One Great Night Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Praise for the works of Debra St. John

  One Great Night

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  “You said you asked around about me.” The expression on his face told exactly how he felt about that. “But apparently you didn’t ask the right questions. And you should know me well enough to know I don’t sleep around. I don’t go from girl to girl on a whim. If I’m dating someone, and it feels right, sex becomes part of the relationship.”

  “So you’re saying you’ve never had a one-night stand?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair leaving it sexily mussed. “No, I haven’t. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe two people should be committed to each other before having sex. The other night you said you didn’t want the emotional part of sex. But if you’re looking for really, really great sex…emotion has to be there. It’s the feelings you have for the other person that makes it great. You can’t have that with a stranger.”

  “You’re not a stranger.”

  “True, but like I said, I like a little bit of build-up.”

  They’d already kissed. A kiss that had nearly caused her to go up in flames like a backyard barbeque. Her knees wobbled just thinking about it. How much build-up did he need?

  She looked into his familiar blue eyes. Despite the toe-curling kiss he’d given her, he probably still thought of her as Danny’s little sister. Not someone to take to bed. Okay, so she could understand needing a bit of time to get used to the idea.

  But, he’d agreed to help. No way in hell was she letting him back out.

  Praise for the works of Debra St. John

  WILD WEDDING WEEKEND

  “A totally wild ride that is worth every word and then some.”

  ~Seriously Reviewed

  ~*~

  THE VAMPIRE AND THE VIXEN

  “This short story caught me completely by surprise and it tickled my senses!...sweet and sexy and so very well written.”

  ~Tea and Book

  ~*~

  AN UNEXPECTED BLESSING

  “This story is a pearl, a great shiny pearl.”

  ~Long and Short Reviews

  ~*~

  A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER

  “...the perfect story to get you in the holiday spirit.”

  ~Mystic Reviews

  FAMILY SECRETS

  “…a well-paced, absorbing tale…Kudos to Debra St. John for weaving passion and family drama into a thought provoking and satisfying romantic read.”

  ~The Romance Reviews

  One Great Night

  by

  Debra St. John

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  One Great Night

  COPYRIGHT © 2015 by Deborah Rittle

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Diana Carlile

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Champagne Rose Edition, 2015

  Digital ISBN 978-1-62830-740-5

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To John

  My whole life is great because of you.

  Chapter One

  “I want you to be my sex tutor.”

  Jason choked on his beer. “What?”

  Chloe Harris waited until he met her gaze again. “So, will you do it?” The background noise from the crowded bar filled the charged silence as she held her breath, waiting for his answer. Country music blared from the speakers set around the dance floor. Glasses and bottles clinked. Conversations overlapped, individual words indistinguishable in the cacophony.

  “Do what?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard right the first time.

  She sighed. “Be my sex tutor.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Why do you need a sex tutor?”

  “To make sure I’m doing it right.”

  This time Jason’s beer spilled down the front of his shirt. He dabbed at the spot with a napkin. “Dammit, this was a new shirt.” He closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened, his expression was pained. “I can’t believe I’m going to ask this. Hell, I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. But what makes you think you’re doing it wrong?”

  She shrugged in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. “I don’t know. I mean, everyone always talks about how great sex is, but to be honest, I don’t know what the fuss is all about.” Maybe it was her. Maybe she was doing it wrong. “So.” She toyed with the napkin under her drink. “It’s kind of on my bucket list. To have a night of really great sex.”

  He closed his eyes again. It almost looked like he was praying. The dark sweep of his lashes curled over the lids. Why did men have such impossibly beautiful eyelashes, while women spent oodles of money on mascara and torturous curling devices? Obviously God had a sense of humor.

  Finally he opened his eyes. Even the dim light in the bar couldn’t hide their vibrant blue. “Bucket list? You’re only twenty-six.”

  “Twenty-seven. It’s just something I want to do before I’m thirty.”

  “That gives you three years.”

  “Well, there are other things on my list, too. I want to get this one out of the way.” To silence the ever-present whispers of self-doubt plaguing every relationship she’d ever had. She leaned closer. “C’mon, I hear you’re really good.”

  The bottle froze halfway to his mouth. “Where did you hear that?”

  “Maureen Brockman and Leslie Granger both said you were fabulous.”

  With deliberate care he set the bottle down. “You asked them how good I was in bed?” The words were forced out between clenched teeth.

  “I had to do my research. I want someone who knows what he’s doing.” She settled back in the chair. “So, will you do it?”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  Chloe lifted her chin a notch. “Why not?”

  “Because this is totally insane. If you want to do something crazy, get a tattoo.”

  “That’s on my list, too.” She looked at him, then down at the table. She traced the pattern of the wood grain with her index finger. “I just want to do this first. And I figured you’d be the perfect guy to help me.”

