The Infatuation (Josh and Kat #1 , The Club #5) (26 page)

Henn’s face is bright red. “I don’t think this is
such a good idea, guys.”

“Why the fuck not?” I say. I look at Josh with
defiance. “It’s just for instructional purposes, right? No big
deal.” Josh isn’t really gonna let me kiss another man in his
presence, is he—even if it’s just Henn? Even if it’s just for
“instructional purposes”?

“I agree,” Josh says, clenching his jaw.

I open my mouth, horrified. What the
fuck
?
He’s gotta be bluffing.

“The woman obviously places a shit-ton of importance
on kissing,” Josh continues. “So I’m sure her feedback will be
invaluable to you.” His eyes are searing holes into my flesh.

There’s no way he’s gonna let me go through with
this, right?

“No, it’s too weird,” Henn says. “I mean, you two
guys are a couple... right?”

“Josh and me?” I say through gritted teeth. “Noooo.
Josh and I haven’t even kissed—and we’ve mutually decided we’re not
going to. Ever. We just don’t see eye to eye on certain
things
.
”

Josh swallows hard, his eyes burning. “Kat’s right.
We’re never going to kiss because she’s a fucking terrorist who
takes some sort of sick pleasure in holding men hostage for ransom
she has no business demanding.”

“What am I missing here?” Henn asks. “What’s going
on with you two?”

“Nothing’s going on, like I said. Josh and I are
just friends—friends who don’t tell each other everything, and
therefore don’t kiss.”

Henn looks confused. “You require someone to tell
you ‘everything’ just to
kiss
you? What does that mean?”

“Nothing. Not
everything.
Just certain
things.” I clear my throat. “Things I’d tell if the situation were
reversed.”

Henn and Josh exchange a look.

I look down, color rising in my cheeks. Is Josh
really gonna watch me kiss another man?

“Go ahead, Henn,” Josh says. “
YOLO.
”

I swivel my head up to look at Josh. He looks like
he wants to kill me right now—right after he fucks the living hell
out of me.

Well, if he’s not gonna stop me, then I’m not gonna
stop me, either.

Is Josh really not gonna stop me?

I look at Josh. He’s glaring at me. I look at Henn.
He looks utterly confused.

“Okay, Henn,” I say. “Gimme your best kiss. I’ll
critique you from the field. And, Josh, you watch closely from the
nose-bleed seats so you can give Henn your feedback, too.”

Josh doesn’t reply.

“Did you hear me, Josh? I want you to watch Henn
kiss me—watch
closely
.”

“I heard you, Madame Terrorist.”

Henn looks at Josh, seemingly for permission.

“Go ahead,” Josh says. “Kiss her. She’s all yours.”
He exhales and leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his
chest.

He’s really not gonna stop me? Goddammit! I feel
like stomping my feet, I’m so mad. Doesn’t he realize this whole
thing’s not about his stupid application anymore? We’re way beyond
that now. Now it’s about something more—something bigger.

“Kat?” Henn asks. “Are you okay?”

I wipe my eyes, emotion threatening. I don’t look at
Josh—I can’t. I’m afraid if I do, my eyes will betray every last
thought bouncing around in my head. I want him. I want him so bad,
I’m aching. But I want all of him. Not just his lips or his very
large dick. I want to know what’s hiding beneath his Happy Josh
mask. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s do this,” I say.

“You’re sure you’re cool with it?” Henn asks me.

“Yeah. I’m sure.” I stand. “I can’t think of a
single reason not to.”

I can feel Josh’s eyes on me, but I don’t look at
him.

Henn stands slowly.

“And you’re cool, Josh?”

“Yup.”

My chest is tight. I still can’t look at Josh.
“Okay,” I say. “Gimme your top-of-the-line smooch, Henny. Hit me
with your best shot.”

Henn takes a slow step toward me. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” I put my finger up. “Just for
instructional purposes, though.”

“Yeah, I know.” Henn exhales. “Should I go brush my
teeth first? Have a mint?”

“Did you eat onions or garlic recently?”

“No. Chocolate cake, apple pie, cheesecake, ice
cream. Oh, and tiramisu.”

“We’re good, then.”

He exhales and shakes out his arms. “Whew.
Okay.”

Henn takes another step toward me. And then another.
But then he stops. He glances at Josh—but since I can’t bring
myself to look at Josh’s face right now, I have no idea what Henn
is seeing over there. Whatever it is, Henn obviously feels
emboldened by it, because he turns back to me and takes another
step, bridging the final gap between our bodies.

