The Valentine's Arrangement (6 page)

He laughed and pulled Jordan onto his lap. “Can you say fuck anymore in one sentence?”

“Yes, I fucking can,” Ronnie spat before taking a drink of her now warm beer. “I’m going to get another drink, want anything?”

“Nope, I’m good,” Jordan said, grabbing Cameron’s hand and pulling him up from his seat and onto the dance floor.

Ronnie laughed aloud at her friend. Jordy was basically having sex with Cameron right then and there on the dance floor. She really did love that girl.

Ronnie squeezed her way to the bar sending a few ‘go to hell’ looks at some drooling guys as she passed them. Luckily, a heavyset red head stood up from her bar stool at the same time Ronnie reached the bar.

“Can I snag your seat?” Ronnie asked the woman.

“It’s all yours,” she said before she walked away. Thank God because Ronnie’s feet needed an intermission.

“What’s your poison?” a voice said close to her ear making her already heated skin even stickier from the warmth of his breath. She turned around on her stool to see a very sexy Sergeant First Class Emerson standing behind her with a scruffy smile on his face. He was in the same worn jeans as before but he had changed his shirt to a snug fitting black button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was such a pretty boy.

She forced herself to tear her eyes away from him to keep from staring at his chest and the way his damn preppy shirt pulled across it. “Patron.”

“Two shots of Patron,” he told the skanky bartender in a tube top and a pair of jeans that was unfortunately close to showing off her lady goods. The bartender smiled and was all too happy to tend to him.

She leaned seductively over the bar as she slid the shots to Kale. “Here ya go,” she winked.

“Seriously?” Ronnie huffed, raising her eyebrows at the bartender before grabbing her shot and tossing it back. The bartender looked from Ronnie to Kale – who was more than likely mind fucking Ronnie at that very moment by the way he was looking at her – before pouting her way on to the next customer.

“What are you doing here?” Ronnie asked, peeling the paper off her beer bottle.

“Turns out, this tattoo I got on my back stings like hell, figured I could use a drink to dull the pain a little.” He leaned in close to her. “Plus the idea of watching you dance held its own persuasion.”

A wanton shiver slivered down Ronnie’s spine and she hoped like hell Kale didn’t notice. “So what, now you want small talk?”

“Small talk, no talk, I don’t care,” he said, motioning with his hand for the bartender to bring them another round. Great, Ronnie was going to have to witness that bimbo make a fool of herself again.

Kale slowly and deliberately stepped closer to her. She could almost feel him against her side. “Dance with me.”

“I’m not dancing with you.”

“Dance with me,” he said again, offering his hand to her.

“Look Soldier, I don’t know who the hell you think you are but you can’t just order me around.”

He leaned down and ran his nose up the side of her neck and she stilled. “Well as of right now, I’m finding it extremely difficult not to push you up against this bar and put my mouth on your body; you’re tempting me and I just might do it. So, you can either dance with me and let me attempt to get the image of you squirming beneath me out of my head, or you can leave with me now and we can replay that image in real time.”

Ronnie’s formerly clear mind started swimming with the memory of his body crushing her against the door eagerly kissing her, and the feel of his body pressing her into the couch, and then the feel of his mouth, oh his fucking mouth on her…damn it.

“And you think I’ll just leave with you, why?” she asked, pulling her mind back to the present where Kale was leaning dangerously close to her. She could smell the faint scent of soap on his skin.

“Because I know you enjoyed the little taste of me that you had back at the shop, and God knows I enjoyed tasting you,” he smirked. “And because I can see it in your eyes now. Dance with me.”

The bartender slid the shots in front of them, thankfully without attempting to flirt, and Ronnie once again tilted the shot back, letting the clear smooth liquid run down her throat.

She stood up and grabbed his hand causing that fucking dimple to drill deep into his cheek. “You better not make me regret this,” she said, leading the way to the dance floor.

The second Ronnie stepped onto the dance floor Kale jerked back on her hand, spinning her around until she was pressed against him. He slid his hands down her arms and then latched onto her waist. His hands were large on her hips and they held her like he was afraid she was going to run for the hills. He slid his thick thigh in between her legs and started moving them to the music.

