“Why didn’t you call?” she asked sadly.
My guilty eyes dropped to the table, suddenly finding the empty shot glasses interesting. Frowning, I forced myself to look back up before I told her, “Same reason you didn’t want to ask Brad for my number. You were his girl. You weren’t mine to call.”
One of her hands fell from the bar and pressed into her hip, and her body began to sway and twist. “You were my friend too, you know?”
I nodded and bit down on my lip. “You’re right. I should’ve called.”
She murmured.
And that uncomfortable silence began to build again. Scanning the room, I remembered the juke box and jumped to my feet. “I know what we need. Come here.”
“Hell. No,” she replied, giving her words a little twang.
“Yes,” I said, already scanning the titles for a particular song.
“Na-uh.”
I knew exactly what she was thinking. That a replay of last Thursday was bound to happen if she removed herself of that mahogany barricade. And damn if I wasn’t going to try. “If you don’t get out here, I’m going to play Informer ten times straight.”
Laughing, she said, “Do you really think I’d put that song on there?”
We heard that song for the first time when we went to this nineties themed party junior year. We actually hated it, but still memorized every word, because singing it obnoxiously pissed Brad off to the point he’d want to bash his head into a wall. We were horrible, and would probably be a YouTube sensation if we’d just record it. “My phone has an incredibly loud speaker system. I’ll purchase it if you don’t get your ass out here.”
“I’m calling your bluff, outfielder.” Wow. Outfielder. I hadn’t heard that nickname in forever.
“Mel, if you make me come get you, you won’t like my retrieval process. It resembles something a caveman would do.”
She playfully groaned and muttered, “Fine.” She made the mistake of side bumping me to get a better view of the jukebox, so I quickly shoved her before me and trapped her against the machine, the cutest grunt sounding between her lips. Damn she felt good, and I found myself trying to maximize the surface area between us, squeezing her into the tightest space possible between my arms, pressing my chest into her back.
Her h*ps bent forward as she leaned onto the glass, pushing that curvy ass against me. My head fell back and I needed a moment to restrain myself – she had officially activated the launch system.
“So what are you looking for?”
I gritted my teeth and pinched my eyes before lifting my head, leaning it against hers sideways. “Something I know you’ve put on here.”
“If you tell me, I can just bring it up for you.”
I flipped to the next page of songs. “Now where would be the fun in that?”
“You mean not being able to keep me smashed beneath you?”
My smile spread wide, but she couldn’t see it. Whispering into her ear, I replied, “I don’t see you trying to squirm your way free.” Before she could rebut, or worse, actually try to escape, I found what I was looking for. “Ha! I knew it.” I slipped a quarter in and felt her deep chuckles reverberate off me when I selected the song.
As the music began, my hands were uncontrollable, sliding down her waist, forcing her h*ps to move with mine. It sure as hell didn’t help my condition rubbing her against me, but her sweet laughter made it all worthwhile. I sang the first two lines to Bad Moon Rising, my lips smothering her ear. As she extended her neck, it took all my strength not to bite into her right then.
She sang the next two lines, her hands gripping mine. I wrapped my arms around her stomach, yanking us backwards, maneuvering between the spread out tables, both of us still singing the words between bouts of laughter. I twirled her again and again, not caring that we were bumping tables and chairs left and right. I occasionally dipped her low, and on the third one, she landed perfectly atop a four-top…and I didn’t bring her back up.
7
I gasped as his mouth sucked at the top of my jaw, his hot exhalation tickling my ear. My back arced and it felt oh so good, vibrations ripping at me down below. I don’t know where my hand came from, but it was suddenly stroking the nape of Shane’s neck and into his hair, pushing him down, encouraging his mouth to keep on keeping on.
He groaned and obliged me for a few more love bites, then lifted his head above me. His eyes were piercing mine, but I couldn’t get my attention off his lips, hanging slightly open like mine, waiting to be touched for the first time. God it was embarrassing how deep my breaths were, how hard my chest was trying to rise against his. Worse, I whimpered. I actually freaking whimpered from anticipation.
