Forbidden: Playing With Fire, Book 1 Read online

  What was he doing? What was she doing? And why did he look at her like that? As if he wanted to devour her in one bite, consume her, do things to her that she only imagined in her darkest fantasies.

  Michaela reared back, desperate for some distance. Okay. Her imagination was running on overdrive. He wasn’t looking at her like that. And his fingers weren’t stroking her shoulder either. No, it was all in her vivid imagination.

  “We’re headed to the dance floor,” Trevor said, interrupting her thoughts. “You two going with us?”

  “We’re going to stay here and wait for our drinks,” Austin answered for her, giving her shoulder a little squeeze.

  “Have fun.” Trevor gave them a little wave and the entire group from the table followed him out to the dance floor, leaving her alone with Austin.

  “Are you having a good time?” he asked once everyone left.

  She nodded, traced her finger down the edge of the sweating glass of water. She didn’t want to look at him, was afraid of what she might find there. “I am.”

  “You’re a liar, you know.” His voice was soft, hot and melting all over her, and she glanced up, caught him studying her, his head tilted toward her.

  “What do you mean?” Had he realized her secret? Did he know how much she’d lusted for him lately? Embarrassing if he ever found out.

  “You can dance.” His fingers drifted, over her shoulder, down her upper arm and goose bumps followed in their wake. “Very well, I might add.”

  Only because he had led her so well but she didn’t want to admit that, decided to bask in his compliment instead. It was almost too much, though, having him touch her, sitting so close. The hard press of his thigh burned into hers, his arm around her, his body leaning toward hers. He was wrapped all around her, and he didn’t even need to be since they had the booth all to themselves.

  The waitress suddenly arrived, setting their drinks in front of them with a quick clink of glass, and Michaela grabbed at hers, drinking from it greedily. She needed the bite of the liquor to bring her back to reality, the effects of it to mellow her overactive imagination. She was clearly losing her touch on the real world, and she wanted to get back out on that dance floor as soon as she finished her drink.

  She needed to lose herself in the music, in the dancing, maybe find someone else to dance with, maybe Scarlett. Not Austin, no way, he would hold her close again and give her another nudge of his glorious erection, fuel her fantasies and make her think she had a chance.

  A chance to suck him deep, a chance to fuck him, have him buried in her body. What would it feel like, Austin entering her for the first time? Did he like to go down on women? Her favorite thing in the world was a man who knew how to use his tongue. She’d had a few good lovers but none of them had taken her beyond the vanilla realm.

  She wanted to be pushed over that edge. Taken out of her comfort zone and into un-chartered territory, doing kinky things she’d only read about or imagined.

  Oh, how she’d imagined. Preston wasn’t the first boyfriend to be put off by her antics, and all she’d done with him was mention the word porn. She’d freaked out her high school sweetheart too when she suggested they tie each other up. It had happened after they’d been together a couple of years, in their early twenties and going to college.

  He’d allowed her to strap him to the bed with scarves and had nearly lost it when she touched him in what he thought were inappropriate places. She’d stroked him just behind his balls, had read somewhere it was an extra sensitive spot on men and could cause an intense orgasm.

  She’d only been doing him a favor. He thought she’d tried to finger his ass. Their relationship had never been the same.

  “You look awfully wholesome but deep inside, you’re just a deviant,” he’d said to her that awful night when they got in a raging fight and ultimately broke up.

  That had hurt. More than she cared to admit.

  “Hey.” A single finger drifted across her jaw to land beneath her chin, tipping her face up so she met Austin’s curious gaze. “I think I lost you there for a minute. Are you all right?”

  “I-I’m fine.” She nodded, casting him a tremulous smile. She needed to get away from him and fast. This couldn’t be good, the yearning he fired within her. “I want to go back out and dance.”

  “Really?” His thumb grazed her chin, swiping upward so that he edged the very bottom of her lower lip. “I thought you wanted to cool down.”

