by Leslie Kelly
Chaz came to a sudden stop, turning to look at her. He suddenly remembered his conversation with his mystery woman, who’d talked about having a job just like that one. There couldn’t be that many of those types of NGOs in Washington, could there?
He might have found a solid clue in tracking her down.
“I’m interested in hearing more,” he said, meaning it. “Sit with me at the bar and tell me everything you’ve uncovered, okay?”
Tonia licked her lips as she slid her arm in his and they resumed walking. Something about her expression sent a warning through his brain. God, he hoped she didn’t think he was just making excuses to be with her, in hopes of reviving their fling.
Because his mystery witch suddenly seemed more within reach than ever. Which put a spring in his step and an anticipatory smile on his face.
When they got to the bar, the group spread out, taking up several tables. Everyone ordered beers and sandwiches, chatting loudly and making plans for the spring season. As promised, he sat with Tonia, feeling her out for information on the NGO she was researching, which was called Hands Across The Waters. He took mental notes, determined to research the group as soon as he got home. They might have a staff directory on their website, might even have pictures. He could feel himself edging closer and closer to solving the mystery.
But even as she filled him in, he kept glancing at a table by the door, where Lulu sat with Darrell, and a new arrival. Schaefer, who didn’t play kickball, or do much of anything except pluck the strings of a guitar, had joined in. Apparently he was friends with one of the other players, who’d invited him to come over.
Lulu looked as pleased as punch to be sitting between the two men, both of whom were chatting her up. Honestly, Chaz had never seen Schaefer so animated. Or Darrell appearing so innocent.
“So, this Lulu chick,” Tonia said with a frown, “I take it you know her?”
He tore his attention off the trio at the other table. “What?”
“Come on, you haven’t taken your eyes off her since the two of you got to the game.”
“We go back a ways. Grew up together.”
“Ah. So you feel brotherly, huh? Because you looked like you wanted to go over there and rip Darrell’s arm off when he put it around her.”
“He’s so sleazy,” Chaz said, his jaw tightening. And the very idea that he felt brotherly toward Lulu was just ridiculous.
“I don’t know, I always thought he was pretty hot, and that he’d straighten up for the right woman.” Tonia toyed with the condensation on her glass. “Maybe he thinks she’s the one?”
That thought just made Chaz’s annoyance increase. He couldn’t help grumbling, “That booth’s plenty big, he did not need to put his arm around her and pull her closer to make room for Schaefer.” He took another gulp of his beer. “And is there any reason Schaefer couldn’t have sat across from her, rather than next to her?”
“There’s another guy sitting across from her.”
“What sense does that make, three on one side of the table, one on the other?”
His companion sighed deeply. “How long ago did you two break up?”
He almost spit out his mouthful of beer. “Lulu and I have never been a couple.”
She didn’t appear convinced. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
“No, seriously. She is the last woman in the world I’d even think about getting involved with.”
“Right.”
“She was the bane of my childhood. Our parents are best friends—they went through hell when my sister and Lulu’s brother made the mistake of getting involved and then breaking up. I’d never put any of us through that again.”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” said Tonia, lifting her own drink. Before she sipped it, she added, “But remember that old adage about the guy who protested too much? Well, look in the mirror, dude. ’Cause that’s you.”
He wasn’t quite ready to admit that her reporter instincts were spot on. But before he could even open his mouth, he got a glimpse under the other table and saw Darrell drop a hand onto Lulu’s thigh and squeeze it. He was up out of his seat, a growl on his lips, before his brain even engaged.
Fortunately, he came to his senses. Or, Lulu came to hers. She immediately asked Schaefer to get out of the way and removed herself from Darrell’s obnoxious grip. Giving him a withering glare that would reduce any guy to a tiny kernel of male ego, she excused herself and headed toward the back of the place, obviously looking for the ladies’ room.
Schaefer made some kind of comment to Darrell, then got up and followed Lulu.
Chaz didn’t think about it. Something wouldn’t let him sit back down and allow Lulu to handle her own affairs. Mumbling an excuse to Tonia, he strode across the place, toward the hallway through which the others had disappeared.
Schaefer was hovering around outside the ladies’ room door.
“Is there a line?” Chaz asked, nodding toward the men’s.
The guy flushed and swallowed. “Oh, uh, no, go ahead.”
He crossed his arms and jutted out his jaw. “You first.”
Unable or unwilling to admit he’d been stalking Lulu, the other man ducked into the men’s room, leaving Chaz alone in the dark, shadowy corridor. He stood there just long enough to ask himself what the hell he was doing when the ladies’ room door opened and Lulu stepped out.
“Oh, Chaz! You startled me.”
“Are you all right?”
She nodded, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. It was a little messy from the game. Her cheeks were high with color, her eyes bright, yet, altogether, she looked about as good as he’d ever seen her.
She affected him, deep inside, as all his protective instincts combined with his most covetous ones. He wanted to shield her from some horny guy because she deserved better...but also, he suddenly realized, because he wanted her for himself!
