She narrowed her eyes. “Why did you call me that?”
“Call you what? Your name?” A warning bell went off. “You asked me your name last time I saw you and I’m just telling you I do know.”
“Nobody calls me Allana,” she said. “Except my family.”
Nico said, “Thanks, Ally.” He took the plate of quiche. “Why don’t you enjoy yourself? We got these.”
Uh oh, how did I screw up?
Lily watched Allana, whose eyes were still focused on me, waiting for an answer. It was like a movie scene where the camera panned in on each face and ominous music built up the suspense. My hands turned clammy. I fucked up, but how?
“Everything okay?” Lily asked.
“Yes,” Allana replied.
“Okay, I’ll be in the living room if you need me.” She walked away. “Thanks for all your help.”
She leaned closer to me and a wave of her scent hit me, coconut and maybe a hint of almonds. That calming aroma broke through the anxiety, drawing me in. I resisted the urge to sniff, which would only add to the awkwardness.
“Who told you my name is Allana?”
“I don’t remember.” I rolled my shoulders back, aiming for a nonchalant reply. “You must have told me last summer.”
“I introduce myself as Ally.” She arched a brow.
“Why? I like the way Allana flows.”
“Ally is more approachable than Allana, which sounds like someone high-maintenance.”
“I think it fits you well,” I countered. Great, now I was sticking my foot in my mouth. “Not because you’re high-maintenance,” I clarified, “but because you’re beautiful.”
“Okay, Mike.” She drew out the syllables. “You’re quick with the cover up, I’ll give you that. But I recognize bullshit when I see it. What’s the real story?”
Busted. What could I come up with next to cover it up? I scanned my brain for something, anything, and came up with zip. Rather than digging myself into a deeper trench, I opted for the truth.
“I looked you up online using a reverse address search.”
“What?” Her mouth opened in a wide O. “That seems kind of cyber stalker-ish.”
“No!” I protested. “It’s just using technology. That’s what it’s there for. So we can find information.”
“What did you do—Google me?”
I cocked my head and spoke in a posh English accent. “As a matter of fact, I did not.”
She peered at me with suspicion.
“It’s true. I may be no good at relationships, but I do like the old-fashioned way of getting to know people through a normal progression, not getting an information dump online.”
She continued to stare at me as if I were an animal she was trying to decide was cute or dangerous. Couldn’t I be a little of both?
I added, “Do you have deep, dark secrets you’re afraid I’ll uncover?”
She laughed and her guarded expression softened. I might be shit at reading people, but that was clearly a good sign.
“Hardly,” she said. “If you searched for me, all you’ll get is a bunch of results with yoga, Pilates, and fitness tips. You, on the other hand, are all over the Internet. The Velvet Cocks website for one.”
“We created that ourselves,” I said, pumping my chest out. Lily helped us with marketing, something I knew nothing about and had zero interest in learning.
“Social media,” she continued, counting on her fingers. “Lord knows how many fan sites.”
“Speaking of cyber stalking…?” I teased with what I hoped was a boyish grin. “What’s out there is limited to what we want the public to know about us. All you’d discover is I’m a software engineer who can play guitar.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Are you saying there’s more to you than that?”
“I don’t know you well enough to divulge my secrets.” Time to turn on the charm while she was in a better mood. I leaned in closer, her feminine scent filling my nostrils. “But I might like to.”
She tried to stifle a smile, but it escaped and dazzled me. Shit, who was disarming whom?
“I knew you didn’t remember my name,” she said.
“It’s not because I forgot you, in particular. I never remember names. I’m a numbers guy. If you’d given me your phone number, I would still remember it.”
“Well, it’s just as I expected.” She ran her hands over her dress as if to smooth out any wrinkles. “So, I’m not surprised.”
My gaze followed the path of her hands. “What does that mean?”
“You’re a rock guitarist who sleeps around. Can’t expect you to remember every one-night stand.”
I dropped the smile and caught her eye. “I remember every detail of that night. You have two cats—an orange tabby and a gray one, and a tank full of angelfish. You’d said you loved animals and wanted a house full of them one day. You wished your landlord would allow dogs. You poured us two glasses of Merlot, which we barely touched before stumbling into your bedroom. Your room was painted light-blue, but with one yellow wall. With the lights out, star stickers glowed on the ceiling, the Big Dipper, Orion, and a smattering of stars. An abstract painting that looked like a moon in the night hung over your bed and framed pictures of family and friends are on the other walls. You had a copy of the Dalai Lama’s The Art of Happiness on your nightstand with some colorful sticky notes marking pages.”
Her mouth had dropped open, but I continued. “We shed our clothes in record time. I still remember your soft moans, how you responded to my touch, how good it felt with you clenched around me.” My cock twitched at the memory. “You told me you were a yoga instructor, and I joked how I’d test your flexibility, which we did many times that night.”
She covered her opened mouth, appearing astonished. “Oh my God, Chee. Mike or whatever I’m supposed to call you.”
“Call me Mike.”
She dropped her hand. “How many names do you go by?”
“My given name is Michael Rodrigo Harvey.”
