Deny Me Read online

  Deny Me

  Fiona Cole

  Contents

  Playlist

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Other Books by Fiona Cole

  © 2016 by Fiona Cole

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Designer: Najla Qamber, Najla Qamber Designs

  Interior Designer: The Write Assistants

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  To my husband, who denies me nothing.

  Playlist

  Music always plays such an important part in my writing process. Really in all aspects of my life. I listen to it all the time, and usually it’s the song I’m listening to in the car that will inspire a scene or moment shared between my characters. I want to share with you what songs helped me along in this book.

  Elle King – America’s Sweetheart

  Zac Brown Band – Beautiful Drug

  Pharrell Williams – Come Get It Bae

  Eli Young Band – Even If It Breaks Your Heart

  Sheppard – Geronimo

  Leona Lewis – Happy

  Adele – I Miss You

  Sam Smith – Like I Can

  Volbeat – My Body

  Imagine Dragons – Not Today

  Delta Rae – Run

  Beyoncé – Run the World (Girls)

  LMFAO – Sexy and I Know It

  The Lumineers – Stubborn Love

  David Guetta (ft. Nicki Minaj) – Turn Me On

  Adele – Water Under the Bridge

  Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back

  Missy Elliot – WTF (Where They From)

  Demi Lovato - Confident

  Prologue

  Pride filled me as I pulled into my best friend’s brother’s bar. Seeing the cursive writing spelling King’s above the heavy wooden doors reminded me how hard Jameson busted his ass, working constantly to make the bar a success, and it had paid off.

  Ever since meeting Luella in college, I’d carried a small torch for her brother; ten years of pining for Jameson, mainly because he had rebuked me from the very beginning. Even though he denied every advance I made, his sister and I constantly messed with him and I flirted with him, just to try to get under his skin. He took life too seriously, and I couldn’t help the swell of joy I felt the few times he lost his patience with us, or even better: laughed.

  That man needed to loosen up and stop denying himself all the fun the world had to offer.

  Like me.

  But because he was my best friend’s brother, I never pushed it too far. And even though Jameson dated casually, I knew he eventually wanted forever, and that just wasn’t my thing. Sex – and lots of good sex – was my thing. And nothing more than sex. I didn’t need a relationship or anyone serious in my life.

  I silently pulled open the door and walked into the dim, empty bar. Jameson, Luella, and I met here every Sunday for a family lunch even though I wasn’t actually family. Because my family was on the other side of the country in California, Luella and Jameson had adopted me into their family traditions.

  “Helllooooo? Is anyone home?”

  I scanned my surroundings, trying to figure out where everyone was. I had seen Jameson’s truck in the lot, but I didn’t know if Lu had ridden with him. My eyes stopped on a light shining from the hallway leading to the kitchen.

  While I weaved through the tables, my heels thumped quietly on the hardwood floors. I walked past the bar that was lit by the back lights above the liquor bottles on the wall and deposited my purse and jacket on the bar top. As I got closer to the back I could hear low rock music playing, probably muting my approach. Good. Maybe I could use the opportunity to fuck with Jameson.

  The red pleats of my skater skirt swished around my thighs as I made my way back, and I thought about all the ways I could mess with Jamie-Boy. He hated when I called him that. All the more reason to.

  Maybe I could pop out and scare him? Nah. Not good enough.

  Maybe I could strip naked and watch the shock cross his face? Ha! A giggle slipped from my lips at the thought of the look on his face. But I didn’t know how alone we were. Lloyd, the chef, may be in the back, and while I loved messing with Jameson, I didn’t want to share my nudity with everyone.

  I settled on heavy flirting. I loved the way he tried to fight me off and got so irritated when he couldn’t make me stop. His face would flush and his lips would pinch. I almost clapped my hands in giddiness at the thought of seeing his frustration.

  With my shoulder pressed up against the door frame, I watched Jameson crouch over a box and enjoyed the way his back muscles rippled underneath his fitted gray t-shirt. Jameson was built like a Mack truck, standing broad at six-six.

  I whistled, letting him know I was there. “Lift that box, baby and flex those muscles.”

  Other than a twitch of his shoulders, he remained calm. He slowly stood with the box in his arms and turned, piercing me with his midnight blue eyes. They looked almost black from a distance, but I knew the depth of color they held. Right then, they looked irritated and bored all at the same time. I cocked my eyebrow and smirked in return.

  My actions earned me an eye roll as he walked past me without saying a word, but he made sure his shoulder tapped mine on the way out. Jameson may have been annoyed with me, but he couldn’t turn down a challenge. It was what made messing with him so fun.

  He set the box down outside the door on top of the others and turned to walk back into the room. But before he could walk past me I threw out another jab.

  “Oooo, the strong silent type. C’mon Jameson, you know how much that turns me on.”

