Shane shook his head. He didn’t do relationships. He did one-night stands. It was less complicated. No one got hurt. If he ever hurt Lia, dammit, it would be like ripping a piece of his heart out. He would destroy everything — betray his best friend and lose the entire family. A hot night of sex wasn’t worth all that — no matter how tempted he was.
“Don’t you think it’s time to head home, Lia?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” She grabbed his head and pulled him to her as she connected their mouths.
Shane’s mind went blank as her teeth bit his bottom lip and her tongue slipped inside. With a sigh of defeat, he grabbed her backside and pulled her tightly against his erection, all thoughts of dancing forgotten. Her hands wound behind his head and her fingers tangled in his hair and he wanted nothing more than to find somewhere to lay her down so he could worship every inch of her body.
Lia’s scent invaded his senses, and the noise from the club faded away as blood rushed through his veins. He’d been attracted to many, many women, but none of them had brought him to the brink of passion so quickly. She could consume him in seconds.
A couple bumped into them, bringing Shane back to the present, making him realize he was all over Lia in the middle of a crowded dance floor.
“You’re deadly, woman,” he said as he pulled back and grabbed her hand. She giggled as he placed her in front of him while leading her to his table. He had to hide his condition until he got himself back under control.
Rachel looked up expectantly at the two of them. Shane raised his hand, then handed several hundreds to the waiter, making the poor guy almost pass out. Then, grabbing Rachel's arm, he led the two women from the club.
His driver picked them up in minutes, and the three climbed into the back of his car; he was thankful that the two sisters had been smart enough to take a taxi to the club.
“This has turned out to be a great evening,” Lia purred as she snuggled up close against his side.
“For you. I’m not exactly painting the town red,” Rachel grumbled.
There was no way Shane would grope Lia with Rachel sitting on his other side. He was more than a little uncomfortable on the fifteen-minute ride to their house as Lia rubbed against him and he had to fight against looking down and gazing at her extraordinary legs. That insanely short dress was sorely testing him.
When they arrived at the Palazzo family house, Shane told his driver to park while he escorted them inside. He knew he shouldn’t follow them, but he had to make sure they’d get inside safely. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, after all.
“Let me show you my room, Shane,” Lia said as she took his hand and led him up the stairs.
Say no right now. And whatever you do, buddy, don’t think about sex. That’s just not an option. But somehow he found himself following her. Had she cast some sort of spell over him? Though he knew entering her room was the wrong move to make, he was doing it anyway.
When they reached her door, Lia’s face turned a little green and her eyes widened. Shane knew what that meant. He looked around and spotted the door on the other side of her room. Praying it was her bathroom and not a closet, he hoisted her into his arms and rushed forward. They made it just in time for her to empty out her stomach.
Shane held back her hair while she finished, then sat her on the lid of the toilet as he got her a cup of cool water to rinse out her mouth and wet a washcloth to wipe her face.
“How can you keep doing this to yourself, Lia? You have a great life and yet you’re putting yourself in these ridiculous situations. Wasn’t getting drugged last week bad enough? Now you’re working on getting alcohol poisoning.”
“I need to lie down” was her only reply. He helped her brush her teeth, then lifted her in his arms and carried her to the very inviting king-sized bed in the center of her room.
How much restraint was one guy supposed to have? He’d damn well better get a medal after all of this because he was pushing his control to the very edge and somehow not diving over. His lower regions would never be the same again – not as long as he continued to deny himself.
Within seconds of lying down, Lia passed out cold. Shane ran his finger down her soft cheek, then bent and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. As he pulled back, he was confronted with the awful truth: this was beyond a simple crush — and he was in deep trouble.
For about two seconds, Shane considered getting her into her pajamas, then realized how horrific a thought that was. She was drunk and passed out and he was thinking of stripping her. No, it was time he took off. Rachel would look out for Lia and call him if they needed anything. He just had to get out of the house before he wasn’t able to.
Shane left the room to find a sleepy Rachel, who agreed to change Lia’s clothes and stay with her for the night. With an unbelievable ache in his chest, Shane left the house wondering what the hell he was going to do next.
Chapter Eighteen
“Come on, Ari. You know you want to do this. It will be so much fun!”
Ari looked at Rafe’s sisters and couldn’t hide her smile. The girls were incredibly convincing when they wanted something, but she got only one day off from Rafe and there was no way she could sneak away for several without him throwing a fit.
Just the thought ticked her off. Rafe didn’t own her, contrary to his opinion of the matter. If she wanted to spend a weekend away with friends, and she did consider Lia and Rachel friends, then she could darn well do it. He’d just have to deal with her decision.
“I don’t know. It’s pretty expensive…” she hedged, riding the fence on whether to join them.
“Oh, pish. It isn’t expensive at all. The food is cheap, the liquor even cheaper, and you don’t have to worry about airfare or the room. Just say yes. You know you want to,” Lia insisted.
“What are you girls up to?”
Ari looked up guiltily as Rafe stepped into her office.
“Not that it concerns you, but we want to take our friend on a little weekend trip,” Rachel quickly piped up. Ari’s temper flared when Rafe narrowed his eyes. At the closed look on his face, her decision was made. He wasn’t going to run her life completely. He had enough control as it was.
“Ari is busy this weekend,” he said with finality.
“You can’t work her seven days a week, Rafe,” Lia pouted.
“We have plans.”
“Oh, really? What plans?” Rachel countered.
“That’s none of your business.”