I wasn’t that kind of girl—at least I didn’t think I was. I wanted the relationship with him. He’d starred in my dreams and longings for too long to be anything else. Just the thought of having a heated night rolling in the sheets with him, only to have him disappear from my life, made my heart hurt. I knew me—I wouldn’t recover from it, and it would ruin any relationship that followed.
He was right. I didn’t know what it was like to be burned in that manner, and I didn’t want to find out. It would be smart of me to keep him at arm’s length for a bit and see how things developed, first.
I wondered if Tommy knew he was a stripper? I mean, he had to, right? I briefly wished he were here so I could punch him for not telling me. Of course, if Tommy knew Six was anywhere near me, he’d have probably shot him and told my dad to lock me up. He may have gotten into trouble at times, but he excelled in the overprotective big brother department.
The show ended in a rousing standing ovation and women hurried to line up for the meet and greet session.
“Oh my gosh!” Bailey squealed beside me as soon as the music dropped down to a level where we could speak. “Were you totally dying? I was. When they took you up on stage, I thought I was going to pass out from screaming so loud. That was so sexy!” I smiled, not knowing what to say, but she continued on as she dragged me toward the line. “I swear that guy had your number from the moment he laid eyes on you. I don’t think he ever looked at another girl all night!”
“I know him,” I confessed, and Bailey stopped dead in her tracks.
“Excuse me?” Her jaw dropped.
“Six—Trey Jagger is his real name, actually. He’s one of Tommy’s friends. I had no idea he worked here.”
“You know him? Oh. Em. Gee. Brooklyn! How could you keep a guy like him under wraps and not introduce me?”
“Well, he’s older than us, and he doesn’t exactly run in the same social circles that we do.”
“Then we need to change that,” she said, her eyes moving to where he was posing for pictures with women on stage. “Wait! This isn’t the guy you’ve been hiding from me, is it?”
Biting my lip, I nodded slowly. “He's the one who gave me my tattoo.” I glanced over at him and he winked in my direction. “He asked me to meet him after the show. I told him I was here with all of you.”
I didn’t think her jaw could drop any farther. “Brookie, you have to go with him! Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you.”
“I can’t just leave the party after everything Shannon went through to get me the ID.”
“Trust me. She won’t even know you’re gone with what they have planned for the rest of the night. I’m telling you that you have to go with this guy. And then, I get to know every single detail afterword. Promise me.”
I nodded. “I promise.”
***
I felt awkward standing in the hallway waiting for Six to come out of the dressing room. Guys from the show were walking past, heading out the door. Several of them nodded or smiled in a friendly manner as they went by. They all seemed really nice.
Finally, Six appeared, looking as if he were freshly showered, his hair still damp. His black t-shirt hugged his huge frame tightly, outlining all his perfect muscle definition. His jeans were a little baggier, worn over black leather motorcycle boots, and I thought he looked just as sexy in his clothes as he did out of them.
“Sorry about the wait,” he apologized, a lopsided grin creasing his mouth as his eyes traveled over me, from top to bottom and back again. He held his hand out in a gentlemanly manner, gesturing for me to go first toward the door. When we reached it, he leaned forward and pushed it open.
“Can I just say, I think you should maybe wear this outfit you’ve got on every single day? By the way, I’m parked over there.” He pointed to the far end of the lot before placing his hand on the small of my back, guiding me in that direction.
I laughed. “If I wore it every day then it wouldn’t be special.” I glanced up at him as he seemed to consider this.
“True. I can’t complain, though. Having you change clothes everyday will give me something to look forward to.”
A thrill shot through me at his words. They sounded like he intended to be around for a while. I wasn’t really sure what kind of etiquette this situation warranted though, seeing how I’d never been picked up by a dancer in a nightclub before.
I decided being forward had worked for me this far, I might as well keep doing it. “Can I ask you something?”
He glanced down at me. “Anything. I’m an open book.”
“How many girls have you picked up at work?”
Straightening a bit, he sighed. “Counting you?” I nodded, afraid of his answer. “Hmm. Let me think.” This did not bode well if he actually had to take the time to count them. “Yeah, I’m thinking somewhere in the neighborhood of one—counting you.” My eyebrows shot up in surprise and he laughed. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Surprised?”
“After that routine you pulled with me tonight? Yes. I figured any lady lucky enough to get to come on stage with you probably got a free ride later on.”
“Really? And yet you still agreed to meet me. Does that mean you were wanting said ride?” I could feel the blush spreading furiously across my face as he bent to unlock the passenger side of his Jaguar, opening the door. “I mean, I’d be more than willing to accommodate you; but as you can see, the back seat of this car is practically non-existent. I barely fit in the driver’s seat. Of course, I could do you on the hood if you’d like.”
I couldn’t even form words to reply; instead, I just slid inside. He chuckled as he shut the door behind me, going around to the driver’s side and getting in. He was right. His large frame barely fit in the front seat of the car.