It was totally insane and unacceptable. Sure, he might have been flirting with her this past week to make her sweat, but he’d never intended it to go this far.
Still, he couldn’t bring himself to just walk away and pretend he didn’t care about what had happened.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Is the pig bothering you?”
“Who?”
“Darrell. I saw him touch you.”
Her lips tightened. “And you felt the need to, what, play overprotective older brother? I’m not Sarah, you know.”
“The guy’s a creep.”
“I’m a big girl.”
“I’m just giving you fair warning. You can’t trust him.”
“You think the third grope under the table didn’t tip me off to that?”
Steam built in his head. “Third? He groped you three times? I only noticed him touch your leg.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s not surprising. I mean, how could you have been paying close attention to what I was doing when you were so busy trying to score with that ditzy blonde who’s been hanging all over you?”
It was his turn to gape in surprise. “What?”
“Come on, Chaz, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about,” she said, edging closer until the tips of her sneakers touched his. “She acted like a toddler learning to walk during the game. Oh, Chaz, would you teach little old me how to kick like that? Gag me.”
Tension and anger sparked between them, creating a nearly electric current. It crackled between their bodies, and he noticed her chest was heaving with anger and emotion as she struggled to control her breathing.
“Who’s the pot and who’s the kettle here?” he said, inching even closer, until one of his legs was between hers and their hips grazed. He ignored that, towering over her. “Sounds to me as if you’re projecting your own behavior.”
“I’m not shaking my tail under some guy’s nose and playing the poor-hopeless-girl-can’t-kick-a-ball role to try to get his attention,” she snarled, not backing down one inch.
They were so close, they shared each breath. Fire snapped in her eyes, and her voice shook with emotion.
“No, you’re just playing the creamy filling for a guy sandwich, sitting between two dudes who’ve been taking turns looking down your shirt.”
She gasped audibly, and fisted her hand to punch him. Typical Lulu. Chaz instinctively reacted, reaching up and grabbing her wrist before she could take a swing.
They glared at each other for a loaded moment, and then, somehow, their mouths were together and they were kissing with anger-driven hunger.
Chaz didn’t think, didn’t plan. He acted on tension and instinct, just wanting to shut her up, to win the argument, to taste her and stop the crazy wondering that had been tormenting him since last week when he’d followed her up the stairs to her apartment.
He moaned, or she did, and suddenly her arms were around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair and holding him tight. He dragged her body against his, lifting her off her feet and wrapping his arms around her waist. Their tongues tangled wildly as they gave and took, demanded and received.
The kiss affected him from head to toe. The feel of her soft, curvy form against his drove him slightly mad, and he pushed her up against the wall, loving the way her legs instinctively snaked around his until he was supporting her entire weight. The spandex was slick in his hands, but he had no problem gripping her taut ass, hoisting her even higher until they were lined up at just the perfect angle for wild, intense, up-against-the-wall sex, just as he’d envisioned having on Halloween night.
It made no sense. That night, he’d been with a stranger who’d driven him wild with lust. But this was Lulu, a girl he’d known forever. How could she possibly be even more exciting, more arousing to him than his masked mystery woman?
Kissing Lulu was like leaping willingly into a volcano, aware you might get burned but also sure you’d be in for a hell of a ride when it erupted. It was pure, raw excitement, born out of anger, but quickly exploding into sexual frenzy.
Only the fact that they were erupting in a bar filled with their friends finally brought him to his senses. He ended the kiss, releasing her and staggering back one step. She did the same, her eyes wide and wild, her face red and her whole body quivering. She looked shocked and aroused, but her expression quickly segued into embarrassed confusion.
“What the hell was that?”
He thrust a hand through his hair, which was tangled from her tight grip. “Damn it, Lulu, I didn’t mean...”
“Don’t. Just don’t say another word. This is bad enough.”
“Uh, is there a problem?”
They both jerked their attention to the side and saw Schaefer, who’d just emerged from the men’s room.
“No, there’s no problem,” Lulu insisted.
“I don’t mean to intrude,” the other guy said, “but Lulu, you seem upset.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? I could...”
“Back off, Ludwig,” Chaz snapped.
Schaefer’s eyes rounded into circles and his pale face lost what little color it had held. His spine stiffened, and he looked as though he had been slapped. Chaz closed his eyes, dropping his head, feeling like a complete heel. What the hell was it about Lulu that made all his brain cells dry up and blow away?
Lulu had obviously heard. “Ludwig?”
“You dick,” Schaefer said, glaring at Chaz before pushing past them and heading straight to the exit. Chaz knew he owed the guy an apology, since he’d promised not to reveal his real name. But right now, that goofy name, and Schaefer’s swishy diva walkout, relieved the tension and enabled him and Lulu to recover from their crazy kiss.
She broke first, starting to snicker, and then to laugh.
Equally relieved, Chaz joined her in the laughter. “He’s never gonna forgive me.”
