The Sweetest Fling Ch. 11

Meg's arm throbbed where the man's fingers had dug into her skin, and her heart pounded after the awful way he'd treated her. One minute she'd been sitting alone feeling sorry for herself, and the next everything had changed.

Vicious words, overwhelming panic, then miraculously sweet relief.

She'd only felt his presence for a few seconds--just long enough to experience real fear for the first time in her life--then he'd disappeared as if whisked away by some unseen force.

Now all she could hear were deep male voices blending with the music behind her.

Meg slid off her barstool and tensed as she turned around, hoping to discover bouncers had arrived to take care of the situation. Instead, her body froze, and her traitorous heart filled with joy.

Jack was here.

She had no idea how he'd found her, but he vibrated with tension, and the look in his eyes suggested he wanted to inflict pain. "Are you alright?" he asked her, his hands gripping the blonde guy's shirt.

Meg wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. He turned his attention to the other man and shoved him hard enough to force him back a couple of steps. The idiot couldn't even take a hint from Jack though, because he lunged and threw a punch that clipped Jack's mouth.

Chaos exploded in the room, the altercation drawing the attention of everyone around her. People turned on their stools, others came across from the dance floor. They closed in on both men, crowding them in, and Meg worried it might get even more out of control if it didn't end soon.

Her heart was beating out of control, but Jack didn't appear fazed. He pulled back his fist and unloaded full force, punching the man so hard she flinched.

She'd never seen a fight up close. The air was thick with testosterone and violence, the sickening thud of bone smacking into skin. Once. Twice. Jack looked like he could keep going all night, and if three bouncers hadn't barreled in to take over, she had a feeling he would have.

Two of the security staff restrained him while a third stopped the blonde man from throwing another punch. She heard heavy breaths, a final exchange of harsh words, and then it was over.

Her body trembled as the adrenaline waned and reality set in. Meg released a breath and rubbed her arm, wondering where she would have been now if Jack hadn't jumped to her defense.

She shuddered to think what might have happened to her in the time it took for someone else to notice.

She glanced over at Jack again, who was standing still while the bouncers detained him, his chest heaving as he nodded in agreement to whatever they were saying. His eyes remained on her the entire time, sweeping over her from head to toe as if to assure himself she hadn't been hurt.

His dark hair was a mess, and he had a spot of blood in the corner of his mouth. Even now she could barely resist the urge to run to him. Meg wished she could have rewound to that morning when everything had been so good--but she couldn't, and that was exactly why she needed to leave.

If she wanted to make it back to the hotel without encountering any more trouble along the way, Meg had to get moving while the bouncers were keeping the other man occupied.

Her gaze clashed with Jack's as she backed away from him. He gave just the slightest shake of his head, as if he knew what she'd planned and wanted her to wait for him.

Before he could say or do anything to change her mind, Meg turned and hurried for the exit.

He called out to her.

The emotion in his voice tempted her to go back to him, and it took everything in her to ignore the feeling and keep moving in the opposite direction.

~ * ~

Meg had made it about halfway back to the hotel before she heard footsteps closing in on her from behind. The fast pace echoed in the night, and the person's breaths indicated they'd been running for a while.

She glanced over her shoulder to find Jack passing beneath the glow of a streetlight. Instead of stopping to let him catch up, she took off running in her high heels, switching between keeping an eye on his progress and watching for dips and cracks in the pavement.

The first time she'd felt anything truly real, and she was running away.

The disappointment crushed her, but she kept forging ahead and trying her best to maintain the distance between her and Jack.

It became clear in seconds that it wasn't going to work. He was too fast and there was no avoiding this confrontation. He caught up to her a moment later, breathing hard and cursing even harder, then grabbed her arm and forced her to slow to a walk.

The urge to leap into his arms was so strong she couldn't think straight. She yanked her elbow free and glared at him. "Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you."

Oh, but she did.

Standing this close, looking at her with all that longing mixed with anger and frustration, he was so appealing, she wanted him now more than ever. She was either the stupidest woman alive or her subconscious was trying to tell her something.

