“Which must confuse someone like you since you’d probably be all over those dancers,” I said with a smile. I knew what Stefan was, and in some ways, I had to agree with Lola. He loved women. Not in the way they usually wanted him to, but in a way that showed he enjoyed them.
“The old me would have. That’s sort of what I’m getting at. The old me and Kane were close but not so much recently. He likes to bust my balls, which pisses me off. See? Love-hate. So that first day I met you right after your interview he was busting me about not being able to get you—that you were out of my league. And I…”
Worry settled into those brown eyes of his and made me nervous. What had he done? “And you…?”
“I made him a bet that I could get you to fall for me.” The words came out so fast that my brain took a few seconds to process what he’d said. By then, he had launched into damage control mode. “The bet wasn’t just for sex, though. I had to make you fall in love with me or I’d lose.”
“Lose what?” I bit out. “Money?”
“No. I’d lose this place for a year and my bike forever.”
“You’re pretty damn confident in your abilities, aren’t you?”
A smile lit up his face for a moment. “Well, yeah.”
“And you’re telling me this why?”
He looked out over the balcony’s edge and frowned. “Because I lost this place and my bike when I told Kane that we were just friends. I gave in and admitted he’d won because I didn’t want to be betting on us anymore, so he gets my condo for the next twelve months and my bike. So don’t get too attached to the view here.”
I nudged his chin back toward me so he had to look into my eyes when I spoke. “You know, you two are really childish. Was that the reason why he’s been so nice to me?”
“I don’t think so. I think he likes you. Not the way I feel about you but as a person. He’s like that with Olivia too.”
“Why are you telling me this? I probably never would have found out, Stefan. I doubt Kane would have told me.”
“I know. I just didn’t want to carry that around anymore. I like being able to be honest with you. I’m not trying to sound like an asshole, but I’ve never been honest with a female in my life. Well, other than my mother, and that’s only about some things.”
“Don’t worry. She knows exactly what you are.”
“Does she? How do you know?”
“That’s what she wanted to talk to me about the other day. She hopes I’ll see past the man whore thing and realize that the guy underneath is pretty decent.”
“Any chance that can happen, especially after what I just told you?”
Pressing my forehead to his, I closed my eyes and smiled at how cute he could be. “I think you’re a decent person, Stefan. Even if I still can’t believe it, I like you, probably more than I should.”
He cradled my face in his hands and kissed me gently. “I was so worried you’d get angry and storm out after I told you about the bet. I swear that was the old me. That guy doesn’t exist anymore. Only the one who loves spending time with you and misses you when you’re not around exists.”
“So the leopard has changed his spots?”
Stefan shook his head. “Nope. The tiger took off his leopard coat. It was all a façade.”
Even though I should have been furious with him for betting he could make me fall for him, I couldn’t stay angry at him. Not when he stood there being so cute and giving me that look that made me practically melt. I didn’t tell him, but he was very close to winning that bet. All it would take was letting myself go.
I FELT like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders when I saw Shay smile after I told her about my bet with Kane. As I stood there with her on my balcony looking out at the lights shining off the water, I wished I hadn’t made that stupid bet. Sure, Shay had taken it well, but I was losing my home and my bike, and she’d really been impressed by my place.
Jesus, the old me was really an asshole.
“So, when do you have to move?”
“I don’t know. When I told Kane, he was so shocked to hear me admit I’d lost that he was speechless. I’m sure when it settles in, he’ll let me know when I should have my things packed and ready to go.”
Shay wrapped her arms around my neck and looked up at me playfully. “That’s too bad. I like this place.”
I nuzzled the soft skin just under her ear. “Then we better take advantage of it while I still have it.”
“Got anything in mind?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Lifting the black Club X t-shirt over her head, I kissed my way from her mouth down to her perfect breasts waiting for me, barely hidden in her black lace bra. Just enough for my hands, they were exactly what this breast man loved. As I kissed and nipped at her skin, I unhooked the bra and threw it off to where her shirt had landed a few feet away.
She ran her fingers through my hair, tugging gently to urge me on. “What if your neighbors see, though?”
“It’s the middle of the night,” I mumbled against her soft skin. “They should be asleep or at least not peeking out their windows. Either way,” I said low as I slid my finger under her shorts to tease her clit, “I don’t care. Let them watch.”
Moaning softly, she unbuttoned her shorts and slid them down her legs. Now only a thin cotton barrier remained between my tongue and her pussy. First, though, I had other areas to attend to.
I pulled the chair over from the corner of the balcony and sat down, pulling Shay onto my lap so my mouth had perfect access to her delicious dark pink nipples I could spend hours sucking on. Taking one between my lips, I flicked my tongue over it and felt it harden in my mouth. I loved Shay’s body, but especially her breasts.
A needy moan escaped her lips telling me she loved my attention there too. I bit down gently on the base of her nipple, knowing she enjoyed a little pain with her pleasure, and felt a hand tighten into a fist in my hair.
“Oh, God…I love when you do that,” she whimpered above me.
I looked up at her and saw her watching me. Grinning, I opened my mouth and slowly bit down again as her eyes closed in ecstasy. I couldn’t let the other one feel neglected, so I moved over to her left nipple and sucked it hard into my mouth, loving the sound of her moan as it filled my ears.
Shay’s hands fumbled with the button on my pants and then my zipper as she scrambled to move our lovemaking to the next level. I liked foreplay, but if she wanted to kick it up a notch, I was all about that too.