Neve’s cheeks heated with the thought of how he’d kissed her. Her nipples pebbled beneath her blouse and an ache throbbed deep inside her pussy just thinking about it. She couldn’t hold back the teenage-sounding giggle that bubbled out of her. Holy crap, she’d actually kissed Jalen, the Jalen. And she had a date with him.
That was still hard to believe. Never would she have thought she’d ever meet him, let alone get to spend an evening with him. It was an ultimate fantasy come to life. She hated to admit how many hours she’d spent surfing the internet, staring at pictures of all the members of Soar, especially Jalen. Watching him play his guitar in their music videos, she’d always wondered what it would feel like to have his hands touching her in intimate places. Judging by the kiss he’d given her, she had high hopes of being able to find out.
Neve arrived at the small townhouse she split with her best friend, Kara, and parked in the driveway. She rushed through the front door and called out to her friend who answered, saying she was upstairs in the living room.
Taking the flight of stairs up to the next level, Neve went to join Kara. They’d been friends since meeting on the first day of school in the ninth grade. Back then, Neve had been a gangly thirteen-year-old with braces. It hadn’t taken long for the mean girls to single her out, but Kara had rescued her and they’d been tight all through the rest of high school to the present.
As Neve gained the top of the stairs leading to the living room, Kara looked up from the book she’d been reading, one of her many romance novels she loved so much. Her friend sat on the couch with her legs curled under her.
“So?” Kara asked. “How did it go at the early man site?”
Neve shook her head. “No deal. They don’t have any positions open, so I ended up going on one of their tours instead.”
Kara chuckled. “Again? I thought you’d be bored with it. You’ve only gone on what, two of them before?”
“Three. You know I like it there.”
“Yeah. You love your old rocks and artifacts. I guess if you did the tour, the trip wasn’t a total waste of time.”
Neve smiled. “No, it sure wasn’t.”
Kara gave her a quizzical look and closed her book around her finger to keep her place. “All right, what’s up? For someone who found out her dream job isn’t available, you look awfully excited about something. You’re beaming.”
Joining her friend on the couch, Neve turned sideways so she faced her. “You’ll never guess who I met there.” When Kara didn’t say anything, Neve asked, “Aren’t you going to guess?”
Kara rolled her eyes. “You just said I’d never be able to guess who it was. So what’s the point?”
“Come on, Kara, just play along, all right?”
“Fine. You met up with that cute guy we saw at the grocery store the other day.”
“Nope. Someone even better than him.”
“I don’t know. Our grade twelve Science teacher, Mr. Harris?”
Neve scowled. “Why would I be excited about seeing him?”
“Oh, come one. All the girls had a crush on him. He was young and good-looking. I believe you were crushing on him for a time.”
“Maybe I did, but it didn’t last very long. And no, it wasn’t Mr. Harris.”
“Then at least give me a clue, or we’ll be sitting here for the rest of the day not getting anywhere.”
Neve jumped off the couch and crossed over to the entertainment stand that was up against the far wall. Next to the stereo system was a rack full of CDs. She skimmed down it until she found the one she looked for, then sat next to Kara again.
She held it out to her friend. “Here’s your clue.”
Kara took it and looked down at the Soar CD she held, then back up at Neve. “Okay, I don’t get it. What does Soar’s latest CD have to do with the person you met?”
It was Neve’s turn to roll her eyes. “Just look at it. Who do you see on the cover?”
“The members of Soar.”
“Exactly.”
Kara’s brow furrowed. “Exactly what? You’ve still lost me, Neve.”
“All right, I’ll make this easy so you can follow along. The person I met is on the cover.”
“You met one of the members of Soar?”
Neve smiled. “I sure did.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“No, I really did.”
“Which one?”
She pointed at Jalen. “Him.”
Kara whistled. “You lucky bitch. Is he hotter in person?”
