Tricks (Take It Off #6)(25)
Author: Cambria Hebert

She rolled her eyes. I liked seeing her like this. Relaxed. She stood and stepped around the table. Of course she wasn’t watching where she was going and her foot caught on the leg of my chair and she stumbled.

Right into my lap.

She fit perfectly.

She squeaked and I wrapped my arms around her.

“These damn heels hurt my feet,” she whined.

“Then why do you wear them?”

She lifted one of her long legs up into the air. “They make my legs look good.”

“Yes, yes, they do,” replied the man sitting behind our table.

My entire body tensed. I whipped around quickly, making Charlotte wrap her arms around my neck to keep balance.

“You looking at my woman’s legs?” I asked, my voiced deadly calm.

He glanced at me. “Well, she was showin’ ‘em off.”

“If you wanna keep your teeth, I suggest turning around.”

Charlotte gasped. “Max!”

The guy turned around, muttering in his seat. I grabbed ahold of her thigh and pushed her leg down. “I know how nice your legs are, darlin’, but no one else in here needs to.”

She sighed and laid her cheek against my shoulder.

It felt nice.

What. The. Fuck.

What the hell was I doing right now? Calling her my woman. Calling her darlin’? Calling out some dude for checking her out…

I was losing my damn mind. What the hell was in that vodka? And now here she was sitting in my lap with her head on my shoulder and I was enjoying it.

“Weren’t you going to the ladies’ room?” I asked her.

“Oh, yeah.”

I helped her up so she didn’t fall on those shoes again and watched her make her way to the bathroom. I knew I was acting crazy, but even knowing it wasn’t enough to not keep my eye on her as she went.

When the waitress came back around, I handed her some cash to settle up the bill and tip. The girls at the bar came sauntering over, and I wanted to groan. I had my hands full enough tonight with Charlotte. Usually I would welcome more than one woman’s attention, but it seemed that Charlie required a lot more looking after than most.

“We liked your song,” the brunette said, stopping beside my chair. She was pretty hot, with light-blue eyes and sleek, long hair.

“Thanks,” I said, giving them a polite smile.

All thoughts of taking one of them home had vanished from my mind completely.

“Did your sister leave?” the blonde asked, and I had to give her props for her cleverness. Most guys would be leading them out of the bar already.

“I’m not his sister.” A voice came from behind us.

I spun in my seat to see Charlotte standing there with her hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side. She didn’t even look at me. Instead, she regarded the women with a cool, level stare.

“Well, you couldn’t possibly be with him,” the brunette responded.

“And why is that?”

Oh shit, this was going downhill fast. I stood up between the women. “Well, we gotta get going.”

They ignored me.

“Because you don’t exactly look like the type someone like him would date.”

I was offended. For me and for Charlotte.

“Well, I guess he has better taste than skank,” Charlie spat.

I stifled a laugh.

Then she started pulling off the heels she was just complaining about and brandishing one like a weapon.

Time to go.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and towed her up against my side. “Down, girl.” After snatching our suit jackets off the chairs, I practically carried her out onto the sidewalk where the cold air greeted us.

“Put me down,” she complained.

“Only if you promise not to clobber me with your shoe.”

She laughed. “I promise.”

I put her down, keeping my arm out just in case she stumbled.

“I’m not drunk,” she said, giving me an evil look.

“Well, you sure as hell aren’t sober.”

“It’s freezing out!”

“Put your shoe on.” I reminded her dryly.

She put it on and fell over in the process. I rolled my eyes and bent down to pick her up off the pavement.

“Okay, maybe I’m a little tipsy.” She allowed as I hauled her up.

“Ya think?”

She fell against my chest and her head fell back so she could look up into my face. “Did I tell you I liked your song?”

“Yeah.” My eyes wandered down to her lips.

She watched me watch her. “You can, you know,” she said softly.

The blood was pumping through my veins at an extraordinary speed. It felt like I had a jackhammer inside my body and it was creating all kinds of chaos.

I lowered my face a little bit more so our lips barely grazed one another. She sighed and her eyes drifted closed.

Maybe the perfect guy could resist such an action.

Charlotte already pointed out that I was not perfect.

I pulled her even farther against me, lifting her feet up off the pavement completely, and her hands came up to wrap around my biceps, holding tightly as my mouth staked its claim.

God, her mouth was sinful. And hot. Her kisses were a direct contrast to the wind blowing around us, and I wrapped my other arm around her, holding her firmly in place so my tongue could delve past her lips and explore the depths of her mouth.

She tasted like beer (my favorite) and I growled as I licked even farther into her mouth. Her tongue met mine and they twisted together as our lips smashed against one another, desperately trying to get closer.

Her deep inhale pressed her chest against me and even through our clothes I could feel her rock-hard nipples standing at attention. One of my hands slid down and cupped her luscious ass, tilting her body even closer. But it wasn’t close enough. I wanted her legs wrapped around my waist. I wanted to feel the sleek moisture between her legs coat my abs and cock.

One of her hands slid up the back of my head, her fingers threading into my short hair and creating friction against my scalp.

Holy shit, I wanted to push up her skirt and do her right here on the sidewalk. I didn’t even care who saw. Never in my life had my body demanded sex more.

She pulled her mouth away, gasping for breath, and her head fell forward so that her forehead rested against mine.

A little shiver started at her feet and shook her body. I pulled back, slowly sliding her down the front of my body. I knew she could feel the hard length of me; there was no hiding it.

“Here,” I said, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. I lifted up her blazer and held it out so she could slip her arms inside.