Johan offered me a beer, and we chatted for a while. Lou started playing checkers with Lieke at the bar. Johan, who spoke perfect English with a thick Dutch accent, told me how the pancake house had come to be. The place was rustic, and although it had a few modern accessories here and there, you could tell it had been there for many decades. It was a beautiful little place, and it smelled like home.
I was beginning to understand why my brother had decided to spend so much time here. Work was his excuse, but I never fully believed that. Sure, the girl was a big part of the motivation, but it didn’t take a genius to understand that this place and these people were special.
For a moment, I almost wished I had a reason to stay for a little while. My eyes fell on the redhead to my left; she had been engaged in a conversation with Helga the entire time we’d been there. She had been nice to me, but overall indifferent.
I had to admit I wasn’t used to that, and my ego didn’t like it. What I also didn’t like was that now that I was around her, I felt the urge to break my “one time” rule. As soon as I saw her, my mind immediately went back to that night and to the woman with fiery hair and milky skin I couldn’t forget about.
“Ally,” I said in a low growl. She turned around, seemingly startled, her eyes wide. They looked even more beautiful in the daylight, a gorgeous shade of blue. The way I remembered them did not do her justice. She was beautiful, confident, so damn sexy. I got closer to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Her hair smelled so good, I wanted to grab a handful just like I had that night.
“You’re looking good. It’s nice to see you again,” I told her, my voice low and smooth. Most times that’s all it took for the panties to drop to the floor.
She let out a loud breath, her chest heaving. I smiled. She wasn’t indifferent to me, then; she was just pretending to be.
She straightened herself and pulled her shoulders back.
“Thank you. You do, too,” she said with a mischievous grin. The look in her eyes was playful, similar to my own. She might have been a good liar, but she was no match for me. I was ready to call her bluff.
* * *
We left the pancake house a while later, after witnessing Ella and Lou’s reunion for a few minutes before Helga ushered us out. She wanted to give the lovebirds some room. I had seen pictures of Ella before so I knew she was really pretty, but there was something different about her in person. The girl I’d seen in pictures was…a girl, but in person…there was something grownup about her that I hadn’t noticed. She only had eyes for my brother. In fact, she didn’t notice any of us, not even Ally. As soon as she stepped into the place, she couldn’t take her eyes off Lou. Our mother was going to be ecstatic when I called to tell her.
Ally and I said goodbye to Johan, Lieke, Helga, and Hendrick, a musician friend of Ella who had arrived with her at the pancake house.
Helga and Lieke waved goodbye.
“I’ll see you later this evening, Boyd,” Johan said.
“Sure,” I replied, not really knowing what he meant.
“Ella is playing in a club tonight. We’re all going to the show later,” Ally explained.
I nodded and waved goodbye to Johan.
“Do you remember where your hotel is?” Ally asked.
“Not really,” I told her.
“Lou told me where you guys were staying. It’s not that far from here. Come, I’ll walk you.”
She asked a lot of questions about my trip to Italy and seemed determined to fill the silence by pointing out her favorite places on our walk to the hotel.
“I have to say, Amsterdam is even more beautiful than I imagined.” I glanced her way, and she gave me a satisfied smile.
“Agreed. I feel the same way about it. I do love Amsterdam more than I ever thought I would. That’s why I decided to stay.”
“Why did you move here anyway? I hardly had any time to ask you any questions last time I saw you.”
She laughed and rocked her head backward. Her eyes were full of amusement, and she seemed ready to call me out. I hadn’t really tried to have a conversation with her at all that night, and I did not regret it. We were busy with more pressing matters, and I wasn’t usually one to ask questions, but now that circumstances brought us together again, I was curious.
“You want to know why I moved here? Uh, it’s a long, boring story. You don’t want to listen to it,” she said in a confident tone.
“Did it have to do with a job offer? Or a man?”
She flinched and then tried to act like what I’d said didn’t bother her, but I saw the look in her eyes. There was definitely a story she didn’t want to share. Well, I couldn’t blame her. I had one, too.
