“Well-watered,” Jamie said.
The window slammed shut with a dull sound, and a deadbolt clanked on the other side before the big door opened. A man in a dark suit and a tie stood past the threshold. “Welcome to the garden.”
Excited, hushed sounds came from the girls behind me, but I was determined to play it cool in front of Jamie. He glanced over at me as we walked down a short stone path toward another door, just in time to watch me stumble when my heel plunged into a crack.
“Careful,” he said, swiftly grabbing my elbow and curling his other hand around my waist.
“This is what happens when I make stupid wardrobe choices,” I muttered, my cheeks warming under his watchful gaze. I tugged on the heel, but it remained stubbornly stuck.
He chuckled. “I don’t think you made any stupid choices tonight. You look beautiful.”
I stole a look at his face, forgetting about the heel for a moment. A subtle tension marked his forehead as the remnants of his smile slid away. His chest rose before he dropped his gaze to my foot. “Let me help you.” He squatted down and patted his shoulders. “Hold on to here.”
I did as I was told, immediately taking note of the unyielding hardness of his muscles, and how they moved beneath my hands. I bit on the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing when I saw the face Zoey was making, and Sophie mouthing Damn, bitch to me.
Jamie wiggled my shoe. “Okay, try pulling now.”
Immediately, the heel sprung free. “Thanks,” I said, hesitantly releasing his shoulders when he rose back up.
He offered me his arm. I took it.
“Did you use to come here often?” I asked. We were almost at the second door.
“Before I moved to LA, I’d come here whenever I was in town. I haven’t been back since the move though.”
“You’ll stick around, right?”
He knocked on the second door and looked down at me. “I wasn’t planning on it, to be honest. I was just going to go say hello to the manager, Darren, before heading home. I’m sure you and your friends don’t want some random guy joining your night out.”
“You’re not a random guy.” I met his gaze and dropped my voice. “I know you better than three of the girls here with us. I think it would be fun to hang out.”
His free hand rose to tug on his collar. “I don’t know, Ivy—”
“Really, I insist.” I wanted to make sure he knew I wasn’t just being polite.
He gave me a contemplative look as the door opened and we were whisked inside.
Our conversation finished abruptly as I paused to take in the opulent surroundings. Zoey walked up to stand beside us, her mouth gaping. “Wow. They’re sure taking the whole Garden of Eden thing seriously.”
The floor glowed with green vines, while above us, thousands of red apples dangled from the ceiling, some hanging lower than others on what appeared to be wooden branches. The word “EDEN” glowed in neon-pink letters, set into an enormous plant wall that towered over the DJ booth. Plush private booths lined the perimeter of the space, most of them filled with groups of smartly dressed men or glamorous women. Whatever worry I’d had about being overdressed disappeared in a second. Thank God for Sophie and her French friend. There was nothing else in my closet that I could possibly have worn to this place.
Jamie extracted his arm from mine to talk to the host, and Sophie immediately filled the space.
“This is perfect,” she exclaimed into my ear before lowering her voice. “Oh my God, Ives. He is so fucking hot. If you don’t nail him, it will be a crime against humanity.”
I patted her hand and cast a look over my shoulder. Jamie was still talking to a woman who worked here. “I’m not sure if he’s even going to stay. He wasn’t planning on it.”
“No way. I’ll make sure he stays. Give me one minute.” Before I could stop her, she sashayed over to him, and I whipped back around, unable to watch their interaction.
“What’s she doing?” Zoey asked, tracking Sophie’s movements. It was too loud inside to hear any conversation other than your own.
“She said she’s going to make sure he stays,” I hissed, shifting my weight nervously. “Oh God, this is a terrible idea.”
“Relax.” Zoey bumped my shoulder, nudging me to turn. “They’re coming back.”
Jamie said he’d come find us after he said hello to his friend. His expression didn’t give anything away. I shot a look at Sophie, who was wearing a sly smile.
