Hellion, a New Adult Romance Novel (The Rebel Series)

  “What’s the password?” I say. I’m annoyed that he’s so happy. Shouldn’t he feel dirty selling his body for secrets like he has?

  He looks up nervously at the door to the club. “Uh, hurry up and let me in before those chicks come looking for me.”

  I have two ways I can go here. I can leave him out there to sweat all those boobies, or I can let him in and take him away. He looks at me with those darkly shaded green eyes of his and then his body kind of leans forward a little and his tattoo flashes at me from under his sleeve.

  I grab the handle of the door. Screw making him feel bad for doing what I asked him to do. He needs to be in here with me, not out there with the boobies.

  “Fine. Get in.” I peek up through the crack I made in the door at him. “But on the other side. You’re not driving.”

  He frowns at me. “It’s my car.”

  “You’re drunk. Go around.”

  He rolls his eyes and makes like he’s about to argue with me, but then the door to the club opens and a few of his girlfriends spill out and start scanning the parking lot.

  He disappears from view.

  “Mick?” I whisper loudly. “Where are you?”

  I get no answer until the passenger door opens and he crawls in from the ground.

  I smile. “You look like I did about two hours ago.”

  “What?” He folds his legs in and goes into a ball on the front seat so he can reach over and pull the door shut without sitting up.

  “Never mind.” I turn the keys in the ignition and shift the car into reverse. I try to keep my face completely passive when Mick puts his head in my lap.

  “Get over on your side,” I say, cool as can be. Inside my heart is racing way faster than it should be. It’s going to blow my cool cover, making me have to breathe all hot and heavy. Relax. He’s just playing around.

  “No I can’t go over there yet, wait until we’re out. I have to lie low.” He’s grinning up at me. Next thing I know, his left hand is sliding under my calf and his right hand is going behind my back.

  “Mick!” I slap at him as I try to turn out onto the road. “Hands off.” I kind of mean it because I don’t want to wreck the car, but I really don’t mean it. I love his hands on me. It’s for sure a really bad idea, but so what? I’m a happy girl when Mick touches me, and that’s just a fact. I’ll hate myself later. Right now I’m just going to play the game.

  “I can’t,” he says, oozing charm. “You’re too cute.”

  “Cute? Boy, you must wanna die.” I brush his hand off my leg. I try, anyway. It goes right back to where it was two seconds later. It’s driving me wild to feel his rough, callused hands on my shaved leg. Thank God I did two passes with my razor in the shower. There will be no stubble between me and his touch, no sir. Yay, three cheers for Gillette!

  “Sexy. You’re not cute, you’re sexy. Is that better?”

  I nod. “Yeah. I like that better.”

  “Beautiful,” he says.

  “Now you’re laying it on a little thick,” I say wryly. I’m scanning the road for hotel signs.

  “Where are we going, gorgeous?”

  I’m starting to get suspicious. Why is he suddenly all happy-handsy on me after dancing with fifty girls? I wiggle my legs and push him off at the same time. “Stop. I’m trying to drive. I need to find a hotel.”

  “A hotel?” He sits up and slides over closer to me. “What a great idea.” A wave of beer breath flows in front of my face. I don’t hate it.

  He’s pushing into me, trying to kiss my neck, making me lean towards the door too much. I jab him with my right elbow. “Do you mind? Get in your seat and put on your seatbelt.” My brain is warring with my heart. I don’t know if I’m happy or mad all of a sudden. I want to believe he’s all turned on because he saw me and not because he was getting lady parts rubbed all over his body and spelunking into boogie cleavage caverns five minutes ago.

  “Are you mad about something?” His voice has lost some of its sexy purr.

  “No. I’m just tired. And annoyed.” Shit. That last part slipped out.

  “At me?”

  I sigh heavily. “No. At myself. Would you help me find a hotel, please?”

  He points off to the right. “How about that one?”

  I shake my head as we pull into the parking lot. I’m blind obviously. I almost drove past a glowing yellow sign that can be seen a half-mile down the road. Mick has my brain in a spin-cycle.

  “Want me to go in?” he asks.