  “What in the world would make you think that?”

  “Well, for one, you’re a high school science teacher, so you know all about chemistry and stuff.” She batted her eyelashes in an exaggerated manner.

  “Ha ha.”

  “All kidding aside.” Her serious tone underscored the words. “I know you. I trust you.” More than she trusted herself.

  Something played in his eyes, but he shook his head. “Chloe, take a minute to stop and listen to yourself. You’re asking me to have sex with you.”

  “I know.” It had taken months to work up th
e courage.

  He laid a hand over hers. “Then you also know why this is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard. You can’t be serious,” he said again.

  “Of course I’m serious.” She covered the small prick of hurt with a toss of her head. “Why do you think it’s so crazy?”

  “I can think of a dozen reasons to start, not the least of which is I’d like to live to see thirty-one.”

  “What?”

  “Have you forgotten I’ve known your brother since I was two?” His gaze darted to the dance floor where Danny was two-stepping with a redhead. “I know he owns a shotgun.”

  “Danny would never hurt you.” They were like brothers themselves: part of the reason she’d chosen Jason in the first place. She’d known him her whole life. She felt safe with him.

  “If I touched his baby sister he would.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  “You obviously don’t know him very well. Believe me, I can guarantee he doesn’t even want to think about you having sex. Let alone with me.” He shuddered.

  She grimaced. “He probably thinks I’m still a virgin, doesn’t he?” Too bad she couldn’t go back in time and make that true.

  A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but didn’t quite fully form. “He’d probably like to think that. No guy wants to think about his sister having…being, er…intimate with someone.”

  “You don’t have a sister. How would you know?”

  “I have you, and that’s pretty close. Which is another reason this is so ridiculous.” He squeezed her fingers. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t feel that way about you.”

  She waved her free hand. “Of course you don’t. I don’t feel that way about you either. Which is actually all the more reason for you to be my tutor. I don’t want this to be about emotion. Just about sex.”

  He let go of her hand. His mouth compressed in a grim line, all vestiges of a smile gone. “Forget it.”

  “Come on, I’ll make it worth your while.”

  He raised an eyebrow. It nearly touched the shock of dark blond hair falling across his forehead. “What does that mean?”

  “I could pay you.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”

  “Okay, then we’ll do a trade. You help me with this, and I’ll help you with something. Anything. What do you want?”

  “I want this conversation to be over.”

  “You really won’t help me?” Was he actually turning her down? What man said no to sex with no strings attached?

  “Not with this.” The words were definitive. Final.

  She shrugged. “Fine.” She gripped the stem of the margarita glass tighter to still her shaking fingers.

  He regarded her with a wary look on his face. “So are we done with this conversation? And this whole crazy idea?”

  “Sure.” She tamped down her disappointment. He’d been her first choice, and she’d been counting on him to agree, but if Jason wouldn’t play along, she’d have to move on to Plan B.

  ****

  “What the hell are you doing?” The first thing Jason noticed when he walked into Easy Street was Chloe sitting at the bar. The next thing he noticed was Reese Carlson practically drooling all over her. No surprise there considering how she was dressed.

  She turned. Wide, innocent baby blues stared up at him. “What?”

  “Excuse us.” Jason forced the pleasantry out. What he really wanted to do was put his fist into Reese’s face, because he had his hand so far up on Chloe’s thigh his fingertips were hidden beneath the hem of her skirt. Her way, way too short skirt.

  Jason grasped her upper arm to assist her off the stool. He guided her through the crowd and out the front door. Next to the building he stopped and crossed his arms over his chest. “What the hell are you doing?” he repeated. His gaze traveled down her body. The ragged hem of the jean skirt barely covered anything. Just as revealing was the shirt she’d tied beneath her breasts, leaving her midriff bare. Only one button was fastened, exposing two creamy swells of flesh and a glimpse of lacy bra.

  He slammed his eyes shut and muttered an oath. “And what the hell are you wearing?”

  She shrugged. “Since you turned me down the other night, I was trying to find someone else to be my tutor.”

  “You were trying…” He let the sentence trail off and wiped a hand over his face. “The only thing you’re going to find in that outfit is someone who wants you to turn a trick.” He was careful not to let his gaze wander below her neck. “Please tell me you didn’t tell Carlson about your crazy plan.”

  She looked up, a mutinous expression on her face, and put her hands on her hips. “What if I did? You didn’t want to help me. Maybe he would.”

  A growl built deep in his chest and erupted as a snarl. Without thinking, he bent and wrapped his arm around her, then stood, tossing her over his shoulder.

  Her small fists beat at his back. “What do you think you’re doing? Put me down.”

