I shrugged. “I wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You look different.”
I let out a short laugh. “I’d hope so.”
Her grin made me want to do a fist pump. I seriously have never done a fist pump in my life. Not even in high school.
“No one is going to recognize you,” she said. “I’m jealous.”
I arched my brows. “You’re jealous that I was a big loser in high school?”
I would die a happy man if I got to hear her laugh on a daily basis. I’d settle for once a year. Hell, just once more in my lifetime and I’d die happy. I wasn’t a greedy man.
Her brows came together in a scowl. “You weren’t a loser.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “That’s sweet, Ali, but a blatant lie.”
She was still frowning, looking adorably concerned about me. “I’m serious,” she said. “I never thought of you as a loser.”
“That’s because you were too nice for your own good,” I said. “You always saw the best in everyone. You liked everyone.” Not that I was complaining since she was one of the few people who liked me enough to speak to me. But still. It was hard to feel too special when she was unfailingly sweet to every single person she spoke to.
She shook her head. “That’s not true. I didn’t like everyone.”
I arched my brows in disbelief. “You were nice to everyone.” It came out more like an accusation than I’d intended.
She tilted her head again and gave me a heart-melting smile. “That’s not the same thing.”
I leaned forward, curious now. “So, who didn’t you like?”
She started to blush and my curiosity grew with each new shade of pink that crept into her cheeks. “I’m not telling you.”
I folded my arms. “So you’re telling me you were nice to people you didn’t like? That’s surprisingly fake of you, Ali.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t nice to them, not really. They just didn’t notice I was giving them the cold shoulder since they didn’t know I was alive.”
“Ah,” I said. “That makes more sense.” And it did, sadly. I’d understood exactly what she’d meant earlier about being invisible. In a way I used to be jealous of her for that reason. Everyone knew who I was…and not in a good way. Being the class dork was not a pleasant role to play in the great social hierarchy that was high school. There were times I wished no one noticed me. But then again, I guess the grass was always greener.
“So,” she said. “Are you going to the reunion to show off how amazing you turned out?”
“Amazing, huh?” I couldn’t help it. My ego swelled instantly, in direct proportion to my erection.
“Yes, amazing,” she said, her cheeks growing pinker by the second. “You’ve got to know that you look good.”
I thought she might burst into flames and I was a little afraid I might orgasm right then and there. I mean, seriously. The love of my life just told me I was attractive.
Life was good.
“Plus, you’re so successful,” she said, her voice satisfyingly breathless, almost like she was trying to make my every fantasy come true. All she had to do next was start stripping…but then, that might not work out so well in reality. We’d probably both be arrested by airport security or something. Best keep that little fantasy tucked away for a rainy day.
She started asking me about my family, about my home. She seemed endlessly fascinated with my life and I had to admit that her interest was flattering. Granted, she’d seemed interested in me even before she knew I was me, but still.
Alison Marks wanted to know all about me!
My inner teen was freaking out in a big way, but I managed to keep my cool. We talked nonstop for the rest of the flight. I even managed to get her to talk about herself, and not just the clearly automated responses she’d given me earlier. I learned about how she became interested in bioengineering, what she liked about her job.
I also may have managed to get some key information along the way, namely, that she was still single and lived alone in Burlingame, which was less than an hour from my home.
It wasn’t until we landed that I saw her tense up again. Now I knew it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with this reunion. “Relax,” I said. “You’re going to blow them all away with your crazy successful life.”
She gave me a smile but she looked unconvinced.
“Besides, those idiots who didn’t notice you before won’t be able to take their eyes off you now.”
It was the truth but she rolled her eyes like I’d just said something flattering but untrue. Lord, this woman would be the death of me. But then I noticed another blush and the way she was gnawing at her lip.
It clicked. She didn’t just want to be noticed. She wanted to be noticed by someone in particular.
Someone who was not me, obviously.
“Who is he?” I asked.
She turned to me so quickly it looked like she gave herself whiplash. “What?”
I kept an easy smile even as my insides rotted away with jealousy. “Who are you hoping to impress?” I nodded to the unassuming but sexy dress, the gorgeousness that was Alison in general.
Her blush turned fuchsia. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only to me,” I said. And only because I notice everything about you.
Yeah, I kept that creepy comment to myself.
She licked her lips and I stifled a groan. Was she trying to give me a hard-on so I couldn’t walk off the plane?
“Alex Jones.”
Ugh. The name of that cocky jock simultaneously hit me like a punch in the gut and made my erection wither and die a miserable death. I remembered him, even though there wasn’t much to remember. He was a moron with a terrible sense of humor. Sure, he was attractive, but he was also one of the minions who hung around Jordan Mitchell, the star quarterback. I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Alex had been every girl’s crush. I just hadn’t realized Alison had fallen for that smug cocky asshole too.
She widened her eyes and gave me a pleading look as if willing me to understand. “It’s not like I really want him,” she said. “I mean, not anymore.”
