Forbidden Romance by Lena Lucas

 

1

Piper

Ifelt like sex, if someone could actually feel that without doing it. But right now I was energized, erratic, my heart racing, my body thrumming with electricity.

The music was loud. Sweat covered my body, trickled down between my breasts. I felt drunk even though I’d only had one shot.

I stood in the center of the packed dance floor, lights flashing all around me, everyone surrounding me grinding suggestively, sexually.

I wondered how many would fuck tonight.

My body heated at that thought and I closed my eyes and swayed. I might not be drunk, but I felt good. I felt warm and my blood buzzed through my veins.

I’d come with my friend Hera. Yet she’d disappeared on the dance floor, getting swallowed by everyone as she swayed her hips and ass, as she pressed herself against a guy. I hadn’t seen her since.

I’d also come with Z. A constant presence in my life for as long as I could remember. My older brother’s “kind of, once in a while” friend. I knew Z didn’t hang out with my brother because he wanted to.

And when Jackson had gone off to college, I assumed Z would follow the same path. Instead, he stayed behind, working at the mechanic’s shop he’d been at for the last five years. He said it would be his someday, and that’s the reason he didn’t leave town… didn’t leave me.

But I knew the truth.

I knew he was always around because of me.

I knew he stayed because of me.

And it was that reality that gave me power, that had the courage to just tell him how I felt, to give myself over to my big protector no matter the circumstances.

He might never have come out and told me he wanted me, but he also didn’t hide it.

The way he watched me, his eyes tracking my every movement. The possessive flair to

him whenever we were together. He scared off any boy who ever tried to talk to me, warned me to stay away from them because they’d only want one thing.

And he demanded coming with us tonight, saying he wouldn’t feel right staying behind. But I knew the truth.

He was far too jealous to let me go alone, to watch me dance with another guy. Not that I would.

Z was the only one I wanted, the only man I'd ever wanted.

I felt someone move up behind me, the stench of beer from their humid breath bathing my neck. I knew he’d try and touch me, but that’s not why I was here. The only man I wanted to touch me—ever—was somewhere in the club no doubt watching me right now.

That’s who I danced for.

I looked over my shoulder and stared into bloodshot eyes. I shook my head when he gave me a sloppy smile.

“Not gonna happen,” I shouted although I doubted he heard.

He lifted his hand, his fingers touching my shoulder. I was about to walk away when he was no longer touching me. I glanced over my shoulder to see the drunk sprawled on the ground. A second later a big hand curled around my waist. I knew whose touch it was.

I felt it in my core, felt my blood sing with completion.

Electricity moved through my body from that single touch and my heart raced. I was turned around, already knowing I’d have to crane my neck back to look at Z’s face.

I tipped my head back to look into his face, his bright blue eyes framed by long, black lashes having my knees grow weak. At nearly six-foot-four, Z was a force to be reckoned with. Muscles thick and corded, face severely handsome as if it had been cut out of stone.

His very presence had men cower. They knew compared to him they were weak in every possible way.

My mouth dried and my throat tightened at the look he gave me.

Possessive jealousy.

He leaned in close and gently pushed the long fall of my dark hair off my shoulder. His full lips lightly brushed the shell of my ear when he whispered, “that’s not why we came here, Piper.” He didn’t move back, but I didn’t want him to. “We didn’t come here so you could get fucking mauled by assholes.” His voice was a husky growl. “We didn’t come here so I have to see that shit and rein myself in from killing a bastard.”

I shivered at his tone, at the knowledge he was serious.

“Then why did we come here?” I was toying with him, taunting him. I planned on telling Z how much I wanted him, but pushing him to the point he told me first sounded so much better.

He growled again and I felt the tip of his nose drag up the side of my throat as he inhaled. He took my scent into his lungs. My pussy clenched, fresh cream spilling from that intimate party of my body and soaking my panties.

“You know why the fuck I came here, Piper. Because of you.”

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I didn’t want to feel anything but Z against me, with me… in me.

And as I slowly started moving against him, the only thing rushing through my mind was how I wanted to see what happened next.