by Bryony Kayn
“I will.” She picked up the tray and wove her way through the press of bodies to deliver the drinks.
A while later when Rebel finished their first set, Jake stopped by the side of the stage. Swan came over, dropping off the edge of the stage, and put his arm around her waist.
“You need anything?” she asked, returning his loose, one-armed embrace.
He shook his head. “Naw, Kade went to grab drinks for everyone while we break.”
“Okay.” When she started to move away, he pulled her back, but she only let him pull her partway. “I’m still on the clock.”
“Isn’t it time for your break?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not yet. Cassie’s on break right now, and Dana goes after her.” She took the last step between them, knowing what he wanted. “Sorry, Swan.”
He didn’t say anything, just took the opportunity to kiss her.
When Jake finally pulled away from Swan, she turned toward the table where her friends were sitting, only to see them all watching. If she’d been the blushing type, she might have been a little pink, but as it was, she just flashed them a grin as she made her way through the crowd. When she reached them, she stopped beside Quinn. “You guys need anything?”
“Another gin and tonic,” T.J. said, and Quinn nodded, adding, “I’ll take a refill on my coffee.”
She glanced at Angel, eyebrows raised in question.
“Have you thought about what we talked about last night?” he asked rather brusquely, and from the tight muscles along his jaw, he wasn’t particularly pleased with what he’d just witnessed.
She shrugged. “I’m still thinking about it.”
He sighed. “I wish you’d just go along with me for once.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry so much, Angel. Now, do you need a refill?”
“No, I’m fine for now.”
“’K, I’ll be back in a minute.” As she went around the table, she gently tugged on a lock of Angel’s hair before vanishing toward the bar.
Not long after Rebel went back onstage, Jake decided to take her break. She liked Swan. He was sexy and sweet, but she didn’t want to go too fast, and this thing with him threatened to progress more quickly than she really wanted. So instead of heading outside for a cigarette, she walked up behind Nikky, who was surrounded with lovely young women as usual. She slipped her arm around his waist, smiling at the catty looks she received from his admirers. When he turned to see her, he smiled, too.
“Hey, sexy,” he said, putting his arms around her.
“Wanna dance?”
“With you? Anytime,” he said, leaving the little group of women without a backward glance. He pulled her onto the open floor, and they began to dance.
They’d always loved to dance with each other, taking subliminal cues from each other and always moving in time as though they’d choreographed every move. Jake had no apprehension about molding herself to him, moving her hips with his whenever they drew close. She loved the feel of his hands on her hips or back when he held her close, as she loved the feel of his breath against her cheek.
Angel saw Jake and Nikky head onto the dance floor, moving together in perfect synchronicity as though the three years that she’d been gone had never happened. When he noticed the dismayed expression on Swan’s face, Angel had to smile. Swan didn’t know how Nikky was with Jake, and it seemed pretty clear he was reading more into it than there really was. Angel found that he was okay with that. “He’d better lose that jealous streak,” T.J. commented, “or she’ll send him packing.”
“Maybe she should send him packing anyway,” Angel said.
T.J. glanced at him sharply. “You developing a streak of your own?”
Angel just shook his head. “At least I know she’s safe with Nikky.”
Quinn laughed.
“I think Nikky’s more dangerous than Swan,” T.J. commented.
“She knows Nikky. None of us know Swan.”
T.J. shrugged. “Still, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. She seems to be leading him around by the nose.”
“I don’t think it’s his nose,” Quinn quipped, laughing at his own joke.
At that point, the song came to an end, and Nikky dipped Jake, nuzzling for a moment in her cleavage. She squealed and laughed, looking up at Nikky, who finally pulled her straight again. He said something in her ear, and she threw her head back with another laugh. Then she smacked his butt sharply and kissed the corner of his mouth before walking away from him. He watched for a moment, licking his lips and shaking his head as he watched her hips sway in her tight jeans. Then, with a salute to Swan as the band began their next song, he turned back to the throng of young women he’d left behind earlier.
