by Selena Kitt
They stopped for a drink on the main floor where a DJ played an international mix. An opening band played downstairs, but they were in no rush to get there. From their stools at the bar, they had an excellent view of the European men dancing.
“You don’t see too many American men dancing like that,” Lina said.
“Too uptight.”
A line began to form in front of the stairway, signaling the Naked Jacks would soon go on. Lina and Krystal lined up next to a red wall covered with black and white flyers for upcoming shows. One bouncer checked their IDs and affixed a bracelet on their wrists while another took their tickets, and then they descended to the darker, louder space below called the Cavern. They got there just in time for the show to begin, skipping a drink and moving closer to the stage.
The Naked Jacks came out on stage in a line stomping in rain boots as they took their positions at their instruments. They were naked save for peculiar props to cover their man parts. One had a bright orange furry loincloth with a smiley face on it, one had a long rainbow braid, one had an olive green stuffed animal of a snake, and one had a rubber chicken. Lina and Krystal moved to the front of the stage as they began their set with a song that defied categorization. Part metal, part rap, part alternative, and all goofy.
“These guys are awesome,” Krystal shouted over the music. “Impossible not to have a good time at their shows.”
“Glad I brought you,” Lina replied. “I doubt this would be Brett’s scene.”
They danced and sang along for several songs until the singer announced, “We’re going to take a break. Get a drink, take a piss, and get ready for the second part of the show, which will blow away the first.”
Lina and Krystal were among the first to get to the women’s room. By the time they came out, a line was forming out the door.
“Drink?” Krystal suggested.
“Yeah, let me think. What do I want?” She glanced up at the bar. “Oh, my God.” She turned away and looked up to the ceiling, which had dozens of rubber bats hanging from the rafters. “Oh, God. Oh, God.”
Krystal turned to her, perplexed. “What?”
“My ex is here.”
Krystal scanned the room. “Who? Where?”
“The tall one at the bar. Black hair, black shirt. Tattooed arms.”
“The guy standing so straight like he has a rod up his back?”
“Yes. He can’t help it. He’s a Marine.”
Krystal’s mouth became a perfect O. “Holy shit. The one you were crazy about?”
Lina couldn’t respond so she nodded, unable to tear her eyes from him. Three years had passed, but he appeared as young and as vibrant as when he was a teenager. His black hair was shorter than when they’d first started dating, but not as close cut as while enlisted in the Marines. His eyes still conveyed a sense of amusement and burned with an intensity that could render women speechless, including her when they’d first met at a club like this one. His body was leaner than when she’d last seen him; he’d lost some weight that further defined his muscles. He resembled a boxer more than a bodybuilder. The whole package was one she’d never been able to resist. A sucker for dark, brooding Italian boys, he captured it so well he should have been on tourist brochures. It would get her on the first flight to Italy.
Krystal brought her back to earth. “Are you going to say hi to him?”
Lina’s mind scrambled. “I don’t know what to do.”
He must have felt her eyes staring as he turned her way and caught her eye. She froze, unable to break the stare.
“Looks like he knows you’re here now.”
“Uh, ah, um…”
Krystal nudged her arm. “Snap out of it, Lina. No matter what happened between you, he’s still just a guy. It was a long time ago, and you’ve moved on. You’re a strong, confident woman. Don’t let that hot shit with a poker up his ass undermine that.”
Lina faced Krystal. “You’re right. It’s—unexpected. Last I heard he was over in Afghanistan.”
“And now he’s coming your way. Want me to stick around for support?”
“No, thanks. I better do this alone.”
“Okay, I’ll be over at the bar keeping an eye out. I don’t care if he’s some hot shot Marine. If he lays a hand on you, I’m kicking ass. I’m sure these heels are deadlier than any weapon.”
Lina grinned. “Totally not necessary. He’s a good guy. But it didn’t work out.”
