Eight Seconds (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  “What’s wrong with you? Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to sneak up on people?” Danielle blasted out.

  J.C. smiled in the smooth, seductive manner that drove Danielle boneless. A smile reflected in his eyes at her, and for a moment, she almost smiled back. No, not falling for it.

  Stacy bounced up to Danielle and kissed her on the cheek. “See ya in the morning, sis. I have a cowboy I plan on riding.”

  Danielle sighed. “Be safe.”

  As Stacy and Will left, J.C. grinned, “You can ride me if you’d like.” He loved agitating her, always had. He seemed to push all of her buttons and send her in a tailspin with little or no effort. That was fun.

  “No, thank you. I’d rather pleasure myself with my vibrator, alone. Good night.” Danielle calmly turned and walked away. Don’t look back.

  J.C. adjusted the front of his jeans and the straining erection. Watching her ass swing lightly side-to-side in her taut jeans was nearly his undoing.

  “Shit.” He fussed as he began the trek to his own room. What he wouldn’t give to have Danielle’s long legs wrapped around him and feel his dick slide in and out of her. What he wouldn’t do just to hear her scream out his name in gratification. He opened his door and tossed his bag on the floor. Cold shower.

  Danielle quickly showered and stepped out. The alcohol had worn off some, and the makings for a rocking headache had already started. She grabbed a cup and filled it at the sink, then searched through her bag for pain relievers. She would feel fine in the morning, hopefully. It had been a long time since she’d drunk so many beers. Now she remembered why.

  After climbing into bed and clicking on the television, Danielle conceded and allowed her mind to go blank. Sleep slowly enveloped her.

  J.C. stood in the ice-cold shower trying to deal with his frustrations about Danielle and the hard erection she caused that refused to go away. He thought once about knocking on her door in the nude and smiled. She’d knock the hell out of me.

  He ran his grip along his cock that stood at attention and envisioned Danielle pleasuring herself as she had teased in the lobby. Damn, that was a fantastic vision. He took long strokes with his eyes closed. The pain his erection was causing combined with the cold shower was torture.

  A thump against the wall made J.C. jerk his eyes open in alarm. Thump again and again. Then came soft, feminine moans. No doubt they were Stacy’s.

  “Damn it.” He closed his eyes again. How could he have booked the room next to his for Will? What an idiot. The moans were not helping his condition either. Little bro next door was with a woman he was crazy about, and she was just as crazy about him. He was pleasing his woman while J.C. stood in agony jacking off in the shower.

  J.C. gripped his cock tighter. He was angry and frustrated now. He closed his eyes again as he roughly stroked himself. Each moan came from Danielle, and each thump came from him pushing himself in and out of her tight pussy rhythmically. His hand glided up and down his cock at a furious pace as the sounds from next door increased. The thumps came harder and faster.

  A loud, shrieking “yesss” vibrated through the thin walls, and J.C. spilled into the shower. His chest heaved as his hands trembled. He stood like a statue in the shower and allowed the cold water to shock him back into reality. Danielle despised him, and he was pathetic, jacking himself off in the shower thinking about her. Slowly, he shut off the water and stepped out. His stubborn dick was erect and still ready to go.

  “Dumbass,” he said, looking down, and he wrapped his towel around his waist.

  Chapter Three

  Danielle awoke feeling better than expected in some ways and worse in others. She had thought about Stacy and Will and how happy they were. She would love for someone to look at her like Will did Stacy. It would also be nice to have someone to lean on and trust. Someone that could make her stomach do somersaults like what’s his name could.

  In four years, she hadn’t found anyone that gave her that giddy schoolgirl feeling that J.C. had made her feel. No, she wasn’t going to do this anymore. She couldn’t continue to compare her young schoolgirl crush to every man she met. Of course, J.C. made her feel alive. Her heart beat faster and her body quivered when he was near. He was her first love, or more appropriately, her only love.

  A knock came at the door while Danielle was packing in irritation.

  “Danielle, open up. You didn’t give me a key,” Stacy yelled just outside the door.

  Danielle opened the door and immediately threw on a smile since there was no sense in dragging Stacy down as well. “Wow, you look chipper this morning,” she commented on the smiling Stacy. The smile was hard to keep because she knew why Stacy was so chipper, but it seemed rather childish to be jealous.

