Feeling overwhelmed, I avert my eyes back to the bar and pick up my order. “In fact, I should really get back to her now.”
“She seems okay to me.” Smirking, his gaze moves to the other side of the bar.
My eyes follow his to where Julianna is talking to two good looking men. The younger one looks as if he’s being flirtatious while the older one stands, arms crossed, seemingly annoyed. Julianna appears as if she knows them, but she doesn’t exactly look thrilled to be talking to them.
“Oh lord, I should go,” I say, offering an apologetic smile before hurrying back across the bar.
“Can I get a Bud Light?” I ask the bartender, lightly knocking on the bar before turning to watch Lizzy walk away much sooner than I hoped for. I don’t think I realized just how much I missed her until my eyes landed on her tonight. Heart racing, I watched her for as long as I could stand, until the desire to be close to her carried me across the room.
The bartender places my beer on the bar next to me and relief washes through me as the two men who’d been talking to Julianna leave their table. I was ready to intervene if either so much as looked her way, but I preferred not making an even bigger ass out of myself. It was crazy for me to follow her here, dumb for me to approach her after watching her ignore my call, and sitting here watching her now is borderline creepy.
Laughter erupts from their table, both women overly animated, making it obvious they’re both a little drunk. Julianna gestures toward me and Lizzy grabs ahold of her arm to bring it back down, planting her head in her palm as she shakes her head. Julianna smiles at me and I nod, tilting my beer to her. I know she told Lizzy I’m watching her, but I don’t give a damn.
My body tenses when one of the men returns to the table, my jaw clenching as I try to decipher what he’s saying. When he walks away with Julianna in tow, I don’t even hesitate before making my way over to Lizzy. The rest of the world could be crashing down around me and I wouldn’t notice. I have tunnel vision when it comes to her.
Placing my hands on the back of her chair, I lean down to get closer. “Dance with me.”
She gasps, her back straightening and cheeks flushing as she turns to look at me. The dangerous proximity of her mouth to mine causes my head to swim and my vision to blur with need. Standing upright, I extend my hand out to her.
“Oh...no. I don’t think I’ve had enough to drink to attempt dancing,” she says, shaking her head as she reaches to clutch her necklace.
“Oh, come on. Pretty please,” I plead, pouting and clasping my hands together in a begging manner.
A bright smile spreads across her face as her entire body relaxes. “All right, fine, you big baby,” she mocks, rolling her eyes and huffing dramatically. “But only until Julianna is done. I don’t want her to feel like I bailed on her.”
Lord, please let her dance all night long.
Nodding, I hold out my hand for her again and she takes it this time. Her hand in mine, I lead her to the dance floor. My pulse quickens as I pull her into my arms, my hands coming to rest around her waist and hers around my neck.
This time without her in my life has been hell. I didn’t think I would ever feel that way toward any person, but being with her now feels like coming home.
“I’ve missed you,” I admit, leaning down to rest my forehead on hers.
“Me too...” she breathes, and my heart flutters. As my desire to taste her again grows, I reluctantly lift my head.
“I know things are a little crazy with Julianna moving in and all, but I’d like to do something with you next weekend. Are you free Saturday?”
I’ve had a surprise planned for weeks now, wanting to do something special for her for Christmas. Growing up in a house that didn’t acknowledge Christmas, I’ve never cared much for it, but it did give me the excuse I needed to do this for her.
“I, uh...I don’t know,” she stammers, her eyes flicking back and forth over my face. “I suppose I could see if someone is willing to sit with the kids for a little while. What did you have in mind?”
Tightening my hold on her, I lean in to whisper, “That’s a secret.”
Her body stiffens in my arms as a slight gasp escapes her and I pull back just enough to see her face. Her eyes close as she inhales a sharp breath, and she looks so damn sexy, I can’t help the dirty thoughts running through my mind. She entrances me—everything that makes her, her—and controlling myself around her becomes more and more hopeless. I move forward again, bringing my mouth closer to hers, so close to breaking my promise not to kiss her.
