Styled (Travesty Book 4) Read online

  The feel of her mouth on mine had caught me off-guard.

  I imagine kissing a lot of girls. It’s how I’m wired.

  I hadn’t imagined kissing Jordan. Not because she wasn’t attractive. Because I’d put her in a box, and put that box on a shelf, and told myself there was no way I’d open it because it wasn’t for me.

  When she’d made the first move, though? I couldn’t ignore it.

  Tonight she wasn’t dancing like she had with me at Axe’s. Whether it was the booze or the company, she was unselfconscious. Moving in a way that had my body throbbing.

  I lifted my drink to my lips, swallowing tightly as I watched her lose herself. Every other woman was in my way as I shifted to keep Jordan in my line of sight. Eventually I stood on the step next to our booth, leaning against the railing.

  Dylan and his friend glanced over but I didn’t care what anyone thought. It felt like I’d just been slapped upside the head with a realization that was obvious to everyone but me.

  Jordan Briggs wasn’t just smart. And weird.

  She was fucking sexy as hell.

  When I’d told myself she was off-limits, I could ignore it. Ignore the way she looked at me a beat too long. The way she flushed when I caught her off-guard.

  The way her “you’re fuck hot, and you know it” had gone straight to my dick.

  But she’d broken the rules when she’d kissed me, her hands fisting in my shirt.

  Now, watching her dance, I wondered if she was sweating.

  I wondered what it tasted like.

  “Got your eye on a girl?” I glanced over at Dylan, who’d appeared on the step beside me.

  “Not tonight,” I lied, turning him away from the dance floor. “You having a good time?”

  “Yeah. Thanks for not taking us to a strip club or something.”

  “I figured you wouldn’t be into that.”

  “I’m not,” he said bluntly, but his mouth curved at the corner. “There’s not a woman in this city that comes close to mine.”

  “I get it.”

  And for once I did. Not because I’d ever felt that way about someone—even Gia had never inspired that kind of declarative love my brother had for his fiancée—but because I knew what it was like to wish that every person in the room would melt away.

  Except for one.

  It was killing me to not look back toward the dance floor. Because I wanted to march over to Jordan and…what?

  Give her shit for kissing me.

  Drag her to the nearest bathroom and do a hell of a lot more.

  Chew her out for daring to be different, real, and then leaving me.

  Because they were all true.

  But tonight was about Dylan, which meant the girls’ presence should stay a secret. Jordan’s and mine.

  I forced myself to take my seat in the booth next to Nate, and Dylan slid into the other side.

  Still, my brain wouldn’t let go.

  When I looked over again, the girls were gone.

  I blew out a breath. It was beyond stupid that I was in the middle of my brother’s bachelor party and thinking about a girl.

  Not thinking. Obsessing.

  I’m Ethan Cameron. Women don’t bring me to my knees.

  Sure, Jordan wasn’t just any woman. But if she thought she could kiss me like that and then run?

  No fucking way.

  We’re going to have this out, I decided with grim satisfaction.

  Until then, I’d put her out of my head.

  “Where to next?” I asked the guys.

  Nate shook his head, incredulous. A slow grin spread across Kent’s face. My brother just raised his eyebrows.

  “It’s two am,” Dylan said, the words blurring together.

  “You mean it’s only two am.” I pulled out the club promotors’ cards I had jammed in my pockets. “Pick one.”

  Dylan pulled a card from my hand like I was doing a magic trick. “How’s this?”

  I nodded approvingly. “Let’s go.”

  Kent tossed back his last drink. Nate shifted out of his seat, pulling on his jacket.

  I paid the bill and led the way out of the club.

  13

  Jordan

  Hot. Sweaty. Suffocating—

  I jerked awake, disoriented. It took a few seconds for me to realize where I was.

  The hotel room the four of us had booked was a mess. Bright sunlight snuck around the edge of the curtains, glinting off discarded shoes and an empty bottle of champagne.

  Shifting off the couch felt like it took every muscle in my body. My feet complained as they hit the floor, still sore from the high heels.