  “Yes, I feel wonderful, great,” Stacy babbled as she bounced in the room. “Just hungry, hurry up.”

  * * * *

  J.C. and Will sat at the local café, waiting for Danielle and Stacy. Will seemed in good spirits, more so than normal. Lucky bastard.

  Will smiled as he took a big drink of his iced tea, and J.C. noticed. “Spill it.”

  “Nothing much, man. I’m just reveling in your situation. Sucks to be you, huh?” Will smiled again as he set his glass down.

  “I don’t have a situation,” J.C. lied as he glanced around the room.

  “Bullshit, you have a major problem. I know you too well. You’re into a girl that hates your guts.” Will laughed and leaned back in the booth with a cocky grin on his face.

  J.C. raised a brow. “She doesn’t hate me. She’s secretly hot for me,” he said as he folded his arms across his broad chest and leaned back in the booth.

  “Did that bull last night scramble your brains or something? Dude, seriously, she despises you. I think you have lost your mojo.”

  “Ah, shit, not Austin Powers again,” J.C. complained as he shook his head. Will was a major Austin Powers fan, and he drove him crazy with all the goofy quotes.

  “Shall we shag now or shag later?” Will said with his best British accent.

  “Ah, man, that’s painful. Please stop.” J.C. looked away. At least the bad Austin Powers impersonations kept his dick from popping up. He’d thank Will later for that.

  “Do you have a problem with your twig and berries?” Will asked, trying his best to aggravate J.C. into spilling what was going on.

  “No, I don’t have a problem with my trunk and boulders. Thanks for asking though.” J.C. grinned as he flipped his brother off.

  Will laughed.

  Danielle and Stacy entered the café, and Stacy immediately bolted like she hadn’t seen Will in weeks. J.C. looked up casually but smiled devilishly as Danielle walked toward the booth.

  Stacy had already slid in next to Will, leaving Danielle forced to sit next to what’s his name. Great, just great.

  Danielle smiled politely, grabbed a menu, and held it up at an angle that wouldn’t allow J.C. to look at her. No, he is not gorgeous…No, he didn’t smile at me. He was smiling to be an ass. Get a grip. Ignore him. He is a jackass.

  Danielle wrangled with her composure before she lowered the menu. Game on.

  Stacy curled up next to Will and giggled as he whispered in her ear. Ugh.

  J.C. leaned back against the wall and studied Danielle. God, she looked awesome. Her beautiful blonde hair framed her face perfectly. Combine that with those sultry brown eyes and cute nose and she was irresistible. He had to smile. She looked coiled and ready to strike this morning. He thought it best to make the most of their unfortunate situation. “Hate me much last night?” he asked as he raised a questioning eyebrow while his hand stroked his chin, thoughtfully studying her.

  Danielle smiled and looked at him. “Not enough.” Oh, have mercy, the man looks absolutely luscious when he does that.

  The waitress jiggled to the table wearing more makeup than should be allowed by law. Her bleached blonde hair looked like a fire hazard with all the hairspray it contained, but she had the brilliant blue eyes Danie
lle had wished for years ago. She was cute in a dumb blonde sort of way and really worked the Southern hospitality ruse. She’s the reason blondes receive flack.

  “Y’all ready to order?” She popped her gum while looking at no one except J.C.

  J.C. grinned and motioned to Danielle and Stacy. “Ladies first.”

  Ugh. Ladies first.

  Danielle looked up at the young cupcake and half-heartedly smiled, then ordered. J.C. could feel the waves of irritation roll off of Danielle. He smiled to himself. She was jealous, and he knew it.

  Everyone ordered while the waitress continued to eye J.C. Of course, he loved the attention, only because it bothered Danielle. He collected the menus and handed them back to the waitress with a smile. “Thanks, honey.”

  Danielle simmered inside as the cupcake waitress blissfully bounded toward the kitchen. Rotten, smug ass, she thought, and tried her best to keep an even temperament and a polite smile on her face. She was dying to be out of there and on the road home. She felt like an ant under a microscope as J.C.’s eyes raked over her, but she dared not look at him.