“Much hotter.” Neve waved a hand in front of her face as she recalled Jalen’s kisses. “And it gets even better. He asked me out on a date.” She then yelped as Kara punched her in the arm. “What the hell was that for?”
Her friend shook a finger at her. “That’s for feeding me a line of bullshit. There is no way you have a date with Jalen.”
Neve rubbed her abused arm. “It’s true. He’s coming here at seven to pick me up. He’s taking me out to dinner and maybe a movie afterward. And what do you mean by there’s no way I could have a date with him?”
“I guess I’ll have to make sure I’m here at seven in that case, to see for myself,” Kara said. “I don’t mean you’re not pretty enough to attract a rock star, because I think you are, it’s just you don’t hear of girls like us getting the hot, famous men.”
“Well, this girl did.”
Kara shook her head. “I’m still finding it hard to believe. But I’ll take your word for it.”
Neve snorted. “No, you won’t. I don’t think you’ll truly believe me until Jalen actually shows up at the door.”
Her friend chuckled. “You know me too well. I’ll reserve judgment until seven o’clock then.”
“He’ll be here.”
Kara put the CD on the coffee table in front of them. “Okay, a change in subject. Since the early man site didn’t pan out, what are you going to do about a job?”
Neve sighed. “I guess I have to see what’s out there.” She had enough money saved to live off of and pay her share of the rent for a couple of months, max.
“How about you come to work with me tomorrow and I’ll introduce you to my boss. I know he’s hinted about hiring someone to work the front of the house instead of doing it himself. You’d just be greeting people as they come in and seating them. Answer the phone and take reservations, that sort of thing.”
She gnawed on her bottom lip. Kara worked as a waitress at the local upscale Italian restaurant. The place was small, but had made a name for itself as having great food. Neve had never wanted a job in that line of work—and wasn’t sure she wanted to now.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m cut out to be a hostess.”
“You’d be great at it. Plus, Matty’s place isn’t so big that you’ll have a huge crush to worry about during the high peak times.” Kara shifted closer and put her arm around Neve’s shoulders. “Just think—we’ll be working together then.”
Neve laughed. “Do really think it’s a good idea, since we already live together? You’ll get sick of seeing me all the time.”
“No way. That won’t happen. Just come and talk to Matty tomorrow. If you don’t want the job after that, then I won’t push. Do it for me.”
She couldn’t miss the puppy-dog eyes Kara turned her way. Neve had to chuckle. “I hate when you do that, stare at me with that look. I have a hard time saying no to it.”
“Then you’ll do it, you’ll talk to Matty?”
“Fine, I will, but I’m not guaranteeing anything. You know I’m not much of a people person.”
Kara gave her shoulder a squeeze before she let Neve go. “You might not be, but you’re definitely overqualified for the job. It would be a breeze for you. Now that that’s settled, how about we go upstairs and look for something for you to wear on your hot date tonight?”
Neve glanced at the clock on the TV’s digital receiver. “It’s not quite five yet. I have lots of time.”
> “There is nothing wrong with being prepared well in advance.” Kara stuck her bookmark inside her book and put it on the coffee table next to the CD. She stood and held her hand out to Neve. “Let’s go. You have a rock star to impress.”
She let her friend pull her up onto her feet, then followed her upstairs to her bedroom. With Kara in charge, Neve would have her clothes picked out and her makeup done to perfection.
* * *
At quarter to seven, Neve was dressed and all ready to go on her date with Jalen. She wore black skinny jeans with black high-heeled sandals. A tighter, dusty-rose short-sleeved blouse replaced the one she’d had on earlier. Her hair had been brushed until it shone and her makeup had been artfully applied, but not too much that she looked as if she’d layered it on. After a few squirts of her favorite perfume, Kara had declared her acceptable.
She gave Neve’s hair one last fluff, then stepped back to admire her handiwork. “I really hope Jalen shows up after all the work we went through.”
“How many times do I have to tell you he’ll be here? I wasn’t making him up.”
