One Night of Scandal (4 page)

He reached for the curtain, but Darcy grasped his arm to stop him. And boy, touching him was a
big
mistake. His biceps were perfectly sculpted, his flesh hot and smooth beneath her palm. Her pulse instantly sped up, mouth going so dry it felt like someone had stuffed it with sand.

“Right,” Reed mumbled. “You wanted to talk.” His lack of enthusiasm didn’t do much for her ego.

Darcy swallowed to bring moisture to her arid mouth. “Actually, I wanted
you
to talk. Last night…” She gulped again. “Last night you said that you have to act like a jerk towards me because it’s the only way for you to…” She eyed him sternly. “Finish that sentence, Reed. To
what
?”

Reluctance dug a deep groove into his forehead. “It’s nothing. Forget I ever said it.”

“I
can’t
forget. It’s been bugging me all day. I need to know what you meant by that.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Sounding frustrated, he gently uncurled her fingers from his arm. “Nothing good can come out of this conversation, baby.”

Darcy frowned. “Don’t
baby
me. And PS? I never took you for a coward. You’ve always struck me as a man who says exactly what’s on his mind.”

Something hot and dangerous moved through his eyes. “Why are you pushing this?”

“Because I’m curious.”

“Curious? No, I don’t think that’s it.” His voice was silky now, deep and mocking. He eased closer, his arm brushing hers as he shifted so they were facing each other. “This is more than curiosity. You’re blushing. You know what that tells me?”

Her breathing went shallow. “What?”

“It tells me you know
exactly
what I meant last night.”

“I…” Her next words were barely over a whisper. “I need to hear you say it.”

Her body grew tight and achy as she searched his face, waiting for an answer. God, why
was
she pushing him? He was right, nothing good could come of this. Nothing good at all.

“Don’t do this.” A warning note crept into his husky voice. “Don’t make me say it.”

Darcy’s heart was no longer beating at double time. It had skipped right over triple and was now veering into cardiac arrest territory. The air in the alcove became stifling, rippling with the tension she’d only begun to notice last night. And now it was impossible to ignore.

Reed was standing so damn close to her. Close enough that his addictive scent was once again wreaking havoc on her senses. Close enough that all she had to do was lean in slightly and their lips would be touching.

“You’re right,” she stammered. “You shouldn’t say it.”

“I shouldn’t.” Yet even as he voiced his agreement, his hand had risen to her face, his thumb delicately sweeping over her bottom lip.

Her breath hitched. God. Her entire world had reduced to this one moment, this one man. Her lips were actually trembling from the crazy urge to kiss him.

“Fuck.” The expletive tore out of Reed’s throat, his frustration thick between them. “I want you, Darcy.
I. Fucking. Want. You
.”

Shock slammed into her, along with a burst of arousal that seized her core. Oh God. She couldn’t believe he’d said it. Couldn’t believe she’d
pushed
him to.

Because now there was no way to
un
hear those blunt words. No turning back from them.

“Is that what you wanted to hear?” he said angrily. “I’ve wanted you forever. Every goddamn time I see you, I’ve had to force myself not to blurt it out. I can barely even
look
at you, for chrissake, because I’m scared you’ll see it in my eyes. Is
that
what you want to hear?”

The confession sizzled through her body like merciless flames ravaging a dry forest. Her thighs clenched, breasts tingled, heart stopped. She wanted to dive through the curtain and pretend she’d never seen the raw lust in his eyes, never heard those gruff, honest words tumble out of his mouth.

But she was rooted in place.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, neither one speaking. Darcy had stopped breathing a while ago, and now her lungs burned, almost as painfully as the desire burning in her blood. Reed’s hand was still on her face, his calloused fingertips tracing the edge of her jaw. Her skin felt tight and prickly, the flames traveling south and tingling between her legs.

Reed’s blue eyes blazed with accusation. “Why are you still here?” he burst out. “
Go
, Darcy. Just go.”

“No,” she whispered.

He took another step closer, crowding her, his broad body dominating every inch of the tiny space. Their mouths were so close she could feel his warm breath fanning over her lips, mingling with the sudden rush of air that seeped out of her lungs.

