Heartstopper Page 3

  “Why not sexy? Or hot? I like that better than cute.”

  “I’d say you have all three covered,” he growls lightly, sitting next to me. “I can think of a few more words to describe you too.”

  A flush comes to my cheeks at his compliment and I’m momentarily robbed of speech. This guy’s a silver-tongued devil, and he’s got a voice that seems to heat my body every time he speaks.

  He nods at my beer. “I don’t peg you for a Bud Light girl.”

  I recover and shake my head, making a face. “I’m not—haven’t touched it. I don’t really like beer.”

  He grabs the bottle and sets it in front of him and signals one of the waitresses. “Let’s get something new for the lady!”

  She comes over and gives him a look like she’d love to take him out back and ride him like a cowgirl. I know Jake has to be used to it though. The man’s probably a player. Then again, maybe that’s what I need tonight—a man who knows what he’s got, knows how to use it, and knows how to make me scream to the heavens. “Something in particular?”

  He turns to me, giving me a wink. “She’d like a Sex On My Face.”

  I gawk, shocked at his forwardness, but the waitress doesn’t even bat an eye. And in my mind's eye, I can see myself grinding all over those sexy lips of his. My face turns red at the thought and I push it away. For now. “Of course, sir.”

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I say, trusting that I was just ordered a drink and not a room at the Holiday Inn.

  “Nonsense, you’ve got to try it,” Jake says with a laugh. “It’s one of the house specials.”

  His persuasive charm just wins me over. The waitress brings back the drink, and at first I think it looks like an iced tea. I take a sip, my eyes widening. “This is good!”

  He winks at me. “Told you. Take it slow. I’ve heard that they can hit hard.” He takes the beer and sniffs it, then turns it up, drinking about half of it. “So, how’d you hear about the club?”

  “My friend Hannah,” I say, pointing her out on the floor. “She told me about it. I needed a night out to relax and have some fun.”

  And I need a man like you to take care of a certain need, I think to myself.

  Jake nods. “Well, you picked the right place. Even for opening night, it’s not over the top. This place has class.”

  “You’re telling me,” I agree. I think it’ll be what makes Club Jasmine popular for a long time. They could pack this place and tear the dance floor up, sure. But the building’s got enough inherent class and charm that it’ll be a chill spot too. “What about you? What brings you here?”

  A slight smirk comes to one of his lips. “I’m friends with one of the owners.”

  I stare at him as I take a sip of the delicious drink. It’s something else he’s not letting on to, but honestly, I don’t give a fuck. I didn't come here to learn his life history. And I damn sure don’t care about his friend. I just can’t get over how handsome he is. Those lips look like they could do damage between my legs, and the more I see them move, the more I want to feel them pressed against mine.

  He asks me more questions about myself, but I can barely hear or find the focus to answer. I can only focus on his perfect smile. The more he talks, the more I feel like I want him. Even if it is only for a night.

  I finish my drink in a hungry gulp and lick my lips in the most seductive manner I can. Damn, I don’t know if that drink was seriously that good or if literally anything would taste amazing right now.

  “I was thinking . . .” I say, running my hand along his arm. Shit, I’m playing the seductress to the hilt. I even have my next line planned, something about how I’d like to have a little more sex . . . on his face.

  He raises a brow at me, and anxiety twists my stomach as I look into his eyes. I’m suddenly uncertain. He has to get more pussy than animal control. My ego can’t take a hit right now.

  But looking around the room, I realize one thing. He’s the only one I want. If I can’t have Jake, I’m going home alone.

  I suck in a breath. Fuck it—you only live once.

  “Look, would you like to go somewhere?” I cringe. I know I must sound so fucking desperate, like some slutty skank. But isn’t that what I came here for? I’m hot and heavy and this guy is doing crazy things to my ovaries just by sitting next to me. I need him.

  He turns, looking me in the eye. “Direct, aren’t we? I can’t imagine an angel like you . . .”

  I’m shocked when he seems to steel himself. He turns the bottle up and in one gulp drinks the rest, smacking it down on the bar, and growls almost ferally. “Let’s go.”