“His first name is Ludwig? Seriously?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I think his parents had a Beethoven fetish along with their hippie lifestyle.”
“Poor guy,” Lulu said, leaning back against the wall, her laughter fading until just a faint smile remained. “No wonder he goes by his last name and keeps the first one a secret.”
When a more comfortable silence descended, he murmured, “Lulu, I’m sorry.”
She didn’t look at him, merely nodding. “Me, too. That should definitely never have happened.”
She was a little too quick to agree that they had no business kissing.
Of course, she was right. He’d wanted to get to know her again, but they did have no business kissing, or doing anything else, for that matter. Not only was there the family issue, there was also the fact that Lulu was new to D.C., soaking up every experience she could get, dedicated to her new job and her friends. She was starting the whole single-in-the-city phase, and the last thing she needed would be to get seriously involved with anyone—especially someone who jetted around the world without even telling his loved ones when he was heading into a war zone.
And he just couldn’t see them being involved casually. He might fantasize about taking her home and having steamy sex with her, but considering she lived a few doors down, it sure would make for some awkward mornings after. Not to mention some tense trips home for the holidays. He could just envision the two of them sitting with both their families around a Christmas tree, trying to pretend they hadn’t explored every inch of each other’s bodies with their mouths.
His own went dry at the very thought of it.
No. Not happening.
He had to forget it and move on. She’d been right the first time when she’d shut the door in his face. There was no point in even thinking about that kiss again...even though he was damn sure he would never forget it.
Their stares locked, and Chaz managed to keep his focus strictly on her eyes. He didn’t drop his gaze to those well-kissed lips, or to the amazing body all hugged by spandex.
“Things are way too tangled for us to even consider letting this go anywhere,” she said, reading his mind.
“Yeah. Momentary insanity.”
“Definitely.”
“Never to be repeated.”
“Absolutely not. God, if things got so bad with Sarah and Lawrence, can you imagine how it would be for us?”
He didn’t really appreciate the comparison, considering their siblings had gone through their nonsense as high-schoolers, but he understood the sentiment. “It could be bad” was as far as he was willing to go.
It could also be good. But neither of them was ready to find out.
“So it can’t go anywhere.” A tiny sigh preceded her next comment, and she suddenly looked wistful. “I finally feel like you and I are starting to be friends, Chaz. I don’t want to screw that up.”
That hadn’t exactly been his intention, but he agreed. While they’d known each other forever, they had never really been friends. Lately, it had seemed as if they’d begun moving in that direction. He didn’t want to screw that up, either.
“We won’t. For once, I appreciate your directness. I hate playing games. We’ll just forget this happened, go back to our own private lives and back to being old childhood...”
“Combatants?”
Her joke lifted the tension even more.
“Something like that.”
Agreed, they took another moment to ease back into this new version of normal, then they turned and exited the hallway, heading toward their friends and teammates. Chaz watched her beeline for another table, taking a seat beside one of the women on her team. Darrell, he noticed, had stood up and was lurking near the door. When he saw Lulu choose another table, he ducked out of the bar
without any goodbyes. Which was for the best...it meant Chaz wouldn’t have to threaten his life or anything.
Not out of jealousy, of course. But because friends looked out for each other.
Friends. Just friends.
He sat back at his own table, ignoring Tonia’s curious stare questioning why he’d been gone so long, and flagged down the waitress for his check. Chaz just wasn’t interested in having another beer or socializing. He was too confused to relax and enjoy himself. Confused over that kiss, how he’d reacted to it, and how it had compared to the ones he’d exchanged to the woman haunting his dreams.
Lulu was as familiar to him as a family member, dark-haired, sassy-mouthed, not mysterious. The witch he’d met on Halloween had been entirely different.
So why was he having such a hard time separating them in his mind? And why did the memory of Lulu’s kiss have him so on edge and curious?
He just didn’t know. He needed to go home and think things through before he found reasons to ignore every decision he’d made regarding Lulu.
Then, something happened that changed everything. The door to the bar opened, bringing in a strong autumn breeze, some dried, tumbling leaves, and three women. A brunette, a blonde, and...
“A redhead,” he murmured, unable to tear his eyes off the woman in the middle. The tall one with the long, windblown hair, and the dark eyes.
His heart skipped a beat. He blinked, staring at her again, wishing he were closer.
He couldn’t be sure, not until he talked to her—heard her voice, got a better look at her mouth. After all, Washington, D.C. was a big city. There had to be thousands of attractive women with red hair. Tens of thousands.
But stranger things had happened.
Maybe fate was tossing him a bone after he’d experienced that momentary insanity with Lulu, and then intelligently agreed to never repeat it. Perhaps his luck was turning. A week ago, the mysterious woman he’d met on Halloween night had captured his full attention. It was now time to put his focus back where it belonged—on a woman who’d intrigued him, who’d wanted him, and who must have had a damn good reason for leaving the way she had.