by Linda Kage
His gaze fell from my eyes as he scoped out my favorite dress, then my legs, and pumps. As his stare moved back up, I felt stripped bare.
“It’s Elisa, right?” he finally said, after we eye-fucked for a good ten seconds.
I bobbed my head stupidly. And then for some reason I said his name.
His face lit up as he smiled at me, and Dios mío, that smile melted my hormones to mush. “Asher, yes,” he said. “Good memory.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just stood there, unable to move or look away.
The bartender interrupted us then, bringing a drink to Asher and forcing Asher to turn to him. “Thanks,” he told the guy as he paid. “Hey, you haven’t seen a pretty little blonde around, have you? I was supposed to meet her here.”
I swallowed as I listened to the bartender tell him he’d seen too many blondes tonight. All the while, my heart began to pound and I swear my eyes teared.
But, shit, holy hell, and goddamn. He was meeting a woman here?
He was on a freaking date.
I started to move away, but Asher swung back to me. He opened his mouth to speak, the apologetic, wistful expression on his face telling me he might rather be here with me instead of his blonde bimbo. I fell to a stop, pretty much trapped by the yearning in his green eyes.
Then he sighed, shook his head, and respectfully said, “Buenas noches.”
My shoulders collapsed with disappointment. But really, what had I expected him to do? Forget about every other woman on the planet and pant after me?
I was such an idiot.
Besides, guy-me had made him promise to leave girl-me alone. He was respecting his friend’s wishes by stepping back.
Mumbling a goodbye to him, I bowed my head and started to move away, except since I wasn’t looking where I was going, I plowed into some other guy who looked as if he’d been headed toward the bathrooms.
“Disculpa,” I told him, making sure to speak in Spanish.
But when I tried to step out of his way, he only grinned and moved with me. “Wait, what’s your hurry, señorita? I’ve been craving a little Mexican lately.”
I scowled at the disgusting bastard and began to step the other way around him. But yeah, he went that way too. So I drew in a deep, calming breath to keep from cussing him out right then and there and maybe kneeing him in the family jewels. Except…since Asher was watching, I wanted to handle this diplomatically.
Until the jerk-ass touched me, running his hand down the side of my bare arm so I threw up just a little in my mouth. “Why don’t you come to the bathroom with me, honey? I’ll show you what real white meat tastes like.”
Eww. I filled my lungs to give him a piece of my mind, not even caring that I was about to give away my knowledge of English, but Asher stepped between us.
“Or you could just get out of her fucking way, asswipe.”
He was shorter and not as wide as the other guy, but whatever expression he flashed the jerk, it had the asshole backing away and lifting his hands. “Hey, sorry. I didn’t know she was here with someone. You know, a woman out and about, dressed like that, is just asking to be— “
“Treated with the same proper courtesy and respect as every other woman on the planet,” Asher growled, his fingers curling into fists at his side.
“Look, I get it,” the jackass conceded, his hands still lifted in surrender. “She’s yours. I’m backing off.” Ignoring me, he veered a wide berth around Asher and escaped into the men’s room.
Asher turned to me, but I couldn’t...not right now. His coming to my aid so sweetly was more than I could take. As soon as his pity-filled green eyes met mine, I whirled away and raced off. I wasn’t even sure where I was going. Jodi and Caroline were both gone to who-knew-where, while poor Asher was probably confused as hell by my reaction. And I just wanted to bawl.
Not because the bully had bothered me. I so could’ve taught him a lesson. But because Asher just completely overwhelmed me in that moment. I hated, hated, hated lying to him.
When I burst through a nearby doorway, I found myself in a small outdoor nook where smokers could come out and have a cigarette before rejoining their parties inside. Except no one was out here smoking. Relieved to find a moment to myself, I rubbed my arms in the chilly night and then unzipped my purse to find my phone and discover what the hell had happened to Caroline and my roommate.
Before I could pull it free, however, the door opened, and yep, Asher stepped outside.
