Page 43 of It Should Have Been Me

“I’m not talking about the way you’re dressed.” His head dips toward my ear again as one hand moves off the bar and onto my thigh, sliding up to grip my side. He pulls me closer until my breasts are pressed against his chest. The heat from his body mixed with the alcohol running through my veins is a potent cocktail, and I feel like I might pass out. “I’m talking about the way you keep looking at me, the way your lips are silently begging for mine, this little shiver you get every time I’m close to you. Your body never lies to me. Don’t think I don’t feel it.”

“Feel what exactly?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“How badly you want me inside you.” The smooth skin of his clean-shaven jaw rubs against my cheek. His cologne pervades the space between us, and I’m at breaking point. “I’m right here, Cat,” he whispers, both playful and seductive. “If you want something from me...take it.”

I slowly turn my head toward him, and he’s right. His mouth is a mere inch from mine. My eyes flick between his eyes and lips. I’m dizzy, and the alcohol rises to my cheeks, making me incredibly hot. Everything seems to stop. Time stands still. The chatter and music fade into the background. There’s nothing except us and the magnetic force that seems to be pulling my lips toward his. My mouth lightly touches his, and he stops breathing, his eyes widening slightly, like he was simply taunting me yet not expecting me to actually respond.

If I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting it either. I keep telling myself to pull away, to not let this go further, but I can’t seem to stop. He feels so good. I press my mouth to his, loving the supple texture. Soft yet firm, and so deliciously plump against my own. My lips had once been branded by his kiss, but now it’s like a distant memory that my brain is desperately trying to recall. In the deep recesses of my mind, I know what it feels like, but I want to remember how a simple kiss from him could so easily overpower all my senses. I want to remind myself of the sensation of getting swept up in a whirlwind of unbridled passion.

He remains completely still as my mouth caresses his, and I can feel the rigidness of his body as my hand moves up to his face to stop him from shifting away. I need to taste him. My tongue darts out to run along the seam of his lips and he allows me entry. The subtle moistness draws me in, and my tongue ventures in further.

It’s at this point that his hesitance disappears. The breath he’d been holding is released into my mouth with a low groan. The small vibration of it hits the back of my throat, filling me with a burning desire. Molten heat spreads through me. Every inch of my skin is on fire, aflame with raw lust. His tongue dives between my lips and he kisses me like only he can, the type of kiss that sucks the air right out of me. How have I survived without this for so long?

I’m panting, and the lingering taste of alcohol on his breath is an unexpected aphrodisiac that I’m quickly falling victim to. Clasping the side of my jaw, he deepens the kiss, holding nothing back. My arms slide around his neck, pulling him closer. I want more of him, all of him. He must sense it because he pulls away a fraction.

“Come home with me,” he whispers hoarsely.

That simple sentence is like a bucket of cold water thrown right in my face. What the hell am I doing?

“Shit!” I push him off me and quickly shift away from him. The reality of what I did, what I’m doing, what I so desperately want to do, hits me like a ton of bricks. “Shit! Scott...I, uh...”

My mind can’t even formulate words. I need to get away from him before I do something stupid...somethingmorestupid. I leave him at the bar and rush off to the ladies' restroom. As soon as the door swings shut behind me, I race to the faucet, splashing cold water on my face and dabbing some around my neck. When I look in the mirror, I see the familiar flush on my cheeks, the undeniable effect of his kiss. Crap! What the hell did I do? I take a few minutes to pull myself together, steadying my breaths and my heart rate. I know he wouldn’t have left in the time I’ve been in here, but a small part of me is hoping he did because I don’t think I can face him.

I exhale slowly and exit the restroom, heading back toward the bar.

“Hey.”

A voice as smooth as chocolate echoes behind me, and I slowly turn to face him. A dim red glow barely illuminates his features, but I have no problem reading the expression on his face. I know that grin. I know that glint in his blue eyes.

He takes a few steps toward me, and I raise my hand to stop him. “Scott...stay there. Don’t come any closer.”

All I get is a wider grin and another step closer, like he’s enjoying toying with me.

“I mean it. What just happened...shouldn’t have happened. I didn’t want to do that.”

“You sure?” Another step closer and I take a step back to maintain the gap between us. “Because it felt like youreallywanted to do that.”

“I didn’t.” I sound more panicked than sure of myself. “Scott, I don’t want to be that person. I’m not the type to cheat. I’m drunk. That was a lapse in judgment.”

“A lapse in judgment?” The amusement fades from his eyes and is replaced with simmering anger. “You’re going to blame alcohol for what just happened?”

“I shouldn’t have done that. Kissing you was a mistake.”

“Mistakes generally only happen once, Cat.”

“Thatdidonly happen once.”

“Count again.”

He grabs the back of my neck, pulling me toward him, and his mouth crashes down on mine. His point is proven immediately because I don’t even have the will to resist. Cupping my face with both hands, he shoves me up against the wall.

The cold concrete is a harsh contrast to my scorching skin, and it causes a sharp prickle just beneath the surface. I would care if my lips weren’t being assaulted by the bruising kiss of Scott Carter. His mouth is hard, aggressive, letting me know just how pissed off he is, and I kiss him back with the same voracity.

His lips move lower, his teeth grazing my neck. “Try telling me again that you don’t want this.”

Those words only remind me of how wrongthisis, reinforcing my guilt. I need to stop. I’m already knee-deep in themore stupidterritory and I’m dangerously close to entering theHoly hell! He’s never gonna forgive mezone. My hands move onto Scott’s chest, and I have every intention of pushing him off me. But then this asshole places his hand over mine, sliding it down his chiseled abs and onto the hard bulge in his jeans. I gasp when I’m reminded of the sheer size of him, and my thighs clench in anticipation. He gives no fucks about the footsteps and chatter behind us as people walk through the corridor to the restrooms.

Keeping his hand on mine, he rubs it up and down his cock, slow enough for me to feel every rock-solid inch sliding against my palm. “This is what you do to me.” Guttural groans reverberate against the hollow spot at the base of my throat and that sexy sound slices right through my intoxicated haze, making me hotter, wetter. He abruptly pulls away, his ragged breaths fanning my lips. “I’m giving you two options. You can come home with me...or I’m dragging you into this bathroom and fucking you up against the door. Either way, you’re mine tonight.”

---