“Lizzy?” I breathe out, mere inches from her lips.
“What?” Her eyes pop open, a little dazed, and her cheeks flush, but she doesn’t pull back right away. Her gaze drops to my lips and her tongue snakes out to run over her bottom lip. I groan internally, my will tethering into tiny threads. My fingertips skim along the waist of her jeans and her eyes snap up before she jumps back, putting distance between us.
Holding in my disappointment, I flash her a wide smile. “What do you say? Can I have you on Saturday?” I wink, loving the flame in her cheeks at my innuendo. Her throat bobs the smallest fraction as she swallows and nods in response, her eyes wide.
In Denial
“Lizzy? Are you there?” Brenden’s smooth voice comes through the phone and a pulse of electricity runs through me. I blink one eye open, the remnants of another sex dream still lingering. Huffing in a breath, I sit up in bed, rubbing my eyes.
“Lizzy?” he asks again, his tone laced with concern.
“Yes?” I murmur, looking around the room while still trying to wake up. My phone rang only moments ago, rousing me. And I apparently picked it up without realizing I had. My brain feels foggy, whispers of flesh, soft kisses, and deep moans clouding my thoughts. I snap my eyes open wider as I shake my head in an attempt to clear my muddy brain.
“Hey, yep. What’s up?” I rush out, reality finally sinking in while my humming flesh cools. It’s starting to feel like I’m one giant ball of nerves made purely of sexual frustration, which is odd considering I’ve never been a sexual person. Something to mark on the list of things I’ll think about another day.
“Did I wake you?” he asks, and his voice seems even thicker than it did a moment ago, each syllable feeling heavier on my body.
“Uh huh,” I breathe out, a warmth settling into my lower belly.
“Well, it sounds like you were having one hell of a dream. I’d sure love to hear all about it.”
“What? No, I wasn’t dreaming. And even if I were, I wouldn’t tell you,” I huff. He lets out a hearty laugh, causing vibrations on my skin again, distracting me from the fact that I should be annoyed with him for laughing at me.
“It was that good, huh? Well, get your mind out of the gutter and your ass up. We have somewhere to be at noon.”
“Are you going to tell me where we are going?”
“Nope.”
“Well…do I need to wear anything special?”
“See, now you’re trying to bring my mind down to the gutter with yours,” he teases. Releasing an agitated sigh, I smile in spite of myself, my cheeks warming. “Just wear some jeans and a t-shirt. Stop overthinking and stressing this. We’re going to have fun.”
“But what…”
“Goodbye, Lizzy. See you soon.” He ends the call before I can protest any further, and I fall back onto my bed, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do about the butterflies swarming in my stomach.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Julianna chirps, greeting me as I enter the kitchen. She’s her usual chipper self, already sitting with coffee and the classifieds at seven in the morning.
She chuckles when I ignore her, walking right by the table where she’s sitting without so much as a sideway glance. I make my way over to the coffeemaker and pour myself a cup of coffee. The warm mug in hand, I join her at the table, relieved when she stays quiet. Mornings and I have never been good friends, but between all the Christmas activities over
the past couple days and my restless nights, I’m extra cranky.
Of course, that could also have something to do with being nervous about today. After he showed up at the bar last Saturday, things have been normal between us, but I still sense a shift in our relationship. It’s not anything I could point out or explain; it’s more of a feeling.
“Any luck on the job front?” I ask her once I finally feel awake enough to speak.
“There may be some possibilities here. I’m sending my resume where I can and plan to hit the pavement first thing Monday morning,” she answers, closing the paper.
“You know you don’t have to rush on my account. You’re welcome here as long as you need or want.” I reach out for her, taking her hand in mine and squeezing it.
