Fearless (2 page)

He raised his empty bottle to the bartender. “Forget about me. Tell me why you want to do this whole marriage and kids thing again. Are you a glutton for punishment or what?”

Josh declined the bartender’s offer of another drink. “I don’t know. I guess I’d like to be half the father my old man was to me. I’d love another shot to get it right, ya know?”

Luc nodded. “You’re not too old to start over. How old are you, forty?”

He was forty, but watching Lexi cozy up to a man at least ten years his junior made him feel like an old man. “I’m running out of time if I want to be able to keep up with a toddler. Hell, they’ll be outrunning me.”

Luc laughed as his eyes travelled back to the dance floor. “I guess that’s why you’ve sworn off women who are only looking for a good time, huh?”

“You got it.”

“Damn shame, though.” He took a long swig of beer. “I can understand why you’re begging off, man. I think a lady like Lexi might be a hard habit to break.”

That’s exactly what scared him. He had a feeling one night in Lexi’s bed may de-rail all of his carefully laid plans, and he couldn’t waste precious time having a fling with a woman who made it painfully clear she wasn’t interested in a long-term commitment.

Luc laughed and inclined his head toward the dance floor. “Don’t worry; it looks like she’s already moved on, man.”

Josh glared at Lexi and her dance partner. “What are you talking about?”

“She just slid something into his pocket; I couldn’t tell what it was though.”

Josh had been trained to control his emotions, practice discipline, restraint, and only strike when he needed to protect himself or someone else from harm. He stepped away from the bar. Luc grabbed his arm and laughed. “Hey, don’t forget those hands are lethal weapons. The poor guy wouldn’t even know what hit him.”

Josh clenched his fists. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he knows what hit him and why.” 

He heard Luc’s laughter ringing in his ears as he stepped onto the dance floor. He tried to remind himself that he was at his boss’s wedding, a very public wedding no less. The last thing he needed was for his boys to see his face plastered all over the Internet tomorrow morning. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the surge of rage that flooded his body when he watched junior slip a finger under Lexi’s chin and tilt her head up until their faces were mere inches apart. He was moving in for the kiss and Josh was moving in for the kill. He grasped the man’s shoulder. “I don’t think so, buddy,” he said quietly. “This dance is over.”

“Who the hell do you think...” The man looked up, way up. “Shit, are you her boyfriend?”

Josh glared at him. “I’d suggest you get the hell out of here while you still have the chance.”

He swallowed convulsively. “Yeah, okay, sorry. I didn’t mean to, I mean, I didn’t know...”

“I said take your hand off her now,” he whispered.

He held his hands up as though he had been scorched. “Okay, I’m leaving. Sorry, man, sorry.”

“Wait,” Josh said. “Hand it over.” He held his hand out, waiting for the key. He looked around as though he was waiting to be rescued. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, man.”

“The lady slipped something in your pocket. Hand it over, now.”

He reached into his pocket and handed over the card before speed walking out the front door.

Josh turned the card over in his hand. “You gave him your business card?”

Lexi set her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Yeah, he’s a contractor. I’m a real estate investor. I thought I may be able to use him on my next project.”

“Don’t count on it,” he mumbled.

He wasn’t a jealous man. Hell, he’d never been possessive of a woman in his life, not even his ex-wife. Yet this woman made him wary of any man who even looked at her too long. This was crazy. He was an expert at controlling his feelings, so why was he feeling so out of control tonight? He wanted to blame the alcohol, but he was a big man at 6’3” and 220 pounds. Two drinks weren’t even enough to wet his whistle. No, it was definitely the woman, not the booze that was affecting his ability to think clearly.

“Who the hell are you to tell me who I can and can’t work with?”

He knew she was right. Lexi was strong, independent, and successful. She had built an impressive real estate portfolio in a relatively short period of time, and she certainly didn’t need him or anyone else interfering with the way she ran her business. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder about all of the other contractors she was doing business with on a daily basis. Was she taking any of them home at night? He hated the thought that she might. Hated even more that he cared so much. “Look, I don’t want to argue with you, Lexi.”

