A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(10)

His eyes flashed at the question. “Especially me.” Dropping my hair, he stepped back and straightened before he cast a quick glance toward the bar, as if testing whether my brother could see us or not. When he seemed to realize Noel hadn’t spotted him touching me, he turned away and strolled off.

I stared after him, my lips parting. And that’s when I knew, or at least I convinced myself I knew. My theory wasn’t a theory at all; Oren honestly did want me, and he really was an ass to me sometimes because he was trying to keep me away so he wouldn’t fall into temptation and go against Noel’s wishes.

Well, screw that. My brother wouldn’t have befriended Oren if he thought he was such a bad guy. And Oren had done so many good things for him—which was another reason I’d grown obsessed with him. I swear, the only reason Noel didn’t want me to date his friend was because he didn’t trust me not to mess my life up royally, as I had the last time I’d gotten involved with someone.

But Oren was nothing like Sander. And I wanted him. I wanted him so bad. Even suspecting that he wanted me back made my heart ache.

It made Blaze’s words echo through my head.

“Live a little, Caroline. Find yourself a man. A hot one-night stand.”

A one-night stand, huh? On the heels of her echoing comment, I heard Kelly’s, “He only does it in the dark…I’m supposed to meet him at his place at midnight.”

“He always leaves his apartment door unlocked, and you’re supposed to just walk right in and down a dark hall to his dark bedroom.”

As everything I’d heard tonight crowded into my head, an idea formed. It was crazy. Insane. The worst idea I’d ever had. But I couldn’t push it from my mind.

I shouldn’t even consider it.

Then I did, anyway.

Seriously, though...if I arrived at Oren’s place tonight at twelve o’clock and entered his dark bedroom, and he really honestly always did it with the lights off, he’d never know it was me. He’d think I was Kelly. Right?

My heart pounded. Yeah, that was a crazy idea. Too crazy. I was going to stop thinking it now.

Then again, what would the harm really be? He’d get his sex. I’d get what I’d been craving from him for months. Blaze would be happy my vagina wasn’t going to dry out and shrivel up, not that I was sure why she was even worried about my vagina. But honestly, everyone would go away happy. Wouldn’t they? Not even Noel could freak out over what happened because he would never be the wiser. Oren could still have me, and he wouldn’t have to worry about keeping it from my brother.

The sweetest part of the whole idea was that I could have exactly what I wanted, and the immature chauvinist pig who pissed me off as much as he turned me on would go away absolutely clueless. I didn’t want him to know how fixated on him I was. This could be the perfect solution, which really tempted me into wondering—

Oh, hell. The entire notion was crazy. I would never in a million years actually go through with such a thing.

Half an hour later, thousands of voices in my head shrieked. “For the love of God, Caroline. What’re you doing?”

“Shh,” I hissed at the annoying shits. “I’m doing this.”

I slipped inside the front door to Quinn, Oren, and Zoey’s apartment and then closed it behind me with trembling fingers. To be discreet, I’d parked my sister-in-law’s car that I’d borrowed tonight a block down the street. And if anyone caught me inside, I already had an excuse handy. I was here to see Zoey. To talk important girl stuff. Yeah. That sounded good. And I really would talk to her if I was caught...about the fact that I’d lost my ever-loving mind!

Pausing at the beginning of the hall, I took a moment to bolster my nerve. Oren’s bedroom was the first door on the right. Only ten feet away. Drawing in a deep breath, I started to step forward when an idea hit me. Scrambling, I reached under my skirt I’d raced home to change into for my panties, and I peeled them down my legs.

I know, I know. They were the nicest underwear I owned. Why was I taking them off before he could even see the goods? Well, probably because, if we stayed in the dark like we were supposed to, he’d never see them anyway. And tonight, I just wanted to be bold and promiscuous. If I was really going to do this, I was going to do it right.

Pantyless, I stopped in front of his door and lifted my palm, but instead of knocking, I set my fingers against the wood. He was on the other side of this door, waiting for me.

Okay, fine, waiting for some other girl. But if I knocked and went inside, it’d be me he took.

A thrill raced up my spine, and butterflies danced in my stomach.

I knocked.

Oh my God. I’d just knocked on Oren’s bedroom door. What the hell was I doing?

Without waiting for an answer, I reached for the doorknob and turned it. It was also unlocked. The hallway was dark, so he wouldn’t be able to see me as I entered. And just as the girls in the bathroom had gossiped, his bedroom was unlit too.

They’d been spot-on about the spooky yet thrilling aspect of it all. I was half scared out of my mind and yet completely turned on all in the same breath. Tense with anticipation and fear, I waited for him to accost me.

Gah, this was going to kill me.

No, no, it was going to be like walking a tightrope, I told myself, with a nice safety net under it. Yeah, because if I changed my mind, I could just tell him who I was, and he’d stop. Instantly. There was no doubt in my mind he’d stop. His best friend was my big brother. If he didn’t want to be murdered, he’d definitely stop.