Page 76 of Careless

If I was just going off to get laid, they might be able to guilt me into staying, but this is my woman. It's never just about sex, even when she texts me and tells me she’s horny and needs my cock. I always stay for more than just sinking my cock into her drenched heat.

Fuck. Now, I’m hard. Just thinking about her is enough to get me going.

I hurriedly get in my car and follow the GPS signal which comes from the upper east side of town. The closer I get, the more confused I become. What the fuck is Sorcha doing in the business sector of Grove Hill at ten o’clock? This seems too shady, and my woman doesn’t do shady.

I follow her trail until it stops at a small strip of businesses.

Her car is parked in front of a dance studio, but the lights are turned off, except for what looks like a red light deep inside the studio.

Parking my car, I get out and head to the front door. It’s unlocked, so I pull it open and stroll into the dark studio, but not before making sure the deadbolt is in the locked position.

The sound of dropped bass and a seductive song calls to me, pulling me in the direction of the red light. I’m careful with how I approach, completely unsure of what I’m going to stumble upon.

What the hell have you gotten yourself involved in, kid?

The bass gets louder as I approach, my heart pounds in my chest. I stand at the edge of the threshold, the crimson hue oozing around it like a bloody mist.

I turn the corner. I’m ready for anything.

But not this.

My heart drops to my groin as my eyes fall on the woman dancing on one of a dozen stripper poles in the room. She’s in her fucking underwear, twirling around the pole like a seductive goddess born only for the purpose of bringing millions of men to their knees.

Instinct has my eyes scanning the room, my jealousy at the thought of someone here watching her tears me apart from the inside out. Luckily, no one else is here. Just me and her.

My hackles relax as my eyes are drawn back to her. She hooks her leg around the pole, and swings around it. She starts to shimmy her ass against it, but then her eyes find mine. She stills.

“Rian!” She cries my name as I lean against the doorframe, my arms crossed over my chest.

She’s like a doe caught in headlights. Her eyes are huge from shock, and fear, and…. Mortification? I glare at her. “Well, isn’t this a surprise?” My voice is gruff and strained as it comes out. The song ends and she side steps behind the pole like it could conceal her near nudity. What’s the point of hiding? I’ve kissed, licked, and sucked every inch of her body. I’ve become so well acquainted with her flesh, I could draw every dimple, stretch mark, and freckle from memory alone. I could probably do it blindfolded, too.

“What are you doing here?” she demands as she snaps from her fog.

So we’re resorting to deflection, are we? She’s in a dance studio, in the middle of the night, by herself, dancing like a stripper, practically naked—and she wants to know why I’m here? This was a dangerous move on her part, especially considering she didn’t even lock the front fucking door. What if someone came in here and hurt her? She needs to be smarter than this. First, the run in the middle of the night and now, erotic dancing in an abandoned studio?

“I have a tracker on your car and I followed you here. Good thing I did. Do you realize that the front door is unlocked? Look at yourself. What do you think someone would do if they came in uninvited and saw you like this?”

Her expression hardens as her eyes narrow. “You put a tracker on my car. Are you fucking crazy?” She glares at me, and I nearly laugh at the stupidity of her rebuttal.

“You knew I was crazy long before I fucked you, baby.”

She swallows whatever sassy retort she had because she knows I’m right. She fell in love with me, despite the fact that I’m psychotic, jealous, and possessive.

Or was itbecauseof all that?

“I’ll ask you again. What the hell are you doing here?” I challenge and she aims her eyes at the floor, hiding her feelings from me. She thinks she can hide anything from a predator like me?Silly little mouse.

She’s timid when she answers. “This is where I take a pole dancing class with Kia. Two days a week. It’s my new exercise method.” I can see a flush spreading over her already reddened skin. She’s still avoiding my glare.That’s not going to help her.

I storm over to her. “You dress like this for your classes?” I snarl out the words as I lean over her. She knows she’s on thin ice, so she doesn’t talk back. I reach out and pop her bra strap, loving the sound of the snap against her flesh. She jumps from the contact, but still doesn’t look me in the eye.

“No. I wear my normal exercise clothes and the class only has women in it, so you can stop the jealousy thing you’re doing.” She finally snaps out of her timid persona and thins her gaze at me. She’s not quite glaring, but it's close enough to piss me off.

“This is not fucking jealousy. I’m beyond pissed, Sorcha. You put yourself in a dangerous situationagain.You ran off in the middle of the nightagain. You put me in a situation where I feel like I have to babysit youagain. Do you have any clue how much of a target you are?” I step into her, and wrap my fingers around her throat, forcing her to look at me.

With each sentence, her brattiness wanes until she looks like she’s on the verge of tears.

“We don’t hide our methods of making sure the rules are followed. Everyone who has ever lived in Grove Hill knows. There’s plenty of family’s out there that would like to take out their revenge on you. You’re Nigel’s daughter, Finn’s sister, and my woman. Each one of those is a target on your back. You’re the little princess we all have to make sure doesn’t step on a fucking landmine because you’re too stupid to look where you’re walking.”

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