  Fat chance that would ever happen, having him so close. She wouldn’t mind getting hotter if it involved him. And her. Naked. Wrapped around each other, lips attached, hands everywhere.

  “You’re too close, and I’m still hot.” She pulled away from him and he tried to keep her in place, his hand tightening on her shoulder, but she slipped from his grip. Standing, she pushed the hair away from her face and stared down at him. She admired the way he sat sprawled in the booth, his long arms stretched wide across the back of the padded seat, his legs spread in that typical way men sat.

  He may be gay but there was no denying he was incredibly masculine. No queeny, feminine gestures from this guy with the exception of the eyeliner, and even when he wore that, he looked very much the sexy male.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Dancing.” She shrugged and grabbed her drink, taking one last sip before she set it on the table. They needed some distance. Distance from him and his sexy looks and his sexy voice and that way too sexy body.

  “I’ll go with you.” He started to exit the booth but she shook her head, then made a mad dash toward the floor.

  “Meet me out there later.” She wanted to get lost in the crowd and slip out. She’d grab her purse and bail, get a taxi to the theatre so she could pick up her car and head home.

  She was out of her element, she realized as she took a roundabout way to get to the dance floor, pushing through the clusters of people that lingered and watched the dancers. She walked along the edge of the floor, hoping Austin would go straight into the crowd so she could lose him.

  Oh, she was being rotten but she couldn’t help herself. It was down to self-preservation now.

  “There you are.” Long fingers curled around her upper arm and turned her around. Austin appeared troubled, confused, and he pushed her so her back was against the wall. “What are you doing?”

  “I, uh, I need to go.” She looked away from him, stared unseeingly at the front entrance of the club, but he gripped her chin with two fingers, forcing her to look back at him.

  “Why are you running away from me? What did I do?”

  “You did nothing, I swear. I’m just tired.” She tried to smile, knew it probably didn’t look real but she just couldn’t make any more effort. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Michaela.” He shifted, moved in closer, and she tilted her head to look up at him. He towered over her, his shoulders so broad he obliterated everything and all she could see was him. Smell him, feel him, God if he came any closer, taste him. “Don’t go.”

  His husky voice curled around her, filled with promise. Of what, she couldn’t be sure.

  “I have to.”

  He rested his hand against the back of her neck and reached for her hair, tugging so her head tilted even more. “Don’t. Please.”

  She wanted to speak, her lips parted, ready to protest but he pressed a single finger to the center of her mouth, silencing her.

  He’d said please. And she couldn’t resist that. Not even if she wanted to.

  Chapter Three

  Austin had Michaela right where he wanted her. In his arms, his body pinned her against a wall, one hand in her silky soft hair, the other touching her mouth. A mouth he’d fantasized about, dreamed of taking, kissing, licking and nibbling.

  Jesus. The way she looked at him, her green eyes wide, unblinking, her lips soft and pliant beneath his finger. He dipped his head, realized he had her positioned perfectly for a thorough kissing and without thought he did just that.

>   He took her mouth in an almost angry possession, nothing gentle or tentative about it. He didn’t want gentle and searching, he needed it hot, he wanted it wild. Her lips parted for him immediately, allowing his tongue to search, seek and find hers and he tangled with it, the slick hot feel of her making him groan, shift against her so he could get closer.

  His cock was a raging thing, already with a mind of its own just with one kiss and he nudged his erection against her. The slinky feel of her dress against his jeans, his entire body nearly did him in. She was soft, her small breasts nuzzled against his chest, her fragrant skin calling to him, and when she wound her arms around his neck in a sort of surrender, triumph surged through him.

  Tugging harder on her hair, he deepened the kiss, barely allowing her to breathe. He just took and took, his tongue dancing with her tongue, his teeth nipping at her plush lower lip, his hand cupping her cheek. She whimpered, the sound small and needy deep in her throat, and he softened his approach, his tongue bathing the spot where he nipped her and she sighed.