“Okay, Michael. Keep your voice down.” She scanned the room. “I don’t want anyone to hear us.”
“Why not? You were a little sex kitten. Any guy would kill to change places with me right now.”
She blushed and blinked in slow motion, and then took my arm to steer me down the hall away from people. “That’s not something any girl wants everyone to know about her.”
“Got it,” I motioned across my mouth with a zipping noise. “Sex tigress secret under wraps.”
“I was a sex kitten a moment ago.”
“You deserve a promotion.” I leaned in closer. “Now please after my pleasant stroll down memory lane, tell me you’re not here with anyone tonight.”
“You mean a guy?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Yes. Using my cyber detecting skills where I uncovered your name, I noticed a man lived at that same address, too.”
She grinned. “And your stealthy skills didn’t reveal whether we’re a couple?”
“No, that’s where technology falls short. Nor did it indicate whether you’re sleeping together.”
“You sound a tad jealous. Do you feel this possessive about women you sleep with?”
I contemplated her question, gazing out into the room. “No. I usually don’t care.”
“Aren’t I lucky,” she returned. “What makes me so special? Or is this a ruse to sleep with me again?”
“Let me answer the easier question first. Yes, I definitely want to sleep with you again. I thought you were hot in that sleek black outfit at the club. And now…” I exhaled with a whooshing sound. “I can’t stop thinking about unzipping your dress to see what you have on underneath.”
“That’s not gonna happen, rock star.” She straightened to her full height, not even reaching to my shoulders.
“Why not?”
“Because that remarkable rendition just means you remembered the lead up and the sex. Not only did you forget my name at Vamps, you didn’t remember me.
”
“I did when I got a closer look.”
She shot me a skeptical look. “And why would you want to have sex with me again? Someone who might have slept with you just because you’re in a band, as you so eloquently pointed out?”
“Because it was hot. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you and wondering if you’re okay.”
“Of course I’m okay.” She waved an arm. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
The blood on her neck, for one reason. No, I wouldn’t bring it up, though. Why stick my oversized-boot in my mouth again when I was finally making progress?
“Another question I don’t know the answer to,” I said.
“For such a smart guy, these simple questions are tripping you up?”
I nodded. “In case you haven’t guessed, I’m better with technology than people. Will you answer this question—are you with anyone?”
“No. And I’m not sleeping with my roommate, nor do I want to. In fact, I’m so busy right now I don’t have time for a relationship.”
“Why, what’s up?”
“I’m opening my own yoga and Pilates studio. It’s more work than I ever could have imagined.”
Ah, that was what Nico meant about her being busy. Relief settled over me when I realized it wasn’t something awful like planning her wedding.
“Good for you. Are you excited? Or terrified?”
“Both. Lily’s been helping me with the website and promo, but I still feel over my head. I get the keys to the place tomorrow.” She shook her head. “Actually, I’d rather not talk about it tonight. It’s my last hurrah for a long time as I’m about to become a small business owner.”
“All right, no more talk about your new venture. Let’s get you a drink.” I found an open bottle of white wine and poured two glasses. “To you and all your future successes.”
And to me having another chance with you tonight.
We clinked glasses and each took a sip.
Ally
I stared at Mike over the glass. He perplexed me. This was the third time we’d spoken, but unlike the other two times, he didn’t sport the aloof rock star persona and he seemed kind of normal.
Not to mention sexy as hell.
Two guys walked up.
“You might know John, the drummer in the Velvet Cocks,” Mike said. “And this is Ryan, another one of the knuckleheads I work with.”
What a different world from my own. While they worked on computers all day using their brains, I tried to help people work on their body and turn off the chatter that went on in our minds. I took a mental note to target a class toward corporations with staff on computers.
“Knuckleheads?” I laughed. “I thought you guys are all brains. Tech guys who are changing the world or something like that.”
“Oh yeah, we’re all good with technology,” Mike agreed. “Doesn’t mean we’re not all jackasses.”
“Speak for yourself, Mike,” the one he introduced as Ryan said. “Weren’t you planning to stay in and watch the Twilight Zone marathon tonight?”
Mike’s expression turned stunned, but he recovered in a flash. “It’s the age of information, my friend. I can watch that anytime. Nico invited me to his party, so as a good buddy, I came here.”
Ryan appeared unconvinced. “Yeah, right.”
“Excuse us,” Mike said. “I see your ugly mugs all day. I want to spend some time with a much prettier one.” He grinned and steered us down the hall.
My mind was spinning, seeing him in a normal setting and interacting with guys he worked with. I’d only seen him in Chee Keydood mode, with the wild stage outfits or tight leather pants. But, tonight he wore casual clothes, a well-fitting pair of jeans and T-shirt, which made him seem more down-to-earth and approachable—a real person than a persona. The combination of the bad boy rock star in my friend’s place threw me off. I didn’t know what to make of him, but whatever it was, it was drawing me in. No matter what I said to try to keep him at a distance, every part of my being gravitated closer.
“Do you always give each other a hard time like that?” I asked.