  Jason paid no attention. His boots crunched in the gravel as his long strides ate up the distance. “I’m taking you home.” To stop her squirming, he put his hand over her derriere. Lace and silk branded itself against his palm. The small scrap of denim masquerading as a skirt wasn’t up to the task of covering her in that position. He hoped to God no one drove into the parking lot or left the bar before he got her in the truck.

  He fished the keys out of his pocket. After fumbling awkwardly with the lock using his left hand, he set her on the seat. “Don’t move.” He slammed the door, then hurried around the hood. Without another word, he didn’t trust himself to speak, he peeled out of the parking lot, gravel churning beneath the tires.

  After a few miles, he glanced over. The greenish glow from the dashboard revealed a glistening trail down her cheek. She was crying? Good. Maybe some common sense had finally nudged aside the craziness.

  But her tears caused a stab of remorse in his gut. He took her hand. “Are you okay?”

  She jerked out of his grasp. “I’m fine.” She hugged herself.

  “Are you cold?”

  “No.” But she shivered.

  At a red light, he reached into the back seat. “Here.” He handed her a flannel shirt.

  “Thanks.” She unbuckled the seatbelt to shrug into the garment.

  They drove in silence. Her occasional sniffle tugged at his heart and made him feel like a total heel. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. He’d only wanted to make her stop thinking about the ridiculous plan she’d concocted.

  He pulled to the curb in front of Chloe’s apartment. She lived on the second floor of an old farmhouse. The owner of the house, an elderly lady in her late seventies, lived downstairs.

  “Will you come in for a minute?”

  He hesitated. He’d been in her apartment before, but would she take it to mean something else now? Was she up to something again? He wished he could read her mind.

  “I just want to talk.”

  Had she read his? “Okay, sure.”

  Upstairs, she curled a foot beneath her and sank into one corner of the mocha with cream-colored couch. He took a matching polka dotted armchair at a right angle to the sofa.

  She looked at him. “I guess you’re pretty mad at me, huh?”

  He shook his head. “Not mad, just…do you have any idea what I wanted to do to Carlson when I saw him with his hand up your skirt? It’s a damn good thing Danny wasn’t there tonight.”

  “He’s working.”

  He bit back a reprimand, not wanting to make her cry again. She’d thought about every aspect except what could have happened. How could a twenty-seven year old be so naïve?

  Men were slime. Scum. None would have a qualm about taking advantage.

  Jason couldn’t shake the image of her at the bar. It wasn’t like he’d never seen her with a guy. She’d had boyfriends before, but he’d never wanted to do bodily harm to any of them. But this time, it had been different. Maybe because
he knew what she’d been up to. With Reese Carlson of all people.

  “So you just happened to run into Reese at the bar tonight?”

  Her chin jutted out, but the vulnerability in her eyes clashed with the defiant gesture. “No. I knew he was going to be there. Since you said no, he was next on my list. A girl has to have a backup plan, right? I’ve always heard he’s pretty good in bed, too.”

  Shock momentarily robbed him of words. He wasn’t sure if he was more angry about the lengths to which she’d gone to plan her crazy scheme or that she’d put him in the same category as a guy like Carlson, who ever since high school had had a reputation for going from bed to bed with nary a good-bye in between.

  “Probably wasn’t your best plan.” He kept his voice neutral. “Carlson’s an asshole.”

  “I know. You’re right.” Her gaze darted away from his, then back. “I just want it to be like it is in books.”

  “Books?”

  Her lips curved into a small smile. “No, I supposed you’ve never read a romance novel. But in every one I’ve read, the sex is amazing. More perfect than the heroine ever dreamed.”

  “You’re talking about fiction,” he said, gently. “Real life isn’t a romance novel.”

  She shook her head, stubborn as always. “It’s got to be real, otherwise the authors wouldn’t know how to write about it.”

  He had no answer for that.

  “I’ve never been with someone who made me feel that way. And I want to know. I want to know what it’s like. I guess I’ve always picked the wrong guys before.”

  “Did you really think Reese Carlson was the right guy?”

  “Maybe. Like I said, he seems to know what he’s doing.” She peered at him from under the blonde bangs brushing her forehead. “But, remember, I thought of you first, but you turned me down.”

  He ignored her. And the way her long, bare legs looked peeking out from beneath the hem of his shirt.

  Finally she continued. “Look. I know you think I’m crazy, and I know you don’t want to help me with this. Fine. But then I need to find someone who will.”

  He looked into her determined eyes and huffed out a breath. A vision of her skimpy outfit, hidden now beneath the flannel shirt, popped into his head. What harebrained scheme would she come up with next? Worse, what happened when some good for nothing guy looking for a one-night stand took her up on it? She must not have had time to outline her plan tonight, because there’s no way in hell Carlson would have turned her down.