“Uh huh.” I didn’t try to hide my skepticism. Now it was becoming extremely clear why she’d come when this was obviously a torturous event for her. She’d been fantasizing about winning over her high school crush, just like I had.
“I’m serious,” she said. “I just want to be noticed by him.” She shrugged. “By them.”
I knew which “them” she meant. The popular crowd. The people who’d pretended like she didn’t exist for all those years. I got it. I did.
But it still sucked.
Still, this was Alison. Sweetest girl alive. The love of my life, though she’d never know it. “We’ll make sure they see you.”
Her face brightened, but her eyes were wary. Smart girl. “Yeah?” she said.
I nodded. “I promise,” I said. “By the time this weekend is over, you’ll have every guy trying to get with you.”
She deserved to have her day in the sun. She deserved to be noticed for the amazing, beautiful, sexy goddess that she was.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t make a play for her at the same time.
Chapter Three
Alison
I couldn’t believe I’d actually admitted that to Noah. But then, he always had been easy to talk to. He was probably easy for everyone to talk to but that was especially true for me since I didn’t find it easy to talk to just anyone.
The truth had sort of just…slipped out. But I was glad it had because now I had someone on my side. I had a friend.
Man, I’d missed this guy. I’d forgotten how much I’d liked talking to him. How easy it was to be around him. How much he made me laugh and helped me to forget my fears.
And now we were sharing a cab to The Leaning Pine so we could hit the welcome cocktail party. At least, that was the idea. The
cab was now idling in front of the restaurant as we watched people streaming in.
“You ready?” Noah asked.
It was the second time he’d asked. The first time I hadn’t responded because my mouth had gone too dry to speak. Alex Jones had walked past our cab on his way into the place. He’d been laughing with Jordan Mitchell and some of their other buddies—all of whom I’d recognized.
Suddenly I was in high school again, complete with the crazy hormones and the massive insecurities. I leaned over toward Noah, finding some reassurance in that awesome aftershave smell. “I think I just traveled back in time,” I whispered.
His laugh was low and rumbly and—oh God, I wanted to do dirty things with him.
Wait, what? Where had that thought come from? It wasn’t true. Yes, I might have been attracted to him when he was my anonymous seat partner, but now I knew who he was and I didn’t think of Noah that way, I never had.
But right at this particular moment, my body didn’t seem to care that Noah was a friend. That he had always been a friend and never once had he expressed interest in being anything more.
Even now he was helping me to get the attention of a guy I’d liked. A guy who still looked good. I had no idea if he was single, and I didn’t really care. It wasn’t like I needed him to sleep with me or propose to me…I just wanted him to see me.
I wanted them all to see me. Why? Why was it important? I wasn’t totally sure but it just felt like something I had to do to resolve those past issues once and for all.
The thing was, I was pretty sure Noah understood. If anyone could understand, it would be him. He not only knew me back then but he hadn’t been popular either.
I looked him up and down, taking in all his newfound glory. “You’re here for the same reason, aren’t you?”
I’d kind of just blurted that out there but his wince gave him away. He ran a hand through his artfully messy dark hair. “Embarrassingly enough…yes.”
I nodded. It was embarrassing. Humiliating, even. We shouldn’t care about these people anymore. We had nothing to prove.
But wouldn’t it be such sweet satisfaction to have the guys who’d ignored me looking at me like I was beautiful? And Noah must have felt the same way about the popular girls who’d snickered and turned away when he’d tried to talk to them back in the day.
Hell, looking at this new and improved Noah, I was half tempted to burst into that party and shout “look at him now, ladies” to the mean girls just to see their reactions.
But then again, I also was too terrified to get out of this cab. The meter was still running and Noah was patiently waiting for me to take the first step.
“We could skip the party, you know,” he finally said when it became increasingly clear that I was failing in my inner battle for courage.
I hesitated. “I’ve come all this way,” I said. “I don’t want to wuss out now.”
He shifted so he was facing me. “How about a little liquid courage?”
My lips twitched up in a reluctant grin. “Some pre-drinks before the drinks?”
He nodded. “Exactly.”
“I’m in.”
We were both staying at the Hilton and after dropping off his bags, he showed up at my hotel room with a cheap bottle of vodka in one hand and some juice in the other. “Not exactly classy, but it was all I could get at such short notice.”
I grabbed the vodka out of his hands and handed him one of the plastic cups I’d filled with ice from the machine down the hall. “Screw classy,” I said. “I would inject the alcohol directly into my veins if I could.”
He laughed but I was only half joking. It wasn’t like I had a drinking problem or anything but it was a decent remedy when social anxiety struck, and right now I was recovering from a massive bout of it.
And I hadn’t even entered the cocktail party yet.
Lord, I had problems.
The first drink went down easily.
Too easily.
The second round? Even easier.
It wasn’t until Noah was pouring drink three that I realized the error of this little plan. “We might be too drunk to go to the cocktail party.”
He looked at me over his shoulder. “Would that be so bad? We have all weekend to see those people. I’m having fun with you.”