“Hell, yeah. That’s nothing. Nico and I share a space when we go into the office. You should hear us giving each other crap all day long.”
“How do you get any work done?”
“We get in the zone, baby.”
I pictured him and Nico, alternating between banter and working on some technology I couldn’t wrap my head around.
Mike said, “You know what I’ve always hated about New Year’s Eve?”
“What?”
“The pressure of the midnight kiss.”
I grinned. “Tell me about it.”
He leaned in closer. The aftershave he wore tickled my nostrils with a pleasurable scent and I inhaled deeper.
“Why don’t we take the pressure off and kiss now?” His voice was a smoky caress in my ear.
“What makes you think we’re going to kiss at midnight?” Although I countered his expectations, my gaze flickered from his soulful eyes down to his finely chiseled lips.
“Thought we’d start off the new year right—full of promise for good things to come.” He tilted his head down, leaning closer still.
My lips parted on their own accord. “I don’t know if it’s wise to kiss someone tonight who you know you won’t see tomorrow.” Despite my cautious words, my traitorous body leaned closer to him. My breasts were only inches from his chest, tingling from the closeness.
“That doesn’t have to be the case.” His voice came out so low and sexy, it sent sensuous vibrations into my ear.
My eyelids lowered as my body froze with anticipation, wanting and waiting for more. My heart pounded louder than the music echoing around me, Marilyn Manson’s The Beautiful People.
“What do you say?” he whispered, tilting my chin up. His lips were centimeters from mine and his warm breath left me trembling.
What was I doing? I was pissed at him for not remembering me, but my body didn’t seem to remember that.
Through quickened breaths, I murmured, “I say kiss me.” Then I moved up to my tiptoes to close the space.
When his lips finally touched mine, scalding sensations shot through me. All my nerves lit up, electrified by such a tiny action. Spurred into action, I wrapped my arms around his neck as I kissed him, melting into his arms. As his lips caressed mine, he reminded me how skilled he was at this. He didn’t rush, but took his time, savoring the experience as his tongue explored me.
Our bodies touched and the awareness of his growing erection against my hip inflamed a need to connect with him. If we weren’t in someone else’s place, I doubt I could have stopped myself from wrapping my legs around him and begging him to take me right there.
But, we were in Nico and Lily’s place with guests around us, not a club like Vamps where kissing in the dark shadows hardly caused a second glance. Although I wanted to ignore reason, the sensible woman inside commanded some self-control. I pulled away with reluctance.
“Happy New Year.” He grinned.
I glanced around the party, wondering if we caused some heated scene. People were caught up in their conversations and we were far enough down in the shadows of the hall that we didn’t seem to generate gawking observers of an X-rated affair.
“Take me home, Mike.” I said, still breathless from the kiss.
His eyes widened with surprise and he bowed halfway with a boyish grin. “It would be my honor.”
We’d have to say goodbye to Lily and Nico.
Lily. I couldn’t leave her like this. Sure, the party was going off without a hitch. Everyone was well-fed and holding a beverage of choice. But still, I was her security blanket. If I ditched the party to go home with some guy, she’d take it as a personal affront, think the night turned out lame and I decided to go somewhere better.
“No, we can’t.” I shook my head. “Not yet.”
The grin disappeared. “Why not?”
“We have to stay until a
t least midnight to be polite. It’s a New Year’s party after all.”
Mike exhaled and closed his eyes, as if trying to find some self-control himself. “As long as you don’t change your mind after midnight.”
“I’m not Cinderella.” I grinned. “Everything doesn’t change once the clock strikes twelve.” Although my body still tingled with desire, some sense had returned to me. “But this is just one night.”
He furrowed his brows. “Excuse me?”
“No empty promises about calling each other, no pretending that this means anything more than it is. We can spend the night together and then go our separate ways tomorrow.”
Mike stared at me through those warm chestnut eyes, which made me want to take back what I’d said. But I had to be practical. He was a guy with commitment issues. And I was a busy woman about to take the biggest plunge in my professional life. I didn’t need drama from any man, especially one who had women hanging all over him each night he went on stage, a role he seemed to relish and take every advantage of.
He leaned forward in a mock bow and said, “Whatever you’d like, M’lady.”
Mike
The next few hours at Nico and Lily’s party went by in a blur as I fought getting hard. My mind filled with one erotic image after another as I envisioned all the things I wanted to do with her when at last I’d get to take Allana home.
Don’t back out. Don’t change your mind.
As if I could will her with my thoughts.
She helped Lily in the kitchen and although everyone was stuffed, nobody resisted the tiny cupcakes and cheesecake bites. How could anyone resist anything Allana offered? She was a fucking goddess. Her smile lit up her face. The guys from work stammered in awkwardness around her and then gawked at her ass as she walked away. I couldn’t blame them. She had a perfectly shaped round ass, tight from yoga, but with enough oomph for guys to think damn. I was one of them.
I nursed a drink with more soda than alcohol. I was driving and had to be at peak level later. There were already enough assholes on the roads who had too much alcohol on New Year’s Eve as it was.
Blaze: Underground Encounters 6 Page 4