His jaw clenched but he didn't attempt to take hold of her again. "Fine. I won't touch you, I won't talk to you, but I'm walking you back to the hotel."

Irritation radiated off him, but he kept his word. The only sounds either of them made as they finished their journey were their harsh breaths and brisk footsteps.

When they'd passed through the foyer and headed up the stairs to her room, Meg unlocked the door and pushed it inward. In the heavy silence that followed, her stomach churned, and her legs turned to jelly.

This was it, the moment when they said goodbye to each other for the last time. She was going home tomorrow. There'd be no coming back from this, not in the short time they had left.

Meg lingered in the open doorway and turned to him, taking in his tired eyes and the layer of scruff on his jaw.

He stood there letting her look, his shoulders relaxed, his features resigned. Even after everything that had happened, she still didn't want him to leave. Before she could stop it from happening, her lower lip trembled, and a harsh sound came from her that might have been a sob or a cry of pain.

Jack's eyes softened and a tender look came over him, but he didn't make a move toward her.

Tears gathered in her eyes and her throat ached.

Meg couldn't bear the thought of him walking away without at least trying to make her understand. She'd conjured up enough details on her own about what had happened and why. Surely reality couldn't be much worse.

Her mouth opened, but rather than the questions she wanted to ask, Meg heard herself plead, "Choose me."

The words hovered between them, pitiful and soft in the quiet of the hallway. His jaw clenched and any trace of tenderness disappeared. Heat and desire rushed in to take its place, and she stumbled backward, confused. Tense seconds passed by then Jack stepped into her room and kicked the door shut behind him.

"I did choose you," he said, moving in closer until his big, solid body towered over. The intensity in his eyes sent little zings of pleasure through her. "When you left me in the bar on the night we met, another woman hit on me as soon as you walked out... but she couldn't compete with you."

A wave of warmth rushed over her. Meg wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. How could he make her feel this way after what he'd done? He only had to look at her or say a few well-chosen words and she was done for.

She shuffled back a couple of steps to give herself some breathing room, but Jack stepped into the space, bumping his chest against hers in a way that should have been intimidating. Meg felt so safe with him all it did was thrill her.

"When I was at the beach with Anna the next day," he continued, "You were sitting there trying to look like you didn't give a shit, pretending you didn't even know my name after you snuck out of my room without so much as a thanks-for-rocking-my-world-Jack. I chose you then, too."

Meg couldn't stand hearing him talk about the other woman. She squared her shoulders and glared at him.

Jack shoved his hand under her hair, then dipped his head and pressed his temple to hers, his closeness sending goosebumps skittering over her skin. "I chose you at the pool today when she came onto me again," he said, holding her firm when she cried out and tried to pull away.

She was wrong before. She didn't want to hear the sordid details, not a single one of them.

Apparently on a mission to ruin them both, Jack kept going. "I chose you when I went up to my room and she followed me there."

No, no, no.

She couldn't do this anymore. Couldn't listen to him talk about someone else while he set her senses on fire with his touch.

He pulled back and turned his head, letting his lips hover over hers, tempting her, torturing her with his warm breath and the promise of his soft, skillful mouth. Her heart battered her ribcage. Her breath stuttered from her throat. His next words could break her in two.

"And I chose you when she ripped off her fucking top. I threw her out two seconds later."

The moment his meaning sank in, tears leaked from her eyes. Jack didn't gloat or try to make her feel any worse than she already did. He merely stayed with her while she cried, offering no comfort other than the closeness of his body.

Inundated with shame and relief, Meg couldn't speak, couldn't move.

She'd believed the other woman's lies over trusting a man who'd never given her a single reason to think badly of him.

He wasn't done yet, though. Jack grabbed her upper arms and waited until she met his eyes. "You want to know the saddest part?" he said with a humorless smile. "You weren't even a choice I had to consciously make. When you were looking down at me from that balcony the very first time I saw you, something in me knew you were a forgone conclusion right from the start."

Meg made a strangled sound and shrugged off his hold.