She was so goddamn beautiful. And in that dress, those heels, yeah...my mouth watered as soon as I followed her outside. But even as I called myself ten kinds of stupid for racing after her like a lovesick idiot, I asked, “Are you okay?”
Then I remembered she didn’t know English. So I said, “¿Bien?” and lifted my eyebrows with the question.
She dropped the purse she’d been digging in back to her shoulder and nodded, then rubbed her hands up the sides of her arms.
She didn’t look okay. She looked rattled. Cold. Distressed. Which made me glad I’d stopped by the bar before following her out here.
I lifted the bottle of water I’d bought for her and offered it to her. “¿Agua?”
She took it with a quiet, “Gracias.” As she unscrewed the cap and swallowed a long drink, I stepped back, giving her space. But holy hell, she even looked good drinking. As I watched her throat work through each gulp, I just wanted to crowd close and lick that long, graceful neck.
Except I’d sworn Sticks I would keep my distance. So I took another step back.
“Well...I’m sure you came out here to be alone and just get some air. So I’ll just...” With another backpedal, I rammed my spine into the doorway to return inside. “Adiós.”
She leapt toward me, lifting her hand as if begging me to stay. “Espera.”
I froze. “Yeah?”
She fell to a stop too. Then she dropped her hand, and an oddly guilty expression crossed her face, as if she hadn’t meant to stop me.
I blew out a breath. “God, you are so lovely.”
I was glad she couldn’t understand my pathetic confession, even though her eyes changed as if she did.
“Solo un beso,” she said and stepped toward me. Her eyes were full of longing, which made the nerves in my stomach jump with hope.
“What—?” I started to ask, but she grasped my shirt and tugged me forward. Then her arms were wrapping around me and she was…shit, she was hugging me.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been hugged. Hell, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been touched.
She was so soft and feminine, with curves in all the right places. She smelled like heaven and her hands…They kept petting my back as if she couldn’t stop touching me, feeling more of me. As all the sensations went straight to my head, all the blood rushed to my dick, and I only wanted to get closer, soothe her...then soothe her.
“It’s okay,” I murmured, sliding my fingers up her back—God, her spine felt marvelous under my hands. Then I petted her hair and kissed her temple.
She drew in a deep breath against my neck, and I swear she was smelling me, then...yeah, was that her mouth on my throat?
Or maybe her tongue?
I wasn’t sure, but it made me groan, made me tug her just a little more snugly against me and tip my head down until my breaths fell on her chin. She looked up, and bam, our faces were right there, aligned, lips only inches apart.
Vaguely, I knew I shouldn’t kiss her. There was a damn good reason, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what it was.
Her eyes were like brown pools of temptation and I was a drowning man. I tried to resist, I even pressed my forehead to hers, but I already knew it was too late.
This woman owned me.
So when her mouth lifted a fraction of an inch, mine lowered, until our breaths were one. My hand swept up to cradle the back of her neck and her silky dark hair drifted over my knuckles, making me shiver with desire. And in the next in
stant, our lips were sealed.
I have no idea why, but it felt as if I’d been waiting for years to kiss her. The only thing I knew about her was her name and yet nothing had ever felt as right as just setting my mouth against hers.
My body surged with awareness, skin prickling with a knowledge that the person touching me and pressing against me was the one person who was supposed to. I opened my mouth, tentative at first, and scared to death of scaring her away, because I wanted nothing as much as I wanted this moment to continue.
I damn near wept when her lips parted as well, and her tongue met mine.
With a hungry groan, I took things deeper. She whimpered and stretched up onto her toes, burrowing her fingers in my hair and pressing her chest against mine. My baser needs taking over, I lifted her up and walked her a few steps before setting her on a nearby table. Her legs instantly wrapped around my waist and while one hand stayed in my hair, the other wandered down my back until she was clutching my ass hard and encouraging me to move deeper between her thighs.