  “So, Stacy,” Danielle spoke, trying to kill the nervousness that flowed through her body, “I was thinking about going to the river later and soaking up some sun, wanna go?”

  “Sure. You’re not going to jump off the bridge naked again are you?” Stacy snickered.

  Danielle felt a rush of blood fill her cheeks. Oh sweet paybacks, Stacy.

  J.C. looked at Danielle. “Now that I would like to see.” The image brought up a tent in his jeans. Dumbass.

  For crying out loud, he wasn’t thirteen, and this definitely wasn’t his first rodeo. There was just something about Danielle that brought out the best, and now worst, in him. She was that girl any guy would want to take home to Mom and Dad, the girl he would do a thousand stupid stunts for just to get her attention. Now, she was the woman he wanted to do all those things for, the woman he could see himself settling down with.

  J.C. knew that, in love, Danielle would be committed and loyal. In bed, he suspected she’d be a goddess. She had a fabulous body and perky breasts that were the perfect size for his hands and mouth. Given her strong, go get ’em personality, he’d bet she’d be ready to experience and try anything. Her overwhelming passion and desire to hate him made him realize she’d be an even more passionate lover. He had lots of things he wanted to try with her but allowed his mind to wonder how many men warmed her bed.

  The thought of another man tangled beneath sheets with her infuriated him all of a sudden. But really, the inevitable had most likely already occurred. After all, she was twenty-three, for crying out loud. She was a woman, and he suspected that beneath that guarded exterior waited a very sensual and sexual playmate.

  Great, he had done it again. At twenty-six, he would like to believe he would have been well past the inopportune erection. Obviously, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

  J.C. nonchalantly shoved his erection down and picked up his tea glass. This path he was on was becoming mighty painful.

  Danielle glared at Stacy. Normally Stacy couldn’t make her mad, but she’d pushed the line today. “Uh, no, we won’t be doing that, Stacy. And thank you so much for keeping our secrets secret.”

  The waitress set down their drinks and kept her eyes fixed to J.C., interrupting the scene. “Y’all’s food will be out shortly,” she said and strutted off.

  “Hmm, interesting,” J.C. mused as he looked at Danielle. Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulder, and although she had murder glazing her eyes, she still looked damn hot. He had never known her to be quite so serious. Was he rubbing her the wrong way? Hell, he’d like to rub her the right way.

  Danielle excused herself and went toward the ladies room. Once inside, she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. Her anger was being propelled toward Stacy, who didn’t deserve it. Stacy was just having fun like they always did. J.C., on the other hand, was the one who deserved her wrath. But she couldn’t summon up the strength to do that when her body begged for his touch.

  Maybe if she let out her emotions and screamed and yelled at him, she would feel better. At least she would get it off her chest. Quickly, she decided that wasn’t a good idea either. No, what she needed to do was stay a steady course and just get breakfast over with and be on her way home.

  That wouldn’t be an easy task, not with J.C. sitting so close. If his cologne didn’t drive her to a new definition of horny, she might have a prayer. God, he smelled good, and he looked, well, more than good. Damn him for being so perfect, so gorgeous, and so irresistible.

  Danielle slowly took in deep, calming breaths. It was almost over, and they would be gone, and she could breathe easier, hopefully. She walked to the mirror and smoothed a stray hair back and decided she had better head back to the table and apologize to Stacy and hate J.C. with her eyes.

  “Is she always so uptight?” J.C. questioned Stacy as he tipped his hat back.

  Stacy sighed. “No, she has a lot going on right now. She graduated yesterday, and then we drove down here to the rodeo after staying up too late last night. I think she’s really tired.” Stacy frowned.

  “Hey, sorry, Stacy,” Danielle said as she slid back into the booth. “I have a little bit of a headache and didn’t mean to be such a bitch, really.”

  Stacy smiled. “Thanks.”

  A group of giggling girls surrounded the table in a rush. One took the lead to speak for the group. “You’re J.C. Evans, aren’t you?” one girl squealed.

  J.C. smiled and nodded. He appreciated his fans, but when he was away from the arena, he would rather be left alone. Not that he had anything on famous movie stars, but he had his fair share of fans and their attention became annoying from time to time.