As the night came to a close, Angel took a seat at the bar to wait for Jake to finish her shift. She glanced at him from time to time, and he wondered what she was thinking, but she didn’t stop her side work to talk to him. Quinn sat beside him, talking with Sly, who had emerged from the back office a few minutes before.
When Jake finished behind the bar, she came around to where Angel sat and put her arms around his neck.
Angel turned his head and smiled at her. “You about ready?”
“Just about,” she answered, resting her chin on his shoulder.
“Well, I’m out of here,” Quinn said, clapping Sly on the shoulder and shaking Angel’s hand. “Take it easy, Jake.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek as he passed.
“You, too,” she called after him, combing the fingers of her right hand through Angel’s wavy hair.
“Are you coming back to my place tonight?” Angel asked.
She shook her head. “Not tonight, babe. I still haven’t made up my mind.”
He turned to slip his arm around her waist, keeping her close to him. “I wish you’d just come with me tonight. I hate the thought of you at that dump by yourself.”
“Who says I’m going to be alone?” she asked. When he opened his mouth, she said, “Angel, don’t get on my case.”
“You don’t even know him,” he said in a low voice meant only for her ears.
“So?” she challenged. “That could change shortly.”
Before he could say anything else, Swan appeared, nodding to Sly. “Are you ready to go?” he asked, directing his question to Jake.
“Yeah,” she answered, pulling away from Angel. “See you tomorrow, Sly.” She grabbed her smokes off the bar, taking Swan’s hand with her free one. “’Night, Angel.”
He didn’t answer, so she turned and led Swan out of the club.
“You should know better than trying to tell her what to do,” Sly commented. “She’s gonna do whatever she wants, whether you like it or not.”
“I know,” Angel replied, rubbing his forehead with one hand.
Jake sighed as she watched Swan pull away, his car indistinct in the darkness of the Palms parking lot. He’d invited her back to his apartment, which she’d declined. Then he’d asked to come into her motel room, and she’d turned him down. There was a look in his eyes that she’d seen before in the eyes of other men; he wanted her any way he could get her. Instead, they’d made out in the front seat of his car like a couple of teenagers. It hadn’t taken long to get to the point where she either had to stop or go all the way. Swan had been breathing heavily, his hands up under her shirt, her bra undone, and he’d been trying to unfasten her jeans.
She’d put her arms between them then, panting for breath herself. It had been some time since she’d gotten laid, and he tested her control of herself. In breathless whispers she’d told him no and no and no, until finally he’d relented. He’d sat with his head back against the headrest, eyes closed as he tried to calm down.
“I’m sorry,” she’d told him, refastening her bra and pulling her shirt back into place. “I’m just not ready, Swan. This is going too fast.”
He hadn’t said anything, just pushed his hair out of his face. “I don’t know how long I can wait,” he sai
d at last, “You make me crazy for you.”
She’d cautiously touched his shoulder, not wanting to make him think she’d changed her mind. “I’d better go in,” she said.
He had sighed and nodded resignedly, doing up the buttons on his shirt that she’d undone to get to his chest and stomach.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
He looked at her and forced a rueful smile. “Yeah, I’ll see you at the club.”
She’d kissed him once more, pulling away as soon as it began to become passionate once more, and got out of his car. Now, she let herself into her room, locking the door behind her. Another night alone, which sucked. But she wasn’t ready to jump into something before she knew it was right. She’d done that with Steve, and she wasn’t going to do it with Swan.
It was three nights later when Steve showed up at the Neon, taking a chair between Angel and Quinn at their table.
The other two men exchanged looks, and Quinn said, “Hey, Steve. It’s been awhile. How’re things going?”
Steve nodded, flashing a white smile at the other man. “Pretty good. How about yourself?”
“Not bad,” Quinn answered.