  “No, I’ll do it. You’re drunk. They’ll probably turn you down once they smell your breath.”

  “I’m not drunk. I’m just buzzing. Come on, I’ll go in with you.” He’s out the door before I can protest.

  I grab my purse off the seat and join him at the front of the car. “So, what’s our story, then?” I ask.

  He drapes his arm over my shoulder as we walk towards the front doors of the reception area. “How about … we’re a young couple looking for a place to make sweet, sweet love …”

  I jab him in the ribs again. “Seriously. Stop.” I can’t help but giggle at him, though. He’s making me nervous. I can totally picture his naked chest right now, and it’s making me want to leave a pregnant girl out in the car while I get busy.

  We get to the doors. “Just let me do all the talking,” I say.

  He nods. “Sure. Absolutely.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Mick, I’m dead serious. Do not say anything.”

  He gets all businesslike. “I’m dead serious too.” He frowns and only sways a little on his feet.

  I roll my eyes. “This should be interesting.”

  We go inside and a sleepy clerk welcomes us to the Super 8. “And how many are in your party?” he asks.

  “Four. We need two double beds.” I nod.

  “Actually, we need two separate rooms,” Mick says. “Double beds in each.”

  My head jerks to the side. “Mick. I told you …” I give the clerk a fake smile before going back to Mick with a lower tone. “I don’t have the money for two rooms.”

  He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a wallet, dropping a credit card on the counter with a flick of his wrist. “My treat.” His smile has way too much going on. Seconds ago he was joking around and silly. Right now he’s anything but silly. He’s sexy. He’s mostly sober. And he’s very, very determined. Oh boy.

  I laugh nervously. “Ahhh … ha, ha … okay, then. He’s paying.” I try to smile at the clerk, but my mouth doesn’t want to cooperate. Instead, the poor guy gets my constipated expression.

  He doesn’t seem very impressed about it either. His lip curls as he runs the credit card through his machine. When he’s done, he looks at the front of it. “Okay, Mister … Mikhail Ivanov … the charge will not be put on your card until you check out. If you leave without returning the key, we will charge the room rate plus ten dollars for the key deposit.”

  “Fine.” Mick takes the card and puts it back in his wallet. “We good?” he asks me.

  I nod. I don’t know why knowing his name is making me unable to speak. His real name is Mikhail. Why did I not know that? A shiver goes up my spine. It’s the kind of shiver that usually comes right before I start taking clothes off. My face turns red at the idea.

  Mick walks out of the lobby with me clicking alongside him in my heels, acting like nothing’s up.

  I try very hard to mimic his cool exterior. “So,” I say as we walk back to the car. “Alissa and I will take room two-oh-eight and you and Colin can have two-ten.” Breathe. Breathe. You can do this. Just because he asked for two rooms it doesn’t necessarily mean anything. He’s just being generous, probably.

  He doesn’t say anything, and I feel the need to fill up the silence. “So, did you get some good recon for us at the club?”

  “Yep.”

  I look over, but his face is turned the other direction. I can’t read his expression when I can’t see it. Dammit. We get to the car before he turns
back, and by then I have to get our passengers up and out or it’ll go all awkward between us again.

  I open the driver’s side door and lean in. “Come on, sleeping beauty, time to go inside and go nighty-night. Get your bag.” I push the seat forward and jiggle Alissa’s knee. “Come on, round girl. Bed time.”

  She’s in a fog all the way to the room. Colin carries her bag for her and I walk with her using my shoulder for her support. I’m afraid she’s so tired she’s going to trip in the parking lot and break her water or something, and that will definitely not do. I have a best friend to save tomorrow as soon as we get back. Hopefully Mick came up with the goods tonight.

  Mick grabs the key from me as I’m trying to put it in the door. “I’ll get it for ya.” He pushes the door open and holds it there so I can get Alissa inside.

  I sit down with her on the end of the bed and remove her arm from my shoulders, letting her drop back onto the mattress. Her belly is sticking up like a small mountain over the top of her, and it does not look comfortable. I roll her onto her side and she curls up into a ball.