She stared at him. “You came over here because you thought I invited him back to my room, didn’t you?”

“What if I did?”

“You sonofabitch.” She pushed against his chest. “You really thought I’d go to bed with another man tonight?”

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her toward him. He was grateful the song was slow and he could conceal her struggle by locking his arms around her. “You’re making a scene, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear.

“I couldn’t care less.” She gave up the struggle and leaned her head back to look him in the eye. “Answer my question, Josh.”

“Fine,” he said, through gritted teeth. “I thought you were pissed at me and you gave him your room key to get even with me. Are you satisfied?”

She reared back as though he had slapped her. “You really think so little of me?”

He knew he was in trouble. It wasn’t often, if ever, he’d seen Lexi lower her defenses. “It’s not that, Lex.” He stroked her cheek and cursed when his finger came away damp. He had never seen Lexi cry, not even when her sister got married.

“You’ve known me for years. You’ve been friends with my sister and Trey since college. Are you’re telling me you think I’ll just go to bed with any man who shows me a little attention?”

“God, no; that’s not what I meant. You were the one who said...”

“I said that because I wanted to make you jealous, piss you off, get some kind of goddamn reaction out you. You’re like this statue; you don’t react, you don’t get mad, and you never lose control.”

“I’m feeling pretty out of control now.” He lowered his head. He was reeling from the riot of unfamiliar sensations rolling through him. She was right; he prided himself on maintaining control. His life and the lives of the people around him were at stake if he didn’t maintain a clear head.

She reached up to stroke his face. “It’s okay to let go sometimes.”

He clenched his jaw, trying to rein in his frustration. “I can’t.”

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” she whispered. “Make love to me tonight. Please.”

He groaned as he grabbed her hand and led her outside. She asked him to let go, but she had no idea what kind of beast she about to unleash. 

Chapter Two

Lexi’s hand shook as she slid the key card in the door. She had been waiting for this moment for so many years. The first time she met Josh Cooper, she was a junior in college and he was newly divorced with two boys to raise. He was living in Tennessee and she was in Arkansas. He was thirty-two; she was only twenty-one. They were at different stages in their lives, so she managed to convince herself it was nothing more than sexual attraction, a scratch that needed to be itched. Yet as the years passed, she began to fear it was more than that.

Even though they only saw each other a few times a year, she couldn’t get him out of her head. She found herself comparing every man she dated to Josh, and they all came up hopelessly short. The man she’d been engaged to briefly during her senior year reminded her of all the reasons men like Josh were so rare. 

She and Josh had developed a deep connection in recent years, she counted him among her closest friends, but there were some things she couldn’t share, even with him. He, on the other hand, was an open book. He shared all of his hopes, dreams, and plans for the future with her. She knew she couldn’t give him what he needed. But selfishly, she wanted this time with him before she let him go to find the woman of his dreams.

“Hey, you okay?” he whispered, closing the door behind them. “You’re not having second thoughts are you?”

She shook her head, struck speechless by the concern in his eyes. On the outside, he was the quintessential tough guy, from the scarred knuckles to the bulging biceps, but beneath the façade, he was the gentlest, most compassionate man she had ever known. He was an amazing father; she knew his sons were his whole world. She also knew he wanted another chance to be a dad and she admired and respected his decision, but she also knew it would end their friendship. She seriously doubted his future wife would be open to the idea of him talking to or even texting a woman he’d had sex with.

“How ‘bout a bottle of wine?” he asked.

She nodded. She’d been so nervous at the wedding she’d barely been able to eat or drink anything. “That would be nice.”

He picked up the room service menu and scanned the wine list.

She watched him as he turned his back and picked up the phone. He still had the broad shoulders of the football player he used to be. He and Trey met back in college, when they both played for the same football team. He was the finest male specimen she had ever seen, fully clothed. She shuddered to think about what that sculpted body would look like in the buff.