“You have to go.”

She swallowed. “No.”

“This is wrong.” Half mumble, half moan. The anguish in his voice matching her own.

He cupped her cheeks with both hands, groaning when their eyes locked again. “Just once,” he muttered. “I just need to know.”

Her voice wobbled. “Know what?”

“What it would feel like.” A determined glint lit his gorgeous eyes. “Maybe it won’t be as good as I imagined.”

A laugh shook out. “It might be awful,” she said helpfully.

He groaned again. “Worse than awful.”

“We’ll probably hate it so much that—”

Reed’s mouth crashed down on hers before she could finish.

And there was nothing awful about it.

She moaned the moment their lips touched, but Reed swallowed the desperate sound with his mouth. His hands landed on her hips to pull her closer, and he didn’t even try to hide his erection. He simply thrust it against her pelvis and rotated his hips so she could feel every hard inch of him.

Darcy parted her lips, but his tongue didn’t seek entrance. His lips teased hers with soft, sweet kisses that made her head spin and her body ache. He didn’t seem interested in driving the kiss to a whole new level, and when she pressed her palms against his chest and felt the tension seizing his muscles, she realized he was purposely holding back.

With an agonized whimper, she sank her teeth into his lower lip, making her frustration clear. He cursed in pain, and she took advantage of his parted lips by slipping her tongue into his mouth.

It was all the impetus he needed. Gone were the feather-light kisses. Gone was the restraint. Darcy gasped as he devoured her like a starving man, his hungry tongue turning the kiss from exploratory to downright dominating.

“Oh God,” she moaned. “Don’t ever stop kissing me.”

Reed rumbled out a noise that was more animal than man, a deep growl that vibrated in her bones. There was something predatory about the way he backed her into the wall, his mouth glued to hers as he lifted one of her legs to his trim hips and ground his lower body against hers.

Darcy wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. Lord, what was happening to her? A tornado of sensation swirled through her body, traveling from erogenous zone to erogenous zone, eliciting shivers, tingles, a deep ache that made her clit swell. She’d never felt anything like it.

“Goddammit, Darcy,” he hissed out.

He rubbed up against her, each stroke of his impressive erection causing the seam of her jeans to press into her throbbing sex. The telltale signs of orgasm were already beginning to surface, startling the hell out of her. Holy shit. She might actually come. From dry humping.

The fact that there wasn’t even a door separating them from the masses in the club only thrilled her more. She felt hot and dizzy, helpless to control the unfamiliar sensations. The lightning bolts of lust, the painful throbbing of her clit.

What
was
this? How was this happening?

Reed’s tongue slicked over hers in another greedy kiss as he thrust against her, his hips pistoning erratically. The baseline pulsating in the club served as a soundtrack for their frenzied grinding, their greedy kisses, their desperate moans.

And that’s when it dawned on her. She knew what this was.

It was passion.

Darcy squeezed her eyes shut and lost herself in sensation. God, she wanted to come. She
needed
to come. Her hips rocked into Reed, frantically seeking relief.

But just as the pleasure mounted and her sex clenched in anticipation, the delicious friction disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, Reed had stopped moving, abruptly tearing his mouth from hers.

“
No
,” she cried out, agony ringing in her voice. “Please don’t stop.”

…

Please don’t stop.

Sweetest, sexiest words he’d ever heard, and if they’d been uttered by anyone else, Reed would’ve kept going in a heartbeat. But this was Darcy.

AJ’s
Darcy.

She wasn’t his, damn it. She could never be his.

Breathing hard, he took a hasty step back and averted his eyes. He couldn’t catch even the slightest glimpse of the desire etched into her beautiful face. One look and he’d be a goner, and right now, at least one of them needed to show some restraint.

And clearly it wasn’t going to be Darcy.

When he spoke, his voice was gravelly, as if he hadn’t had a sip of water in weeks. “We can’t do this, Darce.”

“We already are,” she said unhappily. “It’s too late to stop. I don’t
want
to stop.”

Like the weak, sex-starved man he was, he couldn’t resist meeting her eyes again.

