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For my ladies who love heroes who … Crave you. Need you. Devour you. Worship you. And would do absolutely anything to have you … Macon is for you.
“Fuck feelings. Fuck being tied down. Fuck any kind of relationship. I want no commitments. No emotions. I want—” “To be a playboy.” “Yeah,” I replied, “that.”
Because there was no way I was ever going through this again. No way would I ever allow myself to feel this way. To hurt this badly.
“There are women who will come into your life who are there just to have fun.
“Then, there are women who will come into your line of vision, and the moment you see them, they’ll blow your fucking mind. You’ll do anything to be near them. Talk to them. Hear their voice.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Smell their skin.” When he opened his eyelids again, he added, “Those are the women who will completely change your life.”
“All right, we’ll see about that. But when a woman has the power to make your grumpy ass smile—and I’m talking really smile, where it starts in your stomach and goes up your chest and you feel it deep in your bones—you’ll know she’s the one.” I chugged half of my beer, not bothering to wipe my lips. “Bullshit.” He smiled in a way I hadn’t seen before. “Just you wait and see, brother.”
Since I’d made the playboy pact seven years ago, I was living the life I wanted. Everything—and I meant, everything—was fucking perfect.
Each scan of her body revealed something new, something achingly beautiful, something that taunted me from all the way over here. But it wasn’t that
What the hell is going on? I never had to work to get a woman interested—they already were by the time I spoke to them. It took no more than a few words, an easy exchange of a couple of sentences, and she was mine for the night. But this one? This one didn’t appear interested at all. She wanted to dance. She wanted … nothing from me.
“You will.” I crossed an arm over my chest. “And if I have to, I’ll wait all night to hear it.” “Ah, you’re the relentless type.” “And you are?” She looked at me from over her shoulder. “The type who never gives in.” We’ll see about that.
“What caused me to come over is that whether I’m in the VIP lounge or standing beneath you, I can’t seem to keep my eyes off you. You’re the most beautiful woman in this club.”
“The woman who didn’t get away,” I referenced as my stare lifted unhurriedly. “Something tells me you’re everything I need.”
“And something tells me you’re my next big mistake.” Her voice was a whisper,
“True, but you always talk about the women you fuck—except for this one.” He reached forward, clasping my shoulder while he laughed. “You finally met a woman who’s just like you.” His laughter turned to a howl.
“Because I can’t get you out of my mind,” he hissed. “I’ve thought about you every single moment since you left me on the bus. And now, you’re finally here again, and you know what?”
“I want you even more than I did when I saw you from the VIP lounge, which is nearly impossible because I would have done just about anything to taste you then.” His gaze took another dive to my toes, gradually lifting up my body, stopping at each of the places that was throbbing for his touch. “Do you know how badly I want to break your rule right now?” He licked across his mouth, a steady swipe that had every thought in my head exploding. “Especially when I know how good your pussy tastes.”
“I came to see you. To be around you. Because if I didn’t find you—and I wasn’t going to let that be an option—I was going to fucking lose it.”
“You’re consuming my mind. I can’t get you out of my thoughts.” He paused, the intensity in his eyes multiplying. “I want you.”
“You’re everything I want.” He pressed our bodies together, his erection grinding into me. “I know you can feel that.” His face went to my neck, each breath—both inhales and exhales—like a windstorm against my bare skin. “That’s how hard you make me.”
“And by the way you’re breathing, how you’re pushing your ass into my dick, I bet that if I reached under your dress, your pussy would be wet.” His lips moved to the back of my ear. “Not just wet … but soaked.”
“You’re so curious about me.” “That’s because I can’t get enough of you.”
“I haven’t dated a woman in seven years. Not because they haven’t tried. Fuck, they constantly try. I just don’t let it happen. And I don’t believe in no strings attached—women can’t seem to handle that. There are always strings. Therefore, I do my thing, and I’m out.” “So, you’re telling me you’re the king of one-night stands.” I laughed. “I’ve certainly earned that title.” “And here we are, on a soon-to-be night two.” “Which is why I just told you that about me.”
“I’ve said things to you that I’ve never said to another woman. I know you’re going to ask me why. That’s your favorite reply—it keeps the attention off you.” I smiled at her. “But the truth is, I don’t know why. I just can’t seem to be able to get enough of you. That’s why I want to have dinner with you. Why I want your number. Why I want to be able to reach out to you in the interim.”