  He gets up from the seat and I jump to my feet. He puts his hand on the small of my back as he leads me to the back of the club. “Where are we going?”

  “Told you, I know the owners. There are . . . private places around here,” he says, and I dismiss it. Fuck, I don’t care if he takes me into the VIP bathroom. I’ll take it right now.

  The show is about to start for the band. I’m gonna miss it but I don’t care. He takes me through a door and into a hallway. We come up to another door, and like magic, he produces a key to get in. Before I can ask him why he has a key, he’s on me like a dog in heat, pushing me up against the wall and devouring my mouth in a hungry, fiery kiss.

  Our lips crash together, and he’s doing crazy things to my body, his hands roaming over my dress and lighting my skin on fire.

  “Take me,” I moan, my thighs trembling with need. Ten long months. And if that huge, hard cock pressing against my thigh is any indication, I want it right fucking now.

  “Not here,” he half-moans, half-slurs in lust, stepping back and taking me by the hand. He leads me down the darkened hall to a room. He opens the door and turns on the light. It’s a medium-sized room with a bed and some rugs in the center. What the fuck is a bed doing back here?

  But I don’t care about that. I want him.

  He’s back on me again, and we’re kissing, his hands tugging on my dress. With every inch of my skin that’s exposed, the fire in my stomach grows as I feel all the sexual frustration start to boil over.

  “I’m gonna give you a night to remember,” I growl in his ear as I pull off his shirt. “You’ll never forget Roxy.”

  Damn, call the exorcist. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s like the devil himself has possessed my body.

  I rip off his shirt with an animalistic snarl. The air freezes in my lungs when I see the hard abs of his stomach. He wasn’t fucking lying about being the man of steel. The rest of him has to be pure perfection.

  “Your tits are amaaazing,” he says, his slur growing, his hands squeezing my breast weakly.

  What the fuck? Damn, how is he drunk already? He only had that one beer. I pay it no mind. I push him back onto the bed, tugging my skirt up to my waist and mounting his hips, feeling the hard bulge of his groin rub against my panties.

  “Fuuuuuck, baby,” he moans. His voice is sluggish. “I love how aggressive youuuu are . . .”

  “Shh, baby,” I tell him, slipping my dress down and showing him my breasts, turning my dress into just a band around my waist. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

  I swear it looks like he’s fighting to stay awake. But I don’t need long to send him to heaven. I trail my hands down his abs and down to his happy trail. Reaching his belt, I hungrily unbutton his pants.

  “Baaaby . . .” he moans, almost like he’s gasping for air. I take the gasps as if he can't wait to be inside me. Fuck, I can’t either.

  I get his pants down and am about to pull his cock out and slide on a condom when he grabs onto my breasts with the force of Zeus. He holds tight and lets out an unearthly gasp, his eyes fluttering.

  I stare down at him in shock as he takes one last breath and then seems to go unconscious.

  “What the fuck?” I know I was about to give him the most glorious send-off he ever had, but did he really just pass out? “Hello?”

  It takes some effort, b
ut I’m able to disengage his death grip from my breasts. They ache, and I wonder if I’m going to have a few bruises on them tomorrow. “Hello?” I repeat, leaning in closer. “Jake?”

  I shake him, and when he doesn’t respond, I give him a little slap on the face. He doesn’t move at all, and fear starts to clench in my belly.

  Hands shaking, I place my hand on the side of his neck. I don’t feel anything, and I’m getting more worried. What the fuck?

  My heart pounds in my chest as I stare down at him in disbelief.

  The Man of Steel is dead.

  Chapter 4

  Roxy

  “What do you mean, he’s dead?” Hannah yells into the phone. In the background, I can hear the bass of the club music, although it’s nowhere near as fast or as powerful as what’s in my chest. My heart’s pounding a thousand beats a minute, and it feels like I have a jackhammer going off inside me.