He set the phone down and walked toward her. “Room service will be here in a few minutes.” He stopped in front of her, brushing his hand against her cheek “Do you have any idea what you were doing to me today?”

She swallowed, trying to coat her dry throat. She watched his fingertip trace a line over the swell of her breasts and her eyes fluttered closed. “What do you mean?” she whispered.

“You in this dress, every man in the place had a hard on just looking at you.”

She opened her eyes. “What about you? Did you get hard looking at me?”

His hands skimmed her bare shoulders as he licked his lips. “Hell yeah. I was trying to figure out how the hell I was going to resist the temptation to do this.” He dipped his head and flicked his tongue over her earlobe. “And this.” He traced a wet path down her neck, gently nibbling and sucking the tender skin.

She moaned and leaned into him. His touch was like no other she had ever felt. He was strong, yet his caress was whisper soft. “I need you,” she whispered. She wasn’t even sure she’d spoken the words until he groaned in response. Her trembling fingers slid the buttons of his shirt free to reveal a wide expanse of smooth bronze skin that made her mouth water. Just as she was about to slide her tongue over his smooth chest, a knock sounded on the door behind them.

He dropped his head. “Damn it.”

She smiled. “Do you want me to get that?”

“No, I’ll get it.” He moved past her and opened the door. He nodded to the uniformed man and stepped back as he wheeled a cart into the room.

She smiled when she saw the platters of strawberries with cream, cheese, pate, and crackers. She hoped he was planning to work up an appetite.

Josh paid for the order before turning toward her. “Hungry?”

Her eyes raked over his bare chest. “Not for food.”

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “You’re killin’ me here, Lexi.”

She knew what she wanted. She didn’t want to waste any more time thinking about it. “Josh...”

He held his hands up. “Wait, I think we need to talk first.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. “I don’t want to waste time talking.” She walked toward him slowly. She tugged his shirt out of his pants and spread it wide to bare his chest to her roaming hands. She flicked the pad of her thumb over his flat nipple.  

He seized her wrists. “Sweetheart, wait.”

She looked up at him, terrified she would see regret or remorse in his eyes. Instead, she saw blatant desire, and it gave her the confidence to step up and glide her tongue over his full lips.

She was suddenly desperate for more. She tugged at his shirt until he finally ripped it off, the buttons at his cuffs flying off in his haste.

“Once we start this, there’s no turning back, Lex,” he whispered, backing her toward the bed as she worked to loosen his belt.

“I know.”

She slid her tongue into his hot, demanding mouth, answering him stroke for delicious stroke. He made love to her with his mouth, thrusting his tongue in and out, exploring deeply, sucking gently. She struggled to reach between them and unfasten his pants as he forced her back on the bed. “I need to know what you need from me tonight,” he whispered into her hair. “Do you need me to be gentle? I can, but I’ve got to be honest, I’ve got a pretty dark side in the bedroom.” He leaned back to look her in the eyes. “Does that scare you?”

She trembled. She had only been with one man who was domineering in bed and that had turned into her worst nightmare. She vowed she would never relinquish control to another person again, in or out of the bedroom. She was proud of the strength and independence she’d cultivated over the years. It terrified her to think of surrendering it to anyone. But she knew Josh wouldn’t take her anywhere she didn’t want to go. “I’m not afraid of you.”

He rolled her on her side as he slid her zipper down. He ravaged her delicate skin, kissing, licking, and finally sucking the sweet spot at the base of her neck.   

She hoisted her hips so he could peel the dress down her body and waited with baited breath. She had indulged in special lingerie for the occasion, complete with black garters.

He leaned back, gaping at her. “You are incredible,” he whispered.

She had never felt more beautiful, more feminine, than she did when she saw her reflection in his eyes. She had always been afraid some men might be turned off by the toned muscles she’d developed training for marathons, but Josh managed to put all of her fears to rest with one glance. 

He snapped the front closure of her bra open and her breasts sprung free, begging to be touched.