Blood Song: Refrain (Blood Song Series Book 2)

by Charli B. Rose

  Celesta pressed a kiss to my lips, then stopped the music I’d somehow tuned out. She strolled out and turned in the direction of the living room. Thank God she didn’t look back. If she had, I would’ve begged her to come back and try. I was so desperate for her. And her inadvertent reminder of time increased my desperation.

  I climbed the stairs two at a time and shut myself in my bathroom for the few minutes it would take to satisfy the raging animal inside.

  12

  Celesta

  I really wanted to follow him. Last night and the moment just a bit ago had awakened something that had been lying dormant inside of me. Something that needed more. Something that needed him. Though moments ago, I was soaring and sated, now my body felt . . . itchy, and in a way I couldn’t scratch. I hadn’t ever felt that way before, so I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But somehow, I knew Toven was the balm to the itch. If only he’d allow himself to scratch and soothe both our itches.

  I strained my ears, but heard no sound coming from upstairs. Perhaps he wasn’t in need of release as much as I thought. Or maybe he was just quiet on the way to his ecstasy. My body heated and tingled at the thought of Toven wracked with pleasure. Shaking my head to free myself of an impossible fantasy, I turned on the TV in the living room and loaded my worn copy of Dirty Dancing into the player. I could still remember the first time I watched it. I was thirteen and staying at my best friend’s while Dad was out of town working.

  Tammy had seen it a bunch of times, but Dad wouldn’t let me because a movie with dirty in the title had to be . . . well, dirty. I was captivated by the sexy moves, and from that moment on, dancing had become my secret obsession. I made Tammy watch it with me every time I went over to her house, trying to memorize the moves. Tammy’s mom had finally taken pity on me and bought me a copy, which I secretly watched in my room for months, trying to mimic Baby’s dance moves. But it was impossible to learn the mambo without a partner, and guys my age weren’t interested in dancing. So, I had back-burnered that secret wish and now it was going to come true. With Toven.

  The menu screen flickered to life just as Toven leaped over the back of the couch, landing next to me. I gasped and looked up at him with a laugh.

  “Guess I’m easy to sneak up on?”

  “I am light on my feet.”

  “Did you get everything taken care of?” I asked with raised brow.

  He blushed as he said, “Yeah.”

  I stroked his cheek and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Next time, let me help.”

  He didn’t say no, but he didn’t agree either. Instead, he pulled me onto his lap and took the remote from my hand to start the movie. Pressing a kiss to my neck, he settled me comfortably in his arms. He seemed to be as into the movie as I was, humming along with the soundtrack and swaying to the music.

  ♪ The Time of My Life by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

  Once the movie was over, he said, “So, you want to learn the mambo the way they did it in the movie?”

  I nodded excitedly.

  “Their version isn’t quite the way I learned it. Theirs is a bit more sexed up, but I think I can still teach you.”

  He stood with me in his arms and carried me to the music room.

  “I could’ve walked, you know.”

  “I know, but why bother when I can get us both here faster.”

  He set me on my feet then went over to the sound system to boot up some music. The song that flowed through the hidden speakers had no words and was of a moderate tempo.

  “We’ll start with this just so you can get the feel for following my lead on the steps. Then we’ll try it with something more contemporary.”

  He stepped to me and placed my hands where they needed to be. “I’ll pull with the hand that’s holding yours and push with my hand that’s on your back. You step with the foot on the side I’m pushing or pulling with, OK?”

  “That sounds simple enough.”

  “The rhythm is . . . and one and two and three and four.” He tapped the beat on the skin at the small of my back. “If you follow my lead, you won’t have to think about the steps at all.” And with that, he started leading me across the floor in a set of quick steps.

  I looked down trying to watch our feet. When I did, my steps faltered.

  “Sorry,” I said sheepishly.

  “Don’t watch your feet. Watch me. Look into my eyes. Your body will follow where I lead, and I won’t lead you wrong.”

