Page 20 of No Ordinary Love

I needed to clear my head and remind myself why I had made the choices I had. But as I leaned against the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice me, all I could see in my mind's eye was Amara's smile, her laugh, and the way she looked at Jax like he was the only person in the room.

And it hurt like hell.

Fueled by that pain—and maybe a drink or two I shouldn't have had—I followed Amara when she went to the restroom. That was my first mistake, and from there, my missteps fell like dominoes, one after another.

I waited for her to come out of the bathroom and ignored Amara's gasp of protest as I dragged her into a hidden alcove.

"Lucas," she admonished. "What—?"

"We need to talk."

I held both her arms. Was it the three Sazeracs I consumed that were the problem? Was it her smell—that heady floral scent that was all her mixed with some Gucci perfume that I knew she used? Or was it dreaming of her, missing her every fucking day even though I tried not to?

"Talk about what?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Jax…he's not for you."

Her eyes widened, and I wanted to drown in them just as I used to when we made love. God! The pleasure of being inside of her, of having her tell me she loved me. Remembering how good it felt left me weak. My knees all but buckled.

"Why? Because he's one of your precious Charleston elite, and I'm just too blue-collar?" She spat out.

She wasn't resisting me any longer, and I loved how her body felt against mine. Soft. She was always so willing and pliable. It was different from Kath. I hated to compare, but these were the two most important women from my past who were in my present and holding Kath didn't evoke these feelings of possession that slammed into me when I was close to Amara. The violence with which I wanted to hurt Jax didn't compare to how I'd felt when I saw Kath with Mercer—that had been fucking kindergarten compared to the warfare I wanted to launch now.

"No, because he doesn't know you. He doesn't know what you want."

"Because you do?"

"Yes,Tesoro."

I saw the remembrance in her eyes as I slurred out the endearment that was between us, personal, private, one that I used in bed when I made love with her because she was that,a fucking treasure. I had started using it because she was of Italian descent, and I'd studied for a year in Rome and spoke the language. It was an endearment that I felt suited her to a T.

"Fuck you, Lucas."

"Anytime, baby."

I couldn't resist pressing my hips against hers so she could feel me hard. Being this close to her, my body came alive. I hadn't felt this way with Kath and maybe that was why I hadn't touched her.

I realized I'd been starving for Amara—everything inside me was soaking in her presence, savoring the closeness, even if she was spitting mad.

Her eyes darkened in anger. "You, asshole. How dare you?

A low, feral sound escaped me as I backed her up against the wall of our hiding place, my body pinning hers in place.

"I dare because you're fucking mine."

"Oh, my God, you're delusional." She pushed against me in vain. "Go back to your girlfriend, Lucas, the one you've been panting over for years while you've been using me to warm your bed."

"Tesoro, you weren'twarmingmy bed; you were setting it on fire."

I was aroused beyond reason. My cock was thickening, enjoying being back in its favorite place, nestled into the notch between Amara's delectable thighs.

I stroked the pulse, thrumming at her neck with a free hand.

"Do you miss having me inside you,Tesoro?"

She gasped in outrage. "No! Because Jax is averyskilled lover and—"

"Shut up," I raged and ground into her. "You don't talk about another man with me."

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