Henn cups my face gently in his palms and leans
forward.

I close my eyes and, within half a second, Henn’s
soft, warm lips meet mine, gently at first—as if he’s introducing
himself to me—and after a few seconds, coax my mouth open with
surprising confidence and skill. He slides his tongue into my
mouth, instantly leading my tongue into a sensuous, languid,
swirling motion—until, after one last flicker of his tongue, his
lips guide mine closed and he retreats.

Henn’s lips leave mine. Kiss over.

Holy shitballs.

I open my eyes to find Henn staring at me, his eyes
wide and face red.

I glance at Josh, my cheeks suddenly blazing with
heat, and my breath catches at the ferocious expression on his
face. I don’t know Josh well enough to understand exactly what
emotion he’s telegraphing right now—is that anger, arousal,
jealousy... or something else? Whatever it is, it’s clear to me the
man is feeling something fueled by a shit-ton of testosterone.

“I... That was... um . . .” I stammer. “Wow, Henn.”
I swallow hard. “I don’t think you need... any... instruction
whatsoever.”

Josh

Jesus Christ. Enough, already. When will this
torturous kiss between Henn and Kat end?
Enough
. Well, now I
know: I’m dealing with a fucking monster. A gorgeous, twisted,
evil, sexy fucking monster. I didn’t think she’d actually go
through
with it. What the fuck is she thinking? Poor Henn’s
never gonna recover from this goddamned kiss. I’m only watching it,
and she’s scarring me for life.

After what seems like forever, Henn and Kat
finally
break away from their kiss, and Kat’s eyes instantly
dart to me. I steel myself, expecting her to smile like the vicious
shark she is—like the prehistoric
killing
machine she is—but
the look on her face absolutely floors me. Her eyes aren’t blazing
with smart-ass defiance, no—they’re glistening with something
else...
Hurt
.

Henn hasn’t stopped staring at Kat since they broke
apart from their kiss, even though she’s looking at me. Jesus, the
poor guy looks like he just stumbled out of a hookah lounge.

Clearly, I’ve got to say something to smooth things
out here, even though I’m literally trembling in my seat with
adrenaline.

“Awesome, Henn,” I say. “You nailed it man—or should
I say
her
?”

Kat’s face contorts into unbridled disgust.

Henn fidgets and takes a step back.

“I watched your technique carefully, man,” I
continue breezily, “looking for any chink in your armor. But I
couldn’t find a damned thing to critique.
You
should be
giving
me
pointers, man.”

“Yeah, you slayed it, Henn,” Kat adds, her voice
tight. Her mouth smiles, but her eyes don’t. “All I’ve got is
praise, baby.”

I stand abruptly. “Well, I think I’m gonna hit the
sack. I’m pretty wiped.”

Kat stands. “Me, too. Unless you still need some
more help, Henn?”

“No, I’m good. I can take it from here.” He looks at
his watch and clears his throat. “Wow, it’s almost three. I’m gonna
get another Americano and start going through the first batch of
stuff that’s been processed through translation software.” He looks
at his three laptops sprawled on the table. “Should I move my shit
to my room and work there?”

“Nah, no worries. Stay put. I’m just gonna crash.
Gimme your room key, man. I’ll crash in your room.” My eyes flicker
briefly to Kat to get a read on her—to see if maybe she’s toying
with the idea of letting me “crash” in her room for the night—and
I’m met with blue eyes of steel. My eyes dart back to Henn. “What’s
your room number again, man?”

“1836.”

“Okay, well, nighty night, man.” I slide Henn’s
key-card into my pocket. “Don’t drink too many Americanos. That
shit’ll kill you.” I start moving toward the front door of the
suite. “Come on, Kat. I’ll walk you to your room.”

“No need.”

“I promised Jonas I wouldn’t leave you alone while
we’re here in Vegas, unless you’re safely in your room.”

She clenches her jaw. “Well, we wouldn’t want you to
break a promise to Jonas, would we?”

“Thanks again for all the help tonight, guys,” Henn
says. “You cut my workload down by hours.”

“Any time, bro. We’re all in this together.”

Kat hugs Henn and kisses him on the cheek. “You’re
amazing, Henn—a fucking genius.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“And thanks for the kiss,” she says. “I know it was
for instructional purposes only, but it was a really, really lovely
kiss.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. One for the memory book.”