A hostess came up to us and told us to follow her.
“What did you say to him?” I hissed to Sophie, clutching her arm while we were led through the crowd.
“Nothing! Just that none of us are big partiers and we’d all appreciate it if he stayed for a bit to make sure everything is okay.”
“That’s a lie! You go out all the time in Paris.”
“But you don’t. A white lie has never harmed anyone.”
I was certain that wasn’t true, but I decided to drop it. After all, she was doing me a favor by getting Jamie to stay.
The hostess stopped by a booth in the corner of the club and said it was reserved for us. I frowned in confusion. Had Jamie paid for this? I didn’t need to be a regular to know how expensive these things were.
“He shouldn’t have gotten this for us,” I told Sophie. “It’s too much.”
“Oh, don’t sweat it.” She squeezed my hand. “It makes men feel good to give us things.”
Before I could respond, she and the rest of the girls put their bags down, and everyone but Zoey and I went to dance. I looked down at the main dance floor. It was absolutely packed, so I knew I wouldn’t be going down there.
“You don’t need to babysit me,” I said to Zoey. “I’m fine.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please, not everything is about you. I’m pacing myself. Without drinking, I won’t be able to keep up with those four for long.”
House music was blasting from giant speakers spaced out around the venue, but the beat hardly compelled me to dance. How different from when I was rolling on Molly and couldn’t stand still.
Two servers appeared at our table, carrying mixers and an ice bucket with a bottle of gin. I looked at Zoey, startled. “Did you order this?”
She shook her head and tapped a server on his arm. “Sorry, we didn’t order this.”
“It’s part of the booth reservation,” he said matter of factly.
Discomfort prickled across my chest. Jamie had gone out of his way to make us comfortable here, when just getting us inside was more than enough.
“Actually, I’m going to go dance,” Zoey stood up abruptly, moving around my legs to get out.
“Send the girls back here, I’m not going to make much of a dent in this,” I told her, pointing at the bottle.
“Maybe in a bit.” She gave me a pointed look right as Jamie appeared. She must have seen him a moment earlier and was trying to leave us alone.
Jamie gave Zoey a polite smile and let her pass before squeezing into the booth beside me.
“How’s your friend doing?” I asked.
“He’s great,” Jamie said, putting his arm on the backrest behind me. “Aged a few years but still keeping this place packed most weekends. It’s doing well.”
“I’ve only been to a few clubs in my life, but this one for sure takes the cake.” I paused. “You didn’t need to get us a booth, Jamie. I feel bad for how much you must’ve spent on all this.”
“It’s no big deal.” He shrugged like it was nothing. “I remembered you mentioning you didn’t like crowds. Hard to avoid them in a place like this.”
“Oh, right,” I said, recalling our conversation. “I told you over lunch.”
His fingers brushed over my shoulder. I don’t think he meant to do it, but my skin still reacted to his touch. “Actually, after you told me, I remembered how you got at that one party we had back on tour.”
My back stiffened at the memory. I was looking for Oliver when Jamie pulled me out of the
packed room, and in return, I said a bunch of nasty things to him. I forced myself to look him in the eye. “Thank you. This was very thoughtful.”
He smiled at me, his thick eyelashes casting shadows over his cheeks. I wanted to touch him, but I was afraid. What if he pushed me away?
For a moment, I thought I saw that same nervousness play out across his face, but I must have imagined it. This was Jamie. I doubted the guy got nervous around women.
Before I could go further down that line of thought, Jamie’s gaze flickered down to the low table in front of us, and he immediately sat up straight, as if all of his muscles tensed at the same time. His jaw tightened, unease clearly spelled out over his face.
“Are you ok—” I started to ask but trailed off when I saw what he was looking at and put two and two together.
Jamie was a recovering addict, and we were in a loud club, with a bottle of alcohol right in front of us. And he was here because I had asked him to stay.
