Detonate: A Dark Mafia Romance (Beneath The Mask Series Book 2)
Detonate: Chapter 3

It’s a typical Friday night at The End Zone. It’s packed, but one of the perks of Sienna being married to the owner is we always get our favorite VIP booth. I sink into the black leather and admire the array of shots laid out across the gold tables with a magnum bottle of champagne taking center stage.

After the altercation with Grayson, I need all the alcohol I can get.

That man sets a fire within me, one I can’t ever seem to put out. So here I am again, sexually frustrated over a man I can’t have.

I toss back the tequila, the contents burning on its way down.

“What was that earlier with Grayson?” Sienna asks, pouring herself a glass of champagne.

“I have no idea, Si. The man is unhinged.”

She knows about the kiss and that I was upset after. But I think I’ve done a good job of hiding my true feelings ever since.

He wasn’t wrong earlier when he said I’d be soaked. Just looking at him makes my panties wet.

“You’ve both been acting pretty strange since that kiss. You do know he hasn’t actually kissed anyone in, like, years? Keller has no fucking clue why.”

I almost spit my champagne all over the table.

“Don’t be so ridiculous, you know as well as I do the man fucks anything with a vagina.”

Well, anyone except me, it would seem.

“I didn’t say fuck. I said, kiss, Maddie.”

Oh, here we go. Ever since I told her, she’s been pushing me to admit my feelings and stop going on dates with Gregory. There’s nothing to admit. Grayson is hardly the one who’s going to give me marriage, a family, and unconditional love.

“You know as well as I do, Si, Grayson is not the man I’m looking for long term.”

“Don’t you think maybe, just maybe, you need to stop obsessing over making everyone else happy and do something for yourself? There might be a reason it isn’t working with anyone, because that’s not your story.”

Well, shit.

I do what I do best and grab another shot and down it. I slide one to Sienna, hoping that snaps her out of her motherly advice phase.

“Come on, Si, it’s our first girly night in forever. Let’s forget about men for a minute, drink, and dance. That is what will truly make me happy right now,” I say, sipping my champagne to wash down the taste of vodka still whirling around on my tongue.

She nods in defeat and downs the shot, spluttering. I chuckle, as the buzz of alcohol finally hits me.

Two hours later, the table of shots and the bottle of champagne are gone. I’m swaying in my seat and can’t stop giggling. I haven’t been this wasted in a long time. Sienna is busy, drunk-texting Keller while blushing.

“Hey, Si, I’m just going to go to the ladies’ room real quick,” I say, snatching my clutch bag from the seat. I’m not even sure how I can actually form a sentence, let alone walk straight. On wobbly legs, I make my way to the toilet, holding on to the wall for support.

Sitting on the toilet seat with the lid still down, I hold my head in my hand. My elbows are resting on my knees and I’m trying to focus on getting the room to stop spinning around me. I need to get out of here and I need to get Sienna home too. She’s even worse than me.

I fumble around the sticky floor, searching for my bag, only to realize it’s already on my lap.

Jesus Christ, get a grip, Maddie. I dig out my phone, squinting to make out the buttons on the screen. I tap the green icon and start a text. Gregory will pick us up, he’s a nice man. I’ll text him.

I have his name picked out, and I start randomly typing, hoping for the best. I can’t see what the hell I’m doing, so I’m going from memory.

Hey babes, I am soooooo drunk and need a ride plsea.

That will do it.

I don’t know how long I sit there, staring at the floor. My phone never pings, so I sigh and get up. The room seems to have stopped spinning. I run the tap and splash some cold water on my face and drink it straight from the faucet.

Once I make it back to the VIP booth, I stop. He’s here. Sprawled out, his arms resting above the backrest, looking every bit the sex god he is. Even in denim jeans and a simple tight white t-shirt, I’m salivating over his muscles protruding out. Honestly, as much as it annoys me, he is fucking hot. I even love his hair; he’s grown it out from the buzzcut. It’s now longer on top with a wave in it. Delicious.

