He let out a low whistle and started dragging me again.
"Wait!"
He sighed as if very put out and waited while I grabbed my keys and a cherry chapstick. He smirked at that. Then he took my hand and dragged me out of the house, sighing impatiently as I locked the door.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Well there are all sorts of strange men out tonight. So, yes."
“Touche.”
He laughed again and threw his arm over my shoulder. For some reason he seemed to find me charming. No matter how hard I tried to put him off.
Maybe he was on drugs. He was a rock star after all. He seemed straight though.
And his big strong arm felt heavenly around my back. It had been a while since anyone hugged me, that was for sure.
It was kind of sad but the truth was, my only source of physical affection was a dog.
An awesome, off the charts amazing dog, but still.
"Come on doll. Let's get you some more of that champagne."
That's when I realized that he hadn't been wearing sunglasses for the first time. I was completely bamboozled by his stunning good looks.
His eyes. Good lord, those eyes.
They were brown. But that word didn't do it justice. They weren't chocolatey. They were amber.
Warm, glowing amber.
I let him lead me over to his house.
Chapter 8
Slade
I sat in the low slung all weather couch on my deck. It formed a semi circle and was filled with people laughing and talking in front of an eco gas fireplace.
Soft music played, classics and songs from the 60’s and 70’s. It was comfortable, and surprisingly fun.
I didn't have anything against loud music. It just overpowered the sound of the ocean less than twenty feet away.
And according to Jenny, that would be a travesty.
I had to admit, I agreed with her.
She’d also programmed the music after I handed over my iPod.
Jenny was full of surprises as she sat beside me tonight.
The girl was not only relaxed, she was sparkling. She was surprisingly well read and sharp as a tack. There were revealing moments as well, like when she mentioned that she was well read only because she spent so much time alone.
I’d felt a strange hitch in my chest at the thought.
Then there was the time she'd said that she was alone in the world. Literally. She hadn't been throwing a pity party, on the converse, she'd made a joke about being an orphan.
Something about how simple the holidays were when you didn't have any living relatives. None worth mentioning anyway.
Everyone had laughed.
But it had broken my heart.
Just a little bit.
Just enough to crack it open and let something else in.
Everyone was drinking and relaxing but I’d switched to mineral water about a half an hour ago. As soon as the party started to thin out. I wanted to be relatively sober when I kissed her.
And I was going to kiss her.
Of that I had no doubt.
Kissing, and hopefully a whole lot more.
Now, I just had to keep her distracted while I hinted that everyone else should leave.
Jenny leaned back and closed her eyes, with no idea of what I was planning.
She wouldn’t be so relaxed if she did know.
Chapter 9
Jenny
CRACK
My palms made contact with Slade’s hands again. He was letting me win the game of slap, I had no doubt. But I couldn't stop laughing.
Besides, I figured he deserved a slap or two. Especially with the dirty looks he'd been throwing my way all night.
Not dirty.
Sultry. Hot.
Smokin' hot.
He'd been sitting next to me for most of the night, despite having thirty something other guests to attend to.
It was almost like he was afraid to let me out of his sight. Like he knew that I might sneak back home and he wouldn’t get a chance to- well, I wasn’t sure exactly what he was after. But I figured it included both of us, wearing as little clothing as possible.
The guy could have any number of gorgeous women at the party. I’d noticed his yoga teacher staring at him, throwing him hints all night. He ignored her completely.
For some reason, it seemed like he actually wanted me.
And only me.
I’d felt his eyes almost constantly. He'd managed to slide closer every half hour or so as well. Until his thigh was pressed against mine and his arms slung casually over the back of my seat.
He was marking his territory, no doubt about it.
It felt completely natural for some reason. Even though I knew he was putting the moves on me. He wasn't being overbearing but it sure as shit wasn't subtle either.
Now we were facing each other, two of the last people at the party. I kept getting up to leave but he kept pulling me back down and entertaining me with some other wild story.
He had lots of wild stories. And snacks. And fizzy, delicious beverages.
Now he was letting me slap the shit out of his hands.
"Ow!"