“Ha ha. Definitely not a man. I moved here for a job. I wanted to travel, see the world. Working here in the Netherlands has allowed me to see so many places. I know if I were still in the US I’d be slammed with work and just be dreaming about it. I worked for a law firm here in Amsterdam for several years until I decided to open my own. It’s fun, and I love the fact I can be more independent, but it’s also a lot more work. I like what I do, but it’s not what I had imagined doing when I studied to become an attorney.”
“What did you want to do?”
“I wanted to do international law in Washington. I know, I know, getting people out of jail for drug charges is far from that.”
“Well, you got the international part of it down though.”
She laughed and shook her head. “It’s not quite the same.”
“Why didn’t you stick to your plan? Sounds like a pretty good one to me.”
“Plans change. Dreams change.” She shrugged, the tone of her voice resigned. She exhaled and avoided my gaze, suddenly shy. This was a woman who had fire in her veins, but there was something about her past that was difficult to talk about, that made her sound like a completely different person.
“Did you always want to be a fitness guru?” she asked with a flirty smile, her blue eyes amused. She had already recovered from her moment of weakness.
“No.” I shook my head and laughed. “Not at all.”
“See? Plans change. That’s why I don’t make plans any more. This isn’t the career path you had envisioned and still…look how well it turned out for you!”
I bit my lip. I couldn’t stop looking at her features. Her eyes were stunning in the sunlight, and her curls were a Titian red with natural blonde highlights. I loved the way her hair bounced as we walked. A light summer breeze blew her hair back and left her neck exposed. I couldn’t even look at her skin without wanting to kiss her. Her profile was lovely, and the curve of her lips reminded me of the way they felt when she kissed me. Why was I so attracted to her? It was always about the next conquest for me. I had no desire to be intimate with the same person more than once. I didn’t want to get close to anyone, but I had just been around Ally for less than an hour and all I could think about was trying to make her mine again. Sure, she was gorgeous, but I felt like there was more to it. Was I attracted to her because she wasn’t all over me like everyone else? Was it because she was acting like nothing had happened between us? The words had been burning in my throat for a while, and although I knew it was a bad idea, I couldn’t hold them back any more.
“I couldn’t help but notice you haven’t mentioned our sleepover at all,” I blurted out, despite my better judgement.
The corner of her mouth tipped up, and she raised her eyebrows as she looked at me quizzically.
“Isn’t that how one-night stands work, Boyd? I’m a big girl, you said so yourself. I don’t need to rehash the past. Those were your rules: one time and never again.” She pointed her index finger at me. “Honestly, there’s no need to talk about it. We’re both adults. I don’t feel uncomfortable around you because we slept together once.” She shrugged, dismissing me as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
I was the one who made the rules, so why did I suddenly feel rejected?
“Truth be told, all I’m
concerned about is Ella. She has an important night this evening. I don’t want anyone to screw it up for her—not you, not your brother, not anyone. She’s worked too hard for this.”
“Noted.” I smirked, which earned me a smile from her.
“Okay, this is you. Do you want me to text you the address of the club or do you want to go together?” We stopped in front of my hotel, and I felt a sense of uneasiness growing in me. I didn’t want to say goodbye to her, even though I’d be seeing her later. I felt the sudden urge to take her up to my room, but I knew it wasn’t the right time. If I was going to break my golden rule, I was going to make sure to do so when we were in no rush whatsoever.
BEING AROUND BOYD WAS UNNERVING. I tried to be cool, but he was so impossibly attractive. The guys I slept with were sometimes handsome, but he was the whole package. That face, that smirk…that body. I kept having flashbacks of the way he’d moved inside me that night. I was completely flustered.
God. Luckily, he’d be leaving soon.
Stop it. Stop thinking about him. I finished applying my makeup and chose an outfit for the evening: black skinny jeans, a lightweight chiffon blouse, booties, and a thin gold pendant necklace. I ruffled up my hair, applied one more layer of lipstick, and headed out.