  I adjusted my tank top and sleep shorts as I shifted off the pullout couch and stumbled past the mirror. I scrubbed the last of the vodka taste from my mouth with my toothbrush. Getting rid of last night’s makeup smudged around my eyes seemed like a task best attempted after coffee.

  A loud rumble had me glancing back toward the bed. Ava snored loud enough to wake the dead. Not to mention to wake Lex, who was a light sleeper.

  But Lex wasn’t in that bed. Or the one next to it, where Jane lay spread-eagled under the covers.

  The only signs of Lex were her suitcase tucked neatly next to the bed and…

  And her phone lying on the dresser.

  Shit.

  We’d gotten back together just before two. All four of us—right?

  Awesome. We lost the bride.

  Getting home last night was fuzzy, but we’d all been there. After leaving the club we’d posed on a bridge over the Strip to take pictures, at Ava’s request. But after that…

  I stomped across the hall and knocked on the guys’ room. Maybe Kent or Nate would know where Lex was. I’d rather not tell Dylan we’d misplaced his fiancée until we had to.

  No answer.

  I was about to go back to our room and wake Ava when I heard the low voice through the door.

  “Just a sec.”

  No. Retreat! The panicked alarm in my head was too slow, and the door opened before I could will my legs into action.

  Fuck me.

  Seriously. Fuck me.

  Ethan leaned an arm casually on the door frame. The pajama pants slung low on his hips were way too sexy to be flannel. His pecs looked like they deserved their own zip codes, and the deep lines carved into his abs might as well have been flashing neon lights for the way I was entranced by them.

  “Hey. You’re up early.” Ethan’s voice was raspy from sleep.

  “You’re early too. I mean. So are you.” I blinked. “You’re not dressed.”

  He raised a brow and I glanced down, realizing too late my tank might as well have been transparent. I folded my arms over my chest. “Have you seen Lex? She’s not in our room.”

  “Wait. You lost her?”

  “We didn’t lose her,” I retorted, panic creeping in. “I just don’t know—”

  “I’m kidding. I know where she is. Come on in.” Ethan stepped back, a smile ghosting across his face.

  Relief eased the tension in my shoulders as I followed him inside and let the door swing closed after me. “So where is she?”

  “I got her and Dylan the honeymoon suite.”

  “You did what?” I could imagine how much those things cost.

  “It’s too much, I know, but…” Ethan’s expression was sheepish. “I just figured they’d rather—”

  “Be together, even for the night,” I finished. Of course Ethan knew Lex and Dylan never got to spend time with one another because of the distance. At least until Dylan moved from San Diego to New York after graduation in a few months. “It’s not too much. It’s actually perfect.”

  His expression warmed on mine, and heat bloomed in my cheeks.

  I turned away to scan the room. It was the same as ours, minus the pullout couch. Both queen beds were unmade. Two of the guys must have booked another room for the bachelor party, since I couldn’t see them doubling up.

  “Nate’s at the
gym,” Ethan offered, reading my mind.

  “You been up awhile?”

  “Yeah.” Ethan crossed to the notebook computer open on the desk and clicked a few things. “I have some bad news. The deal on La Brea fell through. It happens sometimes. So we’re back to the drawing board.”

  “What? Oh.” I pushed a hand through my hair as disappointment fought its way into the rest of the emotions swirling in me. “Maybe we can deal with it after the wedding.”

  “We could. Or—” he turned over his shoulder to look at me “—you could stay two more weeks like you’d planned and we can sort this out. There’s nothing in New York you need to be back for, right?”

  I considered. “I told my dad I’d go to this party with him. But other than that…I don’t know. I need to think about it.”

  “You think about it. In the meantime, I ordered breakfast.”

  The door sounded as if by design, and Ethan rose smoothly to answer it, brushing past my conspicuous hiding place in the middle of the floor.

  He took the tray from the waiter, deftly catching the door with his foot to hold it while he turned. I couldn’t take my eyes from the muscles of his arms, his chest, until he set the tray on the bed and shot me a sidelong look.