  He stopped in the doorway, forcing me to press my back against the frame as he stared down at me. I had to arch my neck back to see his face. I always wondered what he thought when he rested his intense gaze on me like that. So focused. It hid so much, and it irritated me that he could be so calm. I bobbed my eyebrows suggestively and tried to bring his attention back to my comment.

  Instead, he moved back into the room, speaking over his shoulder. “No one is here, Evelyn. Get a drink and wait at our usual table.”

  I pursed my lips at his unusual surliness. I was sure he was going to rise to the challenge.

  But Jameson knew I wouldn’t be easily deterred. We’d been playing these games long enough.

  My heels clacked across the floor with authority as I followed him. “So, are we all alone? What a dream come true,” I purred, getting close enough to him to drag my fingers along his shoulder. The q
uick rise and fall of his back was my hint that he may not have been as unaffected by my touch as he wanted me to believe.

  He stood to dislodge my hand, glancing at my breasts on the way up. The way his eyes lingered there gave me a rush of victory. When I pushed my chest out more, he lifted his eyes and flushed, knowing he was caught. Rather than saying anything, he continued staring at me, waiting for my next move. He knew I wasn’t done.

  I licked my lips, bringing his attention to my mouth. I lifted my hand up to his broad shoulder and slowly dragged it down his pecs and ripped abs, wondering how far he would let me go. Would I be able to make it all the way and feel what this man kept hidden in his pants? Adrenaline tingled through my limbs at the possibility.

  My hand made it to the button of his jeans before his snapped out to grip my wrist almost painfully.

  I stepped into his space, letting my breasts brush against his abdomen. Even with my five-inch heels, I felt tiny compared to him. “Be rough with me, baby,” I breathed.

  “I don’t feel like playing your games, Evelyn. So stop,” he reprimanded in his deep baritone voice. Yet, he hadn’t stepped away from me. The room wasn’t huge, but I had slipped between him and the wall and didn’t have much room to move. He, however, had all the space to walk away.

  “C’mon, Jamie-Boy. I could make you feel so much better.” I used the nickname, hoping it would break his tension. I added a swirl of my hips into his to push it one step further.

  Apparently, that was the final straw with Jameson, because the next thing I knew I was shoved against the wall behind me with his hands in my hair and his lips firmly planted on mine, the thick stubble on his cheeks abrading me. I was grateful I let my long hair hang loose today. If not, I would have missed the feeling of his thick fingers pulling at it to tip my head back and attack my lips.

  For a moment, I remained still at the shock of having Jameson’s lips pressed to mine. We had played this game for so long, I never thought it would push him to this. I assumed he would lose his temper, but I never thought he would finally cave and kiss me like this. I pushed the shock aside, not knowing how long this would last, and became an active participant.

  I opened my lips and let his tongue brush against mine, encouraging him to push further. I wanted him to taste my desire. If he needed something to take his mind off of whatever stress he had with Luella, then I was willing to be that something.

  Luella. What would this do to my friendship with her? I hesitated only a moment before I pushed all other thoughts aside, knowing our friendship wouldn’t change no matter what. Hoes before bros and all that.

  He pulled back for a breath and I reached forward and bit his bottom lip, soothing it with a lick before sucking it back into my mouth. I had stared at his full lips for so long, I wanted to take the opportunity to commit them to memory and cherish every second of this kiss. Heat consumed me, and need spread through me.

  I needed his hands on me.

  I needed my hands on him.

  I needed more.

  One hand dropped past my skirt and moved up to land on my bare ass. Thank God for thongs. I would have hated missing the feeling of his large, hot hand on my skin.

  My head fell back against the wall leaving my neck open as an invitation. I had a hard time focusing on what felt better: The aggressive massage on my ass spreading me wide, or the wet, angry kisses and bites to my neck. I always wondered what I would do to him if I was given the chance, and here I was, only able to hold on to his strong shoulders while he assaulted my body.

  When his lips lowered to my collarbone and down to the tops of my breasts, I knew I needed to do something to get him lower. My hands began undoing the buttons of my cream blouse, but my fingers shook so hard that I struggled to undo them fast enough.

  He bit down on the soft tissue of my breast and made me cry out. Fuck, he was aggressive. Not wanting him to stop, I wrapped my leg around his hip, grinding myself on him, allowing him access to my pussy. He was so close, I wanted him to touch me. I wanted him to rip my panties off and fuck me.

  “Fuck me, Jameson. Yes,” I encouraged him.

  He moved his free hand to my other ass cheek and hoisted me up on the wall, forcing me to wrap both legs around him. The lace of my panties was no barrier against the roughness of his jeans and I relished the pleasure of them grinding against my clit.

  “Is this what you want, Evelyn? For me to give in to wanting you?” he growled into my neck. “Always walking around with your tits bouncing. Always taunting me with your toned legs, telling me you want them wrapped around my waist. My face.”

