Bedding The Bad Boy (Dalton Brothers Novels) (6 page)

Plus, she’d tried to flirt by exposing her body before, and look what a disaster that had turned into…

“Look, Grace,” Lucy said over the noise of the crowd. “No one knows you in Vegas. You’re free to do what you want. There will be no consequences. No one’s here to set you up. Now cross your leg.”

“Lawd, Lucy. If I do, can we get out of here?”

“If you do and he comes to talk to you—and I
know
he or some other guy is going to come and talk to you—and you give him a fair shot and decide you’re not into him, and you do that maybe a dozen times and get the same results? Then we can go.”

A dozen times? Eating worms was sounding really good. “Lucy—”

“You promised one more night before you start your plan, Grace. One night to find a man who will at least
try
to give you that orgasm you’ve been complaining about for all these years.”

“I don’t complain,” Grace said, startled. Did she? The fact that she’d had a few lovers but had never achieved orgasm with them bothered her. It did. It hot-and-bothered her. Enough that she’d contemplated asking Max Dalton for help. But she hadn’t thought she’d brought the problem before her friends
that
much.

“You hardly ever complain. You almost take it like it’s a given. Now cross your fucking leg.”

Grace crossed her leg to shut Lucy up.

And her skirt slipped. Enough to show the lace edge of the silk stocking and the lace strap that led to the edge of her garter.

She glanced across the room at the man in the grey suit. He was staring at her—not at her face, but firmly at her leg, where the silk stocking left off and her bare skin began.

She felt a little quiver between her legs, further proof of what she already knew: she had a bit of an exhibitionist in her. It’s why she’d flashed Steven LaBrecht at the university mixer. She liked teasing a man in public. Loved the idea that he or she could get aroused in a room full of people. The fact that it was a
little
quiver told her she wasn’t all that interested in the guy staring at her. Now if he’d been Max?

The little quiver turned into a rolling pulse that made her gasp.

Heat flushed her neck and face.

Why had she let her friends talk her into this? What she’d said earlier was true. She was used to getting herself off and right now she could be back at her hotel room, doing just that while thinking about Max. She did it a lot, and it never failed to make her come hard.

The man in the grey suit finally caught her gaze. He smiled—not a
bad
smile, per se, but his teeth weren’t as strong and white as Max’s, and his lips were thin and stretched too far back, showing his gums. He had nice shoulders and seemed tall enough. Hot, just as Lucy had said. He turned back to his friends, and Grace quickly did the same.

“I think Grey Suit is comin’ ovah here,” she whispered, desperation starting to form. She wanted to leave. But she also didn’t want to let cowardice drive her the way it had last night at Lodi’s. She didn’t want to regret her life to the point she spent the next few decades
complaining
about it. She never wanted that.

She could do this.

No, she couldn’t do this.

Yes, she could do this.

But she didn’t want to do this. Not with
him
.

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

“Excuse me,” a deep male voice said from behind.

Her insides went to jelly, and not in a
wow, I’m about to get laid and isn’t this fantastic
way, but more like a
crap on a cracker, what have I just done
way. She forced her muscles to work, and turned to face Grey Suit.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, smiling down at her, “but I couldn’t help but notice you the moment I came in. I’ve been standing there with my friends for a while, trying to get my nerve up to come over and introduce myself. I’m Blake Jordan.” He held out his hand for her to shake.

Well bless his heart. That was sort of sweet. He’d been watching her, and had been nervous about taking the first step. Even if she didn’t sleep with him, she could still make small talk with the guy.

CHAPTER FOUR

Max’s Magic Rule #5:

Convince females in the audience you only have eyes for them.

Max was pissed for two reasons.

First, he was close enough to hear the scumbag currently trying to pick up Grace. The guy had hit on at least three different women before her, and had only focused on Grace when she’d shown her garter.

Second, Grace was showing said garter while wearing a mind-boggling short skirt. Her outfit was
come fuck me
wear most places, but especially in Vegas.

