Prologue

She could feel him staring.  Openly and deliberately.

He had been for the majority of the time spent at the best BBQ restaurant her hometown had to offer earlier that night, their eyes locking every so often from across the long table.  She would smile kindly at him and he would mirror the gesture without missing a beat, his ocean blue orbs twinkling in the low lit restaurant.  The fluttering in her lower belly was becoming all too familiar and she could feel the heat radiating off of her cheeks, revealing a foreign bashful nature she never took to towards the opposite sex… or to anyone.  She wasn’t normally this shy or flustered, especially with an attractive male who was considerably labeled as off limits by the judge of the security detail that trailed after him, keeping a close eye on his whereabouts.

It would be an understatement to say she was a sucker for the bad boy image and she was no stranger to his indecent photographs plastered all over the web and papers.  Years ago, when she was still in her rebellion stage that was stemmed from a not so ordinary upbringing, it wouldn’t have stopped her.  In fact, it would have fueled her need to catch his attention and flirt her way to his bed… if only for a night.  She would have flashed him a seductive smile and her classic suggestive wink that was sure to make his spine tingle, not once feeling too sheepish to speak.  She would have never thought twice to sparking conversation to test his interest, to test the chemistry that seemed apparent to the both of them.  If she was still that girl.

She grew up.  She wasn’t that naive, wild child any longer that wreaked havoc all over town with the small group of friends that were considered from the wrong side of the tracks.  She had matured into a respectable businesswoman as a big fuck you to everyone in her young years who had spat degrading remarks towards her and her hopeless future.  She seldom had random hookups, putting her sole focus and energy on the success of the bakeshop she co-owned with her best friend, Jed.  In fact, she was going through a sexual drought as he so delicately put it any chance he got.

Shit… if only he were here to witness this train wreck she called flirting.  She could already hear his high pitched voice and his cute lisp as he took a jab at the way she kept blushing around Mr. Broad Shoulders.

But damn.  There was just something about him that made her heart accelerate, made her pulse quicken, and made her chest heave just a bit above normal.  He made her weak in the fucking knees with just a single look.  What would happen if he were to touch her?

Good lord she needed sex.

The entire evening, they had never uttered a word towards one another after the initial introduction at the start of the night.  Not that they didn’t try.  Just as he would lean his arms on the table to throw her one of his lines, he would obnoxiously get interrupted by the rowdiness of the bunch that surrounded them.

But now—after a chaotic and fun filled night of catching up with old friends—they were enjoying some downtime before the big event of the weekend would begin, sitting around the fire pit in the backyard of the house she grew to call her second home.  It was relatively quiet, the late hour effecting the jet lagged company as they retired to their rooms.  But he was rooted to the log he was perched on, mutely watching as she engaged in light chatter with the bride.

She could feel this tangible pull in the pit of her belly, could feel the butterflies multiply by the second as she conversed with Lizzy about the originality of the wedding party favors.  It wasn’t long into the discussion when she couldn’t deny him any longer.  She shifted her attention slightly to the right where she caught his intent gaze on her, the glowing embers of the fire illuminating his features and causing her breath to hitch in her throat in a quiet gasp.

Judging by the gentle smile that would slowly turn into a cocky smirk on his tempting lips, there was no denying that he caught the flush on her sun kissed skin.  The bastard knew how badly she was effected by his presence all night.  Little did she know that he would be using the knowledge to his advantage as the evening progressed.

This time she didn’t smile.  She couldn’t.  Her breathing was too shallow, her heart galloping in her chest as he challenged her to an intense staring match.  One she wouldn’t back out of.  Undeniable heat and want passed between them, neither one of them blinking, determined to win.  Win what exactly, she wasn’t too sure of just yet.  But the fire of their attraction only became more and more intense as his tongue poked through to sweep across his dry lips before he pressed them together.

If the space between them wasn’t so stretched, she would be able to hear the pounding of his heart as it sped up when she chewed on her lower lip.  She would be able to feel the heat radiate off of his body as the southern warm air clung to their skin, creating a thin layer of glistening sweat.  She would be able to see his pupils dilate as the desire pulled deep at his lower abdomen.

But there was no mistaking the way his chest expanded as he inhaled the night air sharply and deeply.  And in that moment, she knew.  He was just as affected by this..by her.  She bit her lip and subconsciously batted her lashes, making the first move.

Images of sweaty flesh rubbing deliciously together and hands gliding across skin in a tantalizing smooth caress swirled around her head like a whirlwind.  Of course it was crazy to say she hadn’t been having these not so innocent thoughts all night.  It most certainly did flash across her mind whenever the slight breeze would carry the scent of his cologne her way, taunting her.. teasing her.  She could almost come undone just by his scent.  He smelled so damn enticing and he looked delicious in his light blue collared shirt and dark jeans, making her drift into her most secret fantasies.

Her thoughts were halted when he shifted to a standing position and confidently strolled towards her.  “This seat taken?” He asked, his husky voice shooting tingles down her back as she curled her toes.

Her eyes moved to the empty seat beside her that he was gesturing to with an outstretched hand.  “Um..n-no,” she stumbled nervously.

He took the seat and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.  “So..” he began, awkwardly.  “I would ask if you were here for the groom or the bride but..”

She giggled lightly at his lame attempt to break the ice, tucking her loose strands of auburn hair behind her ear.  “But..?” She trailed as she gave him a long sideways glance through hooded eyes.

He grinned, ducking his head to speak to her in an undertone, his deep voice hitting her there.  “All evidence points to the bride.”

“And what evidence might that be?” She questioned with a quirked brow, desperately trying to dig deep for the confidence she once held.

Her eyes followed his as he reached down to grab the bottle of sweet tea that sat near her feet.  “Exhibit A.” Then he plucked the oversized UT sweatshirt that was stretched over her bent knees.  “Exhibit B.”

“Hm,” she hummed, pursing her lips in thought.  “I guess you got me there.”

“Ah,” He said, holding up a finger before laying it gently over her lips.  “The real evidence lies here… Your sweet southern drawl.”

“Guilty.” She stopped breathing altogether, almost positive her heart was going to beat out of her chest.  She was losing it.. hard and fast.  The wetness was pooling between her thighs, the ache in her core was throbbing, begging for attention.  But he never retracted his hand from her mouth to give her a moment to collect herself.  Instead, he moved his hand to cup her jaw while the pad of his thumb stroked her rounded cheek.  She could see the look of desire and want growing strong in his eyes as they darkened, flicking to her twitching lips, no doubt mirroring her own.

In that moment, she didn’t care who she was or who he was.  She didn’t care that the little company left around the fire would witness them scurry off into the dark night.  Or the fact that a protection officer would be hot on their heels as they ran into the house and up the stairs to his guestroom.  She didn’t care about what would happen the next morning; if it would be awkward being in his presence since they had a day filled with touristy activities.  She didn’t care about any of that.

Because she needed to get laid.  She needed to end this long drought of not having a man’s touch.  She demanded it.  And my god, she was going to fucking enjoy it as she threw caution and responsibility to the wind, channeling her seventeen year old self.

“Do you trust me?” A spark jolted her back to life as his lips grazed the shell of her ear.

Fuck, she thought.  She was already putty in his hands.

“Yes,” she whimpered, losing all sense of control as his nose nuzzled the sweet spot behind her earlobe that drove her mad.

He placed a soft kiss there, a thrill coursing threw him as he embedded that small detail in his brain for later reference, before dropping his hand from her heated skin to grasp her trembling hand.  “Come.”