She threw her arms around his neck and dragged him against her, clutching him tight, unwilling to let him go now that she had him, now that she knew she'd never really lost him. When his arms encircled her waist and he hugged her, she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

Emotion slurred her words, but he must have understood her because he kissed her neck and squeezed her.

"I'm sorry," she said again, wondering if she could ever say it enough.

He'd made all those phone calls, texts, and visits to her room because he cared about her. The entire time, her focus had been on punishing him for something he hadn't done.

He held her against him, sliding his hand up and down her back. "It's alright. We're good. It's okay."

His deep voice soothed her, and the warmth of his palm calmed her ragged breaths. When her tears eventually stopped, she still couldn't make herself let go of him.

Meg kept her arms around his neck, hugging him close until his hold on her loosened.

When they finally parted, she looked up at him to find the familiar warmth had returned to his eyes. He'd forgiven her so quickly, it would have been easy to move on and focus on more important things, but she had to explain herself--and she needed to hear his reasons for ending up in that position in the first place.

"Anna told me," Meg said, reaching for his hand. She swept her thumb over the broken skin on his knuckles, mentally kicking herself for the trouble she'd caused tonight. "I was out in the hallway when she left your room. She insinuated that the two of you had just slept together."

When she lifted her eyes again, Jack's expression had darkened. He shook his head and directed his gaze somewhere over her shoulder.

"I didn't want to believe her," she went on, "but she was acting so smug it was like she'd just got everything she wanted--and she had no freaking top on. I reacted before I had the chance to think it through."

Jack's attention flicked back to her. "She was jealous. She made that part clear when she followed me up to my room."

"But how did you even get to the point where she thought that undressing would be the next natural step?"

He sighed, appearing to accept that it didn't look great--and there was no way he'd appreciate seeing a half-naked man leaving her room, so he had no defense. "She'd been drinking all afternoon. She saw your things scattered around, and I guess she wanted to mark what she saw as her territory."

Meg wanted to roll her eyes, but she contained the urge. "She said I could have a turn with you if I wanted to go next, like you were a toy she was generous enough to share--but you're my toy, not hers, and I don't share."

Jack huffed a laugh. He gave her a long look and asked, "You still want to play with me?"

"God, yes." A breath left her, and her body felt lighter for the first time that day.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." He lifted his hand and stroked her hair. "I shouldnt have let it get that far."

"I'm glad it's over and that it turned out to be nothing." She reached up to touch the dried blood at the corner of his mouth. "I was scared tonight," she said, remembering what the man at the club had said to her, the way he'd looked at her, as if he could do whatever he wanted without worrying about something so trivial as permission. "Thank you for being there for me, and I'm sorry you hurt your hand."

"I'm sure his face hurts more." Jack swept his thumb across her cheek. "I wanted to beat the shit out of him when I saw the way he grabbed you."

"I could tell."

"Do me a favor," he said. "Don't walk alone at night like that again. The bouncers would have helped you out if I hadn't been there, but when you took off by yourself, anything could have happened."

Meg saw the concern in his eyes and knew his request had come from a place of caring rather than a need to control her. Instead of arguing, she nodded. "I won't. I promise."

A flicker of surprise passed over his features. "That was too easy."

She didn't want to waste more of the limited time she had left with him rehashing what they'd been through over the last few hours, not when she could end her holiday in a more enjoyable way. "There's no point arguing with you if I agree--and it's my last night here, so I'd rather be doing other things."

The glint in his eye got her heart thumping a little harder. "And what's at the top of your list?"

Meg pulled out the desk chair and smiled as she kicked off her shoes. "You're an intelligent man, Jack. I'm sure you can figure it out."

~ * ~

Jack didn't know what Meg had in mind when she dragged out the chair... and now he was tied to it naked. After such a shitty start to the night, he never would have pictured it ending in this way.

Meg had bound his wrists with a pair of her panties, his arms secured behind his back so he couldn't get his hands on her.

He wanted to get his hands on her.

He was already hard, and she hadn't so much as laid a finger on him since he'd been sitting here.

He'd created a monster when he awakened her wild side, but he couldn't be happier with the turn their relationship had taken.