“You saw me”—he paused, rubbing a hand through his hair—“and you assumed, and that’s the reason you treated me that way?” “I assumed nothing. You were in her face—” “Let’s get one thing straight. She was in my face.” “Her hand was on your arm—” “Which fell from my arm once I declined her advances and stood to leave, but not before I told her I was going to spend the evening talking to my wife. A description I used for you, Brooklyn. Because since the second you came into my life, I’ve no longer wanted to touch any other woman.” His head dropped, his eyes staying on me. “But I couldn’t call
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“I like where this is going.” I laughed. “It sounds like you’re turned on.” “I am.” “Because I’m talking business?” “Because you’re breathing.”
The truth was, there was never a perfect scenario for anything. Things happened. You learned to roll with each hill you faced. As you got older, you got busier. And you attempted to find a balance despite how hard that was.
“I’m not going to give up, Brooklyn. I want this.” I licked across my lips. “I know you do too.”
“Every time I’m with you,” she continued, “I unplug. I forget. I’m not filled with any stress or that overwhelming feeling that causes my chest and lungs to tighten. And then there’s the flip side to that. The side that surfaced tonight with the opportunity you presented. One I’ve dreamed about since I started college.” “And things suddenly just got muddier.” She nodded. “I can’t want you and also want to work for your company. That feels … wrong.”
“I didn’t ask you to interview for the job just because I care about you—even though I do, and you know that. I did it because you’d be perfect for the role.”
“One thing has nothing to do with the other. They’re separate entities.”
“I’m just reminding you that there’s us. And there’s Spade Hotels. Don’t categorize them together.”
he’s everything, you guys. Extremely successful, devastatingly handsome, smart, charming.” I was saying all the things I’d been thinking, but hadn’t yet voiced out loud because, ironically, this was the first time I’d ever spoken about Macon.
“Don’t stress about Macon. Just have fun with him. Enjoy him. Learn everything you can about him. And see what the future holds—with him and with the interview. Who knows what’s going to happen when you see his company up close? But don’t shut yourself off to the possibility of being with him and simultaneously accepting a job offer.”
“Clem’s right,” Jesse voiced. “And Macon’s right too—both he and the hotel stuff can happen at the same time. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. And just imagine, you could end up falling in love with both. Girl, that’s swoon central right there.”
“It’s just a gift. That’s all this is. Money that I happily spent on you.” And there would be so many more coming her way. I would spoil the shit out of this woman. This was only the very beginning. But I wasn’t going to tell her that and overwhelm her even more when I knew she was still struggling with the muddiness of her life.
“I’m fucking obsessed with your body. Getting to dress you in what I’ve picked out … there’s nothing sexier. If you continue spending time with me, giving you gifts is one of the things I’m going to do. Not that I’ve ever done this before. I’ve told you about my past, but I have this desire to do it for you.”
“You fell into my arms at the right time, and since I met you, I don’t even recognize myself. I’ve done a one-eighty. That’s what’s wild to me.”
“The things you’ve made me realize, the things you’ve made me want—I never thought it would ever happen … until you.”
never thought I’d be the guy waiting for the woman to express her feelings after I’d already voiced mine. But here I was. I had no shame or regret. I didn’t give a fuck how much shit my friends and brothers gave me about stalking the club or being obsessed with her or pointing out that I was pussy-whipped. They were right. I was. Because Brooklyn was worth it.
She was everything I’d never known I wanted. And
“Brooklyn …” I took a deep breath as I scanned her eyes, back and forth. “I love you.” I gently kissed her. “I fucking love you so much.”
“You do?”
I still said, “Yes, I do.”
“Macon …” Instead of only holding my face, she buried her fingers in my beard. She then placed her thumbs at the edge of my mouth and set her nose on mine, breathing in my air. “I love you too.”
“He told me there was no better person to guide you because I eat, sleep, and breathe this company. Did I want Cooper or Brady to be spending all that one-on-one time with you when it could be me? Fuck no. Spade Hotels is part of my soul. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, and I want nothing more than to share that love with you and for you to love it as much as I do.”
