“Hey, it’s me,” I said, glaring at Kit. “Just wanted to make sure you’re okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

I hung up.

“Good,” Kit said. “You’ve made a move. Now you’re going to leave your phone here while we shop, so you can’t answer if he calls back.”

“Why?”

“Don’t want to sound too eager,” she said thoughtfully. “You not only talked to him last night, but you’ve already texted and called, too.”

“I didn’t call,” I said pointedly.

“He doesn’t know that. You want to shower before we go? No offense, but you look like shit.”

“I’m not sure I like living closer to you.”

“You love me and you know it.”

Unfortunately, I did.

• • •

Six hours later we pulled back into Cookie’s driveway, the car full of Chinese carryout and three new purses. Two for Kit and one for me. Not that I needed a new bag, but it would’ve been rude not to buy anything at all, right?

“Sorry we aren’t cooking,” I apologized as I walked in the door. “We sort of lost track of time. Hope takeaway is all right?”

Cookie glanced up from the couch, where she sat reading with Silvie.

“If I don’t have to cook it, I don’t care where it comes from,” she said. “Silvie, help me clear off the coffee table. Let’s have a picnic out here, sound good?”

Silvie loved that idea, and after another five minutes we were opening boxes of hot, steaming food.

“Where are you girls going tonight?” Cookie asked.

“Just downtown,” Kit said. “Meeting up with a friend, doing some dancing. That kind of thing.”

“Be careful,” Cookie said. “Deke tells me things are a little unsettled.”

“He give any details?” I asked.

“No,” she said. “But if it was serious, they’d let us know. Just don’t get too drunk, okay?”

We promised, finishing our dinner. Then we got slutted up in my room and I realized I’d gone all afternoon without my phone. I searched through my covers, turning it on hopefully.

Hunter hadn’t called, though.

Nope, just a quick text.

HUNTER: Sorry I had to go last night. I’ll catch up with you later. Lot going on

“That’s not very exciting,” Kit said, biting her lip thoughtfully. “He should be all over you by now.”

“Well, he said he was busy.”

“No man is too busy to get laid,” she replied, her voice knowing. “Speaking of, that’s what you’ll be doing tonight. I’ve made up my mind.”

“What?”

“Getting laid. Before we leave the club tonight, we’re finding someone for you to sleep with. Hunter wants a piece of your ass, he’ll have to stand in line.”

“Do I get a vote in this?” I asked, rolling my eyes.

“Do you ever?”

• • •

Kit made good on her threat. Ten minutes after we walked into the club, she’d scoped out six different guys she’d decided might be worthy of my bed. I flipped her off and bought myself a beer. I wasn’t interested in sleeping with some random ass**le in a bar.

Still, as the night progressed and no word from Hunter, I got a little annoyed. I’d had phone sex with him just the night before, and now nothing? Not that he owed me anything. I knew that. But the fact that I didn’t have the right to be annoyed was even more annoying.

I drank another beer.

An hour later Kelsey joined us at the club. She was definitely a little rough around the edges, but I decided I liked her. She and Kit really were alike in so many ways it was scary. Put them together on the dance floor and the men didn’t have a chance.

Not that I did too poorly myself.

I had no intention of bringing anyone home, but after a while I found a cute guy to hang out with. His name was Devon, he was tall and somewhat built, and he smelled pretty good when he wrapped his arms around me. He had clean-cut looks, the total opposite of Hunter in every way. Kit gave me a silent thumbs-up in approval. Kelsey told me pointedly that her brother could kick his ass without even noticing.

I told Kelsey that Hunter wasn’t around, so he couldn’t kick anyone’s ass. She flipped me off and I decided she could go screw herself, along with her stupid brother who couldn’t call me back after hanging up mid-phone-sex. Fortunately, Devon was a great distraction. We alternated dancing, talking, and drinking, and gradually I learned that he was in as f**ked-up a nonrelationship as mine.