Sliding the key into the ignition, he started it, but didn’t put it in gear. Instead, he turned to me. “I just want you to know tonight, on stage, well, let’s just say I got a little more into my routine than I ever have before. I know you don’t know me that well, but I’ve never hit on a girl I brought on stage before. And it’s fairly safe to say, I’ve never been turned on during my routine like I was tonight, either. So, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to start things off better with you than I’ve managed to do so far. Maybe we could call tonight our first date?”
“First?” I said, smiling, not missing that word.
“Yeah, first. Unless you’re counting dinner the other night as the first. But first or second, I know I’d like there to be more—if you’re game for it.”
“Why me?” I asked, still expecting to suddenly wake up and find out I’d simply been having a really great dream.
The grin was back and his gaze flitted over me before capturing my eyes, again. “Isn’t it obvious? I like you.” Then he put the car in gear and pulled away. “I have for a while, actually.”
His confession completely surprised me. “Then why didn’t you say so?” I asked directly.
He sighed heavily, pausing at the stop sign at the exit of the private parking area before pulling out onto the street. “Because I’ve been trying to stay away from you.”
“Why?” Dang, I was totally coming off as twenty questions.
“Because you’re underage; and the daughter of a very ornery mayor. You’re jailbait, sweetheart, even if sixteen is the legal age of consent around here, your parents could still make my life miserable, legally. And while I’m always willing to push the boundaries, when it comes to your dad, I’d really like to stay out of the slammer. As you witnessed earlier, my body seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to you.”
This actually made sense, but also made me feel sad. Sighing, I leaned my head back against the headrest. “If you want to keep seeing me, we’ll have to sneak around. You know that, right? My dad would be furious to find out about you and he’d do everything he could to make sure you disappeared—for good. If I were eighteen, it wouldn’t matter. I’d just tell him to shove it.”
He laughed.
“Promise me I can watch that when it happens. I know we’d have to be careful. I’m not going to lie. It makes me nervous. When do you turn eighteen?”
“In July.”
“Four months. That’s a long time.”
I didn’t reply. I knew it was a lot to ask for him to sneak around with a teenager and I was afraid he was trying to talk himself out of it. While I didn’t want him to, I still wouldn’t drag him into a situation with my dad. My dad was not a nice man—and apparently Tommy had made that fact pretty clear to Six, since he knew so much about him.
“I’ll wait, if you want. Hit me up in four months if you’re still interested and we’ll see how things go.”
He glanced over at me briefly. “And what if you aren’t interested in four months?”
I let out a partial snort. “Well, I’ve liked you for almost a year, now. What’s four more months?” That got his attention, his head whipping over to look at me.
“Say what?”
I smiled. “Last year. It was the Fourth of July. You were with your girlfriend on the football field waiting for the fireworks to start. I watched you hug and kiss her. I don’t know, something about that moment—I wanted it for myself. It kind of ruined me on other guys.”
His smile was wide as he zipped into a parking garage. “That’s interesting. I had no idea. I asked Tommy about you, casually of course, a couple months before that. He told me you were only sixteen, so I decided not to go any further.”
“Are you serious?” I couldn’t believe what he was telling me.
“Dead serious. If you had been older, you would’ve been the girl I was with that night. I met my ex-girlfriend shortly after I found that out and decided I needed to move on because you were too young.”
“Our age difference is still the same, you know? Nothing’s changed.”
“What’s changed is that I’m tired of fighting my attraction for you. When you came to Inked Edges that night, it was all I could do to not ask you out. You’d just lost Tommy, though, and I didn’t think it was the right time. I’ve been in misery thinking about you, even talking to my roommate about everything. He told me to go for it. Then you showed up, tonight. I figured it was the universe giving me a sign.”
He pulled into an empty spot and parked the car, turning it off.
“So, where do we go from here?” I asked.
“Anywhere you want,” he replied, staring at me. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re in the driver’s seat. We’ll go as fast or as slow as you see fit. Are you good with that?”
I stared at him for a moment, knowing my answer was taking a big step. “Yeah, I’m good with that.”
“Great,” he replied with a smile. “Now get that fake ID ready. I’m going to take you dancing at a club in the Venetian. A buddy of mine is a bouncer here.” He got out of the car, coming around to open the door for me, giving me a hand as he helped me out of the low car. “Of course, there’s always the chance that after tonight you’ll never want to see me again, and none of this will matter.”
“Not bloody likely,” I responded and a loud laughed escaped him, echoing off the low concrete walls around us.
“Glad to hear it,” he replied, grabbing my hand and intertwining his fingers with mine.
I loved the feel of my hand wrapped in his big one. Shoot, I loved just about everything about this night so far.
Chapter Nine
Six
The music was so loud it was almost overbearing. I knew we’d have to practically yell to be heard, but right now I wanted to feel more of that delicious body pressed up against mine.
Leading Brooklyn onto the dance floor, I pulled her tightly against me, situating one of my legs in between hers and holding her hips as we bumped and grinded, rocking heavily into each other in the crush of bodies around us on the dance floor.