“Like I said, I’m waiting until seven rolls around.”
They headed downstairs to the living room to wait. Kara turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Neve sat on the couch, feeling a case of the nerves. What if Jalen didn’t show up? Kara would think she lied to her. And it wasn’t as if she could call him to see what was going on if he were late. Jalen had her cell phone number, but she’d stupidly forgotten to ask for his.
The closer the time came to seven o’clock the more butterflies she had in her stomach. Neve found herself counting the minutes. And when the appointed time arrived and the doorbell didn’t ring, her confidence of Jalen showing up slipped a little. A minute went by and then another. She looked at Kara from the corner of her eye. Her friend sat, looking as if she were enthralled with what she had on the TV, but Neve knew better. Kara watched the clock the same as she did.
At five minutes after seven, the doorbell finally rang. Neve shot up off the couch, but Kara was faster. She raced past Neve and bounded down the stairs to the front door. Neve cursed her high heels, which slowed her down considerably.
She’d just started down the steps when she heard Kara let out a high-pitched squeal. Neve’s heart pounded. There could only be one reason why her friend would make that noise—Jalen had to have arrived.
Kara hurried down the rest of the way as fast as she could, her gaze landing on the tall man who stood in the entrance hallway looking up at her. He didn’t seem to be paying any attention to Kara who stood near him, practically bouncing in place.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Neve crossed the short distance to Jalen. “You came.”
He nodded. “Sorry I’m a bit late. I took a wrong turn and had to backtrack a bit.”
Neve turned to look at Kara. “See, I told you.” At Jalen’s questioning look, she added, “Kara thought I’d made up our date.”
He gave her a smile that made her breath catch. “We can’t have that.” Jalen then shifted in Kara’s direction. “As you can see, I’m not a figment of Neve’s imagination.”
Her friend nodded, her gaze glued to Jalen’s face. “Oh my god, oh my god, you’re actually standing in my house.” Kara let out a small shriek with her hand over her mouth. Once she seemed to get herself back under control, she removed it, and said, “I’m sorry. I’m not normally such a girl, but I can’t seem to stop it. Can I have your autograph?”
Not wanting her date to get sidetracked, Neve interrupted. “We really should get going.”
Jalen nodded. “Just one quick signature, then we’ll go.”
Kara spun on her heel and raced up the stairs. Neve heard her friend slamming kitchen drawers as she looked for something to write on. Less than a minute later, Kara raced back to them. She held out the items she’d collected to Jalen. He took them and hastily wrote something before he handed it all back. Her friend looked at what he had written and smiled so large Neve thought her face would split in two.
Ushering Jalen out the door, Neve gave Kara a little wave before stepping outside. As she walked beside Jalen to the driveway, she ran her gaze over the sporty, black Infiniti G coupe parked behind her car, making it look like a piece of crap. He guided her around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. She slipped onto the red leather seat and put on her seatbelt as he closed her inside. He then walked around the back end to get into the driver’s side.
“Where would you like eat?” Jalen asked as he put the key in the ignition.
“What do you want? There are a few Mexican restaurants around here as well as Asian and a couple of Italian.”
“I could go for Italian, preferably a place that isn’t too big.”
Neve could guess why Jalen wanted that. The bigger the restaurant the more people and the greater the chance of him being recognized. To be honest, she would much rather have Jalen to herself without having to deal with autograph seekers.
“Actually, one of the Italian restaurants has exactly what you want,” she said.
“Then Italian it is.”
After Jalen backed out of the driveway, Neve gave him directions to the restaurant. It was where Kara worked. Given its small size, she didn’t think they’d be bothered too much. And it would give her a chance to really look at the place, so she could decide whether or not she really wanted to work there.
It wasn’t a very long drive before they were pulling into the parking lot of Matteo’s Italian Bistro. There were more than a couple of cars already there, suggesting it wasn’t completely empty. Jalen parked in one of the available spots and shut off the car.
