She quickly looks away and goes back to counting the money for her drawer. Her hair is loose today, falling over her shoulders in waves and her make-up is a little heavier than yesterday, reminding me of when I first spotted her in the nightclub. Even with that stupid gray uniform top—which makes her look more like a mechanic than anything else—she’s hot. There’s no fucking denying it.
She writes down the total when she’s done counting and she puts the pen in her mouth, effectively wrapping her soft lips around it, bringing back the vision of her blowing me. I know the simple gesture she’s doing with the pen isn’t sexual in any way, but try telling my fucking dick that. The motherfucker is twitching in my pants at the very sight of it.
Damn. Down, boy.
Holly glances up and catches me staring at her. “What?”
I pull her hand with the pen away from her mouth. “No distracting the teacher.”
Her eyes flit to the pen. “I don’t get it.”
“Men get distracted when a woman puts things in her mouth, especially when we imagine it’s our dick you’re sucking on,” I answer honestly. “If I’m going teach you how to hook a guy, then you need to know how we think.”
She rolls her eyes. “Not all guys are like that.”
“If it walks with a dick, and thinks with a dick...it’s a guy. Trust me on this. I am one, and I know how we operate. Sex rules us.”
Her lips twitch like she’s ready to laugh at me. “All right fine, oh wise one. Teach me.”
I walk around her, enjoying the free roam she is allowing my appraising eyes. This is going to be fun.
HOLLY
Trip pulls on the tops of my arms from behind me. “Put your shoulders back more when you stand.”
“This feels awkward.”
“It probably does, but men notice tits, and you’ve got an excellent set. Use them to your advantage.” He walks around assessing me. “There’s not much we can do with the uniform since Bill is so stuck on you wearing it, but we can figure out other ways to show off that hot body of yours.”
Surely there’s more to like about me other than that. “Jackson isn’t that shallow.”
Trip raises his eyebrow. “You’re talking about the same guy that left you to go after looser pieces of ass. Trust me, he’s a guy—we’re all shallow. Whatever you guys had before is over. We’re starting from scratch.”
I laugh. “At least you’re honest. It’s sort of refreshing.”
He shrugs his thick shoulders. “There’s no other way to be. Now, let’s work on flirting.”
I grin. “Oh, I can flirt, so we can skip that. I’ve already got that down.”
He fights back a smile. “Really?”
I throw my hands on my hips. “It worked on you at the club didn’t it?”
He steps in front of me and his eyes zero in on my chest. Both of his hands dart to my top button on my gray top and he releases it from its hole before moving on to the next one. “First of all, I was attracted to your banging body in that little black dress. It screamed, “Fuck me,” so that’s not flirting—that’s attention seeking. Believe me, I wasn’t the only one watching you shake your ass. I was just the only one brave enough to try and get with you even though you were there with another man.”
“You thought I was there with Max?” I ask even though it doesn’t surprise me. Max isn’t exactly the stereotypically homosexual male. There’s nothing feminine about him. People make the mistake that we’re an item all the time.
“Yep.”
“And you were what, going to steal me away from my date?”
Trip shrugs. “When I see something I want, I go after it. And that night I wanted you. That is until you let him drag you away from me. I figured it wasn’t worth the scene it would cause to kick his ass.”
I roll my eyes. “How do you know you wouldn’t have been the one on the receiving end of that ass-kicking? Max is a pretty strong dude.”
He gives me a pointed look. “If there’s one thing I know besides that I’m awesome in bed, is that I can fight.”
I sigh. “Okay, so you’re a badass—I get it. What’s the other reason you think I can’t flirt?”
He smiles. “I win the flirting debate because I believe it was me who came on to you first, so you can’t take credit for that.”
My brain attempts to wade through the drunken memories of a couple nights ago. “You may have started the dance, but I believe I’m the one who turned around to take it to that next level, allowing you to kiss me. Therefore I finished it. I get total credit for flirting with you first.”
He undoes the last button on my shirt. “No. Max dragged you away, effectively cutting us both off for the night. And Thank God for that. He deserves a fucking medal for performing a good deed. Can you imagine how awkward all this would be if we’d had crazy sex that night, only to meet up the very next day? That would’ve been a nightmare.”