Jack looked up at her as she stood before him in her slinky little outfit, hoping it wouldn't be long until she took it off.

With only the bedside lamp providing light in the room, the yellow glow made her eyes appear dark and stormy as they traveled over him, and she gave off a sensual, dangerous vibe, like a spy who was about to perform sexual acts to tease information out of her hostage--or so he hoped.

"Now you've got me here," he said, "what are you planning on doing with me?"

"With you?" She gave him a playful lift of her brows. "Nothing. To you? Everything."

Now they were getting somewhere.

A surge of desire raced through him, and he wanted to yank his wrists free, drag her onto the bed, and sink inside her--but whatever she had in store for him seemed like it could be a lot more interesting, so he channeled his patience and waited.

Meg took a few steps backwards.

She kept her eyes on him as she reached for the tie behind her neck that appeared to be keeping her flimsy dress in place. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and I only want honest answers from you. Can you do that for me, Jack?"

Her authoritative tone only made him harder. "At this point, I'll do just about anything you ask," he admitted.

"Good. That's good." Her eyes dropped to take in his erection, and Jack followed her gaze, finding a bead of pre-cum on the head of his cock. He was good to go, and they hadn't even got started yet.

His breathing went deeper as he watched her release the tie and lower her dress, revealing her stunning, bare breasts. She stepped free of the fabric and stood before him wearing only a thong.

"Come closer," he said, hearing a pleading tone in his voice he'd never used before.

"I'm the one in charge here," she reminded him. She tucked her thumbs in the sides of her thong and lowered it to her thighs, and with a sexy, shimmying motion, it fell to her feet. "Now," she said, "tell me exactly what happened today when she took off her top."

His gaze dropped to her pussy, and he pulled in a harsh breath--then her words registered.

Oh, shit.

Honest answers?

How the hell was he supposed to get out of this without ruining everything?

Jack closed his eyes for a beat and thought it through.

If he'd invited Anna to his room and encouraged her to get naked, he'd understand Meg being pissed off and feeling like she couldn't trust him anymore--but it didn't go down like that. He hadn't wanted Anna there in the first place, and he'd escorted her out the second his brain kicked in and started thinking rationally.

He'd been turned on, yes, but on a purely physical level that held no weight--and if he couldn't be honest with Meg about basic adult desires and attraction, she probably wasn't the right woman for him.

He opened his eyes and let out a breath. "She rubbed her tits," he said, watching her closely for a negative reaction.

A fire lit in her eyes, but he couldn't tell for sure if it was anger or desire. "Like this?" she asked, caressing her own breasts.

Jack swallowed and nodded, watching her nipples poke out between her fingers.

He'd never been this turned on before.

The image of Meg touching her breasts superimposed itself over the memory of Anna fondling her own tits, and the longer he watched Meg, the more the memory of Anna faded.

Smart, smart woman.

"What did she do next?" she asked, still absently trailing her fingertips over her nipples.

His body was overheating, so filled with need he wanted to start thrusting into nothing. "She squeezed her left breast."

Meg walked toward him, closer, but still too far away. She stopped and did exactly what Anna had done, covering her breast and giving it a firm squeeze. She worked on the other one for good measure, massaging them both while her eyes remained on him.

He wanted her so badly his chest ached.

She moved between his spread thighs, and Jack looked up at her from his lower position, waiting to see if her curiosity had been satisfied.

"Were they nice to look at?" she asked.

His instinct was to dodge the question, but she'd asked for honest answers, and he didn't want to be with a woman who set emotional traps just so she could berate him for being truthful. "Yes."

Meg pulled in a sharp breath, and he mentally readied himself for the barrage of emotion.

Instead, she sank her hands into his hair and gripped it, leaning in to rub her tits against his face. Her hardened nipples grazed his cheek, his nose, then swept across his open mouth.

Jack groaned and flicked out his tongue to steal a taste before they disappeared.

"Did it turn you on?" she asked.

Her hands left his hair, and she climbed onto his lap so she was straddling him. He felt her heat against him, but when she didn't reach down to guide him inside her, he wondered if he could tilt his hips to make it happen on his own.