She wasn’t going to lie to herself and pretend he wasn’t turning her on with every single touch, but was she going to pretend to Kale…absolutely. He already was cocky with the way he looked at her, she didn’t need to fuel him farther; but damn it, his hands felt good on her body. She had to strain from shuddering when he ran a hand up her spine and grabbed a hold of the back of her neck.

She didn’t dare look him in the eyes because she was sure that ‘fuck me’ eyes would be staring back at her, and she was starting to second-guess her will power to say no.

And then, he just had to go and slip his fingers through the hair at the base of her neck to pull her head back…damn it. Of course, that was followed by him leaning down and running his mouth up her neck from the dip in her collarbone to her chin. She moaned, fucking hell she moaned.

She felt Kale’s lips tighten into a smile on her skin. “You like my mouth on you?” he whispered against her skin, and even with the heat from the crammed bodies surrounding her and the sweat trickling down the back of her neck, she got chills.

Kale spun her around so her back was pressed against his chest and he wrapped his hands around her stomach. He pulled her tight against him and slid his fingers perilously down her stomach.

Ronnie could play this game too. She lifted the hair off her neck and swirled her hips, pushing her ass into his groin as she moved with him to the music. She felt his body rise against the small of her back and she smiled to herself.

*****

This woman was good, she knew exactly what she was doing to him; and he liked it. He wanted her to push his buttons; he wanted her to want this. Hell, after the way she ended things back in the design room he was glad she was letting him touch her at all.

Kale took the opportunity that was in front of him and leaned forward. He pressed his mouth to the back of Ronnie’s neck causing her to jerk against him. He smiled again, loving how easily he affected her, and then he slipped his tongue out and licked the moisture that was accumulating under her hairline.

A shudder ran through Ronnie and Kale tightened his hands on her stomach to keep her still. “I knew you liked my mouth on you,” he whispered in her ear.

Ronnie spun around to face him placing her hands on his chest. “Did I ever say that I didn’t?” she challenged, and Kale gladly accepted. He buried his nose in the curve of her shoulder and she tilted her head to the side offering him better access. He sucked her collarbone and skimmed his teeth over her skin, nipping her shoulder. She tasted good—sweet and hot.

“Hey Ronnie, uh, I’m sorry to interrupt,”—the girl from earlier, Jordan, was standing behind Ronnie trying hard to suppress her grin as she looked at Kale. Yeah, this girl sure had a way of interrupting him—“but we have to go.”

Ronnie stepped out of Kale’s arms and turned to face her friend. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Cameron had one too many drinks tonight. I shouldn’t have gotten him drunk before we left the house, but you know how he hates to dance…”

“Jordan…” Ronnie said, halting Jordan’s rambling.

“He’s a stumbling mess and he just spilled his beer all over one of the bouncers. They’re kicking him out. They have him up front. I’m sorry, but we need to go.”

“Alright I’ll meet you outside; I have to pay my tab.” Ronnie turned and walked off the dance floor and Kale hurried after her.

“I can take you home,” he said, stepping up beside her.

She sent him a malicious look and shook her head. “No.”

Okay. He wasn’t going to press his luck with that one. “You have a date for Valentine’s Day tomorrow?” he asked as they reached the bar.

Ronnie narrowed her eyes at him and laughed. “Hell, no.”

“What?” Kale didn’t understand what was so funny to her.

“Valentine’s Day is a joke. I hate it.”

“You hate Valentine’s Day? Isn’t that supposed to be a woman’s favorite holiday?”

“Do I seem like your typical woman?” she asked. No, she definitely wasn’t like most women, and that’s exactly what he liked about her.

“I hate everything about it,” she said, “the candy, the cards, the flowers and the fucking balloons. Oh, and the chocolate. Don’t even getting me started with the chocolate. Who ruins a perfectly good piece of chocolate by putting fake fruit flavored goo inside? No, the only date I’ll be having is with my couch, a six pack, and Freddie Krueger.”

“Come on. What’s one little date going to hurt?” Kale pulled out his pretty please smile and handed the bartender a fifty as she came with Ronnie’s receipt.

Ronnie’s eyes disappeared beneath her lashes, glaring, as she ripped the bill out of the woman’s hand and shoved it against Kale’s chest.

