Stripped Bare (Stripped #1)

“No.” It wasn’t a lie. I assumed the maid of honor’s request had come after I’d left. “I said it because it does, and I told you it’s not up for discussion.” I tugged my arm out of his grip and grabbed my pile of fliers. I still had a little over half the club’s tables to put them on and I needed more, so I moved to stage, and—


And West pounced on me, his strong hands grasping my waist and pushing me back to the stage. I dropped the sheets in shock, and they scattered all across the floor of the club, but that didn’t seem to matter as West hauled me up and laid me back.

My heart pounded ferociously as he jumped onto the stage too and lay over me. He grabbed my hands and threaded his fingers through mine, pinning them to the floor. Then he rested his knees on either side of my hips. His upper body pressed against mine, and I struggled to breathe easily as the heat from his body seeped through the material separating our skin.

I was on fire. I felt him everywhere, even in the places he wasn’t touching me. I was aware of every movement he made, from each exhale to every twitch of his fingers. The only sound that filled the club was of our breathing, which broke through the silence in an extraordinarily loud way.

I was looking down, but the force of his gaze pulled mine up to meet his. The blueness blazed back at me, enthralling me even as I knew I should try to get him off me. But I couldn’t. I was frozen, and it felt like time had frozen too.

That was the problem with looking into West’s eyes. They were captivatingly beautiful, surrounded by thick, dark lashes, and the emotions that swirled inside them hooked you and reeled you in.

He was fishing for my attention.

And he had it.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

I was caught in him completely.

“She didn’t touch me,” he breathed out, his voice rough. “Just because you and I met that way doesn’t mean I’m going to take up any woman who offers to suck my cock. I’m not a cheater, Mia, even if all we’re doing is having sex. I told her no and told her that, if she made more lewd comments to me or any of my boys, she would be asked to leave. Even if we weren’t sleeping together, I wouldn’t have touched her.”

“Were having sex,” I managed to force through the lump in my throat. “We were having sex.”

West dragged my hands closer together and lowered his face. “We’ll see about that. I don’t mind telling you that I’m humoring you, angel. You want to be professional? Fine, but I don’t see you trying to wiggle your sexy little body out from under me right now. I also know you’re hiding why you left here last night, but I don’t know why. Things that are hidden rarely stay that way.”

“You’re humoring me?” Annoyance tickled the back of my neck. “You’re humoring me? Are you kidding me? In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t move. You’ve pinned me to the stage.”

His lips curved upward. “So I have.”

A mischievous glint brightened his eyes, and the small smile on his face turned playful. A tremor that was both excited and nervous spun through my veins, and I stilled as he slid his knees back and his erection brushed against me.

“What are you doing?” It came out a whisper.

He flexed his hips, and the brushing of his hard cock against my lower stomach made me gasp.

“Don’t you know?” he asked. “This is my job. I’m being professional.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Then what did you mean?” His voice was low, seductive, and it made my heart thump hard. “Because you didn’t say, did you?”

“You wouldn’t listen anyway.”

“No. I wouldn’t, because I know it’s not what you really want.” He released my hands and flattened them on either side of my head. He had more strength now, and his mouth half brushed mine as it found my ear. He kept moving, never wavering in his skillful flexes. “You don’t really want to stop what we have. You’re worried because of what I do—how we met. But know this, angel: I’ve never taken a woman I’ve danced for until you. I couldn’t resist you then. I can’t resist you now. I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing to me, but I know I can’t get enough of it. I don’t want to get enough of it. Of you, Mia. I can’t get enough of you.”

He stopped moving, lifting his head and looking me in the eye. My hands traveled to his sides, and my nails lightly trailed down to his hips. His words were... His words were doing something to me. I was scared and thrilled and excited, and I wanted to run away. I didn’t want him to talk anymore. I wanted him to get off me and stop, but I also wanted him to just drop his mouth on top of mine and kiss me.

“And I don’t know why,” he said, his voice still husky and low and sexy. “I wish I did. All I know is that you feel the same. I can feel your heart racing and you clenching your legs together. If you could look in your eyes right now, you’d see what I do—desire, confusion, shock. So yeah, I’m fucking humoring you when you say you’re done with our relationship. You can run, but I’ll catch you, and if you hide, then I’ll find you, and I’ll probably fuck you right on the spot.”

“Please stop talking,” I whispered, my throat closing up.