And bad fuckin’ idea.

Her parted lips, still glistening from his kiss, and the rosy flush on her cheeks totally robbed him of breath. Christ, his dick had never been harder. All it would take was a few more thrusts and he’d come in his pants like an inexperienced teenager.

Which seemed to be precisely what Darcy wanted.

The wicked temptress stepped closer and boldly palmed the bulge in his pants. “I don’t want to stop,” she repeated.

She cupped his cock, and his eyes promptly rolled to the top of his head. “Oh sweet Jesus. Don’t touch me. Don’t tempt me.”

Misery clung to her voice. “Please, Reed, don’t make me go home like this. I’m aching. I’m…God, I
need
this.”

The anguished plea snapped the last thread of his control. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t speak. He just released a wild growl and pushed her against the wall again. He shoved one leg between her thighs, his groin throbbing to the point of agony.

“
Damn
you,” he hissed out.

She gasped when his mouth latched onto hers again. Reed’s brain turned to mush as he kissed her. All he could concentrate on was the softness of her lips, her intoxicating taste, her sweet vanilla scent. One trembling hand cupped her firm ass to keep her tight against him, while the other drifted up to her chest so he could squeeze one full breast. Her tank top was enticingly thin, her bra even thinner, and he groaned when he felt the outline of her puckered nipple poking into his palm.

“I’m gonna come,” he choked out. “Any second now. I can’t stop it.”

Darcy shuddered, her tortured moan heating the air between them. “Neither can I. I’m too close…I’m…
Oh
!”

Pure male satisfaction slammed into him as she cried out in bliss, shaking in his arms as she found release. Her orgasm triggered his own, the force of it nearly knocking him off his feet. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling the addictive fragrance of her shampoo as bone-melting pleasure pulsed inside him. Jets of release soaked his boxers, but still he kept moving, rubbing his cock against her, digging his fingers into her ass and breast.

It took him a while to remember how to make his brain and limbs work. At least a full minute before he was coherent enough to unglue his lower body from hers. He leaned his forehead against hers, ragged puffs of air leaving his mouth and rustling her hair.

Darcy’s eyes were huge. Swimming with confusion, amazement, and worst of all, anticipation for
more
.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he wheezed. “We can’t…this can’t…damn it, we shouldn’t have done that.”

The guilt hit him hard and fast, like a flash flood bearing down on a village without warning.

He’d made out with his best friend’s girl.

He’d
dry humped
her, for fuck’s sake.

And he’d
climaxed
.

Jesus. Forget the fact that in order to get up to his office and change his pants he’d have to walk through the club with a wet stain on his jeans. He could endure that humiliation.

But fooling around with AJ’s ex?

He would never, ever be able to come back from this.

“Reed,” she started. Then her mouth closed, and the same paralyzing guilt he was currently feeling seized her pretty face. “Oh my God, you’re right. We shouldn’t have done that.” Her breathing became unstable. “We’re terrible people.”

Although he wholeheartedly agreed with her about the sheer crappiness of their actions, he refused to let her take the blame for any of it.

“No,” he said sharply. “This is on me. It’s my fault.”

Her eyes blazed. “No, it’s not. We both did this.” She stumbled to the side, effectively putting some much-needed distance between them. “I have to go. I shouldn’t have come here tonight.”

“Darcy—”

She dashed through the curtain like an Olympic sprinter, leaving him alone in the alcove.

Rather than chase after her, Reed sucked a rush of oxygen into his lungs. Christ, AJ was going to kill him.

And yet his best friend’s wrath would be nothing compared to the self-directed anger and loathing bubbling inside him right now.

A helpless groan slipped out of his mouth. There was no way to ignore the truth—he hadn’t changed at all. Clearly he was still the same screw-up he’d always been. A man who acted on impulse, whose good judgment flew out the window the second he decided he wanted something, and to hell with the consequences.

But there
would
be consequences to what he’d done tonight. A whole lot of them.

And not the good kind.

Chapter Four

Four days later, Reed strode into Paddy’s Corner Pub in the heart of Southie and reluctantly made his way to the booth where AJ was already seated.

