Kiss This (5 page)

“Ah, so a quick fling and then she’s out of
your hair. Sounds perfect! I’m fucking jealous.”

Teague didn’t respond and made his way to
the kitchen. Nothing about him screamed commitment these days. He
liked it that way.

“She’s gonna be at Grady’s party tonight,”
Teague couldn’t help but mention. “Kyah invited her.”

“Hey, that’s cool. You work your cards
right, I’ll forget about hiring you a prostitute.”

Teague chuckled with amusement. “No way in
hell.”

“What, the prostitute or getting blondie to
tickle your love stick?”

The evening seemed to drag on, and when they
finally left for Grady’s, Teague felt like doing everything double
speed just to get there faster. They entered the house right before
nine, and he automatically scanned the room for Camryn. He even
looked for Kyah’s dark skin and jet-black hair, believing they were
most likely with each other.

Finally he spotted Camryn when he made his
way to the basement. There were about twenty people down there,
dancing to music and mixing drinks at the wet bar. It looked like
Kyah was introducing her to a few people, so Teague just hung back
for a bit.

Jay stuck with him, wondering why he was
lurking. “You gonna just watch her all night?” he joked to Teague.
“You’re kinda being a creeper.”

“Shut up,” Teague smiled good-naturedly.
“I’m just timing this right.”

“Man, you must want this girl big time. And
shit, I can see why,” Jay added, looking her over. Camryn had on
faded slim-fitting jeans that were very worn in a few places, and a
dark green sleeveless top that tied around her neck. Her long hair
was down and slightly wavy, and even from across the room they
could tell she had a bit of makeup on her eyes. “She’s definitely
boner worthy, I’ll give her that,” Jay nodded.

Teague was taking in her looks too, and he
basically tuned out everything else in the room so he could absorb
her entire presence without being distracted.

Jay grabbed a beer and a soda from a nearby
cooler and handed one to Teague. “At least don’t
look
like
you’re just staring at her.”

Teague shrugged. “I don’t care if she
notices. Women like to know they’re wanted.”

At the same time, he saw that someone else
was observing Camryn. Teague’s smile faded as he watched Garrett
Daniels and another douchebag approach her. Kyah introduced them,
and whereas Garrett looked as if he were ready to turn on the
charm, Camryn only gave him a polite but totally uninterested
smile.

Teague grunted his satisfaction. Then he
moved across the room, away from the dance floor where he could
hear a little better. Garrett was trying to get her to dance with
him, but she kept turning him down.

“Ah, come on, don’t be shy. If you want,
I’ll teach you some moves.”

Camryn took a casual sip of her drink but
her smirk was unmistakable. “I’m neither shy nor incapable of
dancing. I’d just rather not dance with
you
.”

The light in Garrett’s eyes dimmed just a
bit and he gave her a scrutinizing stare. “Tell me why,” he asked,
folding his arms across his chest. Teague didn’t like the way the
guy’s demeanor changed, and he knew it had everything to do with
his ego being slapped by a female.

“Don’t be such a dick, Garrett,” Kyah told
him. “Back off.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to be social,” he
shrugged. “But I guess your friend seems a bit stuck up for her own
good.”

“There’s a difference between stuck up and
confident,” Camryn smiled as she set the rest of her drink on the
bar. “I know you’re not my type, so why waste my time?”

“Maybe you don’t know what your type is,
sugar. I think you’re just playing hard to get.”

“Think again,” she cocked an eyebrow and
stepped around him to walk away.

“That means we’ll catch up later.” He
slapped her ass with an arrogant laugh and Teague’s entire body
went taut with anger. But before he could take a step to intercede,
Camryn instantly whipped around and sent her fist into the guy’s
stomach, causing him to double over with a loud groan. Then she
leaned over too, placing her palms on her knees as she tilted her
head to look at him.

“Do it again, and next time it’ll be your
cocky smile that I clock, asshole.”

Teague was frozen at first, and then he had
to hold in a laugh while Jay continued to gape with wide eyes. They
watched Camryn turn on her heel with Kyah, and the girls headed up
the stairs.

“Jesus, you seriously want to get with
that
?” Jay finally asked.