  They were in the middle of a nightclub, and he had her slammed against a wall like some sort of sex fiend. Even in his wildest days, he’d never made a true spectacle of himself.

  Well, he took that back. He’d made a spectacle of himself but never in such a sexual manner and certainly never while making out with someone else. Definitely never with a woman.

  He hadn’t been with a woman in years. Had forgotten their sweet taste, their whisper soft skin and the way they smelled. No one smelled like Michaela. Innocence and sweetness and sex, such a complex mix, multi-layered.

  Austin wanted to peel each of her layers back, reveal her bit by bit, until all that remained was the real her. He sensed something bubbled just beneath her surface. She had secrets, things she’d never shared with him and she’d shared a lot.

  He wanted to know them. He wanted her complete trust so she was comfortable enough to admit what she wanted. Needed.

  And he was more than willing to give it to her.

  “Austin.” His name was a benediction dropping from her lips and he paused, savoring the sensation of her mouth moving against his as she spoke. “What are you doing?”

  “I thought it was obvious.” He kissed her ear, the side of her neck, licking her, tasting salt and sweet skin.

  She gave a sound of frustration and tried to shove at his shoulders, but he wouldn’t move. He smiled against her throat, continued to kiss her there, and her hands curled in his hair, bringing him closer.

  “You should stop.” Her protest was weak and he lifted his head, studied her carefully. Her skin was flushed, her lips swollen and she licked at them, the sight of her little pink tongue making him release a shuddering breath.

  Michaela had so much power over him, and she didn’t realize it. Just looking at her made him weak, ready to give in to anything she wanted from him. If it meant she wanted him to stop, of course he would stop.

  But hell, he didn’t want to.

  “I don’t think you want me to stop.” He kept his voice low, even, didn’t want to push or scare her. She studied him. He saw her visibly swallow and, unable to resist, he touched her mouth, found it damp, sinking beneath his touch and when she swiped the tip with her tongue, he groaned.

  “You like boys,” she whispered and he laughed, he couldn’t help it he was surprised by her statement. Her expression told him she didn’t appreciate his reaction, and he sobered immediately.

  “Not always, Michaela. I like you.” He leaned in, this time going with gentle and the kiss they shared was exquisite, a connection of lips that made his skin sizzle, his entire body ache for more of her.

  “We’re friends, we live together. This complicates things.” She released her hold on him, waved her hand around.

  “It doesn’t have to. Not if we don’t let it.” He meant that though he wasn’t quite sure how they’d make it work. It could get very complicated very quickly. Was he ready for that?

  Complicated wasn’t his thing, it never really had been. He’d kind of thought he was in love, once, but it had ended badly. Kind of. He wasn’t good at it. Relationships.

  So why did he get the feeling that he could be good at it with Michaela?

  “Easy for you to say.” She shoved at his shoulders and this time he backed away from her, letting her go. She looked surprised but quickly gained composure, her expression docile. Standing a little straighter, she ran a hand over her tangled hair and he thought she’d never looked sexier.

  “I-I need to go. You can stay here if you like but I need to go home. I’m, um, tired.”

  She could say what she wanted, but he knew the truth. She was uncomfortable, thrown off by what they’d just shared even though he knew without a doubt she’d enjoyed every second of it.

  “I’m not letting you leave here by yourself. I’ll take you home.” She was crazy if she thought he’d let her go out into the night in the mostly abandoned industrial district. Who knew what sort of scumbags lurked out there?

  “Can you take me to the theatre so I can pick up my car?” She lifted her chin, her fingers tugging at the bodice of her dress. Drawing his attention to her flushed skin, her hard nipples pressed against the thin fabric.

  His mouth watered and he cleared his throat, searching for control. “Why don’t we head straight home now and grab it tomorrow?”

  “No.” She shook her head, her voice panicked, and he wondered if she didn’t want to be alone with him in the car for an extended period of time.