By some miracle, he’d managed to put off this confrontation for days. It helped that Sin was closed on the first three days of the week, which meant not having to see AJ at work, but when his friend had called earlier and cashed in on Reed’s offer to go for drinks, he’d had no choice but to say yes.

The pub was one of his favorites in the city, a total man cave with simple wooden booths, plenty of dartboards and pool tables, and blinking neon beer signs hanging on the walls. And luckily, every patron in the bar tonight was male. Reed had been worried that AJ might want to chat up some girls, but after his explosive encounter with Darcy this weekend, the thought of scoring a hook-up was about as appealing as dyeing his hair pink.

Though if AJ’s drawn features and beach bum attire were any indication, the guy wasn’t in a lady-killer mood tonight, either.

Reed raised a brow at his friend’s threadbare T-shirt and ratty old jeans with an honest-to-God hole in the knee. AJ was usually a sharper dresser than that, and Reed couldn’t stop himself from making a smartass remark. “Jeez. Are you wearing the latest designs from the hobo collection?”

AJ sighed. “Dude, I haven’t done laundry in days. I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel here.”

Keegan, the sole waiter at Paddy’s, approached the booth. He was a former boxer with a full red beard and a crooked nose that had been broken at least a dozen times.

Reed had trained in the same gym as the man, and he greeted Keegan with a big grin, rolling his eyes at the two bottles of Guinness in the man’s hands. “Keeg, how many times do I have to tell you? I’d rather drink sewer water.”

“You’re a disgrace to your people, Miller,” Keegan retorted in his thick Irish brogue. Scowling, he set the bottles in front of the two men. “You don’t get your pansy-ass Bud Lights until you finish your Guinness like good little boys. Hear me?”

Reed and AJ exchanged an amused look as the man ambled back to the bar. “Why do we keep coming back here?” Reed said dryly.

“Because it’s awesome.” AJ picked up his bottle. “Now be a good little boy and drink your Guinness.”

Sighing, Reed forced himself to choke down a sip of the too-thick liquid. “So whatcha been up to?” he asked his friend. “You’ve had the past six days off. Must have been nice.”

AJ shrugged. “I haven’t done much. Just hung around at home. Played video games. What about you?”

I fooled around with your ex-girlfriend
.

Reed bit back the words. Blurting it out like that was definitely not the way to do it. For days, he’d been practicing what he would say to AJ, but now that they were face-to-face, the confession got stuck in his throat.

He knew that the second it slipped out, it would be an invitation to get punched in the face. Which he deserved, because he was total pond scum
.
He deserved every hateful word AJ was going to hurl his way, every accusation, every act of violence. What he’d done was unforgivable, he knew that, and yet at the same time, he wanted to hold on to this friendship for as long as he could.

He didn’t have any siblings, or even parents. Reed’s only family had been his late Uncle Colin, who’d taken him in when he was four years old, after his mother had died in a car accident. His father, sadly, was some faceless man who’d had a one-night-stand with Reed’s mom and took off long before she’d discovered she was pregnant. Reed didn’t even know his name.

Colin had raised Reed best he could, but the man had always been more concerned with getting drunk than nurturing or supporting his nephew. As a result, Reed had learned to seek out that support elsewhere, but he hadn’t truly found it until he’d met AJ.

And now, because he’d given in to temptation, he was about to lose one of the most important people in his life.

“So Gage said you almost caught our dealer,” AJ spoke up, his green eyes serious.

“
Almost
being the operative word. The asshole was a no-show.” He battled a rush of frustration. “But we’ll figure something else out. I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen the last of that creep.”

AJ hesitated, running one long finger over the label of his Guinness bottle. “Gage also mentioned that Darcy was the one who got the dealer’s number.”

Every muscle in Reed’s body tensed. “Yeah, she stopped by the club to…” God help him, but he couldn’t stop the lie from flying out. “To talk to you, I guess.”

Surprise washed over AJ’s face. “Huh. Did she say what she wanted?”

“Naah, she didn’t say anything.”

Shit, he was going straight to hell. Probably ought to pack up his sunglasses and SPF 30 in preparation, because there was no avoiding his fate.