Neve got out as he opened his car door. She waited for Jalen to join her before they walked to the restaurant’s entrance. A podium-type piece stood just inside, with a sign on it saying to please wait to be seated. Jalen and Neve didn’t have too long before a man in his mid-forties came to greet them. This had to be Matty, Kara’s boss. He smiled at them, did a double take at Jalen, but said nothing more than for them to follow him to a table.
Once they were seated and left alone with their menus, Neve had a hard time keeping her gaze off of Jalen. She was really sitting across from him. She felt a bit of a fan girl moment creeping up on her, but pushed it back. He didn’t need her going all giggly and stupid on him. He more than likely got a lot of that from other fans. She tore her gaze off Jalen and focused on the menu in front of her.
It took her all of a minute to pick out what she wanted to order. Neve lifted her head to find Jalen still reading his. To keep from staring at him, she looked around the restaurant. It had been done in dark wood furnishings and trim. The walls had been painted a pale beige. The carpeting was a deep, rich red. She spotted Matty talking to some customers at another table. He laughed at something that had been said to him. According to Kara, he was a great boss and treated his employees really well. Neve still wasn’t sure she wanted to work here.
“You look lost in thought,” Jalen said.
She turned her attention back to him. “Sorry,” she said with a small smile, “Kara works here as a waitress. She’s trying to convince me to come and apply for the hostess position.”
“You don’t sound as if you’re too thrilled about it.”
She shrugged. “I never really had the urge to work in a restaurant. But beggars can’t be choosers, right?”
“If you won’t enjoy doing the job, don’t do it. Or just do it for a little while until something better comes along.”
Neve chuckled. “So says the man who has one of the best jobs in the world. Not everyone gets to work at their dream job. I was already turned down by mine today.”
Jalen’s brow furrowed. “The early man site?”
“Yeah. I’d love to work there, but they aren’t hiring at the moment.”
He grinned. “So you like to dig in the dirt, do you?”
She felt her cheeks flush. “Maybe. I’ve always been interested in foss
ils and old things in general.”
“Old things, you say. How old?”
“Older the better. Like really ancient times.”
Jalen gave her a smile as if he were pleased by something. Their conversation ended when the waiter came and took their order. After he left, Neve met Jalen’s gaze to find him staring at her as if she were the only person in the room. She couldn’t for the life of her look away. Her heart beat faster as her blood heated. Under the table, she squeezed her legs together to try to alleviate the ache inside her pussy. Jalen reached across the table and took her hand. The simple contact had her biting back a moan. Her nipples grew taut beneath her blouse. As he stroked his thumb across the inside of her wrist, wetness pooled between her legs. Jalen’s gaze became hungry looking, as if he wanted nothing more than to pull her across the table and devour her completely.
The spell that came over them broke when the waiter returned with their drinks—hers a glass of white wine while Jalen’s was a beer. After she thanked the man, she tried to cool her body down by taking a sip of her drink. It only seemed to marginally help, not really doing anything to stop the arousal that still thrummed through her. She found herself suddenly hungrier for Jalen than the meal she’d ordered.
Chapter Three
The food finally arrived and Jalen fought the urge to shovel it as fast as he could into his mouth, just so he could get the meal over with quickly. Sitting across the table from Neve, smelling her arousal, unable to touch her the way he wanted, was pure torture. His first glimpse of her walking down the stairs toward him at her place, seeing how her long, slim legs were encased in tight-fitting jeans, he’d almost forgotten Kara had been there. He’d barely stopped himself from reaching for Neve and pulling her to him, in order to greet her properly with a long, hot kiss that would’ve lead to both of them being naked.
What drew him to her as no other human woman had been able to do before? Jalen didn’t know. It wasn’t just one thing about Neve that attracted him. It was the entire package. The more time he spent talking to her, the more he wanted her. He could be himself, feel relaxed around her. Not to mention just breathing the same air as her turned him the hell on.
Fiery Temptation Page 2
