Page 15 of Expiry Dating

She let out a chuckle. “Probably not, but I think I’ll pass all the same.”

“Fair enough.” He picked up the pace and spun her around. The shock of the twirl caused a slight whimper to escape her lips, making them both laugh.

This is what I need. Gin and dancing. Maybe when I get home, I’ll sneak over to Lily’s and eat some of her cake too. Yep, that’s what I’ll do.

“Mind if I cut in?” Her cake daydreams came to an abrupt end upon hearing that deep, raspy voice. Brady.

Ryan happily passed her over to him and excused himself. Traitor. And so she was left in Brady’s arms. His caramel-coloured intense gaze fixated on her as he slowly manoeuvred them around the dance floor.

She was finding it hard to swallow. She didn’t like being this close to him. Touching him. She really didn’t like the way he was looking at her, either. He looked hungry. Like she was his dinner. No. She definitely didn’t like this at all.

“You can’t look at me like that, sweetness, and expect me not to do something about it.”

“Look at you like what?” There is no fricking way the man can read my thoughts. He’s bluffing.

His eyes heated, the light brown becoming darker. “You know what.”

Deputy Douche is not hot. He’s a dick. He treats you like crap and lives to make your life miserable. You hate him, Ali. Get a fucking grip.

Internal pep talk complete. Alice decided she needed distance. Distance was her friend. After untangling herself from Brady’s arms, she hightailed it across the dance floor. Unfortunately, the damn man, who apparently took great pleasure in manhandling her, caught her outside and hauled her into the alley.

“Woman, for the love of God, will you stop running away from me?”

Being crowded against the cool brick wall gave her some serious déjà vu. His hand was next to her head again and his face was tipped down and just inches away from her own.

“Woman. It’s woman now?”

His eyes narrowed. “Grow up, Ali.”

Red. She saw lots of red. It wasn’t the comment that did it though. No, it was everything. The way he was looking at her, the way he touched her, the smell of pine mixed with his own natural masculine scent that was currently hitting the back of her throat. She’d had enough. Brady Mitchell needed to fuck right off.

“Me? I should grow up? Are you being fucking serious? If anyone needs to grow up, it’s you!”

“Oh yeah?” Even the calmness in his voice pissed her off.

“Yeah. You’re the one throwing tantrums, Brady. You’re the one mourning the loss of your former career and taking that shit out on me. So you can’t be a marine anymore ... boo-fucking-hoo. You have no idea how bloody lucky you are. You could have died for fucks sake. You could have been paralysed or lost your damn leg!”

“Oh, that’s rich, darlin’, coming from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re one to talk. Your boyfriend cheats on you, and what do you do? You run away. You quit your job, quit your life, you leave the fucking country! That’s some real mature shit right there, sweetness. And you’re telling me to grow up?”

“Fuck you, Brady!” She pushed at his chest. The exasperating man didn’t even move as she continued to push at his rock-solid chest. “Fuck you!”

He all too easily pulled her off him, clasping both wrists in just one hand. When she finally dared to look up, their eyes clashed. The normally light brown stare was darker than she’d ever seen. His eyes were black, so black they made her pulse quicken.

The longer they looked at each other, the shallower her breathing became and the fuzzier her brain felt. For a split second, his eyes darted to her mouth, and she couldn’t stop herself from wetting her lower lip. When her gaze met his, she knew there was no turning back. But she didn’t have time to process what that meant before his mouth was crashing onto hers.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was angry and out of control. He wanted to consume her, punish her, own her. A quick brush of his tongue against the seam of her lips forced them apart, giving him the access he desired. The deeper he delved, the hotter she burned. She wanted more. She wanted to lose herself in him. Burn in the flames that now engulfed them.

One hand went to his hair as she tugged him closer, trying her hardest to satisfy the new cravings he’d created inside her. Her other hand dragged down his chest, where she traced every hard ridge until she met the hem of his shirt. Reaching under, she let her fingers explore. As soon as she touched his bare skin, his guttural groan vibrated down her throat, sending a shiver through her.

Her brain came back online for a brief moment, but before she could do anything useful with it, Brady’s lips were on the move. He pushed aside her hair and buried his head in her neck. His magic mouth kissed, licked, and sucked until she was sure he’d fried every brain cell she had.

Around the time she was ready to strip naked and offer herself to him, Teddy, garbage bag in hand, found them. He tried his best to quietly retreat, but it was too late. Even her lust-filled, foggy brain knew that this was all kinds of wrong.

She was the first to pull back. They were both panting. She caught a glimpse of Brady’s eyes but quickly looked away for fear of melting under the heat.

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