Just tell him. Man up already
.

He opened his mouth, only to get interrupted by AJ’s quiet curse. “Okay, enough. We don’t have to tip-toe around it, all right?”

Reed froze, an uncharacteristic vise of panic squeezing his chest. “What do you mean?”

“Darcy and I broke up. It’s really not a big deal, so please, stop treating me like I’m a cancer patient or something.” AJ grumbled in displeasure and dragged a hand through his dark blond hair. “I know you think she dumped me, but I promise you, that’s not how it went down.”

Reed knew he’d kick himself later, but he still had to ask. “What happened then?”

“Chemistry happened. Or rather, lack thereof.” AJ picked up his beer and drank nearly half of it in one long swig. “We got along so well
–
–we had the friendship part down—but there was no spark. No excitement.” He shrugged again. “We made a go of it, it didn’t work out, and now it’s over. Time to move on.”

Reed might’ve bought the speech—
if
AJ’s tone had contained even an iota of conviction. But his friend sounded so glum that he suspected AJ was just reciting a rehearsed line. As if he were trying to persuade
himself
that the breakup had been mutual.

“Anyway, I have a favor to ask.” Another sip, and AJ had drained his beer. He slammed the bottle down and fixed Reed with a somber look. “I need you to help me out with Darcy.”

The panic returned, winding around his spine and making his skin go cold. Damn it. He couldn’t let this continue. Three more seconds, and he might be forced into agreeing to play Cupid on a quest to bring AJ and Darcy back together.

And even though he was still racked with guilt over what he’d done, Reed felt sick to his stomach at the thought of Darcy and AJ rekindling the spark AJ claimed had been absent.

“Listen, man,” he said roughly. “Before you say anything else, there’s something I need to—”

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” AJ cut in, “but I feel like a total shit letting her down. I mean, I agreed to this months ago. But I think it would be too awkward to follow through.”

Reed blinked. “Follow through on what?”

“I told Darcy I’d help her with this self-defense thing at her school.” AJ’s expression darkened. “You heard about that kid who was attacked in Dorchester at the beginning of the summer, right? The ten-year-old who was jumped by a group of teenagers for his allowance money?”

Reed nodded. He’d seen it on the news, and he’d been overcome with anger when he’d found out what those older boys had done to the poor kid.

“Well, that boy went to Darcy’s school,” AJ said grimly. “I don’t think he was in any of her classes, but she knew who he was, and she was so damn upset when she heard what happened. I was over at her place a few days later and we came up with this idea to run a self-defense workshop for her eighth-graders. The school barely has enough money to keep the extracurricular activities going, so I offered to come in for free and go over some of the basics with the kids.” AJ let out a breath. “I feel like a jackass for backing out, but I figured maybe you could take my place. The workshop is scheduled for the first week of school. Next Wednesday, I think.”

Reluctance rose inside him, not because he didn’t want to help out, but because agreeing to do so meant putting himself in close proximity to Darcy again. “Oh. I’m not sure if, uh…”

AJ frowned at him. “It’s only a few hours of your time, man. One hour after school for three days. And the club doesn’t open until seven, so it won’t interfere with work.”

One hour a day for three days? That was
three hours
. Three hours in Darcy’s company, three hours of looking at her gorgeous face, three hours of fighting the urge to taste those sweet lips again.

God. He’d never survive it.

But what kind of heartless jerk said no to teaching a bunch of kids how to stay safe? Darcy taught at a public school in a low income, high crime area, where most of the students walked to and from school, crossing through some of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. Knowing self-defense was imperative for those kids, and the fact that AJ and Darcy had come up with a plan to make that happen only confirmed what Reed had already known: the two of them were goddamn saints.

He stifled a sigh. Clearly this was a damned-if-he-did, damned-if-he-didn’t situation.

“Sure,” Reed said with nod. “I’d be happy to help out.”

AJ looked pleased. “Thanks, man. Do you mind contacting Darcy to tell her about the switch? I can forward you her number right now.”

Reed tried not to choke on the guilt as AJ picked up his phone and swiped his finger across the screen.

