Одри Карлан - January (Calendar Girl #1)

“Gina,” Wes held out a hand towards the stunning woman. “I’d like you to meet my friend, Mia Saunders.” Her eyes widened and her lips curved into a smirk at the way he said ‘friend’.

She placed a small hand on Wes’s shoulder, looked up at him, and batted her eyelashes prettily before turning to me. Wes was completely enchanted by her. Hell, I was too. True beauty like hers didn’t come around too often.

“Gina DeLuca.” She offered her hand and I shook it. “Any friend of Wes’s is a friend of mine.” Her voice sounded as if she was singing a melody, only with a sultry female crooner type vibe. Once she shook my hand, she stood in front of me and brazenly pressed her chest against Wes’s. “I’m really looking forward to getting started on your story. It’s a fascinating premise.” Her hand came up and stroked his lapel. He stood there speechless staring down into the sexy woman’s eyes.

I almost felt like I was intruding on a private moment. I most certainly was not needed for this conversation. And in spite of what I’d promised myself, I was getting jealous. No, I didn’t have a claim on Wes officially, but I was his date for the next few days, dammit! I tried clearing my throat. It did nothing to break the spell she had over Wes.

“Maybe we could run some of the lines at my place sometime, you know, so I get a really good feel for the character.” She licked her lips and the core of heat within my gut turned white hot with rage. Who did this chick think she was?!

“Um, sure, yeah, that sounds uh…” Wes tried and that was it. I shoved her out of the way, politely interrupting.

“Sweetie, I’m starving. You ready to sit and eat?” I batted my own lashes, but I was pretty sure they didn’t have the same affect. Wes looked down at me, shook his head, and then a smile slipped across his lips. His eyes twinkled, and he pulled me to his side with a hand around my waist.

“Anything for Ms. Mia,” he said kissing my forehead. “Sorry, Gina, will you excuse us?”

I looked over at the pretty, black-haired vixen. Her mouth was gaping open like she couldn’t believe I’d butted in on her play when, really, she butted in on mine.

“Mia? Like in the movie?” she queried.

Wes looked over at me with that panty-dropping grin. “Wanted something to remember my girl by,” he said never looking at Gina. That gesture right there filled my heart with joy and sadness, knowing I would be leaving soon.

“Remember her? Where are you going?” she asked me directly, crossing her arms over her ample bosom.

I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes. “Seattle,” I said and caught it when Wes winced.

“Oh yeah, for what?”

“Work.” I had nothing better to say. It was the truth, but I wasn’t about to tell this chick that I was the hired help or that Wes was technically a free agent who might appreciate her blatant come-ons.

Gina rolled her eyes. “What type of work are you in?”

“Well, for this job I’ll be modeling for an artist over the next month while he paints me.”

Gina plastered on a fake smile. “And will you be wearing any clothing during these paintings?” She hit the nail right on the head.

“I think that’s enough, Gina. I’ll see you on set in a week. Come on Mia, let’s get some food and find a place to settle.” He gripped my hip and turned me around walking in the opposite direction of the pretty actress.

We got to a table way in the corner that had an even better view of the ocean at night. A server brought us new drinks and laid a plate of noshes between us. Once I took a bite and let the puffy pastry bite melt in my mouth, Wes pounced.

“So, Seattle?” I nodded not wanting to really get into it with him. “And was Gina right in her assumption?”

I shoved another bite of fishy goodness in my mouth and had to cut off a moan. Damn, this place was amazing.

“Was she, Mia? Are you going to be naked in front of this artist while he paints you?” Instead of responding, I shrugged. “It’s a simple question,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Maybe. He does some nudes, so it’s a possibility,” I said thinking that might be better than the absolute truth or outright lying.

Wes shook his head and took a long pull of his beer. “I need a real fucking drink.” He got up and stormed over to the bar. I sat back and thought about how this night was turning out. I was jealous of him, now he was jealous of some guy neither of us had even met. What the hell was happening?

When he came back, he had a tumbler full of amber colored liquid that made my stomach turn. Ever since that first night, he’d made an effort not to drink whiskey, and I appreciated him for it. Now though, he was drinking it like it was water.

“Why are you mad?”

He shook his head. “Not mad.” he clenched his teeth, a muscle in his jaw ticking away. “I think I know when you’re mad. We’ve been living together for the better part of a month.”

“Do you even want to do this?” he asked finally.

“It’s not a matter of whether I want to. I have to!” I whispered loudly leaning forward. He looked around.

“You don’t have to do shit. Everyone has a choice. You could stay.” And there it was. He definitely wanted me to stay even though he knew I couldn’t.

“Don’t…”

“Why not! Because it will make you feel something?” he sneered.

I stood up and walked away. Wes didn’t follow me.

***

The sound of glass shattering woke me from a dead sleep. I got up and tiptoed along the hallway keeping myself dead silent until I found Wes laughing with half his jacket on, the other half twisted around his hand as if he’d been trying to get it off.

I walked over to him and tugged on the jacket. That was a bad idea. Once he was free, he steamrolled me into the opposite wall, lips on my neck. He bit down hard, and I cried out trying to push him off me. “Mia, Mia, Mia, I want you so bad. Don’t want to lose you…please,” he begged but I had no idea what his slurred, drunken words really meant.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed,” I said trying to adjust him. He walked a few steps then stopped and grabbed me to him. My back hit another wall. This time his hand cupped my breast, and he tweaked the nipple with expert fingers. I moaned.

“Fuck yeah, I love those little noises you make. Almost between a moan and a whimper. Makes my dick so hard.” And he wasn’t kidding as evidenced by his rock hard erection thrusting against my hip. Before I could move, he had one of my legs slung up and over one hip. Even in a drunken state, he knew exactly what he was doing, only his movements were a little bit sloppier, less coordinated.

“Wes, not here., We need to get you in bed.”

“You’ll come with me?” he pleaded, licking and biting along the column of my neck. “Stay with me in my bed.”

“Yeah sure, we’ll fuck in your bed this time,” I said leading him to his room. Once we got there, he turned around, gripped me by the hips and kissed me. Even tinged with whiskey, the one liquor I couldn’t stand, he tasted great.

“No, I want you to sleep with me. All night long. I want to wake up to you one time,” he begged leading me over to the bed. He sat, pulled down my panties, and I lifted up my camisole standing before him naked as the day I was born.

“I love this body.” His hand traced down from my clavicle, over my breast where he gave a little squeeze, down the curve of my waist, over my hip bone, and down my thigh. I shivered when he completed the journey on the other side.

“Just this once, stay all night. Let me wake to you,” he leaned forward and took a nipple into his mouth. Bolts of electricity roared through my limbs, pleasure being the first to light up, and quickly followed by lust and need.