by Nana Malone
“Ahh.” He nodded. “Seems I have a little adventurer on my hands.”
“Ha. I’m hardly an adventurer.” I shivered.
Lex shrugged out of his jacket and shifted toward me. Unsure of what he meant to do, I stiffened and leaned away from him an inch. His grey eyes met mine, and his smile was soft. Careful not to move too quickly, he slid his jacket around my shoulders. The warmth of his heat cocooned me.
Relax, Abbie, go with the flow. For once, be brave. I closed my eyes, and without thinking, I snuggled into his coat and leaned into him.
The moment my body made contact with his, we both stilled, and I didn’t dare breathe. When it finally came to a choice of inhale, or pass out, I dragged in air quickly.
The moment I tried to slide away, he scooted closer and threw an arm around me.
For three long seconds, I forgot how to speak. My brain, unable to command my body to move away, took stock of my emotions. Anxiety level—DEFCON One. Fear level—low. Lust level—skyrocketing.
Minus a deep breath of his own, Alexi seemed completely unaffected by our close proximity. When he spoke again, his voice was mellow, modulated. “So, you don’t think you’re an adventurer? How did you end up in London, if not?”
If he could be cool, then so could I. “Would you believe it if I told you I ran away from home? Left my life and my apartment and my b—” I halted just short of saying boyfriend. I amended. “I left my family just to prove that I could do something extraordinary, be something extraordinary.”
And ditched my abusive ex.
He was silent for several beats, but I could tell his eyes were on my profile. My skin tingled under his scrutiny.
“That's brave as hell. You are an adventurer.”
“Well, the jury's still out. Everyone back home thinks I’m going to give up and go back if they bug me long enough.”
“Well, how long has it been?”
I grinned and forced myself to meet his gaze. “A couple of weeks.”
Lex…
I held Abbie tighter as she shivered again.
What the hell was I doing? This was not part of the plan.
And there was something about the way she stiffened whenever anyone touched her. It screamed baggage.
But she was relaxed in my arms now. I should let her go. But I liked her. Really liked her.
All the more reason to let her go, mate.
Because there was something about her that read damaged. Like me. Broken, like a bird.
I didn’t do damaged. Sure, you don’t. I was damaged enough for the two of us. I didn’t need to take on anyone else’s baggage.
At the same time, there was something so exposed and open about her. Something vulnerable but strong, unlike the girls I usually met. The over-processed, coy, game-playing girls who pretended they had no idea who I was or what I was about. But Abbie didn’t seem to know. She seemed real.
I wanted a slice of that reality. Wanted to touch it, if only for a minute. Hell, I was at my birthday party, and only a handful of those people would I call my friends. I would have preferred to be home with a pile of movies.
I smiled at her. “So, after a couple of weeks, what do you think of our little island?”
“Besides having fallen completely, unashamedly in love with the history, and the energy, and the diversity, and the atmosphere?” She shrugged, feigning indifference. “It’s okay. If you like that kind of thing. And school has been awesome so far.”
“School?” The hairs on my neck stood at attention. Relax. There are a hundred schools in London. She could be studying at any one of them.
What’s the best one for photography?
No. No way. This didn’t mean she was Xander’s student. I could have asked, but I didn’t want to get into it. Because what if the answer was yes? I wasn’t accustomed to the flare of jealousy when it came to my big brother, but I understood the pull he had on women.
Would she be as susceptible as every other woman in London?
“Yeah. I ran away from home to do a Master of the Arts in Fine Art Photography. My parents are beside themselves. It's like I said, ‘Hey, Mom and Dad, I want to go be a drug dealer in London.’”
I laughed nervously. My brain kept trying to rationalize all the ways she couldn’t be Xander’s student. She could go to Camberwell or University of Arts. They were the most competitive with University of West London for fine arts degrees. All I had to do was ask.
Ask dumbass.
But I didn’t want that truth glaring at me. This was a complication that I didn’t need. So instead, I said, “I get the non-supportive parent thing.”
