Craving (Steel Brothers Saga #1)(58)

“Hey, Steel,” Sean Murphy, the owner said. “Long time no see. What can I get you?”

I took a seat at the bar. “Peach Street, neat.”

“You boys do have taste,” Sean said. He poured my drink and set it in front of me. Then he went about his business.

I liked Sean. He wasn’t the kind of bartender who tried to get a guy talking. He poured a drink and then made himself scarce.

I wanted to be alone. I took a sip of the smooth whiskey, letting it float over my tongue for a moment before I swallowed, its spicy warmth coating my throat. What the hell? I finished the rest like a shot and set my glass back on the bar. “Another, Sean.”

“You got it.” Sean took my glass and filled it again. “How’s everything at the ranch?”

“The same.”

“Jonah was in here the other night. We chatted a little bit.”

I nodded. Sean set down my glass with a smile and then turned to another patron.

I downed the second and ordered another. Luckily, I hadn’t drunk much wine with dinner. My mind churned. What was I going to do about Jade? This incessant need was eating me alive, destroying me, consuming me. She was like a drug I couldn’t live without. Was it time to go cold turkey? If she were truly like a drug, would I suffer withdrawal symptoms?

I let out a chuckle. Of course I would. I suffered withdrawal every time I was away from her. I would have her, and then within seconds of completing, I would crave her again. What could I do?

Maybe I should leave. I shouldn’t have let Joe and Ryan talk me into staying.

I couldn’t have a life with Jade. I didn’t even want a life with Jade. Did I? This desire, this all-consuming passion…was it indicative of something else? Did I want more than just sex? Was I feeling something I had never felt before?

I finished the third drink and plunked the glass back on the counter. No. I wasn’t feeling anything like that. I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything like that. It would only lead to more heartbreak. Jade deserved better than to be saddled with my baggage.

She deserved the best.

I stood, a little buzzed but not drunk. Good thing, because I had to drive home. I would go home, I would find Jade, and I would apologize.

And then I would tell her that whatever this thing between us was, it was over.

I just hoped the withdrawal wouldn’t be too painful.





CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE





JADE


I was in the shower when he came barreling in without even knocking. I screeched, grabbing the shower door and nearly falling. He caught me, his hands steady, though the aroma of alcohol hung on his breath. He handed me a towel.

“Dry off. We need to talk.” He left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Damn right we needed to talk. He owed me a big apology. And if he thought I was going to fall right into bed with him…

Fuck. Who the hell was I trying to kid? Of course I would fall right into bed with him. I had been wet since we sat down at that sweet little picnic. I dried off quickly, squeezed the moisture out of my hair, slipped into a short satin robe, and left the bathroom.

He was sitting on my bed, looking sexy as hell. His hair was a mess, but then it was always a little tousled. His dark eyes were burning, singeing me. They could melt right through my robe.

“What do you want, Talon?”

He stood, his eyes full of passion. “We…need to stop this.”

I raised my eyebrows. Not exactly what I had expected, and a jolt of sadness coursed through me.

Even though part of me—a big part of me—agreed with him, I didn’t want to stop this.

“We do? Why?”

“The why doesn’t really matter,” he said. “Just trust me. We need to stop this.”

“The why matters to me, Talon.” I walked toward him and stopped when our bodies were no more than two inches apart. The air was thick with lust. Passion swirled around us almost as if it were visible. My heart beat quickly, and my skin tightened. “If you truly wanted to stop this, you wouldn’t have walked in on me in the shower. You would have waited until I was fully clothed.”

He moved backward, away from me, hitting the bed and sitting down. “Just trust me. It needs to end.”

“I don’t accept that.” Slowly I untied my robe and let it fall over my shoulders onto the floor. I stood naked in front of him, like an offering. I licked my lips and cupped my breasts, holding them out.

I pinched one nipple and then the other, and a jolt of desire arrowed straight into my pussy. “Are you ready to accept that?”

He pulled me down into his lap. “Please. Don’t make this any harder than it is.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and nudged one breast up to his lips. “Kiss my nipple, Talon.”

He closed his eyes, but he did not turn his head away.

I began undulating my hips, driving my pussy against his denim-clad erection. “I’m wet for you, Talon. I’ve been wet for you since you met me at the office. I turned you away because we were in a public place. I had to keep my head. But I wanted you. I wanted you then, and I want you now.”

He opened his eyes. “This doesn’t have anything to do with that.”

“Then tell me what it’s about.”

He closed his eyes again, and I raised my hips again, nudging his lips with my nipple.