2. Zeke

Chapter two

Zeke

A single drop—hell, half a drop—of that "love potion" would've been plenty, but no, Fabian had to go and spray it all over me. I walked into the lobby of the hotel a couple hours later still stinking like I'd been rolling in sweaty man, damp dirt, and pine needles. It was an absolutely ridiculous scent!

The weirdest part was that I seemed to be the only person who could smell it. Everyone else said they had to get up in my face to smell anything and then they were pretty sure it was my pomade. Like, why? It wasn't possible that the shop guy had mixed it up special just for my nose.

But, fine, whatever. All of us were fed, tired, and ready to get our room keys. I would just go up to my room and shower the stink off myself.

Out of politeness, I waited for everyone else to get their keys once I had my own. That allowed me to stand there and really take in the rustic charm of the hotel's lobby. I wasn't sure if it was a real log, but the pillar behind me would need at least two people to wrap their arms around it—and there were six pillars around the room. Giant beams spanned the width of the lobby like an entire ancient forest had been felled to make this place. That was terrible and beautiful at the same time. And then there was the—

Oh hello . The blond man who'd been chopping wood outside when we arrived had just walked in. Even looking like a respectable member of the staff in a black polo and khakis, he was still backwoods porn on legs because his clothes were too tight and his biceps were bulging. I watched him clearly sniffing, like he smelled a feast and needed to find its source. Trying not to be obvious, I sniffed, too, curious about what he was looking for, but all I could smell was my damn love potion.

Blue eyes met mine from across the room, and I couldn't look away as the man suddenly started walking toward me. He had a powerful stride, long and muscular legs eating up the space between us. Caught like a rabbit, I just stood there in stunned silence as a gorgeous and determined wolf stalked toward me.

Gulping at the intensity of his approach, I held up my hands as if to stop the man, only to have him grab my wrists and haul them over my head. Arousal hit me hard. I'd always been a fan of manhandling in general and that move especially. When the man leaned in and kissed me, it didn't really occur to me to stop him.

Goddamn, it had been so long since someone had politely kissed me, let alone a hot and horny mauling that I willingly opened up for. I might never have been kissed like this. It was all moaning and angling for deeper thrusts of hungry tongues, bodies straining to get closer. The man notched our legs together and pressed his firm cock into my hip. I bucked against his hold on instinct, rubbing my own growing erection against the man owning my mouth. Moaning into our kiss, I found myself wrapping a leg around his, trying to keep him where he was.

It was just a kiss, but it was better sex than I'd had in a very long time.

A loud whoop had me flinching and opening my eyes. Every single person I knew was watching. Some of them had their phones up, probably recording me. I jerked my head to break the kiss as horror at what I was doing sent ice water cascading through me. I tried to free my hands from the man's grip.

He blinked slowly at me, like he was in a daze. There was probably a compliment in that, but I couldn't find it as shame and humiliation bombarded me. "Let me go," I snapped and bucked to get the man off me this time.

Immediately, he released me and stepped back. Freed, I waved at everyone and angrily said, "Stop that right now! It's not funny."

Without a word, the man suddenly bolted past me and through a staff only door.

A small, amazed part of me wanted to run after him, find out what the hell had made him do that and… Okay, maybe ask if he'd like to do it again but in private. Seriously, it had been the best kiss of my life.

The rest of me hated that I had to deal with the fallout by myself.

"Guess the love potion works," Fabian said with a giggle.

I blushed and shook my head. "I'm not keeping that stuff if it gets me molested in hotel lobbies."

Three guys held their hands out to me.

Snatching up my bag and my overstuffed suitcase, I stalked toward the elevator.

The love potion was not the reason for that kiss because magic wasn't real. At the same time, I wasn't about to give a bunch of horned-up boys a reason to accidentally start an orgy in the lobby, get arrested for indecent exposure, and ruin Fabian's wedding. It could totally happen with this bunch.

For the rest of my life, I would keep telling myself that was the reason I'd kept the vial.

On the way up to the fifth floor, my phone pinged with a text. I took it out of my back pocket, not sure what I'd find, and discovered a video from Fabian of the stranger snogging the life out of me. I couldn't resist watching it. Goddamn, we looked like porn stars. It was… It was really hot.

The elevator dinged and did a little swoop as it stopped, bringing me back to reality. Thank goodness I was alone because my cock was testing the confines of my jeans as I hustled down the hall to my room. And of course it took six swipes of my keycard before the damn door would read it and let me in.

"Fuck!" I dropped my bags and headed right for the bathroom. It was a nice size, clean, yeah, whatever. I stripped down and got the hot water running in the shower.

While standing there, I did try to think pure and chaste thoughts to make my damn boner go away, but it didn't. I got under the spray and groaned at the sensation of the water cascading down my overstimulated body. Immediately, my mind recalled the way that man had pressed against me, how he'd kissed me. I'd had every intention of just washing off the love potion, but instead I reached down and took my cock in hand.

Closing my eyes, I recalled the video. I'd never recorded myself having sex, but fuck, maybe I should. It was playing on a loop in my brain as I stroked myself, and then my imagination was happily providing what we might look like naked and in bed together. Oh, god, I was into it. Fuck yes! If that fricking man approached me again, it was entirely possible I'd give my ass to him.

I came with a groan and squeezed every last drop out of my cock. Panting, I opened my eyes to see the water washing all the evidence away. And I hated that my mind was also ever so willing to provide a vivid memory of my last shower with Anthony before everything fell apart.

Pushing that away, I turned to the real reason I'd wanted a shower. I unwrapped a tiny bar of hotel soap and lathered up as best I could. Hopefully it was strong stuff that would wash off all evidence of that damn love potion and keep me unmolested for the rest of the week. Because that was what I really wanted—to be left alone. I was not here to hook up with strangers, so if that man came around again, I'd say a very firm no.

I'd been hot and heavy with Anthony right off the bat and look how that had turned out. No way was I going to spend time and effort on a guy only to discover that I was a second-class citizen in my own life. Not the priority, not even a thought, as the man I loved scurried off to his real family over and over again. Nope, I was done with anything even resembling a relationship.

I rinsed and then turned off the water. A hookup wasn't a relationship, though. Everyone knew that. I'd done the whole app thing for a night's release with no one expecting to stay. It'd be a bit different since they were at the same hotel for a week, but—

"Oh, stop it," I snapped at myself as I grabbed a towel. Looking in the mirror across from the shower, I pointed a finger and said, "Don't be that dumb."

Because my heart would definitely get involved. Hookups sucked. I wasn't built to get off and walk away. Or let the other guy walk away. Zeke Castro was the kind of man who fell hard and fast, so it was better that I steered clear of all men. Until I was ready to trust again. If ever. It was just safer that way.