The more I didn’t want to be physically close to him, the more we were pushed toward each other. The place where Ella was about to play was freakishly tiny, a real hole in the wall. I was pretty sure they were about to reach capacity, and the showcase had just started.
Ella and Lou weren’t there yet, and I could only imagine why. I smiled at the thought. Those two. In the meantime, I was trapped in this wormhole for who knew how long. Boyd and I were almost skin to skin without even trying. Being so close to him wasn’t helpful. I was engulfed in his smell and had to keep myself from trying to find an excuse to stroke his hard bicep. My whole body felt tingly around him, as if something were about to happen.
It wasn’t. Although he had mentioned our night together, I thought Boyd was just trying to test me. Well, I wasn’t going to cave or beg for sex, no matter how tingly he made me with just a gaze. I had a reputation to defend: badass single female.
It was going to be tough, but I just had to resist the urge to climb Boyd like a tree for the next few days. Pretty soon he would be out of my life. Problem solved.
A moment later, I saw Lou and Ella making their way toward us.
Lou introduced his girlfriend to his brother, and Boyd pulled Ella into a bear hug, lifting her off the floor. Showoff.
“Nice to meet you,” he told her, kissing her on the cheek. I knew it was just friendly, but I felt a ping of jealousy and possessiveness.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Boyd-Building. Your reputation precedes you!” She flattered him, trying to get in his good graces. You’re trying too hard, girl. Boyd Rivers didn’t need more flattery. It was like adding sprinkles on an already perfectly good cupcake.
Boyd placed an arm around her shoulders and then started saying something in her ear while looking at Lou. Apparently it was something funny, because Ella laughed and covered her mouth with her hands. Hendrick found us in the crowd and, after saying hi to all of us, told Ella it was time to go backstage.
“Hey, let’s get something to drink.” I nudged Boyd, and he followed me to the bar. I glanced at him, against my better judgement. He was wearing jeans and a simple tee, and I loved the way the fabric stretched and highlighted his sculpted body like a second skin. Side by side at the corner of the bar, I was completely wrapped up in his musky smell. We waited for the bartender to notice us, but he was so slammed I feared we were going to wait for a while. While we waited, we kept exchanging looks and shy smiles. We didn’t try to talk. I couldn’t quite tell what was he thinking, but his brown eyes were too beautiful and too inviting, so much so that the cynical part of me was nowhere to be found. I bit my lip. I didn’t know how long we’d be keeping up this flirty game. One time. One night only, he had said, but there he was, and he wanted more.
From me.
Or at least that’s what it looked like. What was I going to do? Say no?
My daydream was halted by a hand grabbing a handful of my ass. Boyd had both his arms on the bar, so I knew it wasn’t him. I turned around.
“Wat de hel?” I asked the guy standing behind me. He had a beer in his hand and looked like he’d already had one too many. He looked completely unfazed by my words and was probably drunk and high. I looked into his eyes—yeah, his pupils were dilated, and he had a blank stare. He looked super stoned.
“Jij hebt…een lekker kontje.” His words were slurred, confirming my suspicions.
“What the hell, man? Apologize to the lady right now!” Boyd yelled, his voice booming, almost as powerful as the sound coming through the speakers. He stood between me and the drunk man, waiting for an apology. The man just stood there, a clueless smile plastered on his face. I couldn’t see Boyd’s face, but by the way his shoulders rose and the muscles of his back tensed, I could tell he was ready to throw a punch.
“Apologize to the lady!” Boyd yelled again. He flexed and raised his right arm, ready to throw the man a hook. Oh no. I couldn’t let this happen.
“Boyd…Boyd, no…Boyd, don’t do it, it’s not worth it.” I tried to persuade him, pulling his arm back. I kept my grip on his arm as strong as I could and felt him inhale and exhale loudly. The man who had touched me wouldn’t budge. He took a sip of his beer and blabbered something about having done nothing wrong. I shook my head, trying to signal for him to leave, but he just kept blabbering. He said my ass was great and needed to be touched. I couldn’t see Boyd’s face, but I knew he had to be irritated by the whole exchange, and the fact that the guy was acting so nonchalant didn’t make it any better. Boyd’s arms were still propped up, biceps flexed, hard as a rock.