Antonio strode toward her, and she captured his appearance to memory, not sure why. His olive skin appeared darker, but she didn’t know if it was a tan, maybe from another desert deployment, or due to the dim light of the club. He still had that confident stride, not the swagger he had as a teenager, but a more self-assured one. She guessed it was a combination of military training and growing older. And his dark eyes still held that spark, intensity that could melt anything in its path. Which right now was her.
Chapter 3
The corners of his eyes crinkled up as his mouth stretched into a smile that lit his face and revealed his straight white teeth. “Lina.”
His voice. It had dimmed in her memory, but hearing him say her name with a rich seductive undertone affected her in ways she couldn’t comprehend. “Antonio. I didn’t know you were home.”
“Ten days now.”
Awareness of his closeness simmered under her skin. “Oh. How long is your leave?”
“No leave,” he said. “I’m home for good.”
Good god. Her leg buckled, and he caught her arm.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she stammered. “It’s these damn boots. More aesthetic than functional.”
He glanced down, his eyes taking a prolonged path down her legs. “If the aesthetic goal is sex appeal, they’ve knocked it out the park.”
“Ah. Yeah, well.” She twisted her hair and tossed it over her shoulder. The space between them filled with something—she couldn’t place what it was—but it made her body tingle in response. Damn, she wished the band was still playing, anything to distract her from the intense connection.
“So how have you been?” he said.
Words, find words, she thought. “Good, good.”
“You look fantastic.” His eyes roved over her with unmistakable appreciation.
A slow heat rose from her chest up to her cheeks. “You’re looking very healthy yourself. How are you?”
“I’m home safe. My parents couldn’t be happier. My mom won’t stop cooking for me.” He patted his stomach and flashed a boyish grin that threatened her sense of balance. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“I bet,” Lina replied. “She’s a great cook.”
“She’s prone to experimenting more these days. Says she has to measure everything so precisely at the pharmacy, so she abandons measurements when cooking.”
Lina laughed. “A creative outlet, perhaps?”
“I suppose.” He scanned her face, appraising her, before flashing an inquisitive look. “You married?”
“No.” Why didn’t she tell him she was engaged? It would have been a normal response to the question. “You?” In the seconds she awaited his reply, the blood in her veins froze. If he was married…
“No. You know how I felt about having a family while I served.”
She exhaled, and her shoulders relaxed. “Of course I do. It’s why we broke up. You didn’t want anyone worrying about you while you were deployed.” Pain rose in her chest, but she blinked and forced it away. She’d had three long years to practice.
He winced, but recovered quickly. “Crazy band, eh?”
Relieved he’d changed the subject, she replied, “They’re different, for sure.”
The crowd began to move toward the stage where band members were taking their positions.
“What a country. We have the right to jump on stage wearing nothing but a rubber chicken.” He chuckled.
She noted how his voice took on a faraway tone, masking some pain. Something ot
her people might overlook, but she knew his quirks and gestures, how he used humor to deal with pain. “Thanks to men and women like you who protect our rights.”
“You’re right.” His eyes took on a haunted look, and she caught faint lines and shadows around them, confirming her suspicions. “Sometimes you forget what you signed up for when you see bad things you can’t even comprehend.”
That explained the tiredness around his eyes. The deployment taking its toll on a young man. “It must have been a nightmare.”
He shook it off and smiled. “I don’t mean to start with all the doom and gloom. I marvel at the freedom we have here. You take it for granted until you live among people who have few rights.”
“I bet it’s an eye-opening experience. In any case, thank you. I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me, too. And you’re welcome.” Amusement flashed in his eyes. He scanned the people closest to her. “You here alone?”
“No. I’m here with my roommate. She’s around somewhere.”
“Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure. A beer’s fine.”
Her gaze dropped to Antonio’s derriere as he walked to the bar. He always had a fantastic ass, and his jeans clung to all the right areas.
Krystal took the empty space left by his departure. “Checking out the goods?”
“Uh,” Lina muttered. Her cheeks burned.
“Everything go okay?”
“He’s getting me a drink.”
Krystal laughed. “Oh, boy. Could this be a last fling before you get married?”
“No.” She swatted at the idea. “Definitely not.”