“I appreciate that, but I want to get my own place as soon as possible. I don’t want Lori getting any ideas about us living together.” She sighs. “I’m sure I’ll be getting an earful at lunch today about staying with you instead of her. I know her feelings are hurt that I didn’t tell her about Christopher right away, but she’s always hated him and I didn’t want to hear the inevitable ‘I told you so’.”
“I get that.” I give her a sympathetic smile. If anyone can relate, it’s me. “If I’m being completely honest, I’m glad I won’t be Lori and Cat’s sole focus now,” I add with a laugh.
“Gee, thanks,” she deadpans, frowning. “That reminds me. Lori was asking me about Brenden. She said Cat was coming to hang out with the kids today while you go on a date with him?” She raises her brow, a small smirk tilting one side of her mouth.
“Shhh!” I hiss, my hand motioning for her to keep it down as I look over my shoulder, worried Maddison might have heard. That’s the last thing I need right now. “It’s not a date,” I whisper-shout.
“All right,” she says, holding up her hands, that smirk still painting her lips. “You have to admit, it’s a little strange he calls you every night to ask about your day, and I won’t even bring up how you two looked dancing together the other night.”
My body heats from the memory of Brenden’s mouth just inches from mine, his hands holding me tight. If it hadn’t been for the commotion caused by Julianna, I’m not certain how things would have gone.
“First of all, you wouldn’t have anything to say about the phone calls if he were a female. As for the dancing, I won’t be defending that again unless you want to talk about what happened with the guy,” I challenge.
Julianna has been giving me hell about Brenden since Zane’s, but she’s remained tight-lipped about the men who approached our table. All I’ve gotten out of her is that she use to know them when she was younger, but she’s hiding something from me. She argued with the older one, resulting in him storming out of the bar with the other guy following behind him. She seemed shaken at the time, but swore everything was fine.
“Whatever,” she snaps, averting her eyes. “I’ve already explained that you just misread the situation. He was an old friend, no big deal.” With a dismissive wave of her hand, she changes the subject back to me. “What are you guys doing today?”
“I don’t know,” I answer, my eyes falling to my coffee to avoid seeing the reaction on her face.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“He says it’s a surprise.” My answer is no more than a quiet mumble, my eyes remaining focused on my coffee cup as I slowly spin it around.
The silence that follows comes as a surprise. Confused, I look back up at Julianna and the smile on her face is so big, it nearly spans her entire face.
“What?” I demand, shifting uncomfortably under her glare.
“You hate surprises,” she answers, lifting her eyebrows, the grin still plastered on her face.
“I’m well aware of that,” I huff, the knot in my stomach tightening. “I’m trying to accept that I can’t ‘control everything’ and need to just ‘live in the moment’.” I roll my eyes, but can’t help smiling as I repeat Brenden’s words.
“That’s good. What brought this on?”
Shrugging, I worry my bottom lip. Brenden is most definitely responsible for pushing me out of my comfort zone. His love for life is infectious, but I’m not sure admitting that out loud is a good idea.
“Well, it doesn’t really matter what or who encouraged this changed. I’m so happy to see you in a better place.”
Smiling, I nod. There’s no denying I’ve been in a happier and healthier space than I had been three months ago, and there’s no avoiding the fact that Brenden has played a large part in getting me there.
“So, when are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asks, speaking for the first time since we got in my truck.
She hasn’t stopped fidgeting, shifting in her seat, pulling on her seat belt, and continuously changing the radio station. I’d been expecting her to be nervous, though. She’s the type of person who likes to have everything planned out and hates surprises because she can’t overanalyze or plot for them.
“You’ll see soon enough,” I scoff, pulling her hand back as it reaches for the radio again.
“How did you get me to agree to this?” The sudden change in her tone causes me to take my eyes off the road long enough to get a look at her. Her arms are crossed over her chest, her gaze narrowed.
Truth is, I don’t think she knew what she was saying when she agreed to come with me today. Her body was doing the talking for her at the time, and I let it. Because I’m selfish and wanted this time with her.