I grinned up at him from where I was sprawled out on the bed. I liked the way he’d said “those people,” like they were the losers and not me for not having the courage to face them. And I liked that he’d said he was having fun, because I was too. The drinks had wiped away any lingering anxiety and I’d been talking and laughing and reveling in the fact that I had a friend here with me.
Not only that, but that I had Noah back in my life. Something about the ease of being with him made me feel intoxicated in a way that had nothing to do with alcohol. That combined with that ever-present awareness, the expectant feeling of wondering what he’d say next and the magical beauty of being on the same page, of speaking the same language…it was heady and kind of amazing. Had it always been like this?
Did he feel it too? Was this a mutual connection? Was it an old friendship renewed or something more?
I shook my head, forcing myself to stop with the questions before my neurotic brain got carried away. Still, there was one question I couldn’t shake. I cocked my head to the side. “Why didn’t we stay in touch after high school?”
He shrugged as he walked toward the bed, handing me my cup filled with sugary alcohol goodness. “The fact that we went to different colleges in two different states was a factor.”
I nodded. “Fair enough. But I wish we’d tried.”
He stared at me for a moment, and his silence lasted just a heartbeat too long. For a second I wondered if I’d said the wrong thing. “You’re right,” he finally said. “I wish we’d tried.”
I swirled my cup, trying to mix the contents a bit as I thought about the people we’d been back then. How we’d changed and then again, how we hadn’t changed at all. “Maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t.”
I felt the bed sink as he sat beside me. “Didn’t what?”
I looked up and was startled by his proximity. Not in a bad way, just…surprised. And hot. Freakin’ hell, had it been that long since I’d gotten laid that sitting close to a guy made me turned on? Or was it sitting next to this particular man that made my senses so hyper aware and my body feel like a furnace?
“Didn’t what?” he said again, his voice softer, his gaze warmer. There was something dangerously intimate about this moment and I had a hard time making my voice function.
“Um…” Didn’t what…what? I had no idea. What were we even talking about and when had Noah become so freakin’ sexy?
And why was he looking at my lips? Did I have a juice mustache or—
His kiss was a shocker. A sweet, delicious, insanely hot shocker. His lips were firm and warm against mine, his kiss instantly intimate as if we’d always been kissing. As if our bodies knew instinctively how to come together.
A little moan slipped out at the jolt of heat that made me shake with need. For a moment, that’s all it was. A single, sweet kiss. But then, when I didn’t pull away he moved into action, cupping my cheeks as he tilted my head slightly, intensifying the kiss.
I forgot to worry about anything, I didn’t have the mental capacity to fear this sudden change in our newly found friendship. I was too busy feeling, experiencing…absorbing. His heat surrounded me, like he was a flame flickering and singeing my skin. His touch was somehow tender and fierce, all at once. Like I was infinitely fragile and breakable, but he also wanted to devour me whole.
That combination was heady. I’d never felt so cherished nor so wanted.
Before I knew it, we were lying together, a tangled knot of limbs and embraces and messy kisses.
My body couldn’t seem to get close enough. I needed to feel his skin like I needed air to breathe. I wanted more, I wanted closer, I wanted it all.
My legs were wrapped aro
und his hips as he rolled above me, his hard cock pressing against me through the thick, irritating barriers of his jeans and my panties. My dress had ridden up ages ago and he’d taken every advantage, running his hands up my thighs, caressing the soft skin with such tenderness it made my chest ache with something deeper than desire.
He hovered over me, his eyes dark and fiery as they darted back and forth like he was desperately trying to read something in my gaze or maybe written in the shape of my mouth.
Whatever he saw there, it made him groan…and not in a good way. He dipped his head so his forehead pressed lightly against mine, our breath mixing with enough alcohol fumes between us to start a fire.
“We should probably stop,” he said.
His voice was low and it sounded like he was talking through clenched teeth. I could only hope that his decision hurt him as much as it did me, because I was in hell.
Seriously, it felt like hell. I was in physical pain as I realized that this crazy, overwhelming aching need wasn’t going to be satiated. I wanted to whimper and beg, but I laid there in silence, willing my body to calm down, to stop shrieking for me to dry hump him into submission.
I swallowed convulsively as I tried to think of something to say that wasn’t please don’t stop. “Why?”
Ugh. It sounded pitiful. Pathetic. My voice was wobbly and sad, high-pitched and breathless.
He pulled back finally, sitting up beside me, and I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to fuck me either after that sad, needy question. But he didn’t look disgusted by me. Just…sad. Or maybe resigned. I don’t know what exactly he was thinking or feeling but it didn’t seem good.
“We’ve been drinking.” His voice was still stiff. So unnatural and so…not like Noah.
I struggled to sit up as well, but my body was still resisting this whole turn of events. I ached everywhere. My nerve endings were raw and my skin was too sensitive to touch.
But worse than the physical pain was the sting of rejection.
No, sting was way too much of an understatement. It was a lashing of rejection. A stabbing. A slaying. An impalement of hurt.
There. No one could accuse me of understating ever again.
The Morning After: Starting from Zero Box Set Page 48