Teague slowly nodded, staring at the empty
stairs where her perfect ass had just climbed. “Oh hell yeah,” he
answered with surety.

Jay shook his head. “You know why I call you
a dumbass all the time, right?” It became a rhetorical question
when Teague didn’t respond. He was still in a stupor, gawking at
the stairs. “Well that totally just solidifies it,” Jay mumbled,
shaking his head.

“Talk to you later,” Teague finally said,
handing Jay his Pepsi. He was going to follow Camryn up the steps,
but something Garrett said about her to another guy made him stop
as he passed by. He turned to face the conceited bastard and said,
“Stay the fuck away from her. If you bother her again, you’ll have
me
to deal with.”

Teague completed his trek for the stairs and
Jay decided to follow him.

Chapter Five

“I honestly don’t know where those guys
are,” Kyah said, scrolling through her phone as they sat on an
empty couch. “I’d call Teague but the guy doesn’t give his number
out to anyone. Lemme see if Jay will answer his phone,” she
murmured.

Camryn couldn’t help but smile to herself.
So Teague was telling her the truth, huh?

“No need,” she told Kyah, pointing with her
bottle of beer.

Teague had just entered the front room with
Jay right behind him. Kyah hung up her phone and waved them over,
giving Camryn time to slow her heart rate from seeing him again.
But damn, if that wasn’t impossible. Teague’s eyes found hers
immediately and never broke the connection his entire trip across
the room. She felt heat prickle up her neck and it most likely
settled into a lovely pink across her cheeks. Thank God the room
was dimly lit.

“Hello, Camryn,” he greeted her.

His smile and smooth baritone voice
automatically affected her lower anatomy. She had to uncross her
legs just to fight off her reaction to him. Obviously her body was
reminding her of a few things.

“Hey, Teague,” she nodded. She took a sip of
her beer and added, “Why’d you keep me waiting?”

He smiled at her upfront personality and
squeezed into a spot next to her, forcing Kyah to move over. She
was busy talking to Jay anyways, who was perched on the arm of the
couch at the other end. “Had to look my best for you,” Teague
replied. “Did my hair turn out okay?” He pretended to touch it
gently so he didn’t mess it up.

It was in a fauxhawk tonight, and Camryn
figured it probably didn’t matter
what
he did with it; he’d
look sexy no matter what. “Your hair is lovely,” she told him. “You
must condition it well.”

“Yeah, well, you know… All the wind
here…”

She smiled. “You’ll have to let me in on the
secret.”

“No problem. You can join me next time I
wash it.”

That time she laughed, thoroughly
entertained but uneasy at the same time. She’d set herself up for
that one. “Possibly,” she mused.

“Possibly, huh?” he grinned. He put his arm
behind her on the couch and leaned in. “Now we’re talking. So
earlier you said you’re just visiting for a couple of weeks, so
where are you from, Camryn?” he asked softly.

She eyed him evenly and answered,
“California.”

His pause was strange, but he remained
neutral and replied, “Ah, a Cali girl. Hmm, wouldn’t have guessed
that.”

“Why not?”

He lifted an eyebrow but didn’t answer.
Camryn used the moment to take a drink but could still feel his
eyes on her.

“I’m gonna head for the deck,” he finally
said. “Will you come with me?”

She knew it was so he could smoke, but she
got up to follow him out there anyways.

“Do you have a coat?” he asked. “It’s cold
outside.”

“I’ll be fine for a little bit.” As it was,
his presence was making her body overheat. She could use some cold
air to chill her hormones.

Teague stepped out the back door, felt which
way the wind was blowing, and moved for the railing to his left.
Camryn joined him as he removed a pack out of his pocket and
offered it to her.

“I don’t smoke,” she answered.

“Good for you,” he said, pulling out a
cigarette for himself.

“I drink like a fish, though,” she added,
tipping the last of her beer into her mouth. She set the empty
bottle on the railing.

“A chain smoker and an alcoholic,” Teague
joked. “What a pair we are.”

She barely scoffed with a smile, but didn’t
bother to correct him. “I’ll quit if you do,” she winked.

“Deal,” he said right away. He blew the
smoke away from her and, holding his cigarette up, added, “After
this one, of course.”

