Chapter 1: Last Call
The Miami night was a sultry beast, the kind of heat that clung to your skin like a lover who wouldn’t let go. Inside The Coral Dive, the air was thick with the scent of cheap tequila and cheaper cologne, the jukebox blaring a salsa beat that pulsed through the crowd. Mia Torres, all sharp edges and untamed fire, worked the bar with a swagger that could stop hearts. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulders, and her tank top hugged curves that had half the room drooling. But it wasn’t just her body that commanded attention—it was the way she owned every inch of that sticky, beer-stained space.
Jake Malone sat at the far end of the bar, nursing a beer he barely touched. A construction worker with hands rough as gravel and a jawline that could cut glass, he’d been watching Mia all night. His tight jeans did little to hide the hard bulge straining beneath them as his eyes tracked her every move—especially the way her ass swayed as she poured shots with a devil-may-care grin. He wasn’t the only one staring, but he was the only one she stared back at.
‘Another beer, or are you just gonna eye-fuck me all night?’ Mia quipped, leaning over the bar, her cleavage a deliberate taunt as she slid a coaster his way. Her voice was all smoke and spice, daring him to bite.
Jake smirked, his gaze unflinching. ‘Depends. You gonna keep teasing, or are we cutting to the chase?’
She laughed, a low, throaty sound that sent a jolt straight to his cock. ‘Oh, sweetheart, I don’t tease. I deliver. But you gotta earn it. Bar closes in twenty. Stick around if you think you can keep up.’
‘I’ve been hauling steel beams all day, darlin’. Stamina’s not my problem,’ he shot back, his voice a rough growl that made her pulse quicken. ‘Question is, can you handle a man who doesn’t play nice?’
Mia’s eyes glinted with challenge. ‘Try me, big guy. I bite harder than I bark.’
The next twenty minutes crawled by, the tension between them a live wire sparking in the humid air. When the last drunk stumbled out and Mia flipped the ‘Closed’ sign, she didn’t waste a second. She jerked her head toward the back room, a storage space cluttered with crates and kegs, and Jake followed without a word. The door slammed shut behind them, the lock clicking with a finality that echoed in the dim light.
‘You’ve been staring at my ass all night,’ Mia said, turning to face him, her hands on her hips. ‘What’s the plan now that you’ve got it all to yourself?’
Jake stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, the heat of his body already making her skin prickle. ‘Plan’s simple. I’m gonna make you forget every other man who’s ever walked through that door.’
‘Big talk,’ she fired back, but her breath hitched as he backed her against a stack of crates, his hands caging her in. ‘Show me.’
His lips crashed into hers, hungry and unrelenting, tasting of beer and raw need. Mia kissed back just as hard, her fingers digging into his shoulders, pulling him closer. She could feel him, rock-hard against her thigh, and a wicked grin curled her lips as she broke the kiss. ‘Damn, you weren’t kidding about stamina.’
‘Told you,’ he rasped, his hands sliding down to grip her hips. ‘Now let’s see how much of a badass you really are.’
Mia didn’t hesitate. With a smirk, she dropped to her knees, her eyes locked on his as she tugged at his belt. The air between them was electric, charged with the promise of something raw and explosive. She was in control, and he knew it—but neither of them minded. Not when the heat was this unbearable, and the night was just getting started.
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