  “You coming? I’ll share.”

  I started to say no, but my stomach growled.

  I was in Vegas. Everyone was asleep. The most beautiful man I’d ever seen was sitting half naked on the bed and offering me breakfast.

  What the hell.

  I sat opposite him, pulling my feet up to sit cross-legged. Ethan lifted the top off the tray, revealing waffles, fruit, syrup.

  Ethan Cameron was hard to reject.

  Waffles were impossible to reject.

  He unfolded the crisp linen napkin and handed me the fork. He cut a strip off a waffle using the knife, dipping it in the syrup before dropping it into his mouth.

  Food was suddenly the second most interesting thing in arms reach. I snuck a glance at Ethan’s chest. Hard, smooth, with the lightest dusting of hair starting between his pecs and traveling down…

  “So. Marry anyone last night?” Ethan’s voice was easy.

  I broke off a chunk of waffle with my fork, then speared a piece of fruit on top.

  “Thought I might get an offer from Andy at Thunder from Down Under. But I’m still waiting.” I devoured my forkful of waffle.

  Ethan tilted his head, eyes curious on mine. “Do you have any headache? Dizziness?”

  “No,” I said through a second mouthful of food.

  “Remember how you got to Vegas?”

  I nodded as I swallowed.

  “What about how you got home last night?”

  “We walked.”

  “Good. So it’s fair to assume you remember everything in between.” Ethan’s gaze sharpened.

  He’d set the trap and I’d walked into it. Last night came roaring back in my head. The impulsive way I’d grabbed him, pressed my mouth to his.

  “You mean that we…kissed.” The words sent a rush through me but Ethan didn’t blink.

  “We didn’t kiss. You kissed me. You kissed me like there was nothing else you wanted in the world. And then you ran.”

  He dared me to argue, but I couldn’t. I hated the flush that crept up my cheeks. “It was stupid. I was curious.”

  “You were curious,” he echoed, his voice dropping.

  The proximity of his muscled chest was seriously slowing down my brainpower.

  Ethan’s handsome face grew determined. His knife clinked against the plate as he set it down. “This isn’t high school, Jordan. You don’t get to kiss me like that and then forget it ever happened. I don’t like surprises, and I don’t like being rushed. So here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to sit your ass right where it is, and you’re not going to move. Not one fucking inch.”

  “While you do what?” I managed.

  Ethan shifted forward on the bed. My heart hammered in my chest. He was too close, even before his hands cupped my face. Tightened on the back of my neck.

  “This.”

  Holy shit.

  The feel of his mouth on mine set off sparks. The fire started in my lips, my throat, and burned down my spine.

  Ethan’s lips were firm. When I might have pulled back, strong fingers held me against him.

  He wasn’t a reckless pirate. This was calculated. Him reminding me that he was older and smoother and better at…

  Everything.

  Ethan’s mouth moved over mine like he knew what was feeling before I felt it. Like he knew that when his teeth sank into my lip, the ache between my thighs spiralled deeper, tighter.

  My fingers found Ethan’s wrists, intending to push him away. But the heat of his skin under mine melted away any resistance. Instead my hands slid down his forearms, digging into the ropey muscles until he grunted.

  He pulled back an inch, his chest rising and falling with effort.

  “So. Is your curiosity satisfied?” he muttered.

  My nose bumped his as I shook my head slowly. I didn’t have the brain cells to lie to him, or me. Not that lying would do much. My nipples were like rocks under my tank. He had to know how affected I was.

  Even before my attention dropped to his lips, already missing the feel of his mouth on mine.

  Ethan cursed, a hand tightening in my hair while the other stroked down my back. “You have any idea how much you’re killing me right now?”

  Before I could respond he hauled me onto his lap.

  I grabbed his shoulders for balance. My body was already craving the high of skin on skin before his mouth moved from my mouth to my jaw, scorching across my skin.

  I’m not a passionate person. I’ve even been called cold once or twice. But there was no room for insecurity or hesitation. Ethan made it impossible with the way he kissed, the way he was.