  I nodded, and we started to move again. This time I kept my gaze locked on his. Joy filled his eyes as I managed to follow him through a whole series without a misstep. Mischief sparkled on his face when he surprised me with a complicated spin. Those expressive orbs overflowed with delight when I spun back into him without missing a beat. Laughter sprung from my lips.

  When the song ended, he said, “I think you’re ready to pick up the pace.”

  His nimble pianist fingers danced across the screen of his iPod until an up-tempo pop song emitted from the speakers. He crooked his finger to beckon me to him. And like an obedient moth to a demanding flame, I sashayed my way to him. He pulled my body flush against his and started to move us before I could even get my hands in proper position. The pace he set was dizzying but exhilarating at the same time. He pushed and pulled, and my body followed like a compliant student.

  ♪ Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega

  Silence finally filled the room, and we collapsed in a heap on the sofa, laughing.

  “I think you’re ready for the after party,” he declared as he squeezed my hip.

  “As long as you’re my dance partner, I think so too.”

  With a low growl, he rolled me beneath him and stared deeply into my eyes. “I hope I’m the only dance partner you’ll ever need.”

  The intensity and vulnerability which mixed in his eyes was my undoing. My fingers traced the line of his jaw. “If you’re willing to take on the job of permanent dance partner, I’ll willingly give it to you,” I whispered.

  He crushed his lips to mine in answer, but the kiss ended all too quickly.

  “Do you think we need more practice?” I asked.

  “Kissing?” he asked with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

  “No. I think we have that perfected. I meant more dance practice.”

  He chuckled deeply. “I think we’re good on that front too. We’ll wing it.”

  He eased himself off me and got to his feet. “Since the dance lessons went a bit smoother than I anticipated, I think we may put them to the test tomorrow night.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, curiosity dripping from my words.

  “There was another band who wanted to try to meet before we headed out of town. I’m going to shoot them a message to see if maybe they can meet us at Club Night tomorrow. If that’s OK with you.”

  “Sounds like fun. While you do office stuff, I’m going to go make us a snack.”

  I followed him to the hallway. As I took a step away from him in the direction of the kitchen, he called my name. When I turned toward him, I found him right behind me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and planted his mouth on mine in a sweet kiss. Then he trailed his lips across my cheek and down my neck. I arched my head back to make more skin available to his questing lips.

  “I know what I want for a snack,” he mumbled against my skin.

  “That can probably be arranged,” I panted.

  After pressing a few more kisses to my lips, he stepped back from me. “I won’t be long.” And with that, he turned on his heel and strode into his office while my lips still tingled from the feel of his mouth on them.

  When I finally got my wits about me, I wandered to the kitchen, craving brownies. I turned on the radio to one of the local stations. Dancing around the room to the radio, I located all the ingredients I needed to bake brownies. Then I found a large bowl and a brownie pan. Once I had everything on the counter, I began adding things to the bowl, following my mom’s recipe from memory.

/>   When “Starving” came on the radio, I turned it up and started to sing along. I shimmied and shook as I mixed the homemade chocolate batter, throwing in some of the new steps Toven had taught me. When the chorus started, I sang it loud and proud.

  ♪ Starving by Hailee Steinfeld

  I set the bowl on the counter, grabbed the spoon out and gave the batter a lick. Holding the utensil up to my mouth, it became my microphone as I continued singing.

  Lost in the song, I didn’t hear Toven enter the kitchen until he was behind me.

  “I could’ve written this song.” Planting his hands on my hips, he pressed my back to his front and danced with me. “Especially after last night,” he murmured in my ear. His words and breath sent a shiver down my spine.

  He released me when the song ended. With a trembling hand, I offered him the spoon still covered in chocolate goo. “Want a taste?”

  Feral hunger flashed in his eyes as he backed me against the counter. His mouth descended toward me. I was almost certain that he was going to take a taste of me, but at the last second, he turned and licked the spoon. He moaned, “That’s good.”