When my erection nudged the heat between her legs, the skirt of her dress sliding up to her waist, we both groaned. I palmed her exposed thigh and brought her leg up higher so I could smooth my hand down warm, soft flesh until I encountered the edge of her panties.
“¡Ay por Dios!” she gasped, clutching me as she threw her head back and moaned.
My finger slid under the edge of the silky cloth and across her perfectly formed bottom.
Panting, she leaned forward again to rest her forehead on my sternum. I followed the globe of soft warmth around until I hit pay dirt.
She was wet, so fucking wet that we both sucked in a breath when my finger slicked through her moist heat and tunneled inside.
“No puedo esperar,” she mumbled in a high voice. “Más... Más.”
Her fingers found the top buttons on my jeans and I lost it. “Holy shit.” I pressed my face to the side of her head as she fumbled to free me. And meanwhile, I snapped the crotch of her panties in half, needed nothing in my way.
She gasped and whimpered and couldn’t seem to get my jeans opened. I batted her hands away so I could help her when the door behind us burst open.
The slap of ice-cold reality, reminding me where the fuck we were and how I wasn’t supposed to be touching her at all, had me spinning around with supreme guilt and making sure to cover her from whoever was coming out.
Caroline skidded to a halt in the doorway. “Oh my God!” she yelped, her eyes huge as her gaze immediately went to the parts of Elisa’s legs I couldn’t quite conceal from view. So I shifted a step that way to shield her more, even as I growled.
“Caroline? What the fuck? Where have you been?”
“Uh...” She didn’t seem to know how to answer as she gaped at Elisa’s legs, and then shifted her gaze to my jeans that were partially undone.
As I rushed to button my pants together, I scolded, “Next time you text me to come pick you up and give you a ride home since Ten’s working, try not to just...disappear before I get here, huh?”
“Oh...yeah. Sorry, I...I must’ve been in the bathroom when you showed up.”
Elisa grasped the back of my shirt, and I held a reassuring hand behind me to hopefully let her know everything was okay. The move seemed to spike up Caroline’s eyebrows, though.
“Doesn’t seem like you missed me too much, though.”
I glowered. “Are you finally ready to go now?”
I needed to get out of here before I forgot again that I wasn’t supposed to even breathe in Elisa’s direction.
But Caroline shook her head. “Oh, you know....actually the girl I came with is ready now, too, so I’ll just leave with her, and besides...I just remembered you drive a motorcycle.”
That made me frown. “You’re afraid to ride on my bike?”
“No...but I just figured if I’m ever going to ride with a guy on a motorcycle, and you know, wrap my legs around his thighs and smash my breasts to his back, I think I’d rather experience that with Oren the first time, instead of you.”
Well, when she put it that way. “Yeah,” I said. “Then you should definitely ride with your friend if you can.”
“I will,” she said brightly, too brightly, as if she had some kind of ulterior motive. “You guys have fun.”
Behind me, Elisa tensed, and I realized how truly lame it was to keep trying to hide her from view. Caroline obviously knew she was there. I stepped slightly to the side and yet kept just as close to her.
“Caroline, this is Elisa,” I introduced.
“Elisa?” Caroline echoed slowly before nodding and waving. “It’s nice to meet you.” Then she turned to me. “You know, maybe you can give Elisa a ride home since I just saw the person she came with leave without her.”
Elisa tensed against me again but said nothing.
I frowned. “Really? That’s awful.” I glanced at Elisa, not sure how to tell her she’d just been stranded here. Then I asked Caroline. “Hey, do you know any Spanish?”
“Huh?” She blinked at me, then shook her head. “Nope, not a word, sorry.” She waved and backed toward the door before reopening it and beginning to leave. “Don’t you two do anything I wouldn’t.” And she was gone.
“Dammit,” I muttered, panicking a little because I had no idea how to tell the girl next to me that she’d been left behind or even ask how to get her home.
She breathed out a small sigh as she slipped off the table and straightened her skirt down around her legs.