  Riding that bravado, my hands explored the muscles in his neck, his shoulders. His skin was smooth and hot under my fingers and I wanted to touch him forever. I stroked down his chest, feeling the muscles underneath jump.

  Shit, that’s sexy.

  The tension in his body said he was in this as much as I was. Even before Ethan shoved the tray to the bottom of the bed and shifted over me.

  Yes. More Ethan is good. The thought echoed dully in my head as his legs tangled with mine, his bare stomach burning my skin where the tank top had ridden up.

  Ethan’s kiss stole my breath. His hand found the edge of my tank to stroke my side as he pressed me into the scratchy bedspread. The way his rock hard body weighed on mine had me imagining all the darkly thrilling ways this could play out.

  And to my shock, I realized I wanted it to.

  “Nate,” I breathed.

  He frowned. “Ethan.”

  I shoved against his chest, and he shifted back just far enough to let me sit up. “No, I mean what if Nate comes back?”

  “He left just before you came over.”

  My protest only captured half of Ethan’s attention. He trailed a finger down my lips, to my collarbone, my shoulder, like he was tracing the path of a drop of water.

  A fucking fascinating drop of water.

  “What if Lex…?” I tried again, halfheartedly. Ethan moved the spaghetti strap of my tank top down my shoulder with his fingertip.

  Slow. Like he had nothing but time.

  “Or Ava…”

  The other strap followed the same route. My body shook without my permission.

  “Lex is with Dylan,” Ethan answered, low and impatient. “Ava won’t be conscious before noon.”

  I forced my attention away from Ethan’s body to meet his gaze, dark with a predatory interest I’d never seen.

  His hand stroked down over my tank, boldly tracing the outline of my breast. I was helpless to resist as he cupped me in his hand, his thumb grazing across the peak that hardened more. That craved his touch skin-on-skin.

  The bolt of fire that blazed through me had my throat tightening. Fuc
k, I wanted his hands on me. Not just there, everywhere.

  Ethan sensed the struggle inside me. “Jordan. I’m not going to push you. But I have a feeling you want to play this out as much as I do.”

  I pressed my fingers to his lips. “Can you stop talking? I can’t think.”

  “No problem.” A wicked expression crossed his face.

  Then he sucked my finger into his mouth.

  He was the devil. I knew it, even as I wanted more. As his tongue swirled around the tip of my finger, and by God if he can do that to my finger what could he do to—

  “Stay,” he murmured.

  My eyes blinked open to find him watching me steadily. “What?”

  “Until the wedding. Stay.”

  I didn’t know if he meant stay to find a store, or stay for more of this. The first was logical. Reasonable.

  The second was insane.

  “OK,” I whispered.

  Decision made, I tugged Ethan’s mouth down to mine. He groaned in approval as I pressed my chest against his. He reached under me to cup my ass and pull me harder against him, like we weren’t close enough despite the fact that we were sharing body heat.

  A loud crash startled me.

  The breakfast tray.

  Neither of us moved to get it. I couldn’t move at all, except to arch against his strong body. To rub my hips against the growing hardness of his, and open to let that wicked mouth devour mine.

  I needed him everywhere.

  Over me.

  Under me.

  Maybe even—

  “Ethan?”

  Both our heads jerked toward the closed door.

  “I dropped my key in the gym. I’m locked out.”

  Ethan’s fingers tightened on my bare waist. “Come back later,” he rasped over his shoulder.

  “I need my phone.”

  Ethan cursed under his breath. “I will give you a hundred—no, a thousand dollars if you leave.”

  “What? Cut the bullshit, open the damned door.”

  I reached for the straps of my tank top. Ethan shook his head, mouthing “stay” as he slid off the bed and crossed to the door.

  “Sorry, man. I need this call. A client’s going to have my nuts if I don’t fix this.” Nate stood in the doorway in track pants and a T-shirt, a towel around his neck. “Jordan. Hey. I thought Ethan might be in here with a…” Nate took in the room, realization dawning on his face before coming back to me. “Right.”