  Rising slightly on my tiptoes, I licked the dab of chocolate from his lips.

  “Hey, I was saving that,” he protested.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Grab that pan over there, and we’ll get the batter into the oven.”

  Working together, we got the brownies baking and the kitchen cleaned up.

  “Did you schedule a meeting with that other band?” I asked, licking a stray dollop of chocolate off the edge of the bowl.

  “Yeah for tomorrow night.” He took the bowl from me and loaded it into the dishwasher.

  “Awesome. Do you care if I invite Lucy, my friend from B.I.T.-10?”

  “Sure. Speaking of, tomorrow we should go by there and pick up your clothes for our trip.”

  I peeked in the oven then set the timer.

  “You give Lucy a call. I’m going to go pick some movies for us to watch. I figure we can eat brownies and veg out. Unless you want to go out?” he asked, his tone unsure.

  “No, staying in sounds perfect.” My mind had already started plotting ways to move things along between us.

  “I’m going to my room to call her. I’ll be back down before the brownies are done.”

  I had thirty minutes before the brownies needed to come out, so I dashed up the stairs to my room. With fast fingers, I dialed Lucy’s number. When she answered I said, “Hey, Lucy. It’s Celesta. Circe gave me your number. I hope that’s OK.”

  “Of course, it’s OK. So, how are you?” her tone was animated.

  “I’m good. Really good, actually. How are you?” I sank onto the foot of my bed, eager to hear how things were going for her.

  “Fine. Just waiting for my next contract to start.”

  “Yeah, Circe mentioned Victor might be hiring you again,” I hedged, curious to hear what she really thought of working with him.

  “He liked what I did with the model home I set up in San Antonio for him. So, he said he’d bring me back for some setups in Santa Fe. And he says he has some big secret project in Las Vegas that he may hire me for in a few months,” she gushed excitedly, then proceeded to tell me about the work she’d done for the next several minutes.

  “That’s great. And he treated you OK?” I asked when I could finally get a word in. His rumored proclivities had me worried for my friend. I chewed on my fingernail while I waited for what seemed like forever for her to answer.

  “Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she brushed off the question. “I saw pictures of you with Toven Adams. You two looked quite cozy.”

  Heat flushed my cheeks at the suggestive tone she took. Before I could stammer out an answer, she continued, “Tell me everything. What’s he like? He seemed so broody at the gala. And he’s so mysterious. There’s like nothing about him on the internet. Or at least there wasn’t until a week ago. No detail is too small.”

  “He’s wonderful,” I said with a sigh as I flopped back, lying on my bed.

  “That’s all I get?” she asked incredulously.

  “Well, I’m setting up some PR stuff for him. And we’ve become . . . friends. He’s taken me out a few times. Which is what I was calling you about. Toven owns Club Night. He has a meeting there tomorrow night, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me? That way I’d have someone to hang out with while he has his meeting,” I rushed to get all the words out.

  I pulled the phone away as she squealed loudly. When the shrieking stopped, I pressed it back to my ear.

  “Are you kidding me? Club Night is so exclusive that it’s impossible to get into without knowing somebody,” her voice still had a high-pitched edge to it.

  “Well, now you know somebody.”

  “Hell yeah, I do.”

  “So, is that a yes? You’ll go with me tomorrow night?” I teased.

  “I will love you forever if you’re serious.”

  “I’m serious. I have to go to B.I.T.-10 tomorrow to pick up some stuff from Jacque. How about we pick you up from there?”

  “What time should I be there?” her tone was all business.

  “I’ll check with Toven and text you later. But for now, I have to go check on the brownies.” I twirled a loose lock of hair around my finger.

  “Did you say brownies?”

  “Yep. Toven and I made brownies before I called you. And it’s about time for them to come out of the oven.”

  “How domestic.”

