“Still a bitch in heat,” he mumbles.

Every muscle in my body tenses, and I spin around. My glare hardens as I stare him down.

“What was that?” I growl.

He sways and I can smell the sour stench of bourbon as I lean into him.

“You heard me. Take it to a motel, and if you’re smart, when you’re done you’ll leave her there.”

Raw adrenaline courses through me as my fingers curl into fists and my eyes focus on his lower jaw where I intend to pummel him first. Through a haze of rage I see Pinchy rush up beside him and grab his hand. My arm tenses as I hold back my punch.

I grit my teeth. “You know you’re going to pay for that,” I say to him with a snarl.

“What’s going on?” she whines.

“I’m going to beat the crap out of your pussy boyfriend,” I spit as I grab him and my fingers curl around his throat.

He’s cursing and flailing which just pisses me off more. My fingers dig under his collar and twist until his bowtie is strangling him and I yank him forward. “Outside,” I growl.

I’ve dragged him several feet forward with Pinchy squealing behind me when I see Elle rushing toward me.

“What happened?” she asks as her fingers graze my forearm.

Twisting his collar tighter, I shake my head. “This ass has quite a mouth on him, I’m going to take him outside and teach him some manners.”

I see a fire flare up in Elle’s eyes as she bites her lip. What do you bet she thinks this is hot? The ex’s shock is wearing off and he’s growling and putting up a fight. I need to keep moving so I don’t lose my grip. Jerking him forward, I take another step.

Jumping in front of me, she presses her hands against my chest. “Did he slut shame me again?”

“Damn right. I may have to kill him.”

“Let go of me, asshole,” he sputters in a squeaky voice. His face is turning purple.

Elle’s face is flushed as she turns toward him, and before I even realize what’s happening she swings her leg back and full on kicks him in the shin.

Damn, those fancy shoes she’s wearing are pointed.

He yelps like a puppy.

When she leans into him, I tighten my grip. “You think you’re all that, but you can’t hold a candle to this man. He takes care of me in every way.” She arches her brow at him to make her point and turns and winks at me.

“Let him go, baby. He’s so not worth it.”

“You sure?” I ask, twisting my fist tighter as I brace for the regret I’ll feel letting him go.

She steps back and reaches her hand to me. “So sure. Come on, sexy, let’s get home.”

My heat of fury morphs into another kind of heat as I see the desire simmering through her.

I loosen my grip on his collar and shove him with enough force to send him stumbling backwards. We don’t even look to see if he falls as I grab her hand and move forward, picking up speed until we blast out of the ballroom, dodging guests as we go.

When we’re outside on the landing I stop her for a moment and turn toward her. “You okay?”

She guffaws and then curls over laughing. “Okay? That was awesome!”

“Really?” I wish I could laugh but I’m still so amped up.

“Well I may have messed up my big toe, kicking him. But hot damn, Paul! I’ve never had a man defend me like that. It was so hot . . . straight out of one of my books, fucking hot.”

I pull her into my arms because I’m really needing to feel all of this woman pressed against me. “Glad to be of service,” I whisper in her ear.

She looks up at me, her gaze full of lust. “I have never wanted anything as much as I want you right now.”

“Me too,” I gasp.

We rush down the stairs to the valet stand. I wave my car ticket in the air like it’s on fire. A compassionate valet, who with once glance at Elle seems to understand my plight, runs off at full speed to get my car. That dude is getting a good tip.

Elle is so anxious she’s bouncing on her heels. “Stella and Brandon snuck off and did it in the bridal changing room right before the cake cutting. She and I are two peas in a pod.”

“Well that explains one thing . . .” I say as the valet pulls up, I hand him the twenty, and we jump in the car. “That’s the most relaxed and happy I’ve ever seen a dude look to have cake smashed in his face.”

Chapter Nineteen

EDGE OF HEAVEN

I’m a little frustrated when Elle insists on us going to her place since it’s ten minutes farther than mine, but she makes it worth my while by groping me in ways I’ve never been groped. I’m going to add Magic Fingers to my list of affectionate nicknames for Elle, right after Filthy Mouth.

I take on the winding road over the hill of Laurel Canyon like a race car driver. Luckily, it’s late enough that the traffic is sparse, either that or God is finally looking out for me. It’s a good thing we’re both buckled in tight because I’m pretty sure I take a few of those curves with two wheels instead of four. Elle shows off her upper body strength by holding on even tighter, with a death grip on the passenger handle, and the other on my thigh. For that part of the canyon ride she doesn’t full-on grab my cock, perhaps for fear that I’ll lose control of the car, but once we’re on the flatlands of Studio City the game goes into overdrive.

I tear into her driveway and almost forget to turn the engine off as I’m peeling her hands off me long enough for us to get inside. She leaps out of the car and I’m right behind her, unzipping her dress as we wobble across her front porch.

We haven’t even closed the front door when the dress becomes a grey puddle in the middle of her living room. Leaping into my arms, she wraps her legs around me, and I swallow back a yelp when her sharp high heels dig into my ass. The pain is instantly forgotten however when I press her against the wall. It’s all just too fucking good. I take a moment to revel at the feeling of my hands groping her ass as she does some kind of Zumba thrusting move against me.

“Well, here we are,” I tease as I gasp for a breath.

“And just in the nick of time,” she says with a groan.

I bite my way up her neck until I’m kissing her again. I’m so fucking hard for her. The rough two years of being pent up, with every desire shoved down until I was almost dead inside, is finally over. Now my desperate need for her is a flash fire raging through me.

I start to yank my fly down so I can fuck her against the wall when my sex- fogged head clears enough to remember that this is Elle, not just any hook-up, and it has to be different with her.

“What?” she asks when she notices that I’ve stopped opening my fly.

“I want to take you to bed,” I say in a rough voice. “Now.”

She wraps her arms around me and tightens her legs so she’s clinging onto me. As I storm out of the room I reach behind me and knock her stabby high heels off. I plan to have her completely naked as soon as humanly possible.

I’m breathless by the time I’ve carried her to her bedroom and right before I drop her on the bed she pipes up.

“Um, remember that time you told me that you wanted to fuck me so hard that I wouldn’t be able to walk the next day?”

“Yeah,” I say as I lower her onto the sheets.

“Can you do that?” Her eyes go half-mast and she sighs. “I’d really like that.”

“Believe me, baby, that’s the plan.”

“Oh yes,” she moans.

I wrap my hands around her ankles and pull her legs down so she’s closer to me. Meanwhile she peels off her bra and stretches her arms over her head. Every move she makes is seductive, and I’m pretty sure she knows her breasts look spectacular when she does that, but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless. I cup all that softness in my hands and claim them.

“Mine.”

She stretches over and grabs at my hard-on, still trapped in my tuxedo slacks.

“Mine,” she says.

That works for me.

I practically rip my shirt off as she watches.