I flinch. “Am I really that horrible that you would’ve regretted sleeping with me?”
Am I really that big of a bitch that people actually find me repulsive?
Trip tilts his head and slides his index finger under my chin. “You really have no clue how beautiful you are, do you?” When I shake my head, he takes a deep breath and then licks his lips. “Since you are oblivious as to what men see when they look at you I’m going to be blunt. I know myself well enough to know if I would’ve gotten a taste of that sweet little pussy of yours, I would have a full-on addiction. I could never maintain a purely professional relationship with you if that ever happens. I’ve tasted your lips, and that alone has me constantly thinking about you. I can’t even begin to image what being buried deep inside you would do to me.”
My eyes widen. No one has ever spoken to me like that before. It’s so dirty and primal, and...
sexy
. I ball my hands into tight fists at my side to keep them from reaching out to cling to him, but he’s right. Even if we find each other attractive, we can never act on it. It would ruin everything. His job, my family’s business, not to mention any chance I have of getting Jackson back—that would all be in danger. “You shouldn’t say things like that to people.”
Trip gazes into my eyes. “Why shouldn’t I? It’s the truth. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about that night. What it would’ve been like if Max hadn’t stopped us.”
Heat pools in my belly and all I can think about is tasting his mouth, and how much I want to do it again.
Gah! What in the hell am I thinking? I shouldn’t want that. I can’t want that. I want Jackson, right? He’s the guy I’m supposed to be with. Isn’t the guy you’ve known your entire life the safer bet? Max’s words about Trip being a tasty piece of danger ring in my mind. He is so right. Trip is dangerous, and tasty, and I do need to stay away from him. He makes me want things I shouldn’t with a guy I know isn’t going to be sticking around much longer.
Trip is a heartbreaker. I saw with my own eyes how easily he can move on to someone else. I know I get too attached when it comes to men. It might’ve been different if I never saw him again after a one-night stand, but now I know him, which only further confirms we can never be together.
As I stare into Trip’s eyes, I can see him struggling too. Even through all the outrageous flirting, I can tell he’s been trying to keep his distance and behave.
I take a step back and clear my throat, trying to rid us of the strange, sexual tension in the air. “Okay, what next?”
He shakes his head like he’s coming out of a daze. “Since you know flirting, let’s skip to the biggest flirt of them all. Give me your best fuck-eye.”
My lips pull into a tight line because I’m clueless as what he wants me to do. “My
what
?”
He folds his arms across his chest. “You know the look that says, “Hey, I wanna fuck your brains out.”
My lips twist and I start to make the most sensual face I can, but I can tell by the laugh he’s holding back that I look more like a dying duck than a sexy woman. “I suck at this. Let’s move on.”
Trip chuckles. “No. If you want a man to notice you, it’s important to nail the
come hither
look. It gives people the guts to approach if they know they won’t be rejected. Here, like this.”
He tips his head down and then lifts his chin, effectively giving me the smoldering look that the fictional, cartoon character gives in that one movie. I have to admit, it’s pretty damn good. There’s no doubt what that look means. It’s quite impressive he can turn it on so quickly.
“Trip...” I begin to tell him there’s no way I can do that.
“Shut up. I’m eye-fucking you. Don’t break my concentration,” he says without changing his expression.
I shake my head. “Well, not everyone is as good as you at that. We can’t all be sluts.”
The sexy look morphs into a concerned one. “Who said I was a slut?”
I roll my eyes. “Please. I saw how fast you rebounded from me at the club.”
One side of his mouth pulls down. “You caught that, huh?”
“Yeah, I did.”
He leans into me. “Just so you know, she was a lousy lay. I imagine you would’ve been a thousand times more fun.”
“Jeesh, thanks. That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“It would me. I’d be a happy man to know you like to think of me while getting pleasured.”
I shake my head. “You and that mouth.”
“What?” he laughs.
“Well, it’s dangerous. Max was right about you.”
“You and Max talk about me, huh?”
I shrug. “A little.”
“Girl talk?”
He eyes snap in my direction. “What do you mean by that?”
“Come on. It’s not like it’s a huge secret that he’s gay.”
I narrow my eyes. “It is around here. How did you know?”