  Colin throws her bag inside and stays out in the hallway. The sound of it hitting the floor jerks my attention in their direction in time for me to see Mick yank the key out of the door and hand it to Colin. Colin looks down at it in confusion.

  Mick strides into the room and holds out his hand for me.

  I just look at it.

  “Say goodbye,” he says.

  “Oh.” I use his hand to stand up. “Goodbye, Mick. Thanks for all your help. You can tell us what you learned tomorrow over breakfast, I guess.” I feel a little deflated knowing I’m not even going to get a goodnight kiss. I’d been so sure that was doing to happen. I’m terrible at reading him. Beyond terrible.

  I try to shake his hand, but I can’t because he lets it go too fast. And then he’s bending over and sticking his head under my arm.

  “What the…”

  I have no time to react. One second, the floor and ceiling are where they’re supposed to be, and the next they’re all switched around. Everything is spinning, spinning, spinning until I’m on his shoulder with my hair hanging down towards the floor and his butt in my face.

  “Mick! What are you doing?! Put me down!” I beat on his back with my fists, but he doesn’t listen. “Your spleen! Your surgery!”

  “See you tomorrow,” Mick says to his brother as he walks by with me hanging over his shoulder. “Don’t wake us up too early.” His strong arm is clamped over my legs, keeping them in place. I try to kick but get nowhere with it.

  “Oh, no, man! Come on! Don’t leave me alone in here with her!” I catch a glimpse of Colin’s stricken expression as Mick walks outside the room and spins me around so he can put the second key in the other door.

  I kick my legs from the knee down back and forth, halfway laughing and halfway screaming. “Put me down you neanderthal!”

  A sharp crack on my butt cheek from his free hand makes me scream louder. And then I laugh. I cannot believe the balls on this guy. I am so going to put him in a figure-four when he lets me go. No way in hell is this going to go down like he thinks it is.

  Aw, poop. Who am I kidding? It’s so going to go down like he thinks it is. Squeeee!

  I’m loving every second. I don’t struggle nearly as hard as I could.

  “Jesus, Mick. Keep it down.” Colin leaves the hallway and walks into the other room, shaking his head the whole way. The door closes behind him with a soft click. I don’t hear any sounds of complaint coming from Alissa, and I’m sure she has nothing to worry about. Colin will probably sleep in the bathroom he’s so afraid of her.

  Mick gets the door to our room open and walks inside, holding onto my legs with one hand and my butt with the other. He kicks the door shut and then stands still.

  “You going to behave?” he asks.

  “No.” I’m breathless and excited and totally amped up on adrenaline.

  “What do you mean no?”

  “I mean that the minute you put me down, it is on.” A shiver of anticipation runs through me. I have no idea what my threat really means, but I mean it anyway. Something big is going to happen here tonight. I can feel it in my bones. I can feel it in the V-box too.

  “It’s on?”

  “Yeah. It’s so on. You are going down.” The blood is rushing to my head and making it feel like it’s on fire. I’m panting and I don’t know if it’s because of my compromised circulation or the excitement of having a sexy, tattooed, caveman mechanic take me into a hotel room by force.

  “That’s what I was hoping for.” He jerks his whole body forward, effectively propelling me off his shoulder backwards to fly through the air facing the ceiling. I land on the mattress of the double bed with my arms and legs out spread-eagle, and he comes jumping after me.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  I’M SQUEALING WITH LAUGHTER FOR about three seconds before his mouth is on mine and the sound is cut off. I downshift right into moaning, growling, and basically going nuts. And I’m not the only one, either. We’re rolling all over the bed, shoes and clothes are flying off, and both of us are battling to feel as much of each other’s lips and tongues as possible.

  “You are so beautiful,” he says, his words coming out with big puffs of air onto my mouth and face.

  A niggling of doubt enters my mind and I stop moving. I hold him a little away from me. “Are you sure it’s me you’re talking about?”

  He pauses and frowns in confusion. “Yeah, I’m sure. Why’d you ask that?”

  “Because … I’m worried you’ve got your beer goggles on and that they were fogged up by about ten office chicks who were rubbing their hooters all over you in the club.”

