Then Cole looked down at me, his eyes meeting mine and he winked. His smile lighting up his face in self-satisfied glory. When he looked at me like that, it was as though he were seeing only me. And that I was the girl he wanted out of anyone he could be with.

I was enough.

I hated him for these glimmers of tenderness that made keeping emotional distance downright impossible. It was hard to hate the man when you loved the heart.

Shit, what was I thinking?

I winked back; shaking my hips a bit in the way I knew drove Cole wild and he widened his eyes and pointed at me, singling me out.

It felt good. It made me feel special.

The girl beside me started to squeal loudly in my ear. As if Cole’s sex-drenched smile, as if his attention, were for her.

Sad, delusional girl.

My face started to redden and my fingers turned into claws. The rage-fueled she-beast was waking from her slumber. The possessive, territorial dragon was ready to take this chick out.

I leaned back and elbowed the twit sharply in the gut, digging my bone in with enough strength to make her gasp. Then I body checked her out of my way, using my ample ass as leverage.

She fell on her butt with a loud screech. I looked down at her with a smile, just as self-satisfied as Cole’s had ever been. I wiggled my fingers in her direction and she glared at me, though with no retaliation.

Maysie looped her arm around my waist and pulled me farther to the side and away from the throng of people.

“I’m not wearing the proper clothing for a bar brawl. So watch it,” she warned. I shrugged, turning my attention back to the boys on stage.

The rest of the show passed without further incident. As soon as The Rejects were finished, the house music came on while they quickly broke down their equipment. I drank a few more beers, enjoying the nice alcoholic haze that had descended.

Cole was at my side soon enough.

“You ready to get out of here?” he whispered in my ear, brushing my hair off my neck and putting his lips over my steady pulse.

“You don’t want to stay and watch Primal Terror?” I asked, swaying slightly from the booze and from Cole’s touch. I wanted to ask him about the odd tension I sensed between him and his bandmates. I wanted to know why even now as he pawed at me desperately, there seemed to be sadness just below the surface.

But I was mildly drunk and incredibly horny.

I looked over Cole’s shoulder and smirked at the disappointed groupies hanging around hoping to swoop in and steal him away.

Not tonight, ladies.

This time, he was all mine.

I forgot about my questions and concerns. I forgot about all the reasons I shouldn’t be doing this at all. I caved to the hedonistic rush that only Cole could provide.

He ran his tongue along the base of my throat, tasting me. I was still high from his performance and my body buzzed in anticipation.

This is, after all, what I came down here for, right?

“I want you, now,” he breathed hard and heavy.

“Then let’s go,” I murmured, consequences and lingering emotions be damned.

10

“I can’t open my eyes! Oh my god! What did you put on my face?” Vivian screamed, wiping at her skin.

Shit. This was not going how I planned.

Okay, so when I found out Vivian was coming down to Raleigh, I got a little excited. Believe it or not, the most action I had experienced since we were last together in Texas was with my hand.

And my palm desperately needed a break.

I had all sorts of debauchery planned. My sex-drive was going thermal nuclear. So maybe I took it a step too far. Maybe I got a little too creative.

“Why can’t I open my eyes, Cole?” Vivian asked, panicking.

I started trying to scoop heavy, warm, slowly solidifying liquid off her face but the sticky stuff wouldn’t budge.

“What is this stuff?” Vivian demanded, swatting my hands away.

I was still in my boxers and Vivian was only in a hot pair of black lace panties. My erection, which had been large and in charge only moments before, was losing its steam.

And things had been going so well too.

We’d barely gotten out of the bar without mauling each other. Vivian practically deep throated my tongue on the cab ride back to the hotel. The elevator ride up to my room had been just this side of indecent. The elderly couple sharing the lift had gotten more than an eyeful of her fantastic backside.

It was awesome!

When we got to the room we had slowed it down a notch and taken our time, which was unusual for us.

We didn’t take our time. We didn’t linger. We were all about going full throttle to the finish line.

Not tonight.

Tonight I wanted it to be special. I wanted to share things with her. I wanted to indulge in some fantasies, goddamn it!

Unfortunately for me, I had learned one very important lesson...Google was not my friend.

“It’s honey,” I admitted, watching her flail about, thick stringy globs rolling down her face and smearing the pillow.

“Honey? Are you kidding me?” Vivian yelled. And I didn’t blame her. The whole thing was seriously stupid.

But it had seemed like such a great idea at the time.

“It’s supposed to be an aphrodisiac,” I muttered, trying to help her again. I grabbed the end of the blanket and started wiping her face. Her eyelids appeared to be fused together.

“If you eat it dumbass! Not wear it! What the hell were you thinking? You put this shit on. My. Face!” Vivian rolled off the bed and landed with a thud on the ground. She got unsteadily to her feet and started waving her hands in front of her, shuffling about hesitantly.