Well, maybe not quite as f**ked-up. I didn’t ask, but so far as I could tell, he hadn’t actually been involved in a kidnapping.

But other than that, things were about the same.

It made him the perfect partner for the evening, and it got Kit off my back, too. Of course, Kelsey continued to scowl at me, but I didn’t give a shit about her. I might like her all right, but I wasn’t looking for a new best friend. Anyway, once I established Devon as “safe,” I let myself go and enjoyed his company, leaving Ms. Grumpy scowling behind me. We danced to almost every song, and nothing I did was too dorky for Devon.

To be fair, he was kind of dorky himself, and so funny I got to the point where I couldn’t stop laughing. Seriously. I had this giant laughing fit and I couldn’t stop and he kept doing weirder dance moves and it was insane.

“Make it end,” I gasped, clutching my stomach. “I’m gonna puke if you don’t stop.”

He stopped. Abruptly.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe how weird you are,” I giggled, but he didn’t laugh back or smile or anything. I cocked my head.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Your friend is going home now,” a deep, familiar voice said behind me. “Right?”

Devon nodded, then took off without even saying good-bye. Rude. I turned slowly to find Hunter behind me, his sister standing next to him, smirking.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “I tried calling but you never answered. Then I happened to talk to Kelsey and she mentioned you were here.”

I narrowed my eyes at Kelsey, who didn’t even bother trying to look innocent.

“You had all day to get in touch with me,” I told Hunter, bracing my hands on my hips. “Now I’ve made other plans. I’m hanging out with my sister tonight. Family first.”

“Kit took off with some guy half an hour ago,” Kelsey said smugly. “She texted you a heads-up and made me promise to make sure you got home safe.”

My eyes widened, and I whipped out my phone. Sure enough, there was a missed call and a text from Kit. There were also three missed calls and two texts from Hunter.

Oops.

Guess I’d silenced it completely, instead of just putting it on vibrate.

“What the hell is she thinking?” I muttered. “Kit’s lost her mind. And I’m sorry I didn’t get your messages, Hunter, but I do have the right to go out and enjoy myself. You had no business running off Devon, either.”

“He was pretty easy to run off,” Hunter said, his tone dry. Then his face grew serious. “Em, I really need to talk to you. Think we can get out of here?”

I wanted to tell him no, to take himself right to hell. He’d left me hanging and then he hadn’t gotten back in touch all day . . . But his face said this was important, so indulging myself in a snit was probably off the table.

Deke said things were unsettled.

Fuck.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” I said. We grabbed our stuff and walked Kelsey to her car. I’d be having words with Kit later, I decided, thumb-typing her a quick update. I knew it wasn’t the first time she’d taken off with a random pickup, but she really needed to be more careful. I loved my sister so much, but for all her personality and spark, she had a pretty strong self-destructive streak.

It scared me sometimes.

“Bike’s this way,” Hunter said, catching my hand as Kelsey drove off. He tugged me toward an alley and I followed.

“What’s going on?” I asked, feeling awkward. “Obviously something is wrong. Is it us? Club drama? I swear to God, if you kidnap me again, I’ll let them kill you this time.”

I said it like a joke, but I wasn’t entirely kidding. That shit was not going to be my new way of life.

“I have to leave tomorrow,” Hunter said, starting down the alley. It was dark and while I could hear people, I couldn’t see anything but the narrow path between the buildings. I started to get that uncomfortable feeling again. I tried to tug my hand loose, but he wouldn’t let me go.

Fuck.

I stopped, digging in my heels.

“I’m not going anywhere with you unless you tell me what’s happening,” I said, eyes darting as I scoped out my options. It wasn’t particularly promising. The narrow passage was dark, and a big Dumpster blocked the street view.

Great. Was I walking into another trap?

“Club business,” Hunter said, tugging on my hand again. I refused to move. “Em, I’m not trying to do anything. My bike’s on the other side of the block. I just figured this would be faster than walking all the way around.”

