When You’re Ready (Ready #1)(48)
Author: J.L. Berg

“I’ll give you two guesses.”

“He bought me a dress?”

“Yep, and shoes. And they’re definitely not from Target,” she added, holding up the patent leather pumps with the bright red soles. I jumped up and down, twirling my dress in my arms like a ridiculous little girl, but I didn’t care. I felt happy.

We rimmed my eyes with smoky eyeliner, making them look dark and sexy. I decided to leave my hair down, letting the natural curls run down my back untamed. I slipped into my dress and heels and took a peek in the mirror for the first time.

“Hot damn, I look good,” I announced, admiring how the dress fit my body like a glove. The black fabric was cinched and ruched down the center giving me cle**age and curves in all the right spots. Tiny straps held it in place, and as I gave myself a twirl in the mirror, I realized just how short it was. Like, don’t-bend-down-for-anything short.

“Ready to give him a heart attack?” Leah asked, looking me up and down.

“Do you think he’ll like it?”

“Shit, if he doesn’t, there’s something seriously wrong with him. Even I want to do you right now.”

Leave it to Leah to give it to you straight.

“Okay, let’s go.”

~Logan~

I had already changed into dark jeans, a black button down shirt and my favorite leather jacket. Just as I was congratulating myself on what a good idea this was and how I couldn’t wait to see Clare in that dress I bought her, I heard them coming down the stairs. I turned my head just in time to see her take the last step, and I was instantly aroused, miserable and panicked all at the same time.

“Holy f**king Christ,” the words flew out of my mouth in a rush as I fought to breathe.

“Um, is he okay?” Clare asked.

Clare’s hand was on her hip and it drew my attention to her ass, which looked…damn.

“Oh God, this was a bad idea. Such a dumb idea. You’ve got to go change,” I pleaded.

“What? Why?” she asked, looking herself up and down like there was something wrong. There was nothing wrong. That was the God damn problem. She was absolutely flawless.

“I’m gonna kill every man that looks at you tonight,” I threatened, feeling my fists tighten and my teeth clench at the mere thought.

A wide grin spread across her face while she slowly walked over to me, gripping the edges of my jacket. Clare paused a moment to admire my clothing choice, her eyes roaming over the jacket I’d worn especially for her. I knew leather would drive her crazy.

“Well, I guess you’re just going to have to control yourself…cause I’m not changing,” she said, emphasizing the last part slowly, as she ran her finger down her my chest, causing me to groan.

“This is not going to be fun for me,” I muttered as she pulled me toward the door.

I prayed that I could make it through the night without having to kick anyone’s ass.

I weaved my way through the thick crowd, drinks in hand, back to our table in the VIP area of the club. It was a small area, and not very well blocked off from the rest of the club, but this wasn’t New York. You were basically paying for the table, and surprisingly, they didn’t come cheap. But I would pay anything to make Clare happy, and I wanted this night to be perfect. I had seen her dance around the house with Maddie, and I knew how much she loved it. I couldn’t wait to be the one she was dancing with.

As our table came into view, I saw Clare politely trying to decline an invitation to dance from a man who had approached the table. My vision blurred, my pace doubled and by the time I reached the table I was seeing red.

Mine.

Clare noticed me bee-lining it to the table, and her look of relief calmed me a bit, knowing she saw me as her savior.

“Hey, buddy,” I said to the jackass macking on my woman, “I’d appreciate you backing off my girlfriend a bit. She doesn’t want to dance with you,” I assured him, setting down the drinks and inserting myself between the guy and Clare.

“Hey Dickwad, I think the lady can speak for herself,” the jackass said.

Dickwad? Who said shit like that? This dude must have had the IQ of a turnip.

“Listen ass**le, you’ve got about five seconds to walk away before I kick your ass and you find yourself waking up in a dark alley, permanently walking lopsided if you know what I mean.”

Based on his assumed IQ, I was a little afraid he actually wouldn’t get what I was talking about, but his eyes grew wide and he nodded his head, walking quickly away.

“That was really freaking hot, Logan,” Clare practically purred in my ear.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed, her eyes roaming over my body again, making me ache and harden all at the same time.

“We need to dance. Now,” I demanded.

She agreed and I lead us to the dance floor. The music was loud, the bass low and vibrating against the walls, and there were bodies everywhere. I found an empty spot near the middle, spinning Clare around so her body was flush against mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck, as my hands found her waist, and we began to dance. Her hips slid against my hands as she moved up and down to the music, grinding her body against me. My hands found her ass, pulling her closer, as my mouth descended on hers.

I kissed her deeper, knowing we were going far beyond what should be done on a public dance floor, but I didn’t care. At this point the entire club could be watching and I couldn’t stop. At least the men would know she was mine and maybe leave her the f**k alone.

Clare broke our kiss, turning around, so her back was to me while keeping my hands snaked around her. She never stopped dancing, swaying her hips, and grinding her ass against my rock hard cock. She brought her arms back up, pulling my head down to her, completely consumed by the music and lust.

We danced like this, in our own world, for what seemed like forever. Panting, glistening with sweat, Clare leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I’m going to go freshen up in the restroom real quick. I’ll be right back.”

I escorted her back to the table and she fled to the restroom, leaving me alone, horny and sporting a huge erection.

Fuck this.

I had some unfinished business to attend to. And she had just walked into the ladies restroom.

~Clare~

Just as I had finished drying my hands and checking my makeup, there was a knock on the bathroom door. The line was long, but seriously, I had been in here for two minutes tops. Give a girl a break. I needed a breather. If I hadn’t fled the dance floor, I was pretty sure Logan would have tackled me to the floor and started ripping off my clothes. I had taken a step back, as hard as it was, to keep us from being arrested for indecent exposure.