Elastic Hearts (Hearts #3)(19)

“That’s fine, Victor. I get it. Is that it? I was talking to a really cute guy upstairs, and I still need to use the restroom. Maybe I’ll take him with me.” Even in my current state, I could see the way his eyes darkened at my suggestion.

“You just said you were drunk,” he growled, gripping the chair harder.

“Not that drunk.” I paused to search his face. “Would that upset you? If I hooked up with that guy in the bathroom? I kind of like bathroom hookups.”

“Nicole,” he said, his tone hard, his eyes searing into mine.

“You know, you’re actually the only guy I’ve done that with,” I admitted. “But it was so hot. You kept saying all these dirty things in my ear, remember?”

“I remember,” he said, voice grating.

“You were doing that,” I said, pointing at his fingers, which were digging into the top of the chair. “Gripping my ass. I had marks the next day, the soreness. So hot.”

“Nicole,” he growled.

“It’s too bad you’re all business, otherwise we could have had a little fun,” I said, pivoting to face the door and walking toward it. “We done here?”

Before I could even turn the knob, Victor was at my back, his hand covering mine over the doorknob.

“Why are you making this so difficult?” he asked, his voice a deep murmur in my ear. I didn’t know. I honestly didn’t know. It was him. I blamed him for clouding my judgment every time he was around. I closed my eyes. I wanted to lean my head back, give him access to my neck for him to suck on. I wanted to get lost in the feel of him thrusting inside me. I really, really needed to get laid. And my body really, really wanted Victor Reuben to satisfy that urge.

“Why would you bring me into a dark office to talk to me about not kissing you in public? You could have told me that in the hall,” I said, opening my eyes. His hand gripped mine so I couldn’t move.

“I can’t seem to think straight around you,” he said, his breath on my neck.

He turned the doorknob and put his hand on the small of my back to lead me out of there and back to the VIP section. I shivered at the feel of his touch. I looked at him over my shoulder and locked eyes, wondering if he felt this pull too. His nostrils flared. When we reached the dark corner, where the hallway had three options: exit, bathrooms, or stairs to VIP, we stopped walking and I turned to face him. His hand ran from my lower back, to my side, and my abdomen before he dropped it.

“I guess we’re sort of on the same page after all,” I said.

“If that’s the case, we need to get on different chapters fast,” he responded, tearing his gaze away from mine and looking toward the exit.

“You’re really leaving?”

He looked at me again. “It’s best if I do.”

“Because I’m tempting you,” I said, my mouth dropping slightly open when he nodded.

“Nothing good happens after twelve,” he said. “It would be wise for you to do the same.”

“You just don’t want me hooking up with anybody.”

He smiled and reached behind me, grabbed a fistful of my hair and tugged it gently. It was something he used to do before and just like then, I felt the notion to the tips of my toes.

“You already said I was the only guy you’d done that with. I don’t expect you to break the mold in one night.” He winked at me as he let go of my hair.

“You know me, I like being spontaneous,” I said. His jaw twitched as he tore his gaze away from mine momentarily.

“Be careful, Nicole. Please don’t do anything stupid,” he added, leaning in to brush his lips against my cheek before walking away and out the door.

It simply wasn’t fair. The man was too sexy. Too enticing. Too desirable. I wanted him. My body wanted him. Although, after that encounter, I was fairly sure my heart wouldn’t survive a repeat with Victor Reuben.





I SPENT MY morning off, nursing a hangover and dodging calls from both Gabe’s manager and Victor’s assistant. Around three o’clock, I got cozy on the sofa in my room, eating my cup of cereal and watching Peaky Blinders on Netflix. It was a perfect afternoon until the pounding on my door started. I closed my eyes, begging for Cillian Murphy to be the one on the other side of the door. Knowing I was about to be highly disappointed as soon as I stood to open it. I sighed, threw my blanket off, and unlocked the door. Gabe and his manager were standing on the opposite side. I closed my eyes and counted to three before opening them again. Darryl looked like someone’s dad, with his salt and pepper hair, thick glasses, and round belly. Someone’s dad or someone with an underage porn fetish. I was always crept out by him to the point that I may or may not have had him photoshopped from some of our wedding photos. But the guy could talk his way in and out of anything, and he was as ruthless as they came, which was a gift in this industry.

“I feel like I must have done something horribly wrong in my past life.”

“Nice to see you again too, Nicole,” Darryl said, flashing his megawatt fake-ass smile at me.

“What do you want?” I asked, looking at Gabe, who had his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans and his head down.

He looked like a sullen school boy, and the fact he looked that way and was standing beside his manager could only mean one thing. One really, really bad thing. My heart dropped.