That meant even though Grace had been ready to ask for his help last night, she was now more than ready to give herself to another man. It was one thing for her to trust and respect Max enough to ask such an intimate favor, quite another to see him as just another dick that might get the job done. If that’s all she saw him as—

But even as Max’s anger continued to build, he saw the strain underneath her game face. No, coming to him last night hadn’t been easy for her. And the only reason she was here right now was because Lucy had encouraged her —Melina had said as much when she’d told Max where to find them.

Neither Grace nor Lucy had seen him when he’d arrived. And now he stood behind them as they faced the jerk-off—what was his name? Blake. Probably a fake name to go with the fake persona. Under the neon lights of the nightclub, the tan line on the man’s ring finger told him everything he needed to know. Max pulled some bills out of his pocket, handed the money to a passing cocktail waitress, then scooped two martinis off her tray. She gave him a crooked look, but then shrugged and walked off.

He came around from behind the girls’ table and held the drinks out—one for Lucy, and one for Grace.

“Hi, Dixie. Sorry I’m late with the drinks. Took forever to get them from the bartender,” he said, smiling broadly at Grace, who looked puzzled, and—though she hid it quickly—pleased to see him.

“Max,” she said slowly. “What are you—”

“Oh, sorry, babe. Did I get you the wrong martini?” He turned to the married jerk-wad and took his hand, shaking it before the man could walk away. “Hi. I’m Max Dalton. I’m the headliner at the Portofino. This is my date, Dixie. And you are?”

Next to him, he heard Lucy snort and mutter under her breath.

“Just leaving,” the man said. He pulled his hand out of Max’s tightening grip, turned and walked off. Leaving Max alone with one visibly annoyed and probably horny woman and another who was laughing hard enough to pee her pants.

“Dixie,” Lucy said. “I totally get it. Grace is a sweetheart and she’s from the south. Heart of Dixie.”

“You read my mind.” Max winked at Lucy then turned to Grace. “The guy was married,” he said. “And he’d tried picking up on three different women before you caught his attention with…” He stroked the outside of Grace’s thigh, tracing his hand up from her knee, past the tip of her stockings. Then, with one finger, he lightly flicked the garter strap.

Grace gasped.

Without taking his gaze off Grace, he said, “Lucy, you know I adore you, but Grace and I have something we need to discuss. Think you could make yourself scarce for a while?”

“Um, yeah. Sure. I’ll be at the bar. Grace? Find me when you’re done, um,
talking
to Max.”

After Lucy left, Max took his hand off Grace’s oh-so-sexy thigh and sat on Lucy’s stool. “We didn’t finish our conversation last night,” he said, getting right to the point.

“Oh, we finished it,” she said. “I’ve moved on.”

“So I heard,” he said.

Her face flamed, but she tilted her chin up, apparently not willing to be intimidated by him. “You did
not
overhear our conversation on the baby monitor.”

He just looked at her.

Exhaling loudly, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. But you did not hear the entire conversation.” She scrunched up her nose, which he found adorable. “Did you?”

“Answer this question first. Why are you willing to settle for having a child with a man you don’t love?”

Her brow furrowed. “
That’s
what you sent Lucy away to discuss?”

He shrugged. “It’s a bleak way of going about making a family.”

“Not all of us are about passion, Shugah.”

“Do you realize you only call me Sugar when you’re trying to pull the wool over my eyes? Newsflash: It’s not working. You overflow with passion.”

 “I have reasons for bein’… practical,” she insisted.

“I’m aware of that. That’s what brought you to the club last night, looking for me. It wasn’t that you just wanted me to give you an orgasm. You
needed
me to give you an orgasm because no other man has been able to get you there.”

She’d been pink before, but now she blushed so red she practically glowed. “Okay, so you obviously heard everthin’ I said over that baby monitor. But me comin’ to you last night? Call it a case of temporary insanity. Or massive sexual frustration. I wasn’t thinkin’ clearly.”

“I’m not worried. But I’m not stupid, either. I’m not going to let you brush off what you said as unimportant.”

She refused to answer, but for the first time, dropped her gaze from his to stare at her hands in her lap.