I studied his face, trying to decide if he was f**king with me. Shadows covered his face, making him look like some kind of comic-book villain.

“I’m calling a cab,” I said abruptly, reaching for my phone.

“Fuck it,” Hunter muttered, and then he grabbed my waist, lifting me and carrying me two steps to the wall. He shoved me up against it. Then his hand was in my hair, twisting to hold me captive for his kiss.

He took my mouth hard, forcing me to open for his tongue. Then he was inside and I thought I might die because it felt so good. His other hand pushed up my shirt, shoving the cup of my bra up and over my boob, palming me as his hips pushed into my stomach.

Whatever other bullshit Hunter might have going on in his life, one thing was for sure.

He hadn’t lost interest in having sex with me.

Of course, that had never been our problem. His mouth tore loose as we both took deep, gasping breaths and stared at each other. Then his hands came down under my ass, hoisting me and wrapping my legs around his waist. My short skirt pushed up around the tops of my thighs, but I didn’t give a shit.

Nope.

All I cared about was the unreal, amazing sensation of his denim-covered c**k against my panties. He started that slow thrust that’d destroyed me last time. My head fell back against the brick wall. I’d probably have some scrapes there in the morning.

I didn’t give a shit.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and thrust against him, desperate to feel him inside me. God. Oh God, I wanted this man. More than sex, too. I knew in that moment I was well and truly screwed, because nothing had ever felt more right in my life than his arms around me, and it had nothing to do with sex.

Well, maybe a little . . .

“You have a condom?” I gasped. Hunter didn’t stop the hard, spasmodic thrust of his hips, but I swear he growled.

“Yeah, but it shouldn’t be like this. Fuck, Em. You deserve so much better than what I have to offer you.”

“Just screw me already.”

He froze against me, panting, then set me down with a groan. I reached down to pull off my panties and stuffed them into the little purse hanging from my shoulder. Hunter ripped his pants open, and I watched in panting fascination as he rolled on a condom.

Then his hands reached for my thighs, shoving up the skirt as he lifted me again. Jesus, he was so strong, it was like I weighed nothing. I felt his c**k against my bare skin as I wrapped my legs around him, his length silky steel against my opening. Then my back hit the wall and he shoved into me.

I screamed.

Holy shit. I’d expected Hunter to go slow for the first time . . . (Although I’d expected to be in a bed, too, not some nasty alley.) Instead, he slammed home and I felt it all the way in the back of my throat. I cried out again, then leaned forward and bit the side of his neck. His c**k jerked inside me as he groaned. Then he started moving.

I don’t even know how to describe what I felt. Hunter didn’t hold back at all, nothing. I took all of him and I knew I’d be sore as hell in the morning, but I didn’t give a shit. The stretch of his c**k deep inside, the pain of his fingers digging into my ass cheeks?

I loved it.

My body was a mess of lust and longing and desire, all trapped inside for way too long. I didn’t care that people were walking up and down the street not ten yards away. I could smell the trash from the Dumpster, I could see the strip of stars shining above us through the tops of the buildings, and it all just added to the intensity of the moment. I felt encapsulated, caught up in a moment that would last forever.

Objectively, we didn’t hold on for very long.

Hunter’s c**k dragged along my clit with every thrust, and he paused to grind himself against me in a way that pushed me right up to the edge of sanity. Then he pulled back and slammed into me again. I swear the tip of his c**k tried to push through my cervix, he went so deep.

That did it.

I cried as I blew up, clenching down on him deep inside while my fingernails tried to dig through the leather of his cut.

Holy shit . . .

Hunter grunted and thrust four more times, and then he came, too, cursing. I couldn’t believe nobody heard us or tried to see what we were doing. If they had, I wouldn’t have given a shit.

I’d done it.

I’ve finally done it, I realized with a thrill, tears rolling down my face. I didn’t even care that my back was raw, or that I’d be walking funny for a week. I didn’t regret any of it, not for an instant.