  “I-I-I don’t know, he just—”

  In panic, I pump Jake’s chest furiously. When that doesn’t work, I bitch slap him across the face with as much force as I can muster. “Wake up, bitch!” I yell. He doesn’t stir, and I slap him again. Still no response, and I stare in disbelief at his still body. How the fuck is this even possible? Is my pussy kryptonite or something?

  The first night out, I fucking kill a man. Just my luck!

  “Roxy, stop it!” Hannah shouts over my panicked gibbering. “Where the hell are you?”

  “I don’t know,” I moan, moving away from Jake and trying desperately to remember how I got here. “Somewhere in the back. We started to—and then he grabbed my boobs and . . . oh, God, oh, God, oh, God!”

  “Stop babbling! You’re not making sense!” Hannah snaps. She gives me a moment, then continues. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  Taking a deep breath, I relay everything back to her. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you out of the house!” Hannah snarls when I’m done. “The first guy you see, you go and fuck him to death!”

  “Hannah!” I wail in protest, feeling tears sting my eyes. That one stung. I didn’t mean to kill this fine specimen! I was being sarcastic before!

  A lump forms in my throat. She’s definitely not making this any better. “I don’t know why or how this happened, but please—”

  “Never mind that,” Hannah says, hearing my pain. “Listen, I’m sure you’re overreacting. He’s probably passed out drunk. You said he started slurring, right?”

  I glance over at Jake. He still has his color, but I’m afraid to go back over there. “Doesn’t look dead. But I didn’t feel a pulse.”

  “Just go check, God damn it!” Hannah roars.

  “All right, all right, geez. If I ever have a heart attack, you’ll be the last person I call.” Sucking in a deep breath, I go back over to the bed. I force myself to stare at him. Just when I’m about to give up, I see . . .

  “Oh, God!” I cry out. “He still has a hard-on!”

  “He has angel lust!” Hannah gasps before laughing. “Damn, girl, you weren’t messing around.”

  My face pinches into a frown. This isn’t the time for bullshit. “What the hell is angel lust?”

  “When dead guys have a hard-on,” Hannah says. “A lot better than calling it zombie cock, in my opinion.”

  I almost gag. Just great, not only did I kill a guy, but I left him with a big, hard, raging boner. I can just see the news now—Horny office drone kills handsome eligible bachelor and leaves him with a big, hard dick. Film at eleven!

  I take a deep breath and grab his wrist. I move my fingers around frantically, trying to find a pulse. Suddenly, I feel it!

  “He has a pulse!” I nearly scream, sweat breaking out on my forehead as I’m overcome with joy. “He’s alive! Alive!” I don’t mean to, but I sound like a Frankenstein movie.

  Now that I’m more coherent, I can see his chest rise and fall in shallow breaths, so faint that I can see why I missed it before.

  “Jesus, Rox! Don’t do that ever again!” Hannah yells before laughing. “You got me all worked up over here! Oh, and you owe me a night out. I was about to get my own itch scratched. Don’t have time for that now!”

  “How do you think I feel?” I start to feel worry all over again. “It was strange how he just passed out on me in the first place. One bottle of beer shouldn't have done something like that, even if he was drinking before. I mean, he went from rock solid to staggering in like three minutes.”

  “Who is he, anyway?” Hannah wonders. “Grab his wallet.”

  “His name is Jake, that’s all I know. I don’t know if I should do that . . .”

  “I’m not asking you to steal his money and credit cards, Roxy! Just find out who the man is!”

  I check his pants before finding his wallet in his jacket pocket. I pull it out and peek inside. It’s thick with a wide packet of hundreds, and my heart nearly stops as I pull out his ID. The photo that looks back at me is like I felt when I first saw him. That boyish smile, those sensual lips. Thank God I didn’t take him from this world.

  “Like I said, his name is Jake. Jake Stone,” I say, transfixed by his photo. I thought a good looking DMV photo was impossible. I guess it just needs Jake Stone on it.

  “Well, it sounds like Mr. Jake Stone needs some help.”

  “No shit. What should I do?”

  Hannah sighs. “It sounds like he needs to sleep it off. Just get out of there. I’ll find someone at the front and tell them there’s a drunk guy in the back room passed out.”

