When I'm with You (Hope Town #3)(26)

With a single-minded determination, I start to scan the room for Dani, Ember, or any of the other girls that I’m sure are tagging along for the showdown they’re hoping for.

Each pass my eyes makes around the room just coils the tension in my gut tighter until I’m determined to find them and kick them out. If I were smart, I would find Shane and make him take care of it … but clearly, I’m not of sound mind because the second my eyes lock on Ember, I know the last thing I’m going to do is let her walk away from me again.

I feel my cock jump when I see past the group dancing between where I’m standing and she is laughing with the girls around one of the tables just off the dance floor. Then I get my first good look when the definition of living sin meets my eyes.

“Holy f*cking shit,” I breathe out in a rush of words, feeling like I’ve just been punched in the stomach.

The possessiveness that fires through my body at the vision before me is nothing like I’ve ever felt before. The anger that anyone else in this room is free to look at her slams into my body with a force so strong I almost reach out to steady my footing … almost.

My feet are moving just as rapidly as my racing heart as I move toward her. Dani, facing my direction, drops her jaw as her eyes widen. I see Stella roll her eyes in a bored way before giving Maddi a nudge and nod in my direction. I don’t look at Ember’s sister long, but I don’t for a second miss the small smile that hits her face when she sees me fuming behind Ember. I pay no attention to the rest of the girls in their group but reach out to spin the little devil in front of me around gently.

She teeters on her feet, and I glance down with a frown. Each bare inch of her tan legs has me clenching my jaw, but when I see the tall-as-f*ck heels on her dainty feet, whatever blood I had left in my brain blasts to my cock. I groan when my eyes travel back up to a dress that shouldn’t be allowed past the bedroom as my balls grow painfully tight.

“What the f*ck are you doing here?” I growl.

Fucking growl. Like a goddamn bear.

She doesn’t respond, but she also does a shit job at hiding the hurt that flashes in her eyes.

Shit.

“Don’t be a jerk,” I hear my sister yell.

I lift my gaze and narrow them on her. “You had better watch it before your nose is in the corner for a much-needed time the f*ck out, Danielle Cage.”

She rolls her eyes, and I make a mental note to deal with her later, looking back down into Ember’s pissed face.

“You shouldn’t be here.” The second the words are out of my mouth, I feel regret slamming into me. Fuck yeah, she should be here, my mind keeps screaming over and over. “You don’t belong here,” I continue to speak. I can’t stop the words coming out of my mouth, and I know the second my heart starts to pound at an unnatural speed that I’m f*cking up major here.

“You’re a son of a Bieber’s biscuit!” I hear a drunken screech from my side and look over to see Ember’s best friend, Nikki, reach out to poke me. “Son of a Backstreet Boy,” she oddly screams next and brings her offending finger to her chest to cradle it as her brow furrows in pain.

Weird girl, that one.

I take a deep breath to fill my chest with the smoky, raw air around me, before doing what I should have done in the first place. I bend, and before Ember can react, she is over my shoulder and I’m stalking back to the stairs that will lead to my office. My hand splays out against her backside so that the short-as-shit dress she’s wearing doesn’t give a view to the room that should be for my eyes only.

My eyes only? Where the hell did that thought come from?

I feel her small fists beating on my back, but I ignore her as I climb the stairs, trying my best not to think about the heat of her * against the palm of my hand. The second I slam my office door shut, closing us in the room, she launches herself off my shoulder. Luckily for her, I was near the couch, so when she stumbled on those heels, she landed on the soft leather with an oomph.

“What the hell is your problem, Nathaniel!” she screams, launching herself up to stand and pushing me with both hands against my chest. “You have no right!”

Taking her tiny wrists in my hands, I bring them down and trap them behind her back. She struggles and my eyes drop to her chest as each heaving breath makes the material drop a little lower.

“How the f*ck is this even staying up,” I fume. Switching my hold so I have both wrists in one hand, I bring up one finger to pick at the thin fabric strap going over her shoulder. My eyes roaming over the exposed skin of her neck as I trail my finger down the thin strap until I hit the deep V exposing the silky smooth skin between her tits. All it would take is one real deep breath and her nipple would be on display.

“N-nate,” she stutters, and I lift my gaze from the valley of tan skin to look into her eyes. The anger is still there but it has dimmed, and in its place is pure f*cking lust.

“No one should see this much of you. Not one f*cking person but me.”

“I’m not yours,” she fumes, and I can see that the fury is winning over the lust.

“You’re f*cking wrong, babe,” I respond without thought.

She snaps back and pulls one hand from my hold before I can even process her movement. In the next blink, that same freed hand cracks against my cheek and I feel a red-hot burn.

“I am not your f*cking babe!” she shouts.