Damn it, what was the matter with him? The whole point of meeting AJ tonight had been to confess the truth, and instead, he’d agreed to place himself directly in the path of temptation again.

It was becoming glaringly obvious that he was a glutton for punishment. That seemed to be the only justification for all the screwed up decisions he was making lately.

Though if there was another explanation, he sure as hell would love to hear it.

…

Girls’ night was always a fun affair, but tonight, it was also a life preserver. Or maybe sanity preserver was a more accurate description. Ever since her thrilling, incredible,
immoral
encounter with Reed, Darcy had been caught up in a never-ending freak-out session, and she was in dire need of a distraction.

Since that night, she’d felt like she’d boarded a seesaw, alternating between bone-deep shame and uncontrollable longing. She’d almost called him a gazillion times demanding they do it again, except this time without a stitch of clothing acting as a barrier between them.

God, just
thinking
about him naked, imagining all those sculpted muscles pressed up against her, his powerful body crushing hers as his cock pumped inside her…it was enough to send a spike of desire straight into her core.

And, apparently, it was enough to bring her to countless self-induced orgasms, which she’d done frequently this week.

But whenever the urge to reach for her phone arose, she swiftly reminded herself that seeing Reed was
not
an option. Her breakup with AJ wasn’t even a week old, and even if the two men weren’t best friends, Reed Miller was the last candidate she’d consider for a relationship.

You could always take him for a fling,
a naughty voice pointed out.

She immediately silenced the thought. Nope, couldn’t do that, either.

Oh, and had she mentioned that Reed was
AJ’s best friend?
What she and Reed had done was so wrong it ought to be illegal. What kind of woman threw herself at her ex-boyfriend’s best friend like that?

And great, now she was slut shaming
herself
. Fun times.

“She’s not paying attention to us.”

The dry observation came from her friend Shannon, who taught art at Darcy’s school. Since nearly half the teaching staff at Jefferson Middle School were in their mid to late twenties, Darcy was friends with most of her fellow teachers, and often hung out with them out of school hours. Tonight, though, only Shannon and Jayani had shown up to the Italian bistro where their weekly girls’ night usually took place. It was Labor Day weekend, so everyone else was either busy or out of town.

Skyler Thompson, Gage’s girlfriend, rounded out their little group. Darcy had hit it off with the younger woman from the moment they’d met, but the pretty brunette’s presence tonight only reminded Darcy of Sin, which in turn reminded her of AJ, and from there, it didn’t take long before her thoughts drifted right back to Reed.

“It’s okay,” Skyler spoke up with a laugh. “She gets a pass. Breakups suck.”

Shannon’s features softened as she looked at Darcy. “Are you doing okay, hon? You keep saying you’re fine, but none of us will blame you if you want to cry a little.”

Grinning, Jayani slid her linen napkin across the table. “Seriously, go for it. Maybe the waiter will comp our meals if you unleash the waterworks.”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Jay, if you want free food, just flash him that million-dollar smile of yours. That usually seems to work.”

The stunning Indian woman didn’t bother denying it. Jayani looked like she’d stepped off the set of a Bollywood movie, her features so flawless and exotic that she turned heads wherever she went. She was also six feet tall, which only added to her supermodel good looks.

Jayani batted her eyelashes. “It’s not like I actively
try
to get free stuff. It just gets handed to me. What am I supposed to do, say no?”

Darcy and Shannon hooted, while Skyler giggled. Gage’s girlfriend had joined them at girls’ night enough times to have witnessed the way men looked at Jayani, and how easily she got her way without even having to ask.

“Oh, and to answer your question, I really am fine,” Darcy told her friends.

“Really? You don’t miss AJ at all?” Skyler hedged.

“I miss the friendship part,” she admitted. “But the rest of it…God, this is going to sound horrible, but whenever AJ and I had sex, it was about as exciting as white rice.”

She knew the picture she’d painted wasn’t a pretty one, but it was the truth. Sex with AJ had been blander than bland. Hell, even kissing him had lacked excitement. AJ’s kisses had been nice, but so very sedate.