Outside is just as crazy as inside. The New Year brings raucous celebrations to Atlanta’s streets. Couples kiss even though it’s several minutes past midnight, and the air seems to vibrate with the amount of noisemakers going off. The back exit spits us out along an alley and we sneak to the front of the club so that I can get my car out of valet. When it pulls up curbside, I suppress a groan, just waiting for Shelby to dig into it. If I’ve learned anything about her spitfire personality, I know that my rental will not go without insult.
As expected, she comes out swinging. “The hipsters called and they want their car back.”
“Some of us like to be environmentally friendly,” I say, holding the door open for her. She slides into the passenger seat. Her dress rides up her leg and when she catches me staring she winks.
All I want right now is to mold my hands around her body. Push her dress aside and find out if that know-it-all smirk can withstand an orgasm. But I press the Start button and turn this ridiculous car on instead.
Trying to keep my libido in check, all I can think of to say as we pull into the street is, “You have a brother?”
A look of trepidation snaps across her face but it’s gone before it can take hold. Then it’s back to the smiles and winks.
“Yeah.” She looks out the window again, at the night passing by in a blur. The next part comes out in a rush. “He lives three states over.” She looks back over her shoulder at me.
Lie.
But it’s the New Year and we’re all allowed a few lies. She shifts in her seat, letting her dress ride higher. She meets my gaze and gives me a wink, pursing her lips in a way that’s damn sexy. I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and urge the car to go faster, feeling the blood rush to my cock. Shelby’s gonna be the end of me with her flirty talk and killer ass. I’d give my baseball contract right now to get her out of that dress.
CHAPTER FOUR
Shelby
Hotels zoom by but Knox doesn’t show any sign of stopping. My brother wasn’t stupid. They chose this location because it is in the heart of the city. Atlanta has a thriving nightlife, but it’s good to attract to the tourist population as well. More people celebrating, more cocktails purchased, more business for the Sexy Bastards. Couples still ringing in the New Year keep the party going even if it’s well after midnight.
As we drive on, skyscrapers give way to houses. And parties in the street sink back to the glow of TV screens and nightlights. The houses blur together: a mix of left over Christmas lights and subdued celebrations around kitchen tables.
“Hey, Knox, I think you missed all of the hotels?” I ask. Hopefully, wherever we’re headed, it’s some place with a bed and preferably private…but at this point I’m game to test my wild side.
“Don’t trust me?”
“Give me a hint,” I say.
He looks over at me. “I’m going to teach you a new trick.”
I shiver in anticipation. I was always an eager student. Now if he would just find his damn hotel. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
“Something like that,” he says with a wink.
The houses are really stretching out here: huge lawns, white picket fences, the whole shebang. I frown. “But really, where are you staying? We are rapidly approaching suburban hell.”
“Patience is a virtue.”
This teasing is killing me, but damn if it isn’t turning me on. The longer Knox makes me wait, the deeper my desire grows, that ache growing with every passing minute. I need him, his lips against mine, his hands claiming my ass, and more. I don’t know what new tricks he has in mind, but I can only guess they’ll be mind-blowing. I shiver with anticipation.
“Well, I’ve never been exactly virtuous,” I say, meeting the knowing look he shoots my way head on.
This is going to be a great night. I only have a small twinge of guilt over Knox being Jackson’s business partner, but I squash it. This is my life. Jackson doesn’t get a say in who I date or who I see. No matter how hard he tries, Jackson won’t ruin tonight for me,
Knox pulls the car up to the side of a community baseball diamond and I raise my eyebrows. Looks like every other field in suburban America. My mom and dad used to drag me to a similar one every summer to watch Jackson play. They’d even tried to get me into softball, but it hadn’t stuck.
I give Knox a side-eye. “I know diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but for the record I prefer them shiny and encased in platinum.”
“I hope you find a guy with deep pockets for those expensive tastes.”
“Being owner of a bar doesn’t cut it?” I quip.
Knox laughs. “Unfortunately not. Too bad I don’t have a contract with one of the most successful teams in sports history.”