With a chuckle she said, “Fine, then I
should go grab my last drink.”

“I’ll wait for you,” he motioned to the
house. She was amused as she leaned her butt against the railing,
but Teague shook his head. “I’m not kidding. I’ll quit if you
quit.”

“I was joking.”

“I’m not,” he said, taking a drag and
releasing it. “Tell me to quit and I will.”

“Quit smoking, Teague. It’s bad for you. And
it’s disgusting.”

“Ah, so you’re saying you wouldn’t kiss a
smoker, huh?”

She barely smiled. “I didn’t say that. But I
wouldn’t kiss you anyways.”

He raised both eyebrows. “Goddamn, you’re
harsh. What’d I ever do to you?” He smiled and took another drag,
and then dropped the cigarette into her empty bottle. “Why wouldn’t
you kiss me? We can flirt and keep building all this sexual
tension, but I’m not allowed to ever kiss you? ‘Cause I’m thinking
it’s kind of impossible to avoid with the way you and I seem to be
drawn to one another. You sure you want to interfere with
nature?”

Camryn could hear the noise from inside the
house, but when Teague stepped closer to her, her heart was
pounding even louder in her ears. She’d had guys try to kiss her
several times in the past couple of years but she made sure nothing
ever came of it. She either avoided the situation altogether, or
they had to learn the hard way. Since Zach, Camryn promised herself
she wouldn’t kiss another man unless she was in love with him.
She’d held firm to that rule and never had cause to waver from it.
The desire hadn’t even entered a single part of her.

Until now.

This was
the
first
time
Camryn had ever considered breaking her rule.

She considered his question for a moment,
and whereas her normal response would be a sarcastic one, something
else popped out of her mouth instead. “For a week.”

“A week? I can’t kiss you for a week?”

He paused, like he was considering it. He
even smirked like he was either amused or insulted. But Camryn
didn’t care. She needed something as a buffer right now before she
made a mistake.

“Huh,” he finally nodded with a shrug. “New
Year’s it is. You’ll be kissing me at midnight and you’ll never
want to stop.”

Her heart raced. God, that’s exactly what
she was hoping
and
what she feared. But she honestly didn’t
think he had it in him to wait that long and it wouldn’t matter. He
would disappoint her one way or another, so there was nothing to
lose.

“I’m betting you won’t even last until
then,” she challenged.

Both eyebrows shot up again and he smiled.
“Oh, a betting kind of girl. I like it. Okay, so let’s say I do it.
I go a week without kissing you. What do I get for following your
rule?”

She bit her lip and thought about it for a
moment, her heart pounding because of what she was about to do. Her
mouth was playing the traitor role pretty damn well tonight. “What
is it that you’d want from me?” she asked.

A smile slowly spread on his face. “You’ll
let me set the terms?”

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “Because it won’t
matter. You’ll never make it a week.”

He scoffed at her arrogance. “Oh really. You
think so?”

“I know so.”

“You’d better think twice about this,
beautiful. My terms might not be to your liking.”

“That’s what makes betting so risky. You win
the bet I will pay up, whether I like it or not. So what is it you
want?”

“You. In my bed.”

He was for sure waiting for her objection,
but she tried not to react at all as she repeated his words in her
head.

Teague stepped closer to her and lowered his
voice. “I don’t think I have to be more specific than that, do I?
We both know exactly what I mean.”

Camryn’s heart was pounding. Hell yes she
knew what he meant, but she didn’t know a single thing about this
guy. “Well, I’m a bed hog. And I can’t stand people who snore.
Curtains shut, two pillows for me, and keep your feet off my legs.
That’s the only way I’ll
sleep
in your bed.”

She liked that it took a moment before he
responded. He was definitely surprised by her answer and now his
slow smile was giving him time to come up with a reply. Finally he
said, “Fine, I agree to that. Add eight hours minimum in my bed,
and
I
don’t have to wear any clothes.”

Camryn almost laughed out loud, and Teague’s
cocky smile revealed that he was obviously proud of that little
addendum.

“Do you understand the terms?” he asked with
a tilt of his head.

She gave him a neutral smile. “I understand
perfectly.”