Give and Receive - Bundle (Books 1-2): New Adult Romance (4 page)

Period.

There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.

Or to her, for that matter.

Another thing she didn’t need to know.

They harmlessly flirted.

Easily dabbled…

He might have jerked off a time or two, listening to the sound of her voice. But that was it.

Just
friends.

He looked at her mouth.

Wondering what her lips would feel like around his cock.

Her blood red lipstick would probably stain his skin.

Maybe the sheets. Especially if they were white.

She’d look like a naughty little angel in his bed.

A fallen one. With a crooked halo, of course.

Ty closed his eyes. Willing the image out of his head.

He opened them and found Lena staring at him.

Her gaze pensive.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

She looked away. Out onto the dance floor.

“Something.”

He followed her gaze. Bodies. Moving together. Distracting…sexual. Weirdly hypnotic.

“It’s just…for a second, you looked like you were thinking something pretty intense.”

She flicked an invisible piece of dust from the counter.

“Care to share?”

Ty met her gaze directly.

“Do you really want to know?”

His tone was teasing. Inviting.

Sexy as hell.

Lena cleared her throat, looking away.

“Never mind.”

He absently caressed a curl that fell down on her shoulder.

This time, she didn’t move his hand.

“Baby girl. What exactly am I going to do with you?”

He laughed softly, shaking his head.

“You know…sometime, I’m going to tell you exactly what I’m thinking. Whether you want to know or not. Maybe then we can finally have that talk.”

Lena busied herself with her drink, and didn’t answer.

He heard his voice, long before he approached.

On some instinctual level, Ty knew he was there.

He always found her.

Like some annoying heat seeking missile.

“What talk?”

Lena’s stomach did the same flip flop it always did, whenever he was in the vicinity.

Even after all these years.

Every time she saw him.

Just like the first.

Her conflicting feelings for Ty was a full time job.

The insanity of emotions she controlled on the regular for Danny Blake?

Triple fucking overtime.

If she were honest, she’d admit he was the reason she could never keep a relationship for long.

Every person you’re with comes up short.

Every man is a reminder of the one you don’t have.

Every second is torture.

And that much harder to want to stay.

But she couldn’t say that out loud.

Not to Reese. Not to anyone.

Not even to herself.

It would be too honest.

She was so loving the denial thing right now.

Yeah.

Denial worked for her in amazing ways.

It made her put her feelings for him in a little box. To be filed away for a later date. Right along with whatever the fuck was going on between her and Ty. Which needed to stop too.

Dammit.

It was confusing the fuck out of her.

She didn’t like being confused.

Clueless, she could deal with.

Repressed…tightly strung…she could work out.

She hated confused.

Speaking of confusion…

She knew there should be none.

At least where Danny was concerned. She thought some time ago there might have been something. Was sure she felt a connection. Positive he might have felt one too.

But he made it all so simple, right?

There was no room for error, or mistake.

He made his choice, years ago. Which basically dictated hers. He was married. Unavailable.
Hands off
.

Not that she gave a fuck about a ring, truthfully.

Her ginormous ego simply refused to be an afterthought.

Coming in second to some other bitch?

Not
an option. Lena came in second for no one.

Not even Danny Blake.

But sweet Jesus, he made it incredibly fucking tempting to break every one of her rules.

“Speak of the devil.”

Ty gave a nod to Danny, walking up to the bar.

“What up, brother.” He lifted his drink.

Danny nodded his greeting. His eyes focused on her.

Lena blinked at Ty. Deliberately not looking at Danny.

“No. Actually we weren’t.”

“No, actually we weren’t…what.” Ty sounded casual.

His attempt at being ponderously obtuse didn’t fool her.

She knew he was up to shit.

“No, actually we weren’t…speaking of the devil. Or Danny.”

She was carefully neutral.

Glancing at Ty with an indecipherable expression.

“Same difference, right? I kid. But real talk, though. You didn’t ask me where Danny was? Sorry. That’s my bad, I guess. Thought you did.”

He grinned, tossing back his vodka tonic.

He knew what he was doing, apparently.

What she couldn’t figure out was why.

“You were asking about me, L?”

Danny was the only one who ever called her that.

Her pussy’s engine began to start.

Purring softly with pleasure.

Get your life together, tramp.

“Oh. Yeah. I’m sure...I mean. Yeah. Of course.”

She gave Ty a pointed look. Which he ignored.

“You know I always like to hear how you and the rest of the guys are doing. My brain’s asleep or something.”

Her words were rushed...breathless.

“Well what are you waiting for? Give me some love, girl.”

She reached up, giving him a hug.

Carefully maintaining her distance.

His head bent down. Lips feather light. Grazing the sinuous skin of her collarbone. She always did feel like silk.

Her soft curls skimmed Danny’s lips.

Tickling as he closed his eyes.

He inhaled the sweet, fragrant peach blossom scent of her shampoo. Teasing, taunting his senses. He held her for a moment. Just a bit longer than he should have.

Almost like he never wanted to let her go.

When he opened them, Ty was staring at him.

As usual, taking everything in.

Silent.

Observing.

Knowing.

Danny started to give her a kiss on the cheek. Lena backed away, instinctively into Ty’s chest. His veined, sinewy hands surrounded her hips. Seemingly without thinking.

Almost protective in stance.

Possessive, even.

The action was duly noted.

Danny stared at those hands,
his
hands, for what seemed like an eternity. He raised his eyes. Locking with Ty’s.

Something silent…and unspoken passing between them.

He’d be a fool not to see the currents of electricity existing between her and Ty. Even if she didn’t.

Or wouldn’t.

Ty knew the same thing about Danny.

Had known for years, the way Lena felt about him.

Even when she didn’t know it herself.

She never seemed interested in bringing it to the sharing circle. Which was odd for two people who talked extensively about everything else. But she never offered.

He never pressed. Considering his own secrets, even he didn’t have that kind of nerve.

Life went on.

Lena didn’t notice any of this.

She was busy watching Danny. Still close enough to touch.

She looked at his cheekbones. Shadowing the dark hair falling forward.

She smelled his scent. Masculine and uninhibited.

Speaking of forbidden promise. A hundred taboo fantasies. Brought to life.

Like a gazelle being stalked by a large, hungry cat, her instincts told her she was in danger. She needed to run.

Now.

From the feelings he made her feel. From the chaotic madness she struggled to maintain, when he was near.

From the way her heart almost exploded in her chest, whenever she so much as tasted his name on her tongue.

Only then did she realize she was trapped between both men. Only then did she comprehend where Ty’s hands were.

And had been for some time.

Only then, when she felt a warm flush heat her face, was she aware of him. Carelessly rubbing her thigh.

It was useless to even try and get away.

Danny wanted to rip Ty’s hands off her body.

He knew it shouldn’t matter to him what they did.

But it mattered. Oh, did it matter.

Why should it? Aren’t you a happily married man?

Happy might be overkill, but that
was
the phrase used for the press. The one that kept them the fuck out of his business.

He was the private one. The rock star who actually shunned the attention and fame. Always the one least likely to be in front of the camera.

He left the limelight to Tyler and the rest of the band, preferring to be behind the scenes. Where it was safe.

Where he could always escape into anonymity. Where he could hide from the deception that was his life. It was just that every so often…the lies he lived with every day, became almost impossible to take.