The bar was packed. Music blared over speakers set all around the room. There was no live band tonight, but it was the middle of the week. The lights flashed around them, full of purples and blues and reds. In the middle of the dance floor, dozens of bodies swayed and rocked in time with the beat.
Penny couldn’t believe she’d let Josey and Cody talk her into this adventure. Yes, she wanted to do something special for her birthday, but this was… utterly ridiculous. So many people. So much heat. The smell of sweat and sex permeated her nostrils, making her dizzy. She was way out of her element.
Cody poured her another shot and slid it to her as a guy sat down on the bar stool next to hers. “Bottoms up, Penny.”
She glared at him, but she dutifully took the shot, gasping as the liquor burned down her throat. Her vision spun almost immediately, and she was glad they’d called an Uber to get there instead of driving. She set the glass back on the bar and Cody swept it away.
“One more, please,” a deep baritone voice said beside her.
Penny glanced to her side as Cody nodded and turned to grab a beer from the cooler. Her breath whooshed out of her in a rush as she got a good look at her new neighbor. The guy had a jaw chiseled out of granite, a light layer of stubble covered the strong jawline. He had high cheekbones, and a mouth that looked about ready to turn up into a mischievous smirk, but it was his eyes that caught her attention. They were bluer than the ocean in the tropics, yet they stormed inside like a caged hurricane. He wore a ridiculously loud light blue shirt covered in birds, but somehow, he managed to make that the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.
She blinked a couple of times, like maybe she imagined him, but he didn’t vanish. He was real. And he was sitting next to her. He didn’t look at her directly, but she caught the flutter of his attention for one brief second. Even that brief moment turned her insides to liquid.
Cody set down a green bottle, popped the top, and slid it to the guy. “Five twenty-five, bud.”
A large hand slid a five- and two-dollar bills across the bar. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks,” Cody replied as he whisked away the cash, then focused his attention on Penny. “Let me know if you need another shot, Penny. Happy birthday.”
“Thanks, Cody,” she said.
“Your birthday?” The man had a mix of something in it. Irish, maybe?
“Yes, it’s her birthday,” Josey said. She elbowed Penny in the back, pitching her forward just a little. “I’m Josey. This is Penny.”
The man turned his torso toward her, resting one meaty arm on the bar and the other on the back of the bar stool. “Well, hello, there, birthday girl.”
Irish. Definitely Irish.
The light growl in his voice melted her insides. How did he do that? He smiled, revealing perfectly white teeth. She’d never seen a man so… she couldn’t even explain what he did to her, besides the very telltale quiver between her thighs as he leaned toward her.
“Hello,” she squeaked out.
“I’m Jordan,” he said, holding out his hand toward her. Slowly she took it, his big hand enveloping hers completely.
“Penny,” she said. His hand was warm, almost too hot. Firm and yet, soft like he was trying not to hurt her.
Josey shoved her stool back and stood. Penny wrenched her head around as Josey shouldered her purse. “You know, I think I see my next ex-boyfriend over there.”
“Josey!” Penny protested, but she wasn’t listening. Her hips swayed as she walked down the bar to where some guy with a whole lot of piercings, dyed black hair, and some band on his t-shirt sat. She struck up a conversation immediately, as if she’d been born to do it all her life. It was something that Penny had always envied Josey’s ability to do. She’d never met a stranger. She’d never met anyone that didn’t like her.
When she turned back to the man beside her, his bright, turquoise eyes were focused completely on her. She marveled at the storm within them, wondering what this man’s life was like that he had that kind of energy caged inside him.
“She’s not so subtle, is she?”
Penny shook her head. “Subtle and Josey do not go in the same sentence.”
He moved his arm across the top of the bar, bringing his body closer to her. The scent of his cologne surrounded her, and she resisted the urge to close her eyes so she could concentrate on that scent of his. It was spicy and comforting at the same time. She wasn’t even sure how that was possible. Maybe she was more intoxicated than she thought. “So, where were we, birthday girl?”
“Um, I believe we introduced ourselves,” Penny said. His fingers grazed her arm. Even through her sweater, she had to resist the hot shudder of desire that rolled through her.
Gorgeous? Check.
Built? Check.
Able to turn her on with a mere flick of his fingers? Check.
“Would you like another shot?” he murmured. Immediately, she was imagining taking him back to the bathrooms, letting those big hands roam over her body while he took her lips with a punishing domination.
What the hell was wrong with her? It wasn’t like she was some virginal college student. She’d had sex a few times before. But this guy took sexual appeal to a whole new level and she wanted every inch of him touching her.
“Sure,” she said absently, as her gaze dipped to his lips, this time. He smiled at her, like he knew just what she was thinking, then turned away from her to call Cody over. A moment later, two shots and a couple beers sat on the bar for them.
He lifted the shot glass to her. She took it from him. He raised the other one to her. “To new friends and happy birthdays.”
They clinked glasses and downed the shots. Jordan followed his up with the beer. She wasn’t sure how he managed it, but he even made tipping back that beer sexy. Her body warmed as the liquid sloshed down her throat. Then she picked up the beer, sipping from the long neck.
Then his fingers grazed hers, sending electrical shocks straight up her arms and down to the apex of her thighs. Seriously, how did he manage to create this reaction in her?
Jordan smiled, this time without teeth, but it was almost triumphant. “Dance with me?”
“I’m not that good at dancing.”
“Neither am I,” he said.
Somehow, she doubted that. The way the man moved, with such grace and intentional precision… she was sure he was definitely good at dancing. Among other things… things she wanted to explore with him.