  “Pffft. Right. None of those girls can even touch you. Not even close. And I’m not drunk. I know exactly what I’m doing.” He leans in and kisses my neck, licking and sucking his way down to my chest.

  My heart and brain accept everything he says without question. It only takes me three seconds to completely obliterate all images of those girls and the stuff that happened in the club. Not only does he look and sound super honest, but I’m about as turned-on as I’ve ever been in my entire life. Boom! Goodbye jealousy and hello future orgasm!

  His hand squeezes my breast and he grinds into me.

  Holy shit. “I want to see you without your shirt on,” I gasp out. His shirt is somewhere in the covers, but we’re too tangled for me to figure out where I stop and he starts. I can’t see enough of him and I’ve been picturing what he might look like for weeks.

  He jumps off the bed to undo his pants, and I stare at his amazing chest. He’s all lean muscle, and his two tattoos are just barely visible in the light coming from the bathroom. There are three small pink scars around his abdomen where his surgery was done.

  “Are you okay? With your surgery?” I ask. I’m worried I’m going to hurt him rolling all over over the bed like this.

  “I’m fine,” he says, and I have to agree with him one hundred percent. When he drops his pants and I realize he’s not wearing anything underneath, my hand flies up to my mouth. “Oh my god,” I say, my eyes bugging out. Holy Babe Ruth alert. Is that a dick or a baseball bat?

  “What?” he asks, laughing a little as he looks down.

  “You are … amazing,” I say. Words are failing me. He is not proportional at all. His frame is way too narrow to carry around equipment like that.

  “Wow. That’s probably the sexiest compliment I’ve ever gotten.” He moves towards me, his junk waving in the breeze.

  I squeal, scrambling back and pulling the sheets up to my chest.

  He freezes partway over me. “What’s the matter? Are you scared?”

  I peek out over the covers, still in my bra and bottoms. “Maybe. You’re too big.”

  He grins all evil-like. “No such thing.” He’s pushing his face into my neck, forcing kisses on me and making me get goosebumps all over. And then the covers are gone and the cool air hits me as he yan
ks the sheet away. I squeak with surprise and excitement.

  “Get your clothes off, girl. I need to get inside you.”

  My heart flips over. No beating around the bush with Mick, I guess. Hand over the hootchie and no one gets hurt.

  “You do it,” I say, pulling his face to mine. I cannot get enough of his mouth and it’s way safer if he just doesn’t talk and kisses me instead.

  His hands don’t waste any time. They’re all over me fumbling around and then suddenly I’m naked too and we’re lying side by side pressed together. He squeezes my breast as I throw my leg over his waist. His hand slides down to press into my ass, bringing us together.

  Everything is moving too fast for me to think straight. He’s pressing the tip against my opening before I suddenly wake up to reality.

  “Wait! You need a condom!” Holy cold shower. I’m panting in relief and fear over the near miss. The last thing I want to do is end up like Alissa.

  “I already put one on.”

  I put my hand down there because I figure it’s got to be a lie. Is is possible to be so in another world during foreplay to miss something like that? Apparently, yes. “Oh. Damn. You’re good.”

  And we’re back on again.

  I can’t help the huge sigh that escapes my lips as he starts to penetrate me. I whimper as he pulls back and then squeak when he goes in again. I’m hanging on for dear life, biting my lip as the pressure builds. He’s too big. It hurts so good.

  He pushes me over and I’m on my back, spreading my legs to take him in more fully. We’re both moaning. Once he’s all the way in, buried to the hilt, we roll over again and now I’m on top.

  I stare down at his gorgeous face, taking in the serious expression, his dark green deep-set eyes, the hair that’s been pushed all over the place with our wrestling around, the tattoos standing out in relief against his lighter skin. I’ve never seen a guy look so incredibly hot in all my life. And he’s moving underneath me, making me feel things that I’ve never felt before. I can’t help but pick up the rhythm and move with him.

  “You feel so good,” he says, his voice low. His nostrils flare and his jaw goes strong as he grips me by the hips and pushes up into me. His muscles bulge and ripple with every movement. I touch as many as I can reach with my fingertips, reveling in their smooth power.