Sucking in a breath, I try to push down the desire bubbling in my core. I’m drunk and horny, and after earlier, I’m still turned on from his words. God, the way he owned my space. He obliterated me while barely touching me.

“Oh, here she is. You can stop staring and sit if you want, Maddie. I won’t bite that hard,” he mocks, tapping his lap. His eyes are eating me up, making me melt on the spot. Then I remember how he’s everything I don’t want, and I shake myself out of my lust-filled haze.

I ignore his request and squeeze into the booth next to Sienna. “What are you doing here?” I question Grayson.

“You texted me, Sunshine. And here I am, at your service,” he teases, giving me one of his sexy grins, his white teeth peeking out. Those damn lips I want to kiss.

Stop it, Maddie, you are drunk!

“No, I texted Gregory?” I reply, swiping my phone from my bag and pulling up my latest texts. Shit, I did text him.

“Hey, Maddie,” a deep, masculine voice shouts from behind me. It’s the one I don’t recognize. A guy I was dancing with a while ago walks toward me, a grin beaming on his face as he gets closer. I give him a sweet smile, all the time feeling Grayson’s eyes piercing into me.

“Hey.”

The man, whose name I can’t quite remember, looks past me at Grayson and hesitates before speaking.

“Do you feel like getting another drink and a dance?” the man asks, giving me a soft smile.

The annoying sound of Grayson clearing his throat fills my ears. His jaw is clenched, and his fists are balled on the table. I cock an eyebrow at him, trying to tell him to fuck off without actually saying it in front of the man who wants to dance.

“She’s leaving,” Grayson declares, staring at me, which makes me shift uncomfortably in my seat.

“Am I?”

I look to Sienna for some help, who just shrugs and laughs, flicking her gaze between Grayson and me. Great help there, Sienna. Grayson slams his fists down on the table and stands. His height and strong build are making my dancing friend look tiny in comparison. Grayson strides over to me with that look that just screams ‘don’t fuck with me right now.’ And honestly, I don’t have the energy to deal with his macho pissing contest right now. I sigh and turn back to my new friend.

“I’m sorry, he’s right. I am about to leave. Maybe another time,” I say, giving him an apologetic look.

He nods and exits out of the VIP area. “Or maybe the fuck not,” Grayson grits out and holds out his hand. The way he acts and the things he says never quite match up. He avoids me like my dad avoids the divorce lawyer for the most part, and then gets all possessive of me with other men.

“Oh, fuck off, Grayson,” I snap, getting up by myself and slapping his hand away. “Sienna, are you ready?”

She nods and hurries out of the booth, sliding up next to me and linking her arm in mine.

“You two just really, really need to fuck this out of your systems. Now.” She giggles drunkenly in my ear.

I shake my head and carry on walking with her in tow to the back exit and toward Grayson’s fancy white Audi, which flashes to life as we approach.

“Get in,” Grayson huffs, storming past and opening the passenger door and the back door. He turns to us and gently brushes the hair out of my face.

“You. In the passenger seat,” he demands and leaves. He almost makes me miss him crowding me. Sienna chuckles as she slips in the back of the car, leaving me staring at the open door in front of me. Why do I feel like this is a really bad idea?

The drive is silent. Grayson grips the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are turning white.

As soon as we arrive, Keller opens the car door and plucks a now sleeping Sienna out. “Thanks for bringing her home. Have fun, you two.” He chuckles.

My eyes start to feel heavy. With the heat blasting on my face, it is really a struggle to stay awake. I rest my head in the palm of my hand and lean on the cool car window.

“Sunshine, have you got your keys?”

I am so tired I can barely lift my head, so I just nod. The next thing I know, I am floating, encased in his strong grip, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat almost sending me back into slumber.

“Mmm, you smell good.”

“Thank you, Sunshine, you don’t smell too bad yourself. A mixture of sweetness and tequila,” he whispers.

“I like it when you’re not all grumpy and annoying,” I say. The filter between my brain and my mouth has malfunctioned.

“Well, I like it when you aren’t threatening to kill me or telling me to fuck off.”

Once we make it up the steps to my apartment, he carefully places my feet on the floor.