  I did try to wear low-cut tops when I could around him. I liked the flushed look that came across his face at seeing me bent over. “I didn’t realize you noticed,” I gasped out. I was surprised I could talk at all with his hand making its way to the front of my panties.

  “Oh, Evie. I always noticed. Do you know how many times I jacked off after seeing you in a bathing suit? How long I imagined parting your long legs and fucking you? How many times I wondered what you would do if I finally took you up on all your offers?”

  “I never knew.” It barely escaped my parted lips on a pant.

  “Well, now you do.” His thick fingers pulled the crotch of my thong aside and slipped through my wetness. “So fucking wet. I can’t wait to feel you around my cock. Is that what you want?”

  God damn! I never knew Jameson – closed off, brooding, controlled Jameson – was a dirty talker. I fucking loved it. This was like Christmas, my birthday, and Thanksgiving happening all at once.

  Best. Gift. Ever.

  “That’s what I want, Jamie-Boy,” I said with a gasp. At some point in this scenario I’d ended up as the submissive. But I was not a submissive in sex.

  He growled and roughly pushed two fingers into me, making me gasp at the realization of being filled by him. His thumb rubbed on my clit as his fingers pumped in and out of me. He kept pushing in deep and curling them against my g-spot as he bit down on the top of my breast. I hadn’t gotten around to getting my shirt fully off and my bra was still snug against my rib cage. I cursed the barrier between us, but focused on my legs around his trim waist and the way he held me effortlessly against the wall.

  The music faded to the background and I could only hear the sound of his fingers moving in and out of me. I let my head fall back against the wall, trying to get enough air into my lungs. I was seconds from exploding and I wanted to both cherish the orgasm and rush it because I wanted to feel him.

  “Oh, God. Jameson. Please.” I pleaded, digging my fingers desperately into his shoulders, urging him on. I wanted to be strong, but I was reduced to begging a man to let me orgasm on his hand.

  “Aaaangahh.”

  A gurgling sound came from the door, causing me to scream and jerk my head to the noise. There I saw my best friend and Jameson’s sister, Luella, staring at us with a look of horror across her face.

  Jameson pulled his fingers out of me, muttering, “Fuck,” before setting me down and trying to discreetly adjust the monster trying to escape his pants. Through the shock and chaos of being caught, I took a moment to mourn the loss of feeling him in me.

  “Oh God,” Luella screeched before turning and rushing back down the hallway. I was sure seeing her brother in that position was a hell of a shock. Add in the fact that it was with me and I knew she was panicking out there. I looked to Jameson and saw his head down with his hand running through his hair, pacing back and forth in the small area.

  Well, he was going to be useless. I needed to go calm my friend down and fix any damage done.

  I quickly buttoned my shirt and rushed after her, finding her pacing just like her brother. “Shit, Lu. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be here early.”

  “Obviously,” she said with a sneer. I let my breath out and waited for her to calm down on her own. Nothing I could say was going to fix it right now. “God, Evie! Blech! You know I don’t give a shit it happened. I’m just beyond horrifi
ed that I saw it happening.” She finished with exaggerating gagging noises.

  “Well, to set your mind at ease, I’m not going at it with Jameson behind your back. It just sort of happened,” I finished with a shrug, not knowing what else to say.

  Jameson finally decided to join us and stood beside me. Not close enough to form a front of solidarity, because there was still plenty of distance between us to state we were not together. A pinch formed in my chest at him ignoring me. I wasn’t hoping he would declare a relationship with me and grab my hand. Ew. But some support would’ve been nice.

  Luella focused an angry glare on Jameson. “I came early to talk to Jameson about some unresolved issues we have.”

  Jameson rolled his eyes and I threw my hands up, knowing this was my cue to leave and let them settle their issues. “Oh, yeah. I know what you want to talk about and I’m not staying around for that.” Luella was pissed at the way Jameson had acted toward her boyfriend Jack the other night. That was going to be a coming-to-Jesus argument I did not want to be there for. Instead, I walked to the bar to collect my purse and jacket. “I’ll tell you what – I’ll let you guys have this family lunch alone today to have a fun argument, and I’ll catch up with you next week.”

  I walked toward the door, but turned to blow Lu an air kiss before walking out. I purposely ignored Jameson. He hadn’t said anything as I was leaving, and I didn’t know what to think of that. His brush-off stung, which made me laugh since I had never cared if a guy wanted a repeat. I enjoyed whatever was there in the moment. But just to make sure I was the first to call it, I pulled out my phone and sent a message.

  Had lots of fun. But you know I don’t get it on with people I see all the time.

  I hope you enjoyed your taste! ;*

  I hit send, ignoring the pang in my stomach. Shaking it off, I reminded myself that Jameson was looking for forever and I wasn’t. It was better that way.