My heart sank. I’d been so focused on my own selfish desires and ridiculous worries, I hadn’t considered for even one second how difficult being here must be for him. This place was one massive reminder of his previous life. A life he’d been working so hard to leave behind.
Cold dread filled my body. How could I have been so thoughtless?
“Shit. I’m so sorry.” I reached over to grab his hands.
His attention moved back to me, but the tension remained, a thick vein standing out against his neck. I needed to get him out of here.
“Let’s go dance.”
“It’s busy down there,” he said finally.
“It’s cool, we’ll find a spot to the side. Just like last time, remember?” The need to get him away from a trigger was so overwhelming that I didn’t think twice about bringing up the night that still mortified me.
He gave me a terse nod. “Okay.”
We pushed through the crowd just outside of the booth, and I led him in the opposite direction of the DJ. The farther we went, the sparser it became, and soon enough, we found a spot that would work.
I turned to face him, still holding his hand. “Jamie, I’m sorry. I can’t believe how stupid I am. I didn’t think. I—”
“You didn’t do anything.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m a grown man. It was my choice to stay instead of leaving after I got you inside. I knew what I was getting into.”
“But Sophie pressured you into it,” I protested.
His expression relaxed, and he surprised me with a chuckle. “Look, I’m sure your friend can be very persuasive, but she didn’t have to work very hard. I wanted to stay.”
I bit on my lip. “Do you want to go now? I can leave with you and make sure you get home okay.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “I’m fine here.”
I looked down at our clasped hands. Neither of us seemed eager to let go. “You told me staying distracted helps, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’m your official distraction for the evening.”
A crooked smile graced his lips as he dragged his other hand down my arm and linked his fingers with mine. “Sounds dangerous.”
“Very.” I grinned and began to sway in front of him. Soon, he was moving with me.
By the end of the first song, his hands had migrated to my waist, while mine curled around his strong shoulders. We moved together, not speaking but holding on tightly. Just like in that dressing room, the heat of his body caressed my skin like a familiar lover. When my fingertips pressed into his back, his chest rose with a deep breath. The DJ was playing “King of the Fall” by the Weeknd, and the driving beat was bringing me closer and closer to that marvelous chest. I stared at the open V of his shirt, where a hint of his black hair peeked out. My fingers itched to run through it. A primal want was waking up in me, and it made me feel alive.
I needed to feel him, and the need was so strong that it overpowered every remaining doubt, hesitation, and insecurity. Tilting my head back, I met his solid gaze and pressed my entire body against his. My breasts ached, my nipples hardened.
“Ivy…” His body was so taut with tension, I could practically feel him vibrate beneath my hands. He loosened his hold on me but didn’t move away. “You don’t need to do this to keep me distracted.”
“I know.” My voice was hoarse. “I’m doing it because I want to.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed, the movement jerky, as he continued to stare down at me. Under the pulled-together brows, his gray eyes flickered with something that sent a thrill down my spine.
He tracked the movement of my right hand as I lifted it to his face, his expression a mix of fascination and torment. I could have guessed at the reasons he seemed so reluctant, almost incredulous, at what was happening between us. I could hardly believe it myself. But what made it interesting was that I also understood the temptation that swam behind his eyes.
We used to be enemies. And now, we were becoming something else.
I pressed my fingers into the soft hair at the nape of his neck, pulling his face closer to mine. There was a second of resistance, and then he began to yield to my touch.
Closer.
I could make out a thin scar below his brow that I hadn’t noticed before.
Closer.
His scent intensified, filling the air around me with the dizzying scent of cedar and soap.
Closer.
Eyelashes fanned out across his cheeks as he closed his eyes, the last of his resistance slipping.
The inches of space between us disappeared and then, I was kissing Jamie Berg again.