I quickly think back, and there’s not one moment I can recall where I may have disclosed Max’s secret.
“It was an easy guess. When he acted all put-off when I asked if he was your man, I knew right then he was probably gay. No guy in his right, heterosexual mind would be turned off when thinking about tapping what’s between your legs.”
I know in his twisted brain that was probably a compliment, but his vulgarity won out, making it a feel a little sleazy. “Thanks...I think. Max is my best friend, and I guess if we are pretending to date, you should know that.”
Trip nods. “You’re right. We should really get to know each other to make this feel real. What else can you tell me?”
I bite the inside corner of my lower lip. “There’s not much to know, really.”
“How about sexual history. Couples usually talk about that pretty early on in a relationship. If Jackson says something to me about it, I want to be prepared.”
My stomach squeezes for a brief second like we’ve just hit the first big drop on a roller coaster. I hate the idea of Trip knowing I’ve only slept with one man my entire life, and it just happens to be the one guy I’m trying to win back. I’m sure it’ll give him a good laugh, knowing I’m such a prude. He’ll never let me live it down. But in order for us to make this lie work, I should at least be honest with him. “Only one.”
There’s a look of surprise on his face. “Really? Wow.”
“Why would that surprise you?” I’m a little offended he would believe for a second I’m an easy lay.
“At the club, the way you moved, that said to me you had volumes of experience.”
Whatever. That’s like judging a book from its drunken cover. “Just because a girl dances a certain way doesn’t mean she’s been around a lot.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t be so quick to tramp-stamp a girl, but you have to admit, the way you moved that night wasn’t virginal.”
I fold my arms. “Just because I said I’ve only been with one person doesn’t mean I’m not experienced.”
Trip reaches out and runs his fingers down the bare skin on my arms. “Believe me, sweetness, you’re inexperienced until you’ve been with me. If I fucked you, I’d take you to a whole other level.”
My mouth drifts open and I squeeze my thighs together, trying to relieve the tingle between my legs. The way those naughty words roll off his tongue makes me wonder what other wicked things it can do.
Trip’s gaze holds mine. It’s like he’s waiting for permission to pounce on me. I think I want this. I’ve been thinking more about him today than I have Jackson. All his teasing is driving me crazy.
I open my mouth to drive deeper into the subject of us having some crazy-random sex together, the screen door shuts, jerking me attention away from Trip. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Jackson Cruze stands in my doorway with his black and white riding gear on and smiles a smile so beautiful it makes me nearly forget the heat I was feeling with Trip only moments ago. I pull my arm away from Trip’s touch and shake my head. “No. Come on in. I’m glad you came.”
“Me too,” Jackson says as I step around the counter and allow his eyes to roam over my body. Remembering Trip’s coaching, I allow my shoulders to fall back and arch my back a bit. It totally works as I catch Jackson’s hungry eyes inspecting my breasts beneath my tank-top. “You look great. There’s something different about you and I can’t get over how amazing you look, Holly.”
Trip clears his throat and then throws his arms around my shoulders in a possessive manner. “You better learn how to get over it really fast. She’s mine now, and I don’t appreciate you staring at her like that.”
I smack Trip’s washboard abs. “Stop it. Jackson and I are just friends. He’s moved on, just like I have.”
Trip’s eyes burn into mine. “I know you have, baby, but I don’t like old friend you used to fuck hanging around you. Don’t want them getting any ideas that they can have a taste of what’s mine now.”
“Trip!” I scold him. “Be nice.”
Trip drops his gaze on me and tilts my chin up before planting a kiss on my lips. I close my eyes and decide not to fight him on this as I relax and allow his tongue entrance into my mouth. Everything going through my mind about how to play this in front of Jackson fades away. Jackson clears his throat now and my eyes snap open as the not so subtle sound reminds me this little show is for an audience of one.
Trip grins when he pulls back. “That’s just a reminder of what you got last night. No playing nice with the douchebag over there. If he tries to touch you, I’ll break his fingers.”
Before Trip even fills me in on the next step in the plan, he heads out the front door. I flinch when the screen door bangs shut behind him. I know he’s playing the role of jealous boyfriend, but damn if that kiss didn’t feel real.