“What are you doing here?” Angel asked bluntly, fighting the urge to look for Jake. “I thought you were closeted with Debra at her beach house.”
Steve shrugged dispassionately. “I heard a rumor that an old friend was back at the Neon, so I thought I’d come down and check it out.”
Quinn and Angel exchanged looks again. Obviously Steve knew Jake was back. “Where’d you hear that?” Angel asked.
His smile was cold as Steve replied, “I overheard T.J. talking to Marlo on the phone.” He looked directly at Angel as he asked, “When were you going to tell me she was here?”
“I wasn’t,” Angel answered truthfully. “At least, not until I knew you wouldn’t blow your cool.”
Steve snorted, flipping dark curls out of his eyes. “Why should I blow my cool, man? Is there some reason you think I should be upset?”
Angel didn’t reply, just met Steve’s gaze levelly.
“Actually, I’m happy that she’s back,” Steve went on when it was clear Angel wasn’t going to say anything. “I’ve missed her.”
“Man, don’t—” Quinn started, but Steve cut him off.
“None of you understand her, not the way I do. You think she’s afraid of me, that if she sees me here, she’ll take off again. I’m telling you, she came back here for me.”
“Man, you have a serious ego problem,” Angel said, his hands fisted on the table.
“I’ll prove it to you,” Steve said, sliding his chair back and standing up. His black hair had fallen forward to shadow half his face as he looked down at Angel. “I’ll be back.” Then he strode off, heading toward the end of the bar.
“There she is,” Quinn said, spotting Jake at the far end of the counter. “Should we…” And he trailed off.
Angel shook his head. “No. Just wait and see what happens.”
Jake had just set her tray down on the end of the bar when she felt a man’s strong hands on her hips, a warm body pressed against her back. Surprisingly, she wasn’t surprised when a rough voice said softly in her ear, “You look great.” His warm breath brought goose bumps, and sudden heat coiled through her. It had been so long, but was so familiar.
She turned around, stepping sideways to clear the end of the bar, and looked up into the dark, intent face that she knew better than she knew her own. His black hair was longer than she remembered, but the level, dark eyes seemed to strip her bare in a moment, as they always had. “So do you,” she returned rather breathlessly.
Steve pressed her back another step until she leaned against the wall, his hands sliding around to grip her ass, and he pulled her hips forward against him. A slight smile touched his mouth when he noted her quickened breath and the way she swallowed. He was clearly not unaffected himself. Without hesitating, he dropped his head to kiss her.
She returned the kiss with a passion she hadn’t felt in a long time, her arms sliding around his neck as she pressed herself against him with abandon. When he released her mouth, she was panting for breath.
“Got a minute?” he asked, the husky tone in his deep voice that had always been enough to make her tremble.
“Hold on,” she said, pulling away for a moment. “Hey, Dana? I’m gonna take a break.”
The other barmaid, a pretty brunette, nodded as she waited to pick up the drinks the bartenders were preparing for her. “Just don’t be too long, okay?”
Then Jake headed down the hallway that led back to the bathrooms and past that to the storage area and Sly’s office. She held Steve’s hand, pulling him along behind her. A few seconds later, she pulled a key ring from the pocket of her denim skirt and unlocked the door to the liquor storeroom. Steve followed her inside, pushing the door closed behind him and engaging the thumb lock before he turned back to her.
A sink with a scratched and dirty mirror stood in the corner of the room with a fluorescent light above it. Jake turned that light on, leaving the rest of the room in shadow, and the flickering tube lent a surreal aspect to the room.
“It’s been too long,” Steve breathed, striding toward her. He didn’t give her a chance to say anything. His mouth came down on hers, stealing her breath and any will she might have had to delay. His hands roamed over her slender body, cupping her breasts through the thin cotton of her tank top, then sliding around to grip her ass again. The time and distance that had separated them was nothing compared to the desire his touch brought to life.