He dove into me as if I were a cool lake on a hot summer afternoon, boldly confident, his hesitation from a few moments ago erased. I smiled against his mouth, delighting in his unexpected eagerness, and meeting it with my own. I should have known by now that when it came to Jamie, it was better to go in without any expectations. He seemed to frequently defy mine.
The hard, merciless kiss from the dressing room faded away, relinquishing its title as The Kiss in my mind. There would be no more kisses with a capital K, because as his lips continued to press against mine, our tongues tangling in a tantalizing dance, I knew that I wanted to do this with him over and over again.
We were losing ourselves in each other. He moved his hands to my hips and dug into the soft flesh, pulling me closer. The extra friction against my nipples sent a wave of pleasure all the way down to my clit, and I moaned.
He made a strangled sound and pulled away. His lips glistened from our kiss. “Fuck.”
Seeing him lose control melted some cold part of me that I didn’t even know existed. Heat pooled between my legs. I’d never gotten particularly aroused with Jack. We’d simply gone through the motions. But now… I wanted Jamie. Really wanted him.
JAMIE
I clutched Ivy’s hips as she moved against me, afraid that if I shifted my hands an inch closer to her ass, I’d lose the minuscule shred of control I still had. Resisting the urge to press her against a wall and fuck her senseless right here on the dance floor was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.
Then she twisted in my arms, and her thigh pressed right against my rock-hard cock. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she began to grind against me, her gaze never wavering from my face.
I shut my eyes and sucked in a breath.
If we didn’t stop this, I was going to come right inside my fucking pants. With difficulty, I peeled my body away from her. The ability to think slowly returned to me, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We shouldn’t do this.”
Her expression fell instantly. “Why not?”
How could I describe the enormity of my feelings at the moment? There was a terrifying need to keep going, but also a consuming fear that I was yet again making a colossal mistake. Hadn’t I made enough of those in my life? I was trying to be a good man. I couldn’t afford making another casualty out of her.
While I was trying to find the right words, she took my silence to mean somet
hing else. “You’re not into me,” she concluded with resigned disappointment.
I ran my hand through my hair. “You’ve just spent the past minute pressed against physical evidence to the contrary.”
Her lips twitched. “So what’s the problem?”
“I am. I’m a mess. You don’t want to get involved with me, Ivy.” The words tasted like ash on my tongue. She had no idea how badly I wanted her.
“Don’t make decisions for me,” she countered, her tone taking on an unexpected hardness. “I’m not high, and I’ve only had one drink. I know exactly what I want, Jamie. And right now, I want you.”
I shut my eyes, as if it would reverse time and make her take those words back. My resistance, my good intentions, were evaporating and in their place was pure, depraved desire. I wanted to lick her pussy clean for hours until she was no more than a blubbering mess on my bed, to bury myself in her to the hilt, to make her scream my name as she came over and over again.
After everything that I’d done, I deserved none of that pleasure. But here she was, offering herself to me, and the pull of alcohol paled in comparison. She was tugging on me with invisible ropes tied around every vital organ.
“I haven’t done this in a long time,” I confessed, a desperate last-ditch attempt to have her tell me she meant none of it.
Instead, her lips curved into a teasing smirk. “Are you worried you’ve forgotten how?”
I laughed despite myself. She grinned, then leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’d be happy to help you remember any of the finer points.”
My mouth went dry. “I need a drink.”
She leaned back. “Hell, no. You can have me, but you’re not having a drink.”
“I meant water.”
Her face relaxed. “Okay. There’s some back in the booth. I’m going to hide the bottle.”
I wrapped my arm around her and led us back through the crowd, shielding her smaller body from any of the particularly enthusiastic dancers.
Zoey and Sophie jumped to their feet when they saw us approach. “Hey! There you are. We weren’t sure where you’d gone to,” Zoey said to Ivy, her perceptive eyes quickly cataloguing the position of my arm around her friend. Her lips curved into a knowing smirk.
Pretty Words: An Enemies To Lovers Rock Star Romance (River Valley Rebels) Page 21