His lips curled and dipped towards mine.
CLICK.
It was nothing but a pin drop, but as silent as this room was, it might as well have been a damn cannon blasting. Both our heads twisted for the front door, where Chelsie was standing in awe, already chuckling at us. “So this is what happens after hours.”
Shit! I pushed against him. He reluctantly let me up and I yanked at my top, which had risen up well above my belly button.
“Sorry, guys,” she said on her way to the back of the bar, “but I think my wallet fell out of my bag here. I’ll just…” She disappeared for a moment, then popped up flashing a silver square. “Found it! I’ll just…go away now.”
“Oh! No, that’s okay,” I blurted. “Shane was just leaving too.”
“What?” he cried.
I slammed my palms flat against his body. Dear God, there were some nice ridges hiding under that shirt! My hands slid up to his pecks and pushed. “Yeah. You have to go now.”
“Are you for real?” he asked. He was slowly backing his way through the room but it had nothing to do with the strength of my push…or lack thereof.
“Very. I can’t. I need to sleep on this.”
With a wicked smile, he flattened his hands over mine and sassed, “I’m all for you sleeping on me. Let’s go.”
Chelsie burst out in laughter. Why the hell hadn’t she left yet?
“Ha ha. You’re funny,” I sarcastically remarked. “But not tonight.” I guided him all the way to the door. Chelsie had already gone through and let it close behind her. “Good night, Shane.”
Suddenly, I was whipped around and slammed against the wall, his body smothering mine, connecting what seemed every inch of our bodies. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one aroused at the moment. “What, no kiss goodnight?” he teased.
His eyes, his fingers as they caressed the side of my face…it was all hypnotizing. And I wanted him so badly, enough that I was on the verge of letting him take me right there. But hell if our first time was going to be in this bar. With a whisper, I said, “If I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop.”
His mouth became dangerously close. If I were to lick my lips right now, I could easily hydrate his as well. “And why would that be such a bad thing?” he whispered back, his hand slipping beneath my shirt, rubbing gently against my skin, his thumb inching higher with each sweep.
Oh, Lordy… I took a deep breath to calm myself. My insides were so ticked when I quietly answered, “Not bad. Just too fast.”
After a moment, he nodded. “Okay.” His lips softly kissed my cheek and he pushed off, removing his body from mine and slipping his way out the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
All I could do was nod my head until the door closed. I gasped and took in several more breaths, my chest beginning to bruise from all the elevated beats that had been pounding away. I briskly rubbed my arms, smoothing the goosebumps popping up now that his hot body wasn’t pressed against mine.
Gawd. What was wrong with me? The moment he touched me I lost all self-control. Like a freaking horny teenager. I huffed over that thought. Hell, the last time I had sex I was a horny teenager. And I ended up pregnant.
My head fell back against the drywall and I groaned, my palms flat against my forehead. I hadn’t even told him about Jake yet. Seriously, I could not get involved with a guy without telling him I had a kid first. So that’s what I’d do. Next time I saw him, I’d break it to him. Being with me meant an actual relationship, and not only with me, but with a little boy, too.
I awoke to rhythmic bouncing, which unfortunately, had nothing to do with Shane and the bedroom scenario I was currently dreaming about. To my left came quiet giggling. I was groaning, swaying my head back and forth in annoyance, trying to reach out and stop it, but the little toot kept jumping farther and farther away. Why the hell did I have a queen-sized bed anyway? It wasn’t like I ever brought anyone home.
Of course, it was a hand-me-down from my parents, but still.
“Jake, baby,” I moaned, my eyes refusing to open and acknowledge the morning, “Mommy’s still tired.”
Of course that didn’t get him to stop – he was barely four years old. In times like this, I wasn’t beyond a little bribery. “If you stop bouncing, I’ll make you chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.”
Finally, my world stopped rocking and I sighed. “With the white stuff?”