An announcer took over the microphone and started making introductions for the next few artists that would be taking the stage. I knew we had to get out of there before something else happened. I would hate myself if a fight broke out before or during Ella’s set.
The man finally turned around and got lost in the crowd, putting an end to the awkward standoff. I sighed, relieved, but I could tell Boyd was still tense.
“Come with me,” I pleaded, pulling his arm. His shoulders relaxed, and he let out a loud breath. He put his arms down, and I took his hand in mine. “Come with me,” I repeated. He followed me.
I didn’t really know where I was going, but getting some fresh air sounded like a good idea. I hoped the club had a back exit that let out onto another street.
We made our way to the door, and surprisingly, we were alone. A mess of emotions bubbled up inside my chest. I felt grateful that he was ready to defend me, but at the same time outraged. I wanted to thank him and tell him how sweet it was that he was ready to get into a fistfight to defend my honor, but I also wanted to chastise him for thinking I needed his help.
I wanted to say many things, but all I could say was, “You know, I could have taken care of that myself!”
He narrowed his eyes at me, brows pulled together. His breath became labored again. “Oh really?” he asked. The corner of his mouth tipped up, but the look in his eyes was dark and impenetrable.
“Yeah, really. It was…completely unnecessary!” I shouted, running my hand through my hair.
“You’re lying. I know you liked that,” he said, walking closer to me, his jaw taut, his eyes dark and broody.
“I did not!”
“Uh-huh.” He locked eyes with me. I could tell his anger was evaporating and was being replaced by something else. I had seen that look in his eyes before.
Desire.
My breath hitched. He reached for me, placed a hand on my waist, and pressed his body against mine, walking me backward until I was pressed against the brick wall. His gaze traveled to my lips, and my hands instantly went around his neck, as if they had been commanded to do so. I wasn’t sure what my brain was thinking, but it was tell
ing my body to go for it.
“What happened to your one-time rule, Boyd?” I asked, hoping I sounded as sexy as I intended.
He leaned down, his nose running against mine. He brushed his lips against mine and covered my cheek with soft kisses. His mouth reached my ear, and his beard tickled me in the most delicious way.
“Screw the rule,” he replied, and his breath on my skin sent a shiver through my body. He looked into my eyes for permission before placing a hungry kiss on my mouth. My lips parted, and his tongue wrapped around mine, tasting me, possessing me as his hand cupped my ass, pressing me into him even more.
“What was that guy saying to you in there?” he asked in a gruff tone, his voice full of disdain for the drunkard.
“He said I have a great ass,” I whispered.
“Well, that dumbass was sure right about that,” he said, getting a bigger handful.
I moaned as his erection pressed into me. He trailed kisses on my neck, down to my collarbone, to my chest. His hands left my ass and traveled up to my waist, under my loose blouse. He cupped my breasts and gave them a squeeze over the fabric of my bra. When he kissed me again on my neck, my breathing got even more labored, and he let out a low growl. He brought his mouth back to mine, and I nipped his bottom lip. This was bad. What were we doing? This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Not again.
I was thankful we were alone in the alley, because Boyd’s hands were all over my body. I decided I needed to return the favor and started rubbing his erection. He unbuttoned my blouse and kissed the top of my breast while pinching one of my nipples through the lacy bra I wore. His touch, his tongue, his kisses were driving me crazy.
I wanted him, all of him. I was going to take him home that night, fuck everything, but just as I was happily immersed in a lusty haze, I heard the notes of a familiar song.
Crap.
It was Ella’s song. She was on stage. If we didn’t get back in there, they’d get suspicious. Everyone would know about us.
Not About Love (This Love Book 2) Page 4
