Since we were going to be just friends, I pushed further with my questions. Even though he’d basically kidnapped me, as he lay there next to me, I had a feeling he wasn’t all that bad. As bizarre as that seemed. I might as well know the guy a little better.
“Did it hurt to get those piercings?”
“Which ones?”
Pointing at his nipples, each pierced with a silver barbell, I said, “Those. Do you have more? I don’t see any others.”
“No, they didn’t hurt. I got my lip pierced a long time ago. That hurt a little.”
“So now you only have the nipple ones?” I asked, more curious about piercings than I thought I could be.
He gave me a sly grin. “No. I have one other piercing.”
I turned my head and scanned his body for any others. “I don’t see it. Where is it?”
After a long pause, he said in a low voice, “My cock.”
He said that word in a voice that made an ache form deep inside me. Never before in my life had I wanted to see something as much as I wanted to see his cock piercing at that moment. A rush of heat flooded my cheeks, and I looked away, inadvertently focusing on his crotch. Quickly, I looked back at his face and blurted out, “Can I see?”
What was I doing? I didn’t know, but the words were out so there was no putting that genie back in the bottle. Like when I offered to sleep with him, his eyes grew big for just a moment and then he smiled.
“If you want.”
In for a penny, in for a pound, as my grandmother always said. Nodding, I mumbled, “I’ve never seen that before. I’m just curious.”
For the first time since I’d met him that night of my interview, Kane looked completely sexy and not the least bit scary. Licking his lips, he stared up at me. “Okay.”
His hands slid his boxer briefs down to reveal his pierced cock. Long and thick, he wasn’t even hard and I knew I’d never met any man so big. The head was pierced twice, and two silver barbells sat on each side.
I couldn’t take my eyes off them or his cock, but I squeaked out, “Did that hurt?”
“A little.”
“Why did you get that pierced?”
“Long story. Some women don’t like it, though, so I can understand if you don’t.”
I couldn’t help let my mouth hang open slightly as the thought of that gorgeous cock fucking me settled into my brain. Licking my lips to moisten them, I said, “I don’t know why. It’s hot.”
Holy fuck! I’d just said to him that I thought his pierced cock looked hot! I wasn’t lying, though. I suddenly wanted more than anything to know how it felt when he was sliding it inside me. It was insane, but I couldn’t help it.
Thankfully, he slid his underwear up again before I did anything I’d regret later. A few seconds more and my brain might have thought it was a good idea for my hand to touch his piercing.
God, I was a mess. Barely out of a relationship with Aaron and here I was ogling Kane’s cock.
Quietly, Kane said, “Abbi, I didn’t hire you to dance for me because I wasn’t sure you could handle it.”
I turned to face him and shook my head. “Why?”
“Because I knew someone was hitting you. You have to be tougher to dance for men, even here. If I had left you at The Carousel, you would have gotten hurt.”
“So that’s why you took me out of there?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to see you hurt.”
“Why? You barely know me. Why would you care if I got hurt?”
“I don’t know. I just know that from the moment I met you I wanted to protect you.”
“So you kidnapped me and brought me here. I guess that’s technically protecting me, but it’s more like holding me hostage.”
His blue eyes grew softer as he looked up at me and said, “I couldn’t think of another way. I’m sorry.”
The way he said those words made my breath catch in my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time a man had apologized for doing anything to me.
“Well, of all the things I’ve had done to me, I guess this isn’t the worst. I mean, you even let me sleep in your bed while you took the floor.” I stopped for a moment and then looked away. “And you don’t seem even interested in sex with me, so…”
“I don’t force women to sleep with me to dance here.”
The tone of his voice told me I’d hurt his feelings again. Jesus, the guy was just trying to help me and I’d offended him twice already.
I turned to face him and saw that hurt settle into his eyes. Reaching out, I touched his hand. “I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry, Kane. I just don’t know what to say here. I’m not used to people doing nice things for me without expecting something in return. I keep thinking you must want something from me.” I lowered my head and tugged on the sprigs of hair near my nape. “I get why you wouldn’t want to sleep with me, though. I mean, I know what I look like now.”
“My not sleeping with you has nothing to do with how gorgeous you are. It’s just not something either one of us wants me to pursue. Trust me.”
The only thing I really heard was that he thought I was gorgeous. No man had ever told me I was gorgeous. Pretty. Hot. Sexy. But never gorgeous. But if I was that wonderful to look at, why didn’t he want me?
I stared down at this strange man who’d shown me his piercing but wanted nothing to do with sex with me. Who had come to The Carousel Club and had taken me out of that place to protect me. And who lay there gazing up at me like I was some kind of angel or something, even as I sat there next to him with the proof of Aaron’s rage all over me.
Kane lifted his arm and wrapped it around me. “Come here. Time for us to get some sleep.”
I snuggled up next to him, loving the hardness of his body next to mine that made me feel safe and secure. With my head in the space between his shoulder and his neck, I closed my eyes and breathed in the clean scent of soap on his skin. No fancy cologne or body spray. Just soap.
Then I felt his fingers gently slide through my hair, and for the first time since Aaron had hacked it all off, I felt beautiful.
Gorgeous.
“Thank you, Kane.”
He remained silent for a long time and then whispered in his raspy voice, “For what?”
“For making me feel beautiful again.”
Squeezing me tighter to him, he pressed his cheek to the top of my head. “You’re welcome, Abbi.”