Page 8 of Ride with Me
“You know,” she says as she sets her glass down. “I hoped you’d be a little more vulgar with it.”
“Yeah?” I prompt as I move to drink more. I need to catch up with her. I also need a distraction from the sinfulness of her lips. “What did you want me to say?”
“Oh, maybe something more along the lines ofThe only cunt I’m interested in is the one between your legs.”
I nearly choke on the whiskey. Coughing, I pound a fist to my chest to clear away the errant liquor. “Christ, woman.”
I could tell she was bold, but this is a level I didn’t expect. It’s not unpleasant or unwelcome—not in the slightest. It’scompelling and downright entertaining. I like women with no filters, the ones who speak their minds and go after what they want. Demureness is boring.
And besides, she wasn’t wrong to hope I’d say something a little more indecent. Under different circumstances, I’d be more than happy to give her exactly what she wanted.
She twirls a lock of hair around her finger, the picture of innocence, but warm amusement rolls off her. She’s playing with me. There’s something else with it, though, something a little hotter, and it’s starting to burn in me as well.
“Was that too much?” she asks coyly.
I already swore I was going to keep myself out of trouble tonight, to be content to just sit here and chat. That was supposed to be enough. But Stella’s mouth—in more ways than one—is about to have me going back on my word.
“No,” I say, almost surprised that it comes out as more than a rasp. “Just enough.”
Chapter 4
Stella
Old Stella is back.
I’ve hooked a man in five minutes flat, which isn’t a new record, but it’s on par with the woman I used to be. And God, it feels good.
“Just enough,” I echo him, not daring to look away lest I lose the confidence I’ve regained. But his gaze is so intense that I’m not sure I could even if I wanted to. “All right, if you say so.”
I know I pressed my luck with Prince Charming here. He could have found me and my little adjustment of his toast crude and off-putting. I wouldn’t have been surprised, given his aggressively posh bearing, but when he looked at my lips like he was imagining them doing something more than talking, I figured I might as well try.
And am I glad I did, because the way his eyes lit up after he recovered was worth the risk. A win I desperately needed. The spark it sent through my blood was only a bonus.
It’s nice to feel wanted again. Nice to know my allure hasn’t completely vanished. It’s been hard not to think I’ve completely lost it, considering I couldn’t keep my fiancé’s attention in thefinal months of our relationship, but this is proof that I can still draw people in. That I can still be lusted after.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t do much to close the gaping hole that lingers in my chest, but this is like a Band-Aid pulling the edges together. I’ll take it over having nothing.
“I promise it’s a compliment,” Thomas says, fingertips skimming over my bare knee. “I appreciate boldness.”
His touch leaves a trail of heat in its wake, stirring something to life inside me. But I don’t get the chance to give it a name, because the feeling is devoured by sharp, gut-churning guilt. Guilt that I’ve betrayed my fiancé by shamelessly flirting with this man.
I have to quickly remind myself that I don’t have a fiancé anymore. I’m not in a relationship. I have no one to be loyal to. No one to cheat on. And I said I was going to cause a riot tonight, didn’t I? A girl can’t do that if she’s holding herself back.
But if I really want to inspire the most chaos—and prove to Daphne that I’m not the saint she thinks I am—it’s time for me to lure in my next victim. This one was only supposed to be a stop along the way, my first of many conquests tonight.
Except…I don’t really want to find another.
First of all, I’m comfortable here at the bar, away from the shrill screams of winning women and the shouted curses of losing men coming from around the room. Second, Thomas is actually putting thecharminto the Prince Charming nickname—boy can banter. And third…maybe Old Stella doesn’t need to comeallthe way back. I’ve already proved to myself that she’s still here, that she’s just been hibernating. That matters more than proving anything to some mean girl.
And all right, he’s easily the hottest man in the room. Why would I leave just to find someone less appealing?
“Good,” I tell Thomas, and then I toss back the rest of myold-fashioned. When I set down the empty glass, I level him with a smile as the whiskey warms my veins. “Then you can get me another drink.”
He laughs, deep and low, but he’s already lifting a hand to signal to the bartender. It gives me a chance to sneakily assess him again. He’s prettier than I first thought, with the lightest smattering of freckles across his nose and a few faint laugh lines around his eyes. He might have been wearing that grimace earlier, but this is a man who smiles often.
When he finishes ordering, he looks back at me, an expectant lift to his brow. “Any ideas for what our next toast should be?”
I pretend to think, tapping a finger against my jaw. “How about to the absolutely ridiculous bride and groom who thought a combined bachelor and bachelorette party was a good idea?”