“I wanted to pay for—”

“I don’t date either and that would include you paying my tab,” Ronnie said, handing the bartender her card. Kale looked at her expectantly waiting for her to explain. He never met a woman that turned away free drinks.

“I’m done with that shit. I’m done with dating and relationships and everything that comes along with them,” she said. Ronnie’s phone lit up inside her purse and she pulled it out and put it to her ear. “Jordan, I’m hurrying,” she said as she answered. “What…are you fucking kidding me…Jordan it’s fine, you’re not paying for my cab…no you’re not, I’ve got it…yeah….alright, bye.”

“What was that about?” Kale finally asked when Ronnie got off the phone.

“Cameron’s dumb ass was running his mouth outside and the club threatened to call the cops so they left.”

“They just left you here?” Kale’s jaw clinched as he tried not to get pissed off, but who in the hell leaves a woman at a club by herself? That dumb ass should have better sense to take care of the women he is with instead of getting wasted. Kale’s hands tightened into fist just thinking about it.

“It’s no big deal. I’m a big girl. I can get my own cab.” Ronnie was signing her receipt so Kale couldn’t see her eyes to know whether or not she was upset about her friends bailing on her. Even though it pissed Kale off, he didn’t think it bothered Ronnie all that much.

“I’m taking you home,” he said, leaving no room for arguing.

“You’re not taking me home. Fuck, what is with you and thinking you can order me around? I’m not one of your soldiers who are going to stand at attention and say ‘yes sir’.” She turned on her heels and headed for the front of the club.

Kale followed close behind her, trying to decide whether or not he should reach out for her. She had the mood swings of a woman diagnosed with bi polar disorder who was on the rag, and since he was fond of his limbs, he decided against it.

Finally, Kale stepped around her when she reached the door that led outside. “Look, I’m not trying to order you around…and I get that you can handle yourself, but I would like to make sure you get home alright. Is that really too much to ask?” Kale knew he was probably pushing her too far, especially since her face was wound up so tight he could barely see the whites in her eyes; but Kale never left a woman on her own at night and he wasn’t going to start now. He didn’t care if he had to follow the damn cab to make sure she arrived home okay, he would do it.

“You are seriously the biggest pain in the ass, you know that?” Ronnie said, slamming her palm onto Kale’s chest to support her as she pulled her ankle up to slip off her heels.

“I could say the same thing about you,” Kale said as he watched her intently.

She leaned back up holding her heels in one hand and narrowed her eyes at him. “Well go get the fucking car. I’m not walking across the parking lot bare foot and my feet are killing me.”

Kale tried not to smile, knowing good and well that it would tick her off, but it was a lost cause. It seemed as if this woman had a hard time telling him no.

Chapter 5

Light from the window poured into Ronnie’s bedroom and although it wasn’t a particularly sunny day, the brightness coated the space in a dim white glow that irritatingly caused Ronnie’s eyes to flutter open.

She lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling begging her mind to shut off and for a few more clouds to form in the sky so she could catch another hour or so of sleep. Once it was apparent that particular option was out of the question, Ronnie reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone. It was only nine in the morning and she hated to get out of bed until at least 10:00 on Sundays, but it seemed like today she would be making an exception.

She rolled out of bed and her thighs felt tight, instantly reminding her about her continuous dancing the night before. Her mind wandered to the way Kale’s large hands spread across her stomach as they slowly crept lower, stretching from hip to hip until the tips of his fingers touched right above the spot that was aching to be touched again. Then she thought about his damn mouth. It was sinful how good it was. His lips were perfect; his top lip had a sharp cupid’s bow and the bottom was just full enough for a man. And fuck, he knew how to use them. The way he ran them across her body and the way they felt against her own lips was enough to make the ache between her legs throb with the memory.

Damn it, that man was frustrating—in more ways than one. He knew just how to push her too, and for only knowing him a few days that was saying a lot. Ronnie didn’t get her feathers ruffled too often, it took a strong personality to do that and Kale sure had it down pat.

The way he looked at her was something completely new to her. She was used to having men look at her as if they were selecting their choice of meat, but Kale didn’t. He still looked at her like he was starving, but he didn’t make her feel like a walking visual sex toy. It was like he cherished her with his eyes, like he was looking at her to ingrain her in his memory. It was hot, and it was terrifying.