“I feel like you’re bad news,” she blurted out then immediately felt stupid and turned away from him.
But he hooked his index finger under her chin and lifted up, so she gazed directly into those intense, storm-filled turquoise eyes. “I’m the guy your ma warned you about. Which is what I think you want.”
“How would you know what I want?”
He shrugged, but his eyes never left hers. “I’m mostly hoping, I think.” He stood up, pushing the stool in toward the bar, and held his hand out to her. “Come on. Dance with me.”
This was beyond stupid, seeing as how he affected her now. But before she knew what she was doing, she put her palm in his and allowed him to help her to her feet. She adjusted her purse so it was across her chest as he pulled her across the floor.
His eyes were so bright and focused, it almost seemed like they were glowing in the darkness. Or maybe that was just the black lights hanging all around the place. He let go of her hand, but only to rest his on her hips, pulling her close, up against his hard body. His scent overwhelmed her, so strong of spice and cinnamon. A silver chain circled his neck that she hadn’t caught before, disappearing into his ridiculous shirt.
They danced through two songs together, slowly learning how each other moved, slowly gaining a rhythm that matched the others. His leg made it between hers, pulling them closer together. Then when a third, more sultry song came on, he pressed his hand against the small of her back, his other on her waist, and pulled her all the way against him.
All she could see was him, smell that cinnamon-sweet male scent, and feel the hard planes of his body. Her hands rested on his upper arms, both pure muscle beneath her fingertips.
“And you said you didn’t dance,” he murmured at her ear. His breath tickled the light wisps of hair around her hairline.
She glanced at him, his face mere centimeters from hers. “So did you, if you will recall.”
He chuckled, the vibration of the sound coursing all through her body. “Yes, well, when you have a good partner…”
As he trailed off, her cheeks heated. Then his head dipped to her shoulder and he gently pressed his lips to her neck. Her body went full-on tremble, her knees going so weak, she was afraid that she’d fall if he let go of her.
His lips rested against her ear. “I’d like to kiss you properly. Let’s take a breather in the back.”
The back? She glanced at him in confusion. He nodded toward the back of the bar, toward the VIP area. She blinked. “What’s back there?”
“Special accommodations,” he murmured, his eyes burning into hers. He pressed her against his hips as they danced, the hard ridge of an erection pressing against her stomach.
She glanced over at Josey, who was not even looking in her direction. Her body was pressed up against Pierced Guy, her smile soft like she had a secret. If Josey was here, in this situation, what would she do?
That was easy. Josey would be leading this guy to the back.
She turned back to Jordan, who was waiting patiently for her answer. “What if I said something stupid like ‘will you still respect me in the morning?’” She was instantly sorry the second the words came out of her mouth, but the alcohol was kicking in and her filter was off galivanting somewhere with her good sense.
Jordan laughed, his fingertips sliding up her rib cage to her neck. His eyes burned with intensity as his fingers rested just beneath her sweater, playing with the strap of her dress. “I’ll respect you in the morning, in the evening, anywhere and anytime you want, love.”
“Let’s go,” she replied, her voice husky.
A wide grin split his lips. Without letting go of her hand, he led her toward the cordoned off area. He waved to the bouncers, sliding his palm against one of theirs, and they released the rope to let the two of them in.
Penny raised a brow. “You’ve done this before.”
“A time or two,” he admitted as he pulled her back into his arms and walked her backward. “They look the other way when people fuck in the bathrooms, but I find that nasty. Here, it’s dark, it’s clean, and private.” He smiled. “And there’s no one peeing in the urinal next to us.”
As her back hit the wall, she gasped. She looked around them, seeing the bodies gyrate out on the main floor. The backs of the bouncers standing at the opening of the rope. In the corner, there was another couple already well on their way to home plate. Two women in another section feeling each other up. One of them slid a hand under the other’s skirt.
“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do.”
She frowned, turning back to Jordan. “What?”
His big palm slid along her neck, his thumb at her jaw, gently stroking her like she was the most precious thing he’d ever touched. She leaned her head back, reveling in the feel of his rough hands touching her heated skin. “You look nervous. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. But if you say no, at any point, we stop, yeah?”
She nodded. “Deal.”
He dipped his head, all too happy to oblige and then she was soaring. His lips were firm, demanding, and hot. Sandwiching hers, he coaxed his tongue into her, penetrating her mouth. He slid his tongue along hers, his mouth opening with a moan. Gently, he slid his hands down to her hips, to the outside of her thighs. He fisted the fabric of her skirt, his fingers brushing against her bare skin. Her body shuddered.
He broke off with a light gasp of air and leaned against her, his forehead resting on her shoulder. The scent of cinnamon and vanilla overwhelmed her while his big body pressed against her. “Will you let me touch you?”
“I—” His tropical eyes burned with heat and desire. Oh, yes, he did want her, and the strength of his willpower to hold back from taking what he wanted just made him so much sexier.
“Don’t make me beg for it. Tell me yes,” he whispered. She glanced at the entrance to the section, but the bouncers weren’t looking in. Around them, soft moans and the clap of flesh striking together filled the air, even as music boomed beyond them. God, who was she? Making out with a guy she just met, considering letting him fuck her against the wall? “Do you want me, Penny? Would you like me to touch you?”
Her blood was rushing with renewed desire as his hand slid over her flat stomach back down to her thigh.
“I promise, darling, you’ll love what I do to you.”
She met his eyes as he pulled back, tilting up her chin so she could meet his gaze. “Prove it.”
He growled something she couldn’t understand and closed the distance between them, sealing his mouth over hers once more.