Wild Renegade (5 page)

~Ace~

I
wake slowly the next morning. The sun is shining through a crack in the
curtains and landing right on my face. A soft female sigh has me turning my
head to the left where I see a mass of dark brown hair peeking out from under
the covers. Last night's events come back to me in a rush. Mmm, Nicole. She was
fucking amazing. I had her in the bathroom at the club then we came back here
to her room and had sex a few more times before passing out. She likes it rough
and so do I. I swear each time we did it, it got better and better.

I
roll over and snuggle up against her back, wrapping my arm around her waist. She
shifts back against me for a moment before she gasps and squirms away, shooting
up into a sitting position. She looks back at me, her eye makeup smudged under
her eyes, but as gorgeous as ever.
 
She looks around the room as if trying to
figure out where she is before she groans and drops her face into her hands.

"Oh
my god," she breathes.

I
reach out and touch her bare back. "Hey, you okay?" I ask, thinking that
maybe she's feeling sick and needs to throw up.

"What
the hell did I do?" she whispers. She slips out of bed, taking the top
cover with her, and stands there next to it. "You need to go," she
croaks as she arranges the cover around her naked body.

I
frown. "What? Why?" I ask in confusion, sitting up.

"I'm
such an asshole. I just became the one thing that I swore not to become,
another notch on your bedpost. Fuck, I'm no better than Hillary..." she
rambles.

"Whoa,
what are you talking about?" I ask, taken aback by the direction of her
thoughts.

She
starts toward the bathroom, waving a dismissive hand. "Nothing, just...can
you please leave?"

I
toss the sheet aside and get out of the bed, starting after her. "No, I'm
not leaving until you tell me what the hell your problem is," I demand.

She
whirls around, her mouth open, probably about to give me shit, but she sees
that I'm naked and sighs heavily, slapping her thigh with her hand. "Can
you please put some clothes on?"

I
cross my arms over my chest and cock an eyebrow at her. "No, not until you
tell me what you're blabbering about."

She
gives me a hard stare. "I became 'just another dancer that you fucked,'
that's what I'm blabbering about. But don't worry, I'm not like Hillary, I
don't have any delusions that you're going to end up as my boyfriend or
anything. Yup, just go ahead and add me to your list of one night stands,"
she says bitterly. "I can't believe I fucking did that. I'm never drinking
again."

With
that, she turns and walks into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
I stare at the door in confusion. Was that just a one-night stand? Okay, I'll
admit that I hadn't thought about what I would consider her after this. I guess
I just figured that we would continue sleeping together. I'm not really looking
for anything more at the moment. I mean, I do like her a lot, but do I want to
be tied down to one woman? I don't know about that. I've been single for close
to a year now and I kinda like it.

I
turn and head back toward the bed. Bending over, I grab my underwear and put
them on. Maybe it is best if I leave. I quickly get dressed, grab my shit, and
go. I start down the hall toward the elevator. I rake my hand through my hair
just as my phone rings. I dig it out of my pocket and check the screen. It's my
bodyguard, Alex.

"Hey
man, what's up?" I answer.

"What's
up?! Dude, where the fuck are you? You took off in a cab last night and I have
no idea where you are!" he barks into the phone.

"I'm
at the hotel where the dancers are staying," I reply.

Since
we are doing rehearsals in New York, I'm able to stay at my place until the
tour starts, which is great because once we go on tour it's nothing but hotels,
buses, airplanes, and cramped spaces. At least in my house, I have tons of
space since I live alone.

"Do
you need me to come to you?" Alex asks.

"Uh,
yeah...yeah, that might be a good idea. Bring me a hat and sunglasses,
too," I murmur.

I
quickly turn back toward Nicole's room. I hadn't even thought about the chance
of someone seeing me. Without a bodyguard or a ride, I'd be a sitting duck, probably
getting mobbed as soon as I hit the lobby.

"I'll
be in room 625," I say to Alex.

"Alright,
be there in twenty minutes," he says and I can hear the irritation in his
tone.

We
hang up and I shove my phone back into my pocket. Alex is a great guy and an
even better bodyguard. He's been with me since the early years and we've become
really good friends, even though I annoy the ever living shit out of him most
of the time. And I know that he's pissed about last night. It's not the first
time that I ditched him and jumped in a cab without telling him where I was
going. I'm sure he's going to rip me a new one for it, too.

I
stop in front of Nicole's door. I really don't want to do this, but where else
am I supposed to go? I knock then wait. A minute later the door opens and
Nicole is standing there, now dressed in a tank top and shorts. Her face is
freshly washed but her expression is closed off. I find that I don't like that
look on her face. I don't like that she's hiding what she's feeling from me.

"I
thought you left," she says evenly.

"Yeah,
I forgot that I'm famous and don't have a ride or a bodyguard, so can I just
hang here until he gets here?" I sigh.

She
hesitates for a second before stepping back and letting me in. I go over to the
table and pull out the chair. I sit down and rest my elbow on the table so I
can prop my head against my fist. Nicole goes over and sits on the bed. The
silence stretches out for a couple of minutes and I can't take it anymore.
She's looking everywhere but at me and it really irks me.

