“Well, then. Let the convincing begin,” he says. Taking my hand, he pulls me against him. “Dance with me?”
Linking his fingers with mine, he leads me to the dance floor. The DJ switches to something slow and sultry, and suddenly Jax’s hands are on my hips, pulling me in close.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” he asks, breath hot against my ear.
“Just visiting a friend,” I reply, fighting the urge to press myself fully against him as I wrap my arms around his neck. “You?”
“Born and raised. Well, a few towns over.” His hands slide lower, resting just above my ass as we sway to the music. “I also co-own the local tattoo shop.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Wait, you’re one of the owners of Skin & Ink?”
“Guilty.” That dimple appears again, and my heart trips.
Four shots of tequila and two hours later, I’m laughing harder than I have in months as Jax pulls me toward the back door of The Brew. The cool night air hits my flushed skin as I stumble on my heels.
“Careful there, beautiful,” he murmurs, wrapping his arm firmly around my waist.
I can’t stop giggling as he walks me backwards over to the side of the building, his body a solid wall of heat pressing me up against the rough brick. His mouth finds my neck, and I tilt my head, giving him better access.
“God, you’re fucking gorgeous,” he growls against my skin as his hands slide up my thighs, bunching my dress up around my waist.
Memories flash one after the other. Calloused fingers finding their way between my legs. Me gasping and Jax groaning when he discovers how wet and ready I am for him. The sound of his zipper. The feeling of being more than completely filled when he slid his cock inside me with one hard thrust.
“Sasha. Hey! Sash!”
Noia’s voice snaps me out of my sex-riddled haze, and I shake my head to clear it. “Shit,” I mutter, dropping the shirt Iwas folding but now twisting into a wrinkled mess back into the box.
As if she can read my mind, she smirks and sits back down on the bed, nearly causing the box I just finished packing to topple over. “You were thinking about him, weren’t you?”
Grabbing a folded pile of clothes, I throw them into the box and start taping it shut. “Nope.”
“Liar.”
Arching a brow, I meet her gaze. “Remind me why I’m friends with you again?” I ask, reaching for my water and downing half of it.
“Because I’m fabulous, and you love me,” she says, clinking her newly filled glass against my half-empty bottle.
I sigh, smiling in surrender. “Sad but true.”
She’s right. I haven’t for the life of me been able to stop thinking about Jax. Not that I’m going to admit it.
Because no matter how hard I try to forget about what happened that night in the alley outside The Brew, it’s all branded into my skin—the soft concerned tone of his voice when I stumbled, the heat of his mouth, and the way he groaned when he came with his face tucked into my neck.
Shit.
There’s no way around it. I’m going to run into Jax Riley at some point. It’s inevitable.
“You okay?” Noia’s teasing tone is gone, replaced with concern.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I force a smile. “Just remembered I forgot to call the utility company about setting up service at the new house.”
The lie doesn’t land the way I want it to. I can tell by the way her eyes narrow in on me, but she doesn’t call me out on it.
“So, what time are you leaving tomorrow?” she asks instead, mercifully changing the subject.
“Early. The movers will be here at eight.” I fold another shirt, focusing on making the edges perfect even though I know they’re going to get tossed around in the move. “I want to get settled in before I check out the studio space. I can’t believe getting the paperwork for the purchase took almost as long as I thought it would take to rehab it. Four months behind schedule isn’t a great start.”
“Don’t worry. I believe things happen for a reason. You’ll get that empty space fixed up in no time, and the grand opening will be here before you know it. Oh, and don’t forget, I’m throwing you a housewarming party with just us girls. You, me, Lizzy and Claire.”