His throat tightened. Her outfit was having too strong an effect. He turned away.

“Jared?” She touched his shoulder. “Wait.”

He turned. Without thinking, he wiped at a black smudge on her collar bone, but he only made it worse. “Yeah, babe.”

Her cheeks went pink. He’d never seen shy play on her before. Sugar bit her lip. “If you’re honestly…. hell, I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m willing to take away the booty call embargo.” She took a breath, and the vulnerability disappeared. Sugar flicked him in the chest. “But if you hurt my feelings, I’ll cut off your balls and leave you to bleed out.”

He laughed and took a step closer. This is the kind of girl I’m falling for? Wait… am I falling for her?

He shook his head and kneaded his knuckles into his eyes. He opened them and stared at the vamped-up knockout who’d threatened his manhood. For this chick, he would take a risk. If nothing else, he would go down having fun.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Sugar’s throat was Sahara dry, and her head was swimming. She felt sober, but that was only the adrenaline. Too much tequila was still burning through her veins. The hotel service room was hot and humid. Piles of linens, humming pipes, and industrial gadgets that did Lord knows what cramped the already-small space.

Jared stepped away from her, hushing orders into his cell phone. He didn’t have to whisper. The humdrum of the equipment kept his call confidential. She couldn’t hear a word, yet she could guess every word. Sugar needed help. She couldn’t handle herself. Screw that. Irrational and irritated, she couldn’t calm her annoyance. Titan didn’t need to swoop in at every occasion.

She gambled a step forward and felt her leg tremble. The stiletto boot teetered on its heel until she leaned back to the wall. Maybe they did, and maybe I’ll stay put for another minute. Her hands shook, and her head pounded. Freakin’ adrenaline-tequila shakes. Coming down’s gonna be a bitch.

“You okay?”

She glanced up to see Jared watching her stare at her vibrating fingers. Great. Never better. Fan-freakin’-tastic. “You can stop asking me that.”

He smiled as if this were the most fun he’d had since choppering out of Afghanistan.

Good for him.

“Well, all right then, Sugar. For a minute, I thought you’d gone all woozy-stumbly on me. Guess that wasn’t you about to take a noser into a hot-water pipe.”

“Oh, kiss my ass, Jared.”

He chuckled, and she wanted to smack away his grin. Cockiness poured off him, as if he might lean her across his knees at any moment. “Don’t think I won’t, baby cakes.”

Her skin flushed. Knowing what was on his mind, knowing how good it had been before… He was a roller derby of distraction. Around and around they went. A little violent, a little fun. Lots of games and strategy. She was hungrier for him than she’d realized.