"Things
don't have to be awkward between us, Nicole," I mutter.

She
scoffs and shakes her head.

"I'm
serious. It’s not like we can't still be friends."

"Oh,
really? Are you still friends with all of the other women you've slept with?
Cause, I mean, you and Hillary seem like the best of buddies," she snaps,
finally turning her angry gaze at me.

"Hillary's
a nutcase, and why are you mad at me?" I reply.

She
makes an aggravated noise. "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself for
letting last night happen. I'm never that stupid. We had sex in the bathroom
for Christ's sake!"

"And
it was incredible." I say with a lopsided grin and wink at her.

I
can see her fighting off a smile. She wants to stay mad but is having a hard
time.

"It's
going to be awkward for me now; everyone who was there with us knows exactly
what happened. How am I supposed to show my face again?" she huffs.

"Ya
know, most women would kill for the chance to sleep with me and they would wear
that shit like a gold medal," I drawl, raising an eyebrow at her.

She
gives me a bland look. "Don't flatter yourself, dickhead."

"I
love it when you curse at me," I purr.

Finally,
she barks out a laugh.

"There's
that gorgeous smile. Come on, Nicole, last night was great, probably the best
sex I've ever had. I don't want things to be weird between us," I say,
giving her my best puppy dog eyes and pouty lip.

She
smirks and rolls her eyes. "Best sex you've ever had, huh?"

I
smile rakishly. "Without a doubt," I say sincerely, crossing my heart.

She
chuckles. "You are something else, Ace Vaughn."

I
get up and go sit next to her on the bed. I take her hand and kiss her
knuckles. "And if you ever want to get in my pants again, all you have to
do is ask."

She
gasps in mock outrage and gives me a shove. I laugh. I stare down into her chocolaty
eyes and my heart starts fluttering. Which never happened to me before. Damn
it, I really like her. A lot. I reach up with one hand and tuck her hair behind
her ear, both of our smiles fading as we gaze at each other. Oh, fuck it. I
lean down and capture her lips with my own. She immediately melts into me, her
hands clutching the front of my T-shirt. Her lips are soft and warm and I think
I can kiss her for forever. I'm just about to deepen the kiss when three loud
knocks sound on the door. We jump apart. Shit, that wasn't supposed to happen.
I did not intend to kiss her again. Nicole sits there looking stunned as I hop
to my feet.

"I...uh...that's
probably Alex...I better go," I fumble.

She
nods jerkily and rakes her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, okay. See you
tomorrow," she says quietly, once again avoiding my eyes.

"Right,
see you tomorrow," I agree and start for the door.

I
put my hand on the knob and turn back one more time. Nicole is rubbing her face
roughly with her hands. I sigh as I open the door and step out into the hall.
Alex is there looking pissed as shit. The guy is an ex-FBI special agent and
looks
like a complete hard ass, which is exactly what he is.
His dark hair is cropped close to his head and his hazel eyes are stern and
shrewd. He's a couple of inches taller than I am, and built like a brick
shithouse. When he's not playing bodyguard for me, he's in the gym. Sometimes,
he even guards me at the gym while we both work out. He's ten years older than I
am, at 36, but he's definitely in better shape.

"I'm
tired of this shit, man," he grunts as soon as I shut the door.

"Got
it. Can we get outta here so I can smoke?" I grumble.

He
mumbles something under his breath as he hands me a baseball cap and a pair of
black sunglasses. I slip both of them on as we start down the hall toward the
elevator. We get out to Alex's tinted out Hummer without incident. As soon as I
get in, I pull out my pack of cigarettes from my jacket pocket and stick one
between my lips. Alex climbs in the driver's side and starts the beast. I crack
the window then light up.

"Yo,
did I say you could smoke in my truck?" Alex snaps.

"Shut
up and drive," I mutter around the cig.

"You
really need to quit."

"Noted."
I sigh.

He
glances over at me. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I
shake my head. "Nothing, why?"

"You're
acting weird. Did that chick you fucked slip you something? See, this is why
you shouldn't take off without me. How the hell am I supposed to do my job when
you fucking leave without me?" he rants, flailing his arms around.

I
pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head. "Dude, relax, she didn't
slip me anything," I grunt before taking another drag off my cigarette.

"Then
what the fuck is going on with you?"

"I
just...I don't know what to do about her. I really like her." I sigh, blowing
out the smoke from my previous drag.

I
catch the look that Alex gives me. He thinks I'm friggin' bonkers. "The
dancer chick you've only known for like a week?"

"Her
name is Nicole."

"Not
relevant. I don't see how you can really like her when you know nothing about
her. You don't know her favorite color, food, or music. You don't know anything
about her family or her beliefs..."

"I
know that she's funny and smart..."

"...can't
be too smart is she fucked you last night..." he mutters.

"...watch
it, asshole!" I bark and punch him in the shoulder.

Alex
sends me a dry look. "What if she's crazy?"

"She's
not crazy."

"You
don't know that. She could have a mental disorder for all you know about her. I
mean, look at Hillary, she thinks you're her boyfriend or some shit," he
says, giving me a pointed look.