Damn, I loved touching her. She felt so right in my arms, as if she’d been made just for me. I was still reeling from her earlier admission that she’d been into me for a while now, too. I would’ve never known if I hadn’t pulled her out of the audience, tonight. Thank goodness for the friends that brought her to Leathers. I might have to send the bride a gift basket for the favor she’d done me.
There was that tiny nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me I still had the same problem I did before. She was too young for me—at least in a sexual sense. It wouldn’t be breaking any laws to sleep with her, but until she was eighteen, her parents could still cause a lot of problems. And they would. I knew that for sure. I was definitely treading on dangerous ground and I knew it. I wanted her bad—in all the ways a guy could want a girl. It would be hard to step back. Especially if she decided she wanted to go full throttle. Of course, that was the honorable voice talking. The dishonorable voice said as long as the two of us were discreet, then no one would have any clue to what may or may not be happening with us between the sheets.
Obviously, both sides were in a deep argument with each other at the moment, but I didn’t care. I was simply feeling lucky to have her in my arms.
After dancing several songs together, I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward one of the empty booths that edged the wall. I signaled a waitress and she made her way toward us.
“What can I get for you?” she asked.
“I’ll have a Coke with lemon,” I said, throwing a few dollars on the table. “And whatever the lady wants.”
“Ice water, please,” Brooklyn said. The waitress nodded, taking the money and leaving. “You can drink if you want,” Brooklyn added. “I can drive if needed.”
I shook my head leaning in next to her ear. “I want to remember tonight when tomorrow gets here. Otherwise I’ll think I dreamed it.”
She smiled and nodded, looking happy with my comment. Truth be told, I was afraid to drink at all around her for fear I would end up fucking her on the hood of my car, later. My hormones were in a constant state of rage right now, demanding to find release. One slip up and my little virgin wouldn’t be a virgin any longer.
“Are you having a good time?” I asked, leaning next to her ear, again. I placed my hand on her bare leg, near her knee, slowly sliding it up her thigh. Her skin felt silky smooth and I found myself wondering how silky other places of her might feel, too.
She nodded, smiling softly. Our faces were mere inches apart and her eyes sparkled invitingly in the dancing strobe lights. Focusing on her full plump lips, I leaned in closer, wanting to taste them for myself.
“Here’s your drinks,” the waitress said, setting my coke down in front of me, and Brooklyn moved away. I was instantly angry that I’d tipped the girl in advance. She had no idea what she’d just broken up.
Brooklyn lifted her water, taking a big swallow, and I couldn’t look away, loving the curve of her long, graceful neck. I wanted to run my tongue across it. She glanced at me and I smiled. Grabbing my drink, I took a sip, wondering if there was anything on the planet that could quench the fire inside me. I watched as she set her drink down.
She leaned in close. “I have a question.” Pulling away, she ran a finger from my shoulder to my bicep. “Your tattoos. You said you had six . . . but I only counted five on stage.”
I grinned widely. “There are six. You already know it’s not on my face, so that leaves in my boot or in my underwear for the other one. I think I should make you find out on your own where the last one is.”
She blushed. “If you’re wanting me to hunt, then I’m guess it’s in your underwear.” I loved that even though some subjects obviously pushed her comfort level, she wasn’t afraid to say what she thought. “Am I right?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“What is it?” she asked, still red.
I shook my head. “I never say. I consider it a show and tell feature, only.”
“That’s not fair. You know what tattoo I have in that area. Tell me yours.”
I snorted. “They aren’t in exactly the same spot, sweetheart. And if you really want to know, I’ll happil
y show it to you.”
“Right here? In the club?”
“I’m game if you are?”
She laughed. “I’m afraid we’d get thrown out.”
“I’m more than willing to take this conversation somewhere more private.” I ran my hand over her bare thigh, inching higher.
“Tell me about your other tats, then. You have a tribal on one shoulder.”
I sighed, realizing I wouldn’t be showing her my “special” tat any time soon. “Yeah. That one I got just because I liked how it looked. The barbed wire on this arm actually goes with the word ‘trust’ above it.” The pain in my heart reminded me of the reasons I’d chosen these two tats together. “I’ll tell you about it some time.”
“Okay,” she said, not pressing me.
“The wings on my back are in memory of my grandpa. The cross with the heart on my side is to remind me to love God, no matter what. That leaves the one in my pants. When you’re ready to know about it, just give me the word.” I winked at her.
She fanned herself with her hand. “Is it hot in here?”
I laughed, but agreed. It was warm. “Would you like to go outside for a walk?”
She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”
We left the club, heading out onto the balcony that looked down over the front fountain and pools for the gondola rides. She leaned against the massive sculpted banister, peering over at the crowds mulling below.
“I’ve always loved this hotel. It’s so pretty. It makes me want to go to Italy and see it for real.”
“That would be nice,” I agreed, wrapping my arm loosely around her shoulder.
“Have you traveled anywhere before?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No. Growing up, it was just my mom and me. My dad took off before I was even born. We never heard from him, again. Mom worked three jobs to make ends meet; so even if she would’ve ever had the time to travel, she didn’t have the money.”