She shrugged. “Yeah. It’s no big deal. I don’t need their approval.”
But the way her shoulders slumped said she cared no matter what she spoke.
“So you're here to become the next Annie Lebowitz?”
She beamed at me. “You know Annie Lebowitz?”
I made a mock wounded face. “I know things. I’m not just a playboy who has fabulous parties, you know.”
“I stand corrected.”
Her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips, and all I could do was stare.
She gave me a nervous smile. “What are you staring at?”
I nodded absently. “You. Your mouth, specifically.”
She rolled her lips inward. “Um, why?”
Lit by the moonlight and the lanterns on the roof, she looked incandescent. And I knew I was going to do something stupid. “I'm trying to talk myself out of kissing you.”
Abbie shifted away an inch to look at me more fully. “You don’t want to kiss me?” Her voice was small when she asked.
It was all I’d wanted to do since I’d saved her from that Mini Cooper. The pull toward her was like the gravitational force of the sun. I could fight it all I wanted, but sooner or later, I’d be sucked into her orbit.
“Because I’m probably not the kind of guy you should get involved with.”
Her eyes rounded, and she mouthed, “Oh.”
I liked her. And not just because she was that broken-looking girl I'd rescued from a Mini Cooper. But because she was brave and adventurous but didn’t know it yet. “But I’ve been doing a pretty crappy job of staying away from you.”
Abbie licked her lips again and I bit back a groan.
“I-uh.” She started again. “Alexi, I—”
Alarm bells rang in my head. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. Worst idea I’d ever had. Worse than even dancing with her and getting a vivid picture of how her body would slide against mine in bed. But I didn’t care. In the morning, I’d figure out a way to leave her alone. But right now, I just wanted to taste her. Just one taste. I could stop at one.
Reaching out a hand, I cupped her cheek. “I really am going to hell for this.”
I dipped my mouth to hers. As soon as our tongues met, electricity coursed through my body. I pulled back in an effort at self-preservation.
Her lashes fluttered open, and she blinked up at me.
I reminded myself of the million reasons why I shouldn’t do this. With everything else going on in my life, I didn’t need complications. But Abbie briefly placed her fingertips against her mouth, and I forgot about what the prudent thing to do would be. Instead, I dragged her forward and kissed her again. On a shocked breath, she opened for me again. I angled my head to deepen the kiss, and all thoughts of good sense evaporated.
This is stupid.
Stop.
Do you really think you can touch her once and stop?
Barely aware of what I was doing, I cupped her face and rubbed a thumb over her cheek. Unable to stop kissing her, I delved my tongue inside, tasting her. Her unique flavor wove an intoxicating web around me, trapping me like any beautiful predator.
When I touched my tongue to hers, she stilled and backed away, flattening a hand against my chest.
My heart thudded so fast, I worried I'd have a heart attack. Pain radiated center mass as I waited for her response. Her fingers clenched in the la
pels of my shirt, but she still held herself back from me. Shit. I'd taken it too far. I’d wanted a taste, and I’d taken more than she was prepared to give. “Abbie, I'm sorry. I got—”
She cut me off by tugging me to her and fusing our lips together.
Holy. Shite.
I didn’t need further invitation and dragged her onto my lap so she straddled me, her dress shifting up to expose her thighs.
My brain managed a few strangled messages like, You're literally making out with this girl in public. What if a photographer catches you? But the rational messages were drowned out by the pounding need coursing through my veins.
Abbie dipped her tongue into my mouth, and my brain stopped functioning. Sliding my tongue over hers, I tried to decipher every flavor. Mostly, she tasted like something sweet, strawberries—maybe her lip-gloss, maybe the strawberry infused sake.
I sucked on her tongue, and she gasped into my mouth. When I did it again, she responded in kind by doing the same to me. The electric current flowing through my body sent a jolt of electricity straight to my dick.