Jake had completely surrendered to her thundering blood and the need that made her hands shake as she ripped his shirt open, not caring that buttons were torn off in her haste. She moved her hands over his chest, around to his broad, smooth back, reveling in the feel of silky skin over hard muscle. When he released her mouth again to trail kisses along her throat to the curve of her shoulder, she gasped. “Now, Steve. Now!”
He reached down and caught the hem of her denim miniskirt, pulling it up around her waist. He didn’t bother taking the time to slide her panties down. Instead, with the hissing sound of ripping cloth, he tore them off her and dropped them on the floor. She had unfastened his pants and was trying to push the cloth out of the way, searching for his erection, and he gasped sharply as she took him in her hand.
She smiled, feeling his hardness, and raised one leg up, guiding him toward her waiting warmth. He reached down once more, clutching the back of her thighs, and lifted her up as he stepped forward. As her feet left the floor, her back slammed against the wall, and with no hesitation or awkwardness, he slid into her.
She cried out, half pain and half pleasure as he thrust into her again, harder than before. Then she was riding him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her mouth taking his in a kiss that made her passion even hotter. She forgot the hard wall at her back, even as he shoved her against it again. She forgot everything except the man inside her, the man she’d loved and hated for so long.
“Oh God, Steve, harder!” she called, afraid she would pass out from the combination of pleasure and pain.
Steve thrust again and again, apparently lost in his own pleasure, focused only on her. He moved against her, inside her, his body an instrument of her pleasure. When she came, her legs tightened around him, her nails digging into his back as they had done so many times before. She almost couldn’t breathe, the sensations were so intense. Then he came as well, penetrating her as far as possible, holding her pinned against the wall as he finished. They held that position for several long seconds. Jake’s arms were tight around Steve’s neck, and she breathed heavily into his thick hair as the last tremors ran through her.
He still gripped her legs, supporting her slight weight, still joined to her body. For a long time he didn’t move. Eventually, gently, he lifted her again and set her back on her feet.
Jake let him go, pulling her skirt back down and straightening her tank top. She watche
d him refasten his pants, then laugh softly at all the missing buttons on his silk shirt. She turned to the dirty mirror, running her fingers through her hair to smooth the worst of the tangles. She watched in the reflection as he bent to pick something up, then came up behind her. He encircled her waist with one arm, pulling her back against him, and sensuously kissed her neck.
She sighed, closing her eyes as just the touch of his lips on her skin started a fire building in her once more. “Sorry about your shirt,” she said, feeling his hand slide up to cup one breast. Her heart was pounding.
He laughed again, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “Guess we’re even,” he replied, holding up the ripped panties. She glanced at them with a wry smile.
“I won’t be wearing those again,” she said, turning to slip her arms around his waist.
“Guess I’ll keep them then,” he returned, stuffing the lacy cloth into his pants pocket. “A souvenir.”
“Fine,” she said, her right hand against the small of his back, her left hand sliding up across his flat stomach to his chest.
“What are you doing when you get off tonight?” he asked, a smoldering light in his dark eyes.
“Getting on you,” she answered, no question in her tone.
He nodded. “Good.” Then his mouth touched hers again, and she lost herself in the warmth of the kiss.
Finally, she pulled away. “I’ve got to get back.”
He nodded and stepped back to let her pass. She relocked the storage door, tucking the keys away, and walked down the hall with him, arms around each other’s waist. When they reached the entrance to the hall, Steve pulled her close for a moment, kissing her once more, a promise of things to come. When he released her, she flashed a smile over her shoulder before returning to the bar.
Steve looked over the crowd, picking out Angel and Quinn at their table across the room. They were watching him, and he smiled, knowing they’d seen him with Jake. He made his way through the crowd and came around to take the empty chair beside Angel.
The larger man gazed at Steve with a hostile expression.
Steve grinned, pulling something out of his pocket and dropping it on the table before his oldest friend. “I told you,” he said, watching as the other man picked up the crumpled ball of cloth and black lace.
