Whatever he’s doing is none of your business. Whomever he’s doing is none of your business.
Even as I think it, I feel a possessive stab start running rampant through me. Why drag me here if he had no intention of being here with me? I’m positive Joel alerted Easton I was here, which only fuels my irritation. The thought that Easton might be trying to toy with me rears its ugly head. Repulsed and becoming more certain that’s the case, I decide I want no part in whatever sick game he’s planning on playing with me.
Plan, Natalie. Party.
After a few fruitless attempts to flag the few tending bar, Chad takes matters into his own hands and hoists himself up and over the bar counter. He ducks out of sight before retrieving two bottles, one vodka, and one rum. I point to the unopened vodka bottle, and he winks. “Smart!”
“Not my first rodeo!” I yell back, my thoughts drifting to the makeshift cowboy I hung out with today.
He’s not this callous, Natalie.
Shaking off the threatening urgency to find him, I command myself back into the moment and watch Chad pour a healthy shot of vodka over ice.
“Can you please mix it with something? Club soda, if you can find it!”
He grins. “Got you!”
“I’m a good tipper!” I yell.
“What?!”
We collectively laugh because the notion of conversation is ridiculous. Chad busies himself looking for a mixer as I step aside to make way for another in need of the bartender and stumble into a warm body. Righting myself, I go to apologize and come face to face with LL. Feeling slightly relieved to see a familiar face, I open my mouth to greet him noticing his eyes are hooded. My jaw unhinges when I discover he’s heavily preoccupied.
“Natalie,” he greets me casually as my eyes drift down to where his hand is fisting a brunette’s hair. A brunette who’s on her knees, sucking him off with wild abandon as he guides her bobbing head with his firm grip.
“Apologies, love,” he relays, “the Molly hit her pretty hard.”
Doing my best to conceal the shock—while a bit jealous his day has gone in a spectacularly better direction than mine—I take a small step back and can’t help my wandering eyes from lowering again as his impressive length glides in and out of her lips. Unable to stop the train wreck, I watch him caress her face with his free hand like she’s a good pet. My eyes fly back to LL’s for a few seconds, his mouth parting slightly as his arousal spikes, his surreal crystal blue eyes piercing.
Slight apprehension threatens for the degradation taking place before me, and I ignore it, knowing the power is ultimately hers. With that notion, I find myself turned on, chest heaving with my increased intake of breaths. LL seems to read my expression as I allow my eyes to again dip in time to see his companion swirl her tongue skillfully around the tip of his cock.
“Fuck, you’re going to have to stop staring at my cock like that, love,” he exhales gruffly as his hungry eyes sweep me, and I avert mine to check the room in search of Easton. My nipples draw painfully tight, an intensifying ache growing between my legs just as a cup appears in my line of sight.
Chad.
My Drink.
Embarrassment covers me, heat blanching my neck as my eyes fly to Chad, whose own lower to discover the scene playing out before slowly lifting back to mine, the effect on him clear.
“I…um…,” I shake my head, knowing my skin is betraying me as I take his offered drink, “thank you.”
Chad’s eyes bounce between LL, his current situation, and back to me before he leans in on a whisper, his voice charged as his breath hits my neck. “I would give anything to know what you’re thinking right now.”
I can’t blame him for his own response, I feel exposed in a way I’ve never been before.
“What am I thinking?” I laugh. “I’m neither a prude nor saint, but I wasn’t expecting to get so close to the fire during the length of a single song. Obviously, I’m embarrassed and…”
“And…” Chad draws out, a knowing grin on his lips.
“Turned on,” I shrug. “Wasn’t expecting to become a full-on voyeur before sipping my first cocktail.”
Chad dips his chin in understanding, a spark of mischief in his eyes before we step away from the show and glance around the party, purposely avoiding LL’s grand finale. Just as we move away from the first sexual landmine, we spot another, almost landing on a couple fucking mere feet from the two of us. I damn near jump back in shock, and Chad seems to grow uncomfortable too. I can feel his eyes on my profile as he leans in again. “Do you want to go someplace…”
I laugh. “Way too presumptuous, Chad.”
His white smile beams brighter due to the reflective lights as he moves to stand in front of me. Though he maintains a comfortable distance from me, he braces his palms on the bar on either side of me before leaning in. “Not at all,” he shouts, “just somewhere where I can actually hear you talk?”
It’s when he pulls back to wait for my response that unease hits me, and I glance over his shoulder. I almost flinch at the sight that greets me. Sitting deathly still amongst the chaos in the middle of one of the couches, with cutting hazel eyes unmistakably zeroed in on me, sits Easton Crowne.
Skin
Zola Jesus
Natalie
My throat dries instantly, the intensity in Easton’s gaze stifling my reply to Chad. My chest rises and falls rapidly from sensory overload as I drink him in. He’s dressed like he was this morning, short black boots with a metal ring clasp, dark cuffed jeans, and a black T-shirt. His hair damp from a recent shower, one side of it tucked behind his ear. The leather cuffs he wore today clasped around both wrists.
My cheeks heat from the desire spike due to the amber jade flames being thrown my way. It’s a heady mix, those eyes…and an expression I’ve never seen on him—accusation, possessiveness, lust, jealousy…judgment? We stare off for several seconds as Chad suggests he secure us another drink before we head downstairs. All I can do is nod as Easton and I stare off and remain planted, waiting at the bar. Despite my conflicted state, I can only hope my return gaze reads something like, I’m here, asshole. Now what?
Because he forced me here. He wanted to see my reaction to this. I’m sure of it.
I lift challenging brows to him, praying my skin doesn’t betray me as my ache for him escalates. He’s so fucking beautiful, especially sitting stock-still, a statue surrounded by a thousand-mile-an-hour world, expression filled with lividity. The joke’s on those surrounding him, though, because he’s the supernova, the one passing them at lightning speed.
Sadness laces the thought, and I briefly wonder if this atmosphere will eventually end up curbing his momentum or worse, deter him, as it has countless others. He’s made me aware of just how unappealing that fate is for him, but as it seems right now, it’s not the case.
Do I even truly know him?
That thought pains me more, that I might not—at least not after his actions today.
Chad’s subtle cologne wafts from where he stands next to me, and though it’s all wrong, the innate need to rub up against someone, anyone, to relieve the pulse between my legs and numb the growing ache in my chest starts to overpower me.
All l can feel now is the masculine presence surrounding me, but it’s the lone, extreme look of the man staring that’s weakening me with each passing second. Still, I’m determined to finish this fight with my dignity intact.
Doing my best to gauge Easton’s expression, a woman disrupts my view as she moves to stand in front of him, hovering between his spread knees. A spear of ice smashes into my chest, driving in deeper as I study her. Gorgeous—dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes, curvy figure—absolutely beautiful. It’s the appearance of his fingers resting casually on her hips as she bends to talk to him that sets my insides ablaze.