  I rolled my eyes, but my heart gave a flutter at the image of doing more household things with Toven, like a real couple. “Oh, shut up.”

  Her giggles filled my ear.

  “I’ll text you later with the time,” I promised as I got to my feet.

  “OK. See you tomorrow.”

  The smell of baking chocolate filled my nostrils as I floated down the stairs. Toven was pulling the pan from the oven as I rounded the corner. “Perfect timing,” he said without turning in my direction.

  “We’ll cut them in a few minutes.”

  “Here,” he said thrusting a stack of napkins at me and a knife. “I already fixed us glasses of milk and carried them in the den.” He carried the hot pan in one hand and urged me out of the kitchen with the other hand on the small of my back.

  “Did you talk with Lucy?”

  “Yeah. She’s going to go with us tomorrow night. I thought maybe she could meet us at B.I.T.-10 and ride with us from there,” my tone was hesitant. I probably should’ve checked with him before I offered her a ride.

  “That works. While you were on the phone, I found some more dance movies for us to watch.”

  Glee filled me at his thoughtfulness. “Which ones did you find?”

  “Um, Shag, Footloose, Step Up, and if you’re a good girl, Magic Mike.”

  Holy hotness, batman! If I could get him to dance to “Pony”, I just might spontaneously combust.

  Tamping down my excitement, I said, “Let’s start with Shag. I adore that movie.”

  ♪ Stagger Lee by Lloyd Price

  “Perhaps we can try out some of the dances in each of these movies since you picked up the dirty one so easily,” he said as he bent over the console to start the movie. He didn’t see the deep flush steal over every inch of my skin, but the way his shoulders shook in a silent chuckle told me he’d heard the increase in my heart rate at his suggestion.

  After starting the movie, he settled me on his lap with the pan of brownies beside us. Forgoing the knife, he scooped out a bite and fed it to me. Indulging in chocolate while safely enclosed in his arms and watching my favorite movies felt like heaven. Moments like this made our arrangement feel very real and not like a contract at all. My head argued with my heart until my stubborn heart finally told my overly cautious brain to shut up and just enjoy these moments.

  13

  Toven

  Another full night of sleep had me feeling like a new creature. The day before could’ve been a chapter straight
out of a romance novel. We laughed, watched a bunch of sappy love stories centered around dancing, indulged in homemade chocolate and danced until we were exhausted. I couldn’t remember ever enjoying a day more. And then I fell asleep with her in my arms. I’d say it was heaven, if I actually believed a man like me could experience anything of the sort.

  I carefully untangled myself from Celesta’s sleepy hold. She peeked at me through one eye.

  “You stay here. I’m going to go down to my office to do a little work that I couldn’t convince myself to do yesterday. We don’t have anything going on until we have to be at B.I.T.-10, so just relax.” Leaning over, I pressed my lips to her forehead, inhaling her sweet scent.

  “K,” she said as her eye drifted closed and her hand dragged my pillow to her chest to take my place in her embrace.

  After a quick shower, I detoured to the kitchen to grab a bottle of blood then settled behind my computer.

  Several unopened emails appeared in my inbox. I clicked the most pressing one, which was from Marcus.

  It was short and unfortunately, lacking in the information I really hoped he’d have uncovered by now.

  Toven,

  I haven’t located her yet. But I was able to find out that a judge took pity on her in New Mexico and pulled some strings to fast-track her officially changing her name. The record is sealed, but I’m working on it.

  I’ll keep you posted.

  Marcus

  I sighed in frustration at the slow progress in locating Whitfield’s daughter. The need to make things right before my time ran out pressed heavily on me. If Marcus didn’t find her within the next several weeks, I’d need to set up a contingency plan allowing him to continue his search without me. I trusted him to fulfill my wishes should I become . . . indisposed.

  There were a couple of emails from Lydia with summaries of some new bands she’d reached out to. I’d deal with them on Monday.