Realizing I had a whole heap of other problems, I ran my hands through my hair. “Christ, I am so sorry,” I told her. “I can’t believe I just...right here, in public like this. And I broke your underwear. I swear I’ll replace them. And...” The words stalled on my tongue when she looked up.
“Jesus,” I murmured. “I still want to fuck you so bad.” Quickly, I lifted my hands. “But I won’t. I’ll behave. I promised a very good friend that I’d keep my hands off you. So...Remy! That’s it.” I snapped my fingers. “I bet he knows where you live. Don’t worry. I’ll call him, and I’m sure he’ll come pick you up and get you home safe and sound.”
As I tore my phone from my pocket, Elisa opened her purse and yanked out her own cell phone as well. I’m not sure what she did, but she didn’t call anyone. Seconds later, Remy’s phone went straight to voice mail.
“Fuck,” I whispered. Didn’t he know I was trying to be a good boy and not touch his cousin...any more than I already had? I ran my hand through my hair. “How the hell am I supposed to get you home if neither of us understands a word the other says?”
She must’ve sensed the distress on my face because she stepped toward me and lifted her hand to touch my cheek. I closed my eyes and bowed my head, trying to resist it. But her fingers were so soft and gentle. When she reached up on tiptoes to kiss my cheek, I shifted my face so that our lips brushed instead.
Closing her eyes, she clutched my shirt at the shoulders. “Tu casa,” she whispered.
Remembering casa meant house from my high school Spanish class and tu was you, I figured she’d just asked to come home with me.
Resistance was futile. I wanted her too damn bad, so I nodded. “Okay. You can come home with me.”
I had no idea if she understood any of what I’d just said. But she came willingly when I took her hand. We continued to interlock fingers as I walked her out to my Triumph. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever held hands with a woman before. It felt nice. Warm. Cozy.
I kissed her knuckles when we reached my bike. If she was surprised to see that she had to ride on a motorcycle, she didn’t show it as I swung my leg over the side and got it started. Then I pointed out the parts she needed to avoid and where she could rest her feet.
Her high heels posed a problem, but she soon solved it by slipping them off and climbing on behind me barefoot. She snuggled up against my back, tightly trapping my hips between her thighs, and enfolded her arms around my waist before smashing her breasts to my spine
as if she were born to ride this way. I figured she’d done this before, which reassured me.
I didn’t have a helmet for either of us; I never wore one when putting around town. But she didn’t seem to mind, so I covered her hands at my waist briefly before putting us into gear.
The breeze was cool and she shivered against me, making me feel crappy since I didn’t have a jacket to offer her.
Thank God I didn’t live too far away. But it still took me longer than I wanted it to since I drove easy. By the time I pulled down my alley, she was an ice cube, her teeth chattering and arms quivering from trembling so bad.
“Don’t worry,” I assured her, waiting for her to slip on her shoes before helping her slide off behind me. “We’ll get you warm soon.”
Then I took her hand again as I led her to the dark opening of my place. My stairwell and her shoes concerned me, but I kept close and led her down each step. “Last one,” I breathed, growing nervous as she stepped into my apartment.
But fuck. I shouldn’t have brought her here. I kept remembering how the last person who’d been in my place was Sticks and how I’d assured him I’d stay away from this very woman.
I was breaking that promise all to hell, probably even breaking our friendship in the process. But even as I worried about his reaction, I swiped a blanket off my bed and brought it to Elisa so I could wrap it around her shoulders.
She gazed up at me and just like that, I was swept under again.
Damn it, I wasn’t usually this easy. I knew how to say no, and I’d done it a lot lately. But all those months of no sex, of not being able to thrust into a hot willing pussy, of needing to be touched...it wore on me. And besides, this was her, the very girl who’d caused me to jerk off more than usual lately, ever since I’d first seen her in my shower. Naked. The chemistry I experienced around her was off the charts.
I had to get her naked again.
A rattling from above us caused her to whirl around and look up at Mozart, who was trying to free a stuck peanut that had become wedged in the wires of his cage.