He leaned in close to her, mentally willing her to stay put. She held still. When he got his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “Last night, you told me what you wanted. Tonight, I’m telling you I’ll do it.”

She didn’t pull away. Instead, she turned her head until her mouth was even with his ear, and whispered back, “You’re a true gentleman, Max, but I told you what I
wanted
. I don’t want it anymore.”

He leaned back then, settled in his seat and grinned at her. “Liar.”

Her eyes darkened and he could swear she shifted, pressing her thighs together under that miniscule skirt. “It won’t work,” she said. “You made your choice when you walked away from me last night. I made mine. You know about my little… issue. I wish you didn’t, but you do. So you have to know how sick and tired I am of dealing with it. Elizabeth interruptin’ us last night was a sign. I’m finally receivin’ the message and movin’ on to more important things.”

“Bullshit. You’re embarrassed because of what you told me and pissed because I walked away. But I already explained why I did, and it had nothing to do with not being interested in giving you what you want. You know that’s not the case. You know how damn attracted I am to you, right?”

“Max—”

“Tell me you get how attracted I am to you, Grace.”

“You seem to be attracted to me, yes.”

“I have been for a long time. And you’ve wanted me, too. You need an orgasm? Then you’ve come to the right man. As for moving on to more important things, with said things being a baby and a stranger to be your baby’s father—”

“Will you please lower your voice,” she hissed, looking around. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying them any attention.

“—we can talk about that idiocy later.”

“It’s
not
idiocy. And it’s none of your business.”

“You made it my business last night. You made
you
my business.”

“Like I said, I trusted you last night. I don’t anymore. You walked away from me, Max. You left me there, feeling like a complete fool.”

He covered her hand with his. “I know I did. And I’m sorry. I promise, Grace, that won’t happen again.”

She shook her head, obviously not letting what he was saying sink in. “You’re my best friend’s brother-in-law. It would complicate things.”

That’s exactly what he’d thought. Why he’d never come on to her. Now that he knew Grace
needed
him, things had changed. “It won’t complicate things between the four of us because Rhys and Melina don’t have to know. Between you and me? I like complicated.”

“I don’t.”

“That’s right,” he said, placing a hand on her knee and skimming the top of her stocking with a finger. “You like things practical. It’s why you came to me last night. Because common sense told you if any man could give you what you need, it was me. Here’s a word of advice, Grace. When if comes to sex, trust your instincts.” His finger traced a little higher, insinuating itself just under the hem of her skirt. Damn, her skin was soft. So much softer than the silk of her stocking. Heat washed through him and his dick strained against his pants. He took a shallow breath and told himself to get it under control. Practicality, he reminded himself. That’s what they’d been talking about.

“Now tell me the truth,” he said as his finger traveled even higher up Grace’s thigh. With a gasp, she caught his wrist, stopping him from going father. “Before you came to Lodi’s, did you make sure your hotel room was spotless, and stash condoms and lube in the bed stand next to Gideon’s Bible?”

He was just teasing her, trying to get his own raging desire under control, but she glowered at him and pushed his hand away. “I was wrong. You, sir, are no gentleman.”

“And we’ve already established you need a good lay. I’m here to give it to you. The condoms we’ll use. The lube you won’t need. I’ll make you come, Grace. I’ll make you come so hard you won’t know if you’re still on this earth or in the ether.”

“Better men than you have tried,” she said.

He grinned, reached out and stroked a finger against her cheek. “See? That was your first mistake, Dixie. Because no one’s better than me. And I won’t stop until I’ve done whatever magic it takes to make you scream my name.”

“You arrogant—”

He hadn’t been planning it, but he couldn’t resist. Cupping the back of her head, he pressed his mouth against hers. Not aggressive. No tongue. But not tentative or shy either. He sipped at her lips as if she was a fine wine, and it was true—she was intoxicating. She tasted like peaches, soft and ripe and succulent.

He immediately wanted more.

So did she.

Her lips parted. Her tongue sought out his, taking his breath. Angling his head, he took the kiss deeper but only briefly. Even so, by the time he pulled away, they were both breathing hard. Staring at each other in a way that screamed encore.