Joe turned to me and grinned. “So, Emma, if there is one thing you could have for your birthday, what would it be?” he inquired.

I didn’t need to think about it. “An orgasm.”

Everyone burst out laughing and Joe raised one eyebrow. “Oh, really? Well, tonight’s your lucky night, because that’s exactly what I got you.”

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to turn him down, when Carson put his hand on Joe’s chest. “Back off, she’s not interested!” he growled. His other arm tightened on my waist, moving me further away from Joe to his other side.

“And how do you know that? You a mind reader now, hot shot?” Joe asked, pushing Carson’s hand off him angrily.

Carson laughed humourlessly. “Oh, come on, you’ve been hitting on her for the last hour. Has she even showed the slightest bit of interest in you? No. So get over it, and go hit on someone more in your league,” Carson said, smirking at him confidently.

If Joe had been hitting on me for the last hour, either I was really drunk or he was just plain terrible at it because I hadn’t even noticed.

Joe made some sort of reply, but I didn’t hear it because at that moment Carson pressed his mouth to my ear. “Wanna dance with me?” he whispered. His hot breath tickled my skin, making me shiver lightly. I gulped and nodded, handing my glass to a grinning Lucie.

Carson smiled and took my hand, leading me off a little way to where people were grinding on each other. I slipped my arms around his neck and grinned happily. In all the years I’d known him, this was actually our first dance together. Sure, I’d danced for him a lot, but never proper dancing like this. It was nice.

He smiled and pulled me closer to him, his blue eyes locked on mine, and I almost forgot how to breathe. Everyone else disappeared and all that was left was him. I could barely even hear the music which was sure to be banging around us. His hand went to my neck, playing with the cheap necklace I was wearing tonight.

“Don’t you like the one I bought you? I could get you something else, if you want,” he offered, looking at me apologetically.

I smiled and gripped my hands into his hair. “I love the one you got me. I was just a little scared to wear it tonight in case I lost it,” I admitted.

He laughed and shook his head as if I’d said something silly. “You don’t need to worry about that. If you lose it, I’ll just get you another one.”

I sighed dreamily. Sometimes he was almost too sweet and adorable for my sanity. “You are so damn sweet, baby,” I whispered as I pulled his mouth down to mine.

He kissed me back hungrily. His soft lips moving against mine made everything seem right in the world. It didn’t matter that I had to work so hard to pay the rent, or that I was stuck in a job I hated, working my way through Uni on about four hours sleep a night. It didn’t matter how hard my life was as a single mother. When Carson kissed me, I felt like I could do anything and be anyone.

My whole body was burning for more. I was so turned on it was almost painful. I felt like some desperate horny junkie who needed a fix. My body was on high alert, jittery and needy. His tongue traced along my bottom lip, asking for entrance, so I pulled away, putting my forehead to his.

“Carson, I want you to do something for me,” I breathed, looking into his eyes, which reminded me so much of his daughter.

“Sure, what?” he asked, kissing me again. I kissed him back but when he nibbled on my bottom lip, I pulled away again, making him groan.

I smiled teasingly. “I want you to walk away from me,” I stated, watching as shock crossed his face.

“What, why?”

I gripped the front of his shirt, rubbing my nose against his lightly, like he always did to me. “I want you to go away and then come back and pretend like you don’t know me. I want you to hit on me with your best pick-up line ever. Then I’m going to drag you to the bathrooms and have hot, nasty, stranger sex with you,” I said seductively. As I spoke, the shock was slowly fading from his face, to be replaced by lust and longing.

“Are you sure this isn’t my birthday?” he growled, slipping his hand down to my bum, squeezing gently.

I giggled. “Oh, no, baby, it’s definitely mine,” I confirmed, tracing my finger along the edge of his collar, feeling his soft skin.

He smirked at me. “And this is a little fantasy of yours, is it? Picking up a stranger in a bar for hot, nasty, bathroom sex?” he asked, his voice husky and thick with lust.

I closed my eyes and nodded. It wasn’t exactly the ‘picking up a stranger’ thing I wanted. It was meeting him for the first time as a normal girl, in normal clothes. I wanted to feel like one of the girls he picked up in the clubs. I wanted to feel special and wanted, even if it was just for one night. I wanted him, and for once he wouldn’t feel the need to offer me money; he would just be with me because he wanted to be. I wanted the full Carson Matthews experience all those other girls got.

He laughed and kissed my lips softly before pulling away from me and disappearing through the crowd. I bit my lip, giggling and blushing like crazy as I headed back to where Lucie was still propping up the bar. Thankfully, Joe and Logan were gone, off dancing and flirting with a group of girls by the look of it.

Lucie glanced over my shoulder and frowned as I walked back on my own. “Where’s lover boy?”

“We’re playing a game,” I replied, shrugging.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “You must be pleased with his reaction to the Joe thing,” she said, nodding enthusiastically.