“I think you may have been a little distracted.” I look at her out the corner of my eye as she groans in frustration and runs her hand through her hair.
“Don’t you think it’s unkind to take advantage of someone when they’re...distracted?” she huffs.
“Nope,” I answer, matter-of-fact. “I intend to take every advantage I can get with you.”
“Bastard,” she grumbles, swatting my arm with the back of her hand.
“Oh, stop your belly aching. We’re here now anyway,” I tell her, laughing as I put the truck into park.
Lizzy takes in our surroundings, wide-eyed and eyebrows raised.
“Why are we at a tattoo parlor?”
“Because we’re getting a tattoo.” I shrug.
Before she can respond or protest, I get out of the truck, figuring it will be the quickest and easiest way to get her out as well. My ploy works and she follows suit, stepping out of the passenger side.
“Wait! Excuse me?” she says, slamming the door and rushing over to me. “What do you mean ‘we’?” She gestures between us in an animated manner and I laugh, finding it adorable when she places her hand on her hip.
“‘We’ typically refers to you and me,” I answer, mimicking her gesture while struggling to keep a straight face.
Her mouth hangs open as she shakes her head and wraps her arms around herself. All I want is for her to experience life the way she wants to—for her to actually live it, but I knew she’d panic.
“Very funny. I’m not getting a freaking tattoo. Are you nuts?”
“Why not? I recall you telling me you’ve wanted one for a long time.”
“Yes. Do you also recall I had valid reasons for not getting one?”
“I recall excuses,” I retort, crossing my arms. “I thought you might want to let go of all that and start the new year off with a new you.”
“Call them whatever you want, but I’m not getting a tattoo today,” she says, turning on her heel and making her way back over to the passenger side door.
I didn’t expect this to be easy. She’s become accustom to the rules and boundaries she’s placed on herself and if I don’t approach this the right way, she’s sure to hold onto them tight.
“Okay. How about this, I really want to get a tattoo and would like for you to be with me while I get it.” She pulls on the locked door handle and sighs in defeat. Walking up behind her, I try again to persuade her. “Will you come inside with me to get a tattoo and maybe just think abo
ut getting one for yourself? Who knows, you might change your mind.”
As she turns to face me, I shorten the gap between us, getting as close to her as possible without actually touching her, partly in hopes of using her distraction to my advantage again, but mostly because I can’t help myself.
“I’m not the kind of person you can bully or peer pressure into doing something, you know,” she says, poking me in the chest.
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” I reply, holding my hands up.
Her face twists as she tries to keep herself from smiling. “If I agree to go inside with you while you get your tattoo, you won’t try to pressure me into getting one?”
“I promise.” She regards my extended pinky finger with furrowed brows and pursed lips.
“All right,” she sighs, linking her pinky with mine. Electricity coursing through me, I use our interlocked hands to pull her closer. The rise and fall of her chest as her breathing becomes heavier lets me know she’s feeling this too.
“You trust me?” She nods, licking her lips before her teeth dig into them. “Good. You should at least be getting an idea of how seriously I take my promises by now.” Reaching up, I use my thumb to pull her lip free, every inch of me craving more of her.
She takes a sharp inhale of breath as her eyes widen. “Fine...” she says, clearing her throat as she pushes me back and steps around me, “I’ll go with you.”
Face Your fears
“You’re being very quiet. Are you mad?” Brenden asks, pulling the picture portfolio over so he can look at it with me, and my body stiffens. My pulse is still racing from our interaction outside, my body sensitive with a raw need, and he is too damn close to me.
“No. As long as you keep your promise, I’m fine,” I answer, cutting my eyes to him. I’m not sure what he was thinking bringing me here. Just because I told him I’d been thinking about getting a tattoo for years doesn’t mean I should. “Do you know what you’re going to get?”
In This Moment (In This Moment #1) Page 15