  “Sorry to bother you, but could you pose for one picture with us?” The teenage girl smiled sweetly and batted her lashes.

  “Sure, no problem,” J.C. said.

  Danielle slid out of the booth and stood for J.C. to get out and do his adoring fan club thing. Jerk.

  The girl handed her camera over to Danielle. “Would you please take a picture?”

  Danielle smiled when she would rather have frowned but accepted the camera and waited for them to get situated.

  “Okay, smile.” Danielle tried her best to sound energetic and sweet. But the truth was she was dying inside.

  J.C.’s smile was calling attention to his perfect, plump lips that were so kissable. Danielle clicked the button and awkwardly handed the camera back. How could she compete with the tons of women that flocked around him? She felt a pang of jealousy. She had to forget J.C. completely somehow. She needed to find more reasons to hate him and not find other reasons to want him even more.

  When the adoring fans giggled and left, Danielle sat back down just as the cupcake waitress returned with her arms full of plates. Well, she was good at something at least.

  “Can I get y’all anything else?” She poured on the charm thick while looking at J.C.

  J.C. smiled. “No, honey, I think we have everything we need.”

  Ugh. Strike one. Thanks, J.C.

  “So, Danielle, how’s your omelet?” Stacy asked, trying to kill the dull air.

  Danielle nodded and covered her mouth. “Great.”

  J.C. and Will fell into their own conversation while Danielle and Stacy chatted about the upcoming week.

  Danielle relaxed a little but was constantly aware of the man sitting right next to her. Heat from his body and his intoxicating cologne kept her on edge. Her thighs instinctively flexed, and her clit quivered. Deep breath. Clear your head.

  She rolled her shoulders and neck, trying to relax to no avail. Another bite of her Denver omelet entered her mouth greedily as she tried to focus on eating and not the idea of grazing her tongue onto uncharted territory on J.C.’s body.

  It was getting very hot and uncomfortable in the café all of a sudden, and she wondered if they had turned down the air-conditioning. Nah, she was pretty sure it
was her lusty thoughts heating her up. How could she not get worked up with the equivalent of a Grecian god sitting next to her? No. He is no god…Damn it, concentrate on anything else.

  The conversation began to slow, and just as Danielle felt a little more at ease, J.C. spoke, interrupting her thoughts.

  “So, Danielle, how was your night with your vibrator? Can it really replace a man?” A smile played on his lips. He thought it was only fair to aggravate her back since his dick hurt so badly.

  Will choked and spit tea onto his plate while Stacy’s mouth gaped wide open. Her fork dropped into her plate with a loud clank.

  Danielle stiffened but stayed composed, knowing he would harass her as much as she would allow. Her nose flared in irritation as she cleared her constricted throat. Of course the answer was no, a vibrator wouldn’t compare to a man, or rather compare to him. Hell, like she knew anyway. A vibrator was as foreign to her as the French language. She needed to think fast.

  Danielle set her fork down and smiled. “Wonderful, thanks for asking.” She nodded and smiled while closing her eyes for emphasis, “Mmmm, yeah, it was great,” she purred as her tongue skimmed out to wet her bottom lip. “I don’t think that a man could compare to Romeo.”

  She picked up her glass of tea and ever so seductively put the glass to her lips and sipped with a hum on her lips. “It was…” she purred slowly in a deep voice. “It was exhilarating.”

  J.C. sat in complete shock. Not one part of his body moved, well, except for his highly alert dick that swelled even more. Blood coursed through his veins at a steady rate while his heart rate kicked up wildly.

  “Um…that’s very…very interesting.” J.C. tried not to stutter. “So, uh…you uh…named your vibrator Romeo?” he asked as he cleared his throat.

  Bingo. Danielle smiled, feeling mischievous. “Umm, yes…” she said in a breathless tone. “Very fitting name, don’t you agree?”

  J.C. took a long drink from his glass and tried to hide the fact his hands were trembling. She was a fireball all right, and she knew just how to get to him. He tried to erase the image of her taut body spread open wide across a bed alone with Romeo in her dainty hand. At this rate he would not be able to leave this booth without his hat on his groin.