The Lies Between Us (The Devil's Dust #4)(12)

“Now you see why I don’t f*ck with anyone ‘cept club hoes.” Shadow laughs. I flip him the bird and walk back down the hall.

“Hope that *’s worth it!” Shadow hollers, making the guys cheer in agreement behind me.





CHAPTER THREE


CHERRY


My fingers grip the side of the mattress, and my lungs burn to keep up with my harsh breathing.

What am I doing in here? What the hell am I doing?

I shake my head and stand on shaky legs. I need to get out of here. Lip is hot, he’s sexy, and I know exactly why he wants me in here. I’m attracted to him, and not sure I’m strong enough to resist him either. There were a lot of beautiful women eyeing him out there. One in particular who had her paws all over him. They seemed more than acquainted, which makes me think he’s a player. There were a couple of guys who were with one chick one minute, and when I’d turn my head they were with another. I’d never seen anything like it before. They live so freely, so open.

I bet he goes through a different girl every night. I don’t want to be a notch on his bedpost. I can’t handle that right now. I’d better get out of here then.

I blow out a determined breath and stand. Looking at the dirty posters that have half-naked women on them one last time, I step toward the door. My hand is nearly inches from the doorknob when it opens as Lip walks in. I retract my hand and draw in a sharp breath. He smiles and shuts the door behind him. He’s so big, so rugged; he makes a flare burn in my chest and sizzle all the way down my abdomen and between my thighs. My eyes sweep up his tattooed arms, one bicep holding a woman praying, so vibrant and beautiful. His muscle flexes and my gaze continues to trail upward, finding a sexy smirk across his face. I blush; he just caught me checking him out.

“Thought you weren’t going to take off on me?” He chuckles and I smile, my heart beating against my ribcage. I rest my hand on my hip, the other on my forehead.

“Lip, I can’t. I can’t be in here,” I respond on an exhale, my body defying my mind. It’s hard to think clearly with him standing in front of me.

“Why’s that?” Lip tilts his head to the side, his eyes running along my body. Goosebumps lick up my spine with the way he assesses me. I tear my eyes away from him and try to gather my thoughts.

“Because I’m…” I cross my arms and look at the bed. “I’m-I’m not sleeping with you.” I finally spit the words out, wincing from my word vomit. He’ll surely want to take me back to my car now. Lip bites at his lip ring and sighs as he sets the beers down on the dresser next to him. I uncross my arms, and my body tenses with fear.

He stalks toward me, one hand grasping my hip while the other fits behind my neck. His touch makes my skin tingle. My eyes go heavy, making my rejection a weak statement. I want Lip, want him to ravish me, make me forget about my pain and drown in a sea of bliss and hard muscle instead. But opening my legs didn’t get me anything but trouble before.

“Cherry, calm down,” he breathes heavily. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” My body sags with relief, and a sigh escapes my lips. His fingers press firmly into my neck, pulling me closer.

“But if you think I’m not thinking about that fine ass of yours pressing against me while I take you from behind,” he nips my ear and my eyes roll in the back of my head, “then you’re mistaken.”

He pulls away from me, and I sway on my feet, my body lost in a tide of lust and sinful thoughts.

“What do you do for fun? Why are you picking pockets?” he questions. My eyes go wide with surprise, like he didn’t just f*ck me with his words. I feel like someone just poured a bucket of ice over me, waking me from my high.

He takes a big gulp of his beer and winks. He’s teasing me, and I’m taking the bait. He’s so cocky, so sure of himself. He strides toward me and crosses his arms behind my neck. I slide one hand up his back, and the other up his arm to his wrist. My fingers touch his watch and I smile. Let’s see how self-assured he is when I take his watch.

“I pick pockets because I can’t get a job,” I lie. My chest burns with how easily it is to be dishonest. Well, it’s not entirely a lie, because I really can’t get a job. So it’s an omission, really.

“Okay, and what do you do for fun?” he asks.

“I like taking pictures of things.” I shrug. The passion started with a disposable camera, and it grew from there.

He slides his hands down my back and grabs me by the ass. My stomach clenches and my nipples perk against the material of my bra. Damn, to have his strong palms on me feels incredible. He puts Eric to shame. Eric who? I shake my head from my dirty thoughts and smack at his hands. He smiles wolfishly at my rejection and walks us backward ‘til we fall onto the bed. He rolls his strong frame, putting him underneath me with my legs straddling his hips. Yeah, this is not happening. I press my palms against his hard chest and roll beside him.

“Pictures, huh? Of what?” He tilts his head up and grabs the pillow, stuffing it under his head. I think about that question for a second.

“Everything. But I like taking pictures of distressed things, usually. I like to manipulate them, bring them to life where most people wouldn’t look for it in such a thing.”

Lip’s face softens. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds incredible.” I laugh at his reaction. Most people don’t see beauty in things around them. They only see faults and mistakes, often looking past their potential.