candles lit the remaining area, providing light and additional warmth.  There were no restraints, no spectators.  It was just Brix and me.  

Dropping my hand from Brix’s arm, I stepped behind the veil.  I stood inches from the bed, taking in the sights.  My already hypersensitive body was now on overload.  This was happening.  Unlike with Luke, there was no teasing, no flirting, no stolen, forbidden touches.  All that I wanted, I could have.  

In the background, below the hum of passion and desire that resonated throughout the rest of the room, I could hear Brix slide the curtain closed.  From behind, his strong hands slipped around my waist.  They flattened against my stomach, pulling me close to him.  His hard cock pressed against my back and his hot breath poured over me.  I sighed as his nose skirted down along my jaw.  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.  His timbre dripped with desire.

My heart ran rampant in the cavity of my chest.  Warmth flooded between my legs, coating the ache I’d felt all night.  I lay my hands over top of his.  He linked one hand with mine while slipping the other from my grasp.  Slowly, his touch moved up my arm, to my shoulder, stopping at my neck.  Brix slipped my hair away, pressing his lips to my exposed skin.  

A soft moan fell from my mouth.  I closed my eyes and tired to allow myself to get lost in this moment.  He felt so good wrapped around me.  Sweet kisses moved along my neck, down to my shoulder.

Brix slipped his hands around my waist and turned me to face him.  His tongue darted from his mouth, moistening his lips.  The fire in his eyes was soft and gentle, but wanton and hungry.  My stomach knotted.  He looked at me with such sweetness, but there was something missing.  I blinked, forcing myself to return back to the moment and not focus on the fact his eyes were green instead of blue, or that his hair was dark instead of light.

“Addison.”  His warm and husky tone refocused me.

My entire body came alive the moment my name fell from his lips.  There was so much passion behind the way he said it.  For a moment, it made me forget my anger and remember all of the desire built up inside of me throughout the night.  He cupped the side of my face as our mouths inched closer together.  In anticipation of his kiss, my eyes fluttered closed.  I could feel his warm breath against my aching skin.  My heart and mind told me this was wrong, but my body screamed that it was oh, so right.

This was moving too slow for me.  I needed to feel him, now.  Combing my fingers through his hair, I pulled his face closer to mine.  Our lips met, tongues collided.  I melted against his body; a small amount of power flooded my veins at the feel of his cock pressed into my stomach.  My hands tugged his silky mane, eliciting a deep moan from him.

That moan.  It jolted something inside me.  I tried to ignore it, to relish in the taste of Brix on my tongue, but my mind pushed the memory forward.  A flood of emotion waved over me.  I squeezed my eyes shut, seeing the bubbles of darkness turn into matter.

A group of people standing at a bar, chattering on about someone.  
“They’re talking about me.”
Luke’s voice came as a whisper.

My eyes flew open, a gasp hanging on my lips as Brix grew more confident.  His mouth moved along my collarbone, slowly inching its way down my chest.  His lips clasped on to my nipple and I released the gasp that was stuck in my throat.

Firm hands gripped my butt, kneading it as his mouth sucked and pulled my hard pebble.  I closed my eyes again, my head dropping back, savoring the feel of his mouth on me.

But my mind was relentless.  There was something there.  Something that either my inebriated state or my sex riddled mind hadn’t seen before.  Only now was everything coming together in a clear picture.

A story, real, but weaving and twisting into the fiction right before my very eyes.  Luke retold our experience with Fabio in such a way I could see it.  He mastered words, bringing the images alive in my imagination.  Only a true storyteller could accomplish a task so simple yet excruciatingly difficult.

Brix flicked his tongue over my nipple.  The sensation sent a flood of heat between my thighs.  I curled my fingers into this hair, tugging.  He groaned, moving his mouth to my other breast, relentless in his sucking.  His hand slipped under my ass cheeks, pulling me firmer against him.  I could feel his fingers inching closer to where I needed him most, but never quite touching.

An almost orgasm never met, because he didn’t want to touch me.  Not really.  Careful to keep the distance between.  Always implied but never declared.  I could feel Luke’s fingers pressing over mine as I rubbed my clit.  My wetness coated a reminder of how good he made me feel.  Yet, always the barrier.  Never crossing the lines.  Bending but not breaking the rules.

Brix’s lips moved slowly down the plane of my stomach.  His fingers digging into my thigh.  He flicked his tongue against my fevered skin.  I grazed my teeth against my upper lip, calming the whimper that hung in my throat.

“I want to taste you, Addison,” Brix rasped, his tongue darting out against my pelvis.

Another flash of darkness behind my eyes, brightened to Luke, standing in front of the fireplace in this very room.  Anger, jealousy, contempt all stared back at me.  The tone of his voice resonated through me.  It was familiar, dark, calculated.  His posture stoic, almost rigid.

Brix stood up, his mouth finding mine.  He slipped his tongue into my parted lips, lavishing me with seductive kisses.  I gripped his arms, holding fast to him.  My nails grazing his smooth skin.  “Let me taste you,” he requested between kisses.

I nodded.  Confusion overpowered me.  What was going on inside me?  I had this man wanting me, and my mind kept going back to one who’d rejected me.

Brix slipped his hands around me, resting them on the small of my back.  He stepped forward while moving me back toward the bed.  My knees bumped against the soft cushion and I sat down, ready to give myself over to him, yet the familiarity of his hand on my back forced me to once again think of Luke.

“Sebastian enjoys sex, Red.”

A shiver at the sound of Luke’s voice skittered down my spine.  The way his mouth brushed the shell my ear, breathing me his secrets.

“Addison?”

The sound of my name triggered a quandary in me.  

Addison.  

Ms. George.
 

How was that even possible?  I never told him my last name.  For that fact, I never told him name, period.

Like clogs in a clock, my mind started to tick.  Throughout the night he’d told me about Sebastian, but didn’t talk about himself.  Always cloaked, he never allowed me to see past the mask.  The way my body tingled in his presence just as it had with Sebastian.  How could I’ve been so blind?  Yeah, the lights were dim, but I could see just fine.  I might’ve been inebriated, but not enough to miss every clue that had been right in front of me the whole night.

Luke
was
Sebastian.  

It all made sense now.  Even the name Luke.  Not long ago, I’d read Sebastian’s IMDb profile.  His full name was Sebastian Lukas Hawk.  I was an idiot.  Of course he let me go.  He couldn’t very well reveal himself.  If he did, he would’ve been bombarded by people.  His only recourse was to release me into the arms of another man.

But why not just be honest with me?  Why all the smoke and mirrors to keep me in the dark?  The answers to those questions eluded me, but there had to be a reason.  

That’s when I noticed Brix had stopped touching me.  He looked down on me, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Brix?” I questioned.

“It’s him, isn’t it?  That guy.”  Disappointment darkened his expression.

“What do you mean?”

“You just said his name, Addison.  You called me Luke.”

I covered my mouth.  “Oh, my God.  Did I really?”  I couldn’t recall saying his name.  So lost I was in my own head that it must’ve fell from lips as I came to the realization of who Luke truly was.  “I’m so sorry.  I didn’t…”

Brix placed a finger to my lips.  “I saw how he was with you.  When I walked up, he was just about to kiss you.  I admit, I interrupted you on purpose.”  Taking a seat next to me, Brix dropped his hands into his lap.  “I was jealous.  Once again I was going to lose my chance with you, and I’d been too shy to even take one in the first place.”