Page 12

Chapter twelve

Colt

H ow did we get up here, all alone? What am I thinking? I’m not. Yes, I am—but I’m thinking with my dick, and it might fuck up everything between us. I study her as she sips her drink. If she notices, she doesn’t seem to care. I take a swig of my beer, savoring the refreshing taste. It’ll probably be the only sip I take. I’ll dump it later. I want to stay mostly sober, without making her feel guilty for drinking. If anything goes wrong tonight, it’s my ass on the line, no matter what, and I don’t play around with that shit. Always in control.

That’s why Aidan and I argue. He doesn’t understand the burden that comes with taking care of anyone—our whole life, it was always Mom and Dad taking care of us. And after they were gone, it became my job. That’s how I got mixed up with Uncle Ricky’s business to begin with. Aidan might work hard and he’s loyal, but his carefree attitude is something I don’t envy. I enjoy control. And something tells me my girl’s going to let me be in control tonight.

Her question interrupts my thoughts. “Now that we’re all alone, are you going to give me a name?” She takes another drink. “I basically promised the group chat not to get abducted by aliens.”

My lips curve into a mischievous smile. “I like to be called Daddy.”

She gasps but recovers without missing a beat. “Good thing I like to be spanked and called a good girl, Daddy.”

Fuck. She doesn’t realize how turned on I am. “Careful, darling,” I growl, leaning in like a predator sizing up its prey.

“Or what?” she replies.

“Don’t tempt me,” I warn.

I pull her knees so she’s facing me. Slowly, I work my hand from her knee up her thigh, swirling small, sensual circles over the roses on her fishnet tights. She sighs, letting her head fall onto my shoulder.

“I guess I have to send them a photo,” she says, holding her phone up as she leans in to snap one with both of us.

It’s sent to the group chat before I can even say no. Her body shakes with laughter.

“I’m sorry, I had to check in. They would have asked for proof I’m still alive.” Her phone vibrates, and a reply pops up on the screen.

She doesn’t try to hide the text. It’s a fire emoji—obviously some kind of girl code. At least she’s smart. These are the things my cousins have to worry about too. No wonder a safe venue is such an important standard. I’ve just never witnessed it firsthand.

“If you’re as sorry as you say, how about a kiss to sweeten me up?” I tap the side of my cheek.

She blushes, lifting her chin, getting closer and closer to my jawline. Her shallow breath brushes across my skin, and I hold my breath, watching her through half-lidded eyes. Maybe it’s the angle, but I’m sure I’m staring down at an angel. Fuck. My heart races, anticipating the soft touch of her lips on my cheek. As her eyes drift closed, I turn my head, so her lips crash into mine instead.

They’re soft and warm, everything I wanted them to be. I moan, low enough I’m not sure she hears, but her smile against my lips tells me she did. Maddox kisses me deeper, and I snake my arm around her while my other hand pulls her by the knees until they drape across my lap. Leaning her back, I release her legs. My free hand lands on her hip, while the other cradles her in my embrace. She gasps in surprise as I tighten my hold, using the moment to pull away and mumble against her mouth, “You can say stop whenever you want, and I’ll stop the second you ask.”

“Okay,” she gasps, her voice barely a whisper.

“Okay,” I repeat.

“Daddy, is now a good time to call you that?” she purrs, her hot breath hanging sensually between us.

“Yeah,” I pant, barely stopping myself from coming in my damn pants.

That’d really ruin the mood. I don’t think I’d ever see her again—not even for trivia night.

“Good. Kiss me, Daddy. I didn’t ask you to stop.”

I do. My hand tugs the soft slope of her hip up against mine, and my fingers graze over the curves of her body until they cup her cheek in a gentle caress. I swipe my tongue across her lips, asking to be let in. Her breath is sweet as she parts her mouth, allowing me to devour all of her. I take the kiss deeper still, sucking her bottom lip between my teeth. I want to taste all of her. The remnants of the drink I made earlier are sweet, mixing with the hoppy flavor of my beer to create something addictive. We kiss like this for what seems like forever.

“Last call,” Kyler says over the speakers downstairs. That means the event is over. The guests have another thirty minutes to mingle and grab more drinks.

The sound of footsteps on the staircase and shouts from the security team downstairs force me to pull away. I untangle myself from Maddox, jumping to my feet to block her from whoever’s coming up the stairs. Behind me, she’s righting herself. My world is spinning as I recover from our kiss.

“I saw you let someone else up here earlier! Let me through!” a man shouts.

I jog to the top of the stairs. Two of my security guys are holding him back.

“Sorry about that, sir. He threw a glass at the wall and slipped past us,” one of them explains.

“Not a problem, gentlemen. See to it he leaves quietly, would you? Through the back would be best,” I instruct.

“You got it,” the other guy says, pulling a roll of duct tape out of his pocket and slapping it over the man’s mouth. They zip-tie his wrists and escort him down the stairs. They’ll cut the restraints and shove him out the back door. He has to rip the tape off himself. It’s cruel, which might be why it’s my favorite part.

When I return to the sofa, Maddox’s drink is empty. “Want me to make you one more?”

“Who are you? Those men acted like they knew you.” She squints her eyes at me as if she’s trying to imagine what I look like beneath the mask.

“It was that potato-faced guy. Guess he really wanted his turn.” I run a hand through my hair. “Can’t say I blame him—kissing you is all I’m thinking about.”

“Don’t change the subject.” She narrows her eyes. “Do you work here?”

Fuck. I didn’t plan for this. I don’t want to lie to her.

“It’s a possibility,” I answer, evading the question again.

“Why are you so mysterious? Why don’t you want me to know who you are?” Her questions are rapid-fire.

“Darling, I don’t want who I am to matter tonight. It’s hard to meet people because of who I am.”

“So, what you’re saying is you want me to like you without knowing your identity?” she asks.

I nod, not saying more. Shit. I shouldn’t have made this a challenge for her. I can already see her brain working to piece together who I am. She hasn’t answered me about the drink, but I head to the bar anyway as she eyes me suspiciously. I replicate the one from earlier.

When I hand it to her, she takes it but then gives me my still-full beer missing one sip. My fingers wrap around the room-temperature glass.

“Cheers to enjoying the connection instead of judging each other’s identity.”

I clink my glass against hers.

“Bottoms up,” she challenges.

I do exactly what any other man would do—I chug my beer like a champ, even though it’s warm.