Whipped cream. Leave it to him to add more sugary calories that’ll make him spaz out before crashing from a sugar coma. But I hardly got to see him much these days and I loved to make our time together as special as possible. “Mmm-hmm. Just give Mommy a few minutes to wake up, okay? Go find a cartoon to watch.”
One more bounce meant he fell to his butt to crawl off, then he ran out of the room yelling yay! Yay indeed. I was looking forward to hitting my mental snooze button when my freaking phone began to ring. Seemed no one wanted to give me a break this morning. I fumbled for it blindly, refusing to take my other arm off my eyes.
“Hello,” I grumbled, not even bothering to check the caller ID. Anyone calling me at this God-forsaken hour deserved my cranky attitude.
“Good,” a tired voice mumbled, “I’m not the only one having trouble getting out of bed.”
My arm swung to the bed as I arced myself up onto my elbows. “Shane?”
“Remind me why I’m not waking up in your bed this morning?”
“How did you get my number?” I asked, all bright-eyed and suddenly alert to the world.
“Chelsie. Last night when you went all one-eighty on my ass. You didn’t answer my question.”
“Because I’m not one of your playthings here to be your personal sex toy,” I answered bluntly. Yeah. Not a morning person.
“Good point,” he replied, “and probably why I’ve always wanted you instead of the others. So when will you be at work? I plan to bug you your entire shift.”
“Today’s my day off.” I collapsed onto the bed again, wishing I could fall asleep right then, despite my inner fangirling over Shane’s attention. “And before you ask, yes, I would like to meet with you, but I’ve got some things to do this morning. How about this afternoon?”
“Sounds like a plan. Where and when?”
“Uh… at the park? Say two?” If I had to tell him about Jake, I might as well just let them meet.
“Alright,” he said amidst a yawn. “Goodnight.”
Goodnight? I quietly called him a bastard and chucked my phone at my feet. No way I was going to be lucky enough to catch a few more Z’s.
Once I made the breakfast I promised him, Jake and I made our weekly run to the grocery store. I loved having him with me, but I also hated taking him. For every healthy item I put into the basket, he tried to add two of the opposite. It was a losing battle. With different people taking care of him and trying to keep him happy, he had learned to take advantage of it, always manipulating everyone into giving him something he really didn’t need. I’d be the first to admit I fell for it every day.
When we got back home, I made him his favorite lunch – grilled cheese with ham, then blackmailed him into cleaning up his room by telling him we couldn’t leave for the park until he did. Huh…maybe he learned those manipulation skills from me after all.
Jake finished quickly, and instead of making him wait at the house, bouncing endlessly against the walls like a hyperactive game of ping pong, I drove him to the park a half hour early. He ran off to the jungle gym, slowly warming up to the idea of playing with another little boy, who kept trying to engage him.
The boy’s mother was lost in a novel, so I sat opposite the playground, grateful for the time to focus on my own thoughts. The early spring air was still crisp, and I inhaled deeply several times, enjoying the fact that it wasn’t the smoky air I usually had to choke on. I kept glancing at my phone, actually shocked that only two minutes ever passed between each look. Shit. How nervous was I to see Shane again? And why the hell couldn’t I get him out of my head?
I swear I was fixated on him more than ever before. “Probably because I let him put his hands all over me,” I muttered to myself through barely-parted lips. Hell, I’d do it again too. I just couldn’t believe the rush of energy I felt every time he came near. There had been two guys who caught my eyes the past few years, but neither ever came close to turning me on like this. And now that I knew what it felt like to be within his arms, his lips running along my skin....holy hell. I just melted away, self-control jumping out the window never to be seen again. I really wanted him. For once, could life just throw me a bone and let me have some cake? I loved cake. I missed cake.
The twentieth check to my phone finally flashed my new favorite numbers. Two-hundred, or two o’clock on the dot. Then my new addiction became staring at the street without trying to appear like I was staring at the street. Yeah. Pathetic. Luckily, I only had to suffer that for four little minutes. I didn’t know for sure if it was him inside the black Dodge Ram with the tinted windows, but my heart went so spastic I knew it had to be.