  Not that he blamed her. His libido was raging, his cock more than ready for some action and he’d probably try to jump her the second he got her alone, horny bastard that he was.

  “Okay, I’ll take you to the theatre.”

  Relief washed over her face, and she pushed away from the wall to stand next to him. “Shall we go?”

  He nodded his answer and they left the club together, walking in silence to his car in the parking lot. The air was cool, a hint of ocean in the breeze, and he longed to sneak an arm around her shoulders, haul her close and keep her warm.

  But she didn’t want that, her body language was clear. She kept her distance, her heels echoing in the quiet night against the blacktop and she didn’t say a word. Neither did he.

  He didn’t know what to say.

  She behaved as if nothing mind-shattering had happened between them, the murmured thank you she gave as he unlocked the passenger car door for her just like every other little thank you she’d given him. The passionate woman of just five minutes ago was gone, in its place the cool, composed woman he lived with instead. The same woman he hung out with, talked with, secretly wanted more than anything.

  Not so secret tonight and she’d responded in kind, which had surprised him, thrilled him. And just like that she’d pulled away, both physically and emotionally until he was left stunned, mulling over it all. Stewing and brooding and a little pissed off, he slumped behind the steering wheel, his hands gripping it so tight his knuckles went white.

  “Are you going to start the car?”

  Austin did as she asked, his hand automatically turning the key, the engine roaring to life. Like a robot, he turned his head, backed out of the parking slot and pulled out of the lot, headed in the direction of the theatre.

  He’d blown it. How he had no clue. But he vowed then and there he’d have that passionate woman back in his arms and soon. Not tonight. He needed to give her some space, let her muddle over this on her own but soon, very soon he’d have her.

  Any way he wanted her.

  Here she was again. Sitting inside her car just like she had a few days ago. Things had been different then. She’d known where she stood with Austin, hadn’t had her world turned completely upside down by a ten minute moment in a nightclub last Friday night.

  Memories flooded her of Austin’s kiss. The savage way his mouth had taken hers contrasted with the gentle way he’d held her, touched her. His tongue, his decadent taste, how he’d groaned, nudging hi
s humongous erection against her in a very insistent and delicious way.

  It had been the singular most intense sexual experience of her life. And all they’d done was kiss.

  She would probably die if they did anything else. An orgasm brought on by Austin? She would probably go straight into cardiac arrest.

  Michaela sighed, pressed her head against the top of the steering wheel. He’d be inside the apartment, waiting for her. She’d worked late, had met her friend Carly at their favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner afterward but it was still only nine o’clock.

  She’d been avoiding him since Friday night. Had run errands and wasted time all of Saturday and then had gone to her parents on Sunday, attending a family barbecue that had made her want to lose her mind. It seemed as if every member of her family was there, and all of them asked questions.

  Where was her boyfriend, was she seeing someone new and when was she going to get married anyway?

  God. She was a twenty-five-year-old spinster in their eyes. Not one of them acted as if this was the twenty-first century. Her parents had been together since they were twenty. There was no history of divorce on her mother’s side, only one divorce on her father’s side and that cousin was considered the black sheep. She came from an anomaly.

  What would her family do if she brought Austin to one of the family gatherings and introduced him as her boyfriend? That would certainly turn heads. With his eyeliner, his multiple earrings and edgy attire, they’d probably freak. They had their heart set on her ending up with a banker.

  She’d had her fill of bankers, thankyouverymuch.

  A car pulled into the lot, its lights cutting across her, illuminating the interior of her car and she lifted her head, taking a deep breath. She needed to get over herself and go inside. Talk to Austin and tell him they couldn’t do this anymore.

  Yes, that was exactly what she needed to do.

  Resolve filling her, she exited the car, locked the door with one press of the keyless remote and headed toward the apartment. Her steps were quick as she hurried up the stairs, the telltale rattling jarring her and if he was inside, surely he heard her approach.