  “But—” I say, looking down at Jake. “What if he needs medical help?”

  “Then they’ll get it for him! But he’s just drunk, Roxy. Come on, you’re not supposed to even be back there.”

  Hannah has a point. “Okay,” I say finally. “Meet you out front.”

  Click.

  “I’m sorry, Jake,” I tell him. “But I have to go.”

  Jake makes a little sound. I stop, going back over to the bed and pushing his shoulder, jostling him a little.

  “Jake?”

  He snorts a little but doesn’t answer, but at least I can see he’s breathing more. I don’t know what the hell happened, but I’m glad he’s all right.

  I hear a bang somewhere outside and quickly jump to my feet. Someone’s coming. They’ll know what to do. Maybe he won’t even remember our brief steamy encounter.

  But I’ll never forget it, I think.

  “Catch you in another lifetime, handsome,” I say, blowing him a kiss as I scoop up my purse and things.

  I rush out of the room and nearly collide into a small man in a sharp suit. In my heels, the top of his head just about hits me in the chin. He looks surprised, his eyes going wide.

  “Hey, what the fuck are you doing back here?” he demands in a thick Bronx accent, grabbing me by the arm.

  “I was with a friend,” I hurriedly say, turning my face so he can't get a good look at me.

  He tries to pull me around to face him. “You’re full of shit,” he snarls. “No one is allowed back here.”

  “Well a guy name Jake let me in. He said he knows the owners,” I retort. “He had a key.”

  “Bullshit! Jake knows not to let any sleazy broads back here.” Sleazy broads? This little bastard is pushing his luck.

  A groan from inside the room pulls his attention away, and I seize the opportunity, pulling myself from his grasp as I shove him and take off down the hall as fast as I can in these heels. I guess all those performances onstage still help out. I can move in these damn things.

  “Hey!” the short guy yells. “Get your ass back here!”

  I grit my teeth and find my way back into the club and make a beeline outside, fearing every second that one of the club security is going to grab me. Those MIB-looking dudes are scary.

  Hannah is waiting for me by the fountain, arms folded, a scowl on her face.

  We walk to the car and get in, not saying a word until we’re inside. Suddenly, Hannah bursts out laughing. “This is just so damn craz
y. You were saying that you were gonna unleash the Rox, but damn . . .”

  “I dunno, Han.” I laugh. “It was weird! I almost shit a brick! I’m not going to want to go out for another ten months.”

  “Was he at least cute?”

  “Oh, gawd,” I say, relaxing as Hannah pulls out of the parking lot. A ripple of remembered heat and unquenched desire flushes my cheeks. “He was hot as fuck. And I bet you could crack walnuts with his ass cheeks.”

  We talk as Hannah drives, and she fills me in on the guy she danced with. I’ll admit, I feel a little bad about ruining her night. “So, are you going to call the guy?” I ask, shifting around to try and make my ass more comfortable. “I mean, you sound like you liked him.”

  Hannah thinks, then nods. “Yeah, I probably will. What about Jake? You get his number?”

  “I didn’t exactly think about getting his number,” I say sarcastically. I reach for my purse and open it, looking for my phone. When I do, I’m shocked by the thick black leather object inside. My memory flashes back, and I remember taking it out of his pocket and laying it next to my things. “Oh, shit.”

  “What?” Hannah asks, pulling into our parking lot. When I don’t answer, she parks and shuts off the engine. “Rox, what’s going on?”

  I pull out Jake’s wallet and show it to her. “I accidentally took his wallet in my rush to get out of there.”

  Chapter 5

  Jake

  “Jake!” I faintly hear a muffled voice urgently yell from what seems a million miles away. Something hits me in the face, and I mumble something. The voice speaks up again, this time closer. “Jake, wake up.”

  I let out a groan, my head pounding like that time I decided to do keg stands in college and lost my balance, hitting my head on the way down. I feel someone shaking me violently, but it's a chore to open my eyes.

  “Jake, what happened?” the voice says, and I can finally identify who it is. That Bronx accent is pretty much unmistakable.