Holding her tighter, my fingers skimmed her waist and slipped under my jacket to play with the skin on her bare back. She gently rose on her knees, then resettled on my lap, bringing her molten heat more solidly against me. She repeated the action over and over again, and anything rational flew out of my head. I clamped both hands on her hips and rocked mine in a steady rhythm. The more she rode me, the more I groaned.
Alarms rang in my skull, but I couldn’t stop. She tasted like heaven. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be reaching up under her dress to see just how wet she was. If I wanted to go extra dumb, I’d end up shagging her right here on the roof.
But rational thinking was not my current strong suit. I had one directive; I wanted her slippery wet flesh sliding, soaking, or clamping around me post haste. Hands full of the flesh of her arse, I considered sliding one hand to the promised land, shoving aside whatever flimsy piece of string she was calling panties, and sinking deep. I would feel better if I made her explode around my cock.
Are you sure about that?
Well, it was a hell of a start the way I saw it.
She was the one who tore her lips away. “What the hell are we doing?”
My lips were slow to get the memo. When I couldn’t chase her lips, I settled for that soft patch of skin just under her ear. My brain struggled for purchase as Abbie’s question filtered into my consciousness. What was I supposed to say? If I said the wrong thing, she’d scramble back downstairs. “I haven’t a clue,” I muttered between kisses. “But it feels fucking incredible.”
I gave her another slow, drugging kiss that made me dizzy. Hell, I knew nothing about this girl except that I could go on kissing her forever.
She moved against me fluidly, and through our clothes, my cock sought out her moist heat. All I could think about was getting her closer and closer and burying myself so deep inside her that I wouldn’t remember my own name.
Fuck, the way she moved.
She trembled in my arms as I slid a hand between us and skimmed over her ribcage, pausing only as my thumb grazed the underside of her breast. My erection pulsed painfully against the fly of my jeans.
“Alexi…”
Through the fog of lust, I dragged my lips from hers and finally found my voice. “Y-yeah, Abbie.”
Her moan was low and throaty, but instead of pulling me toward her, she gently pushed me away. “I–Um…” She swallowed as I kissed the column of her neck. “We–I can’t do this.”
My body registered the command my brain gave to stop, and I dragged my eyes open to peer at her. Hers were wide and hazy with desire and something else. Not fear, but trepidation maybe? I immediately released her.
I forced my hands from her body and ran them through my hair. I cleared my throat and prayed it would help clear my mind too. “I got a little carried away. I apologize.” The words sounded like I tore them out one by one.
She blinked rapidly and slowly unfurled her hands from the front of my shirt. “Yeah, me too. That was… uh… intense.”
Intense. Sure. That was one word for it. More like we’d both been doused in rocket fuel then lit on fire. “Yeah, I'll say.” I prayed for some semblance of control. “C'mon. I'll take you back to the party, and from now on I'll be a perfect gentleman. I promise.”
She ducked her head. “Maybe if we could slow down for a minute.”
I lifted her off my lap and set her back on the ground before righting myself. She leaned on me for support to slip her towering heels back on. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a shadow in the far corner of the roof. I frowned but wasn’t sure what it was until I saw the flash.
Shit.
Right away, I tucked Abbie into my side. “Let’s get out of here. It’s getting a bit cold anyway.” My mind tried to determine if I'd noticed any flashes while we'd been making out like a couple of teenagers. Had that scumbag caught a picture of her? Would I have to tell her who I was before we even got started? The mere thought put a damper on my mood. Or is she the one who called the paparazzi? I dismissed the thought almost as soon as it emerged.
I paused as we got to the door and hazarded a glance back toward where I’d seen the flash.
Abbie frowned. “What’s the matter?”
I rubbed the end of my nose. “Nothing. Sorry. I was just thinking. Or rather trying to force the blood to my brain so I could think. It seems you have quite an effect on me.”
She ducked her head again, and I deliberately tipped her chin up to face me. I smoothly stepped directly in front of her so anyone watching would only have a view of my back. “C’mon, what’s up?”
