No way in hell could I let him set foot in my apartment. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he had seen the deteriorating building where I lived, if he went inside, I would lose any shot I might have with him, and this bubble I’d decided to live in for the night would burst.
“Let’s go inside, Slade.”
“If you don’t mind…” It shouldn’t be this hard for me to make Jack see I had no intention of inviting him in. It was completely reasonable to not want a practical stranger in a person’s home, wasn’t it?
It was, but I wasn’t ready for this fantasy to end. If nothing else, seeing the way I lived would be an incentive for Jack to take whatever he wanted from me and never look back once he said goodbye. I slumped against the doorjamb, my hand still resting on the knob. “Look, I don’t have a house like you probably do.”
Jack looked around as if to say,You think?
I scowled at him. “I mean it, Jack. I already told you I’m a mess. I meant that, both figuratively and literally.”
“You’ve had a lot going on from what I’ve heard.” I frowned. He’d heard? Great. The last thing I wanted was everyone discussing my business. Because that’s exactly what it was—my business. “Slade, we all go through tough times. When that happens, everything tends to fall apart to some extent.”
Maybe for some people, but for me, it was a natural state of being. It had been expected that everything be in its place when I was growing up, so as soon as I moved out on my own, I rebelled. But then, being a slob turned into a bad habit, and the longer it went on, the more incapable I became to pick up.
He pressed his palm to my cheek again. I closed my eyes and leaned into the touch, as his thumb grazed over my cheekbone. “I think you and I got off on the wrong foot. I will admit I’m a bit…exacting, some would say, in how I prefer things. I am a big fan of order, because it helps me take care of everything that needs to be done on a daily basis. That doesn’t mean I’m going to think any less of you for whatever you might be trying to hide on the other side of the door.”
I knew how he meant it, but that phrase had always amused me. Rather than hearing it as a reassurance that nothing would change, I always assumed the implication that whoever said it already thought so little of me, their view couldn’t possibly get any worse.
“You say that now, but I won’t hold it against you if you decide it’s dangerous to your health to stick around.”
“I am not leaving you, Slade. Not until you’re sober.”
“I already told you, I don’t need a knight in shining armor. I am more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.” Whatever attraction I felt for Jack disappeared in that moment. It was a slap in the face to be reminded of what had brought him here. It wasn’t attraction, he just didn’t want me choking on my own vomit to weigh on his conscience.
I shoved him out of the way and pushed my front door open. Before I could slam it closed, Jack braced himself, holding the door open. He let himself inside, his fancy shoes clicking on the chipped tile floor.
As he stalked forward, I backed myself against the wall. He didn’t stop until he stood so close his toes touched mine. He braced himself with a hand on either side of my head against the wall.
“I don’t know what in the hell that was, but do not expect another free pass from me,” he growled. He bent down and hissed his next warning against my ear. “You’ve already gotten away with far more than any other boy could have hoped for. Don’t test my limits.”
I pushed against his chest. My attempts to free myself proved futile. He stood his ground while I wavered in my drunken state.
“I am not your boy,” I enunciated every word as clearly as I could, pissed off when I looked up to see amusement sparkling in Jack’s eyes. “You did what you came here to do. You made sure I got home safe.”
“Surely, you aren’t that naïve,” Jack scoffed. He pressed his lips to the side of my neck. “You drive me crazy. I’m not sure if I want to kiss you or throw you over my knee and spank your ass until it’s so red and welted you can’t sit for a week without thinking of me.”
“Such a romantic,” I responded.
“Never said I was a romantic.” Jack took a step back, curling his fingers around my wrist. “Let’s get you cleaned up for bed.”
“Are you going to tuck me in, too, Daddy?” I teased, desperately trying to gain the upper hand. No matter how badly Iwantedto be taken care of, there was still enough of my brain engaged that I couldn’t let go. A warning echoed in my mind that one night with this man would leave me desperate for more.
Jack’s nostrils flared, then the corner of his mouth tipped up in a smirk. “I just might, but only if you’re averygood boy for me.”
“I thought you said you weren’t going to fuck me tonight.” The cold night air had sobered me up a bit, enough that the pieces of the night that had become hazy were coming into focus again. And why in the hell was there a pit in my stomach at the thought of Jack not wanting me?
“I meant it when I said that. When I bend you over and abuse that pretty ass, it’s going to be because you asked me for it.”
“I could ask you for it now,” I teased. And, fuck, why in the hell couldn’t my brain decide what I wanted from him?
“Oh no, boy, that would be far too easy.” He stumbled over an empty box as he led me through the dark apartment. It would be far less dangerous if we turned on some lights, but it was less embarrassing if he didn’t see the chaos threatening to crash down around us like an avalanche. “When you decide you’re ready, you’re going to beg me to take you. You will bend over freely, offering me that beautiful ass. And, you’ll do it sober.”
I couldn’t stop the snort of laughter. No way in hell was that going to happen.
“Something funny, boy?”
I waved a hand over my body. “This isn’t an open-ended offer. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be sober, and my only regret is going to be not forcing you to say goodbye and part ways at the curb.”
“What makes you say that?”
I gaped at him. “Come on, Jack. Even you can’t be that naïve,” I parroted his word back to him. “Look at me, then look at you. We’re from such different worlds, we’re not even in the same galaxy.”
“And you’ve decided this based on what, exactly?”
“Experience,” I responded cryptically. I stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I splashed some water on my face before brushing my teeth. I didn’t let the water run. I was determined to hide in the bathroom until Jack got tired of waiting and left. No matter what my brain told me to do in its moments of weakness, this was for the best. Nothing good would happen if I let him in.