“You got decent coffee?” he questions with a smirk.

“I live off the stuff, so yes,” I say, opening up the front door. “Ahhhh, that is almost orgasmic,” I moan at the relief of my feet finally being free from the heels as I kick them off.

Grayson coughs behind me as he tries to hold in his laughter.

“Sunshine, if that’s orgasmic to you, I feel sorry for you.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” I make my way over to the coffee machine and grab two pink mugs on my way.

3:09 a.m. flashes on the oven.

Shit, it is late.

I yawn as the amber liquid fills the mug. I need a couple of minutes to rest my eyes.

“Come on, Sunshine, time for bed.”

I peel open my eyes and replace myself nuzzled against his chest, again.

He delicately places me on the bed, and my head sinks into my pillow. A fuzzy feeling takes over me as he tucks the comforter under my neck and strokes the hair out of my face. I grab his wrist before he has a chance to move.

“Stay.”

“You promise to keep your hands to yourself?” He smirks.

“I promise.” I pout.

His arms bulge as he tugs at the hem of his shirt and brings it over his head, revealing his sculpted body. Dark tattoos, almost tribal, cover each pec. I knew he was well-built but, shit, his body is a frickin’ work of art. All I want to do is trail my hands along that delicious V above his jeans.

“Eyes up here, Sunshine.” His deep voice snaps me out of my stupor.

He whips his jeans off, revealing tattoos scaling all the way down from his thick thighs and protruding out of his boxers to his ankles. My eyes widen as I spot the outline of his cock straining against the fabric. Holy hell, no fucking way is it that big. He laughs and shakes his head while folding his clothes and placing them neatly on my dresser. He walks toward me with a hunger in his eyes.

“Oh wow, you’re a big boy. Shame, I bet you don’t know how to use it,” I tease, pulling the comforter up to my neck.

Butterflies swarm my belly as he approaches the edge of the bed.

“Oh, Maddie. I know exactly how to use it. It’s a shame you’ll never know,” he says, ripping back the duvet. “Scoot over then.” I stare blankly at him. I can’t concentrate on anything other than how sexy he is. My mind is just mush, and the throbbing of my pussy is making it even harder to think.

I roll over to the other side of the bed. The cold, never slept in, half of my bed. The sequins of my dress are stabbing into my arms. I mean, if he’s only wearing underwear to bed, it’s only fair I do the same. A grin forms on my lips as I lift my hips up and unzip my dress, sliding it down over my ass and wiggling it off over my legs, then hurling it on the floor.

Shit, I wasn’t wearing a bra.

A blush spreads over my cheeks, but it’s too late to do anything about it. Plus, he’s seen my tits before… by accident, but still.

He pulls the blanket back. My nipples instantly form into peaks.

He holds the sheet up, his mouth open as his eyes zone in on my exposed chest. He runs his other hand over his face and groans. “Fuck, Sunshine. You really don’t make anything easy for me, do you?”

I have no idea what he’s talking about. Rejecting me after the kiss, I assumed he wasn’t into me. Yet his actions and words baffle me.

“Just get in, it’s cold,” I say, suddenly feeling too exposed.

“Oh, is that why your nipples are so hard?” He bites his lower lip. His eyes still haven’t left my tits.

The mattress dips as his powerful frame lands on the bed. He rolls to face me, our noses almost touching. The only sound in the room is our heavy breathing. Electricity sizzles as we just lie there, staring into each other’s eyes.

“Sunshine, you need to get some sleep,” he rasps out. I sigh in disappointment. I don’t know why I’m shocked; the man isn’t interested in me like that. And I don’t want him, right?

He inches forward, pressing a soft kiss on my forehead. His strong arms wrap around me, and he pulls me up against him. I wrap my leg over his and it lightly brushes against his rock-hard cock.

“Not tonight, Sunshine,” he sighs.

I know this is for the best and I’m too tired to argue anyway.

“Goodnight, Grayson,” I whisper, closing my eyes and snuggling into him. His steady breathing lulls me into a peaceful slumber.