Abbie averted her gaze. “I—I don’t usually do that.”
“Enjoy a London evening on a rooftop? I highly recommend it.”
“No.” She chuckled. “I barely know you. And I just got out of this thing. I’m basically a mess.”
I forced my hands into my pockets instead of on her. “It’s okay, Abbie. I’m not going to bite. That’s not how that was supposed to go at all. I’d been hoping for something a little less… combustible.”
Problem was, now that I’d tasted her, I knew I didn’t have a prayer in hell of staying away.
14
Abbie...
I swayed into him. It would be so easy to go back to kissing him. Kissing as well as dry humping him on the bench.
That was… new. What kind of idiot was I? It was one thing to want to be adventurous; it was another to get so caught up. It had to be the alcohol talking, because I did not do that.
Hooking up wasn’t really my thing. And I wasn’t sure why, but it was really important to me for him to know that. “Combustible. Right. I just feel like I need to breathe for a minute. Catch my breath.” Get my brain working.
His smile was slow, but it reached his eyes. “I can live with that. How about we go dance?”
What? No. Dancing was far worse. Because with dancing I’d be pressed up against him and remember what he tasted like. Maybe if we just talked for a minute longer I could get my bearings. “I was thinking we could stay up here a little longer. You know, talk a little more. Maybe you can tell me why you’re really hiding on the night of your birthday party.”
I tried to step around him, but he blocked my path. “Maybe we should grab coffee or something for that kind of chat. It's a very boring story. Besides, if we stay up here, I won’t be thinking about my life story. I’ll be thinking about how you taste. Anyway, I can’t really disappear too long from the party. It's only a matter of time until someone comes looking for us.”
I flushed. We could have totally been seen. The thought hadn’t even entered my mind. I'd been so consumed. Actually, no thought had entered my brain. I’d been entirely focused on getting as close to him as humanly possible.
I blinked up at Lex, the chasm between what I wanted to do and what I should do growing ever wider. “You're right. Lead the way to the dance floor. I wore these shoes for a re
ason. They should get used.”
“Ladies first, of course.”
As I preceded him down the stairs I wondered, why him? Why this guy? The last thing I wanted to do was get caught up in a guy so hot I didn’t dare touch him. Not to mention a spoiled rich kid. He might not be making it rain, but the air of wealth clung to him.
But Lex had a way about him. I could see myself so wrapped up in him that nothing else mattered. One kiss, and I already knew he would consume my life if I let him.
Lex…
I followed Abbie into the din of the party. Jasper had switched from the dance tracks to Robin Thicke. The mellow and seductive sounds of “Lost Without You” filled the room, and couples gravitated toward each other, holding on tight, some nearly shagging on the dance floor.
I knew it wasn’t a good idea. But I wanted to hold her again, just to feel her skin against mine before I had to let her go and put the mask on again.
Her hips swayed with each graceful stride, and I had to work hard to keep my brain from wandering too far down a path I couldn’t pursue. Before she melded into the throngs of party guests, I snatched her hand.
Whirling to meet my gaze, she paused just on the edge of the crowd, hanging on the precipice between fantasy and reality. I pulled her in close before leaning in to whisper, “Just one dance before I let you go?”
She blinked up at me before a slow smile spread on her lips. “Which one of us is going to be in debt after this dance?”
I smirked. “I have a feeling it’ll be me, but it’s a debt I willingly take on.”
My brain wrestled with my libido for control of the situation. I didn’t kiss her again, but instead, held her to me so her head tucked neatly under my chin and the scent of her shampoo tickled my nose, making me think of somewhere tropical and secluded.
I brushed my fingertips over the soft skin at her lower back. The satiny texture of her flesh teased and sent electrical pulses through my blood.
I glanced quickly around before drawing her further into the dimness where no one would see us. And in the darkened peripheries of my own party, I started to enjoy myself.