“Hang on a sec, Kat,” I say. I quickly gather my
toiletries and a change of clothes from the bedroom and stuff
everything into a small duffel bag. “Okay. See you in the morning,
Henn. Do you need anything from your room?”

“No. I’ll call down to the front desk for a
toothbrush. I’m fine.”

“Okay. Good night, man.”

I silently guide Kat through the front door of the
suite.

“It’s all fun and games ’til someone gets hurt,” I
mutter the second the door closes behind us.

“I couldn’t agree more,” she says, gritting her
teeth.

“Didn’t look like you gave a shit about someone
getting hurt a minute ago,” I reply.

She whips around to face me, her eyes blazing. “What
the
fuck
is wrong with you?” she asks.

“I could say the same thing to you. Are you a
complete sociopath?”

“What? You’re the one who offered me up like I was a
wench at a pirate-bride auction.”

“Ha! I didn’t think you’d actually
do
it. I
hope you’re happy now. You’ve ruined that boy.”

“
I’ve
ruined him? You’re the one who threw me
at him! And now you’re all pissy because I did exactly what you
told me to do?” she seethes. “Who’s the sociopath now?”

I throw up my hands in frustration.

“It looks like I’m not the only one who’s a suicide
bomber, huh?” she says. “Looks like you’re willing to blow yourself
up to win every bit as much as I am.”

She’s right about that. Fuck. I’m a fucking suicide
bomber, goddammit. What’s happening to me? Kat’s driving me
certifiably insane.

Wordlessly, I grab her arm and pull her to the
elevators—I’m gonna drag her to her room and ditch her sorry ass
there, let her think about what she just did to poor Henn—what she
just did to me, goddammit—but when the doors open, something
overtakes me. This woman makes me fucking crazy. I can’t get enough
of her, even when she pisses me off.

I pull her inside the elevator, drop my duffel bag,
and slam her against the fucking wall, pressing my hard-on into her
and kissing her neck.

She moans loudly. “Yes,” she breathes.

“Stop torturing me,” I say, groping her breasts. “No
more fucking games.”

She throws her head back and lifts her leg around my
waist, guiding my hard-on into her crotch. I grind into her,
pinning her hands above her head, licking and kissing her face, her
ears, her chin—but not her lips. Fuck no, not her lips. There’s no
fucking way.

The doors open. We’re on her floor. I pick up the
duffel and drag her out of the elevator roughly and into the
hallway, but we don’t make it more than a few steps before I’m
attacking her again. Goddamn this woman. I pin her to the wall
again, just outside the elevator, and unbutton her jeans, sliding
my hand inside her pants. She cries out as my fingers slide into
her pussy. Oh God, she’s so wet. My dick is throbbing mercilessly.
I can’t stand this anymore. I’ve got to have her. “You’re evil,” I
say, sliding my fingers in and out of her. “You’re so fucking
evil.”

She moans loudly as my fingers fuck her
furiously.

She begins pawing at the front of my jeans, trying
to unbutton my fly.

“I’ve got to have you,” I growl. “Fuck this shit,
Kat. Come on.”

“Yes,” she says. “Do it. Come on.”

The nearby elevator dings.

I pull my hand out of her pants and leap back from
her, shaking with my arousal, and a small group of forty-something
women tumble out of the elevator, laughing hysterically.

“Which way?” I mumble. “I forget your room
number.”

She points. “2715.”

I grab her arm and yank her toward her room, my cock
throbbing, my nostrils flaring. “No more bullshit. I’m fucking you
right now. This is over right now.”

“Why didn’t you stop me?” she asks as I drag her
down the hallway.

“Because I didn’t think you were gonna actually go
through with it.”

“I thought for sure you were gonna stop me.”

We’ve reached her room. “Gimme your key. I’m fucking
you right now.”

She exhales. Something in her eyes has shifted. “No,
wait.” She swallows hard. “Why didn’t you stop me?” Her eyes are
glistening with obvious hurt. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to
stand seeing another man kiss me—even Henn.”

My heart squeezes. She looks authentically hurt.

“Kat,” I say, shocked at the genuine emotion on her
face.

“I thought you’d stop me.” She wipes her watering
eyes.

Oh, shit. I’ve fucked up here, haven’t I? I’ve
really fucked up.