“Why not? He’s hot. And if you already hooked up before, it doesn’t count.”
“Your logic is—troubling,” she teased, “but nothing’s going to happen.” She guarded her emotions to project a casual tone. “We’re just two people who haven’t seen each other in a long time and we’re catching up.”
“Did you tell him you were getting married?”
Lina blushed. “It didn’t exactly come up.”
“Hmm, I wonder why.” Krystal scrunched her face in a distorted confused expression. “Have fun getting reacquainted with Mr. Intense. I’m moving closer to the stage. Plenty of eye candy up there.”
Antonio returned a minute after Krystal had vanished into the crowd. Handing her a beer, he said, “The band’s back.”
Lina turned to the stage, and Antonio stepped behind her, naturally assuming the protective stance he’d taken when they’d been together. The Naked Jacks came out with even more outlandish outfits, covering their penises with jack-in-the-boxes that popped open and other props, but she couldn’t focus on them. Antonio was only inches from her, and the air seemed weighted with something she couldn’t place. She found it difficult to breathe as her senses swam with his nearness.
Some guy who reeked of booze stumbled as he headed past them, knocking into Lina. Antonio grabbed her upper arm with his free hand to steady her, and he left it there once the danger had passed.
“Are you okay?”
They moved far enough from the stage to hear each other without shouting over the music.
“I’m fine.”
The music still pounded around her, but all she heard was the thud of her erratic heart. He stood so close behind her and the heat that pulsated from his body seemed to sear through her outfit and burn her skin. Ever so slowly, he let his hand slide down her arm, and her breath hitched. His hand drifted down and settled on her hip, a gesture far too personal from someone she’d just met, but so natural with their history, it felt right.
She pictured the nights they spent together the summer before he’d enlisted and she began at a college in Boston. They’d met in a club, a rock show, and before the set was over, their hands and lips were all over each other. Their relationship started off fiery, driven by their sexual attraction, but then it bloomed into something deeper. She’d never fallen for anyone like that before; her feelings for him so intense they were overwhelming. Then he’d enlisted and went to boot camp, and they’d promised to make it work. They wrote letters to each other often, and when he returned on leave that winter while she was on break, they spent every minute together they could pry away from family and friends to make up for the nights apart. Their search to find a location to be alone led to some erotic encounters in some peculiar places. She pictured one time during a family gathering when they’d snuck down to his parents’ basement, and he held her against the brick wall while his relatives drank and dined upstairs. The chance of getting caught any moment drove their desire and the urgency.
Antonio’s warm breath tickled her ear, bringing her back to the present. “I’ve missed you, Lina.” His voice sent tingles vibrating through her ear, trembles to her erratic heart.
Not seeing him as he spoke those words made it easier to reveal her hidden feelings. “I’ve missed you, too.”
His lips touched her neck, leaving her weak and heady. She tried to resist the effect his kiss had on her, but her senses awoke as if from a deep slumber, demanding attention. She turned to face him, entranced by the pounding in her heart tapping out each prolonged second, becoming even more captivated when she sought his deep mahogany eyes.
They searched each other’s faces, and she saw his ancient desire for her resurrect with pure carnal hunger. His gaze traveled to her lips, and she parted them as her eyelids fluttered. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn’t stop it from happening, as sure as she couldn’t stop a boulder from rolling downhill. He touched her trembling lips with his finger. Then replaced it with his mouth.
Their lips reacquainted like lost lovers, slipping into a natural rhythm. Slow, long explorations that sent intense longing through her body. She tangled one arm around his neck, wishing she didn’t have a beer keeping her other hand occupied. He pulled her closer, pressing his hardness against her. Awareness grew between her thighs. No one could ever get her as hot and as quick as he could. A devastating package in the form of a dark Italian god she found impossible to resist.
A small voice of reason became louder. She was getting married to Brett. Her romance with Antonio was in her past. He had ended it when he received orders to go to Afghanistan, saying she was too young and had to live her own life, not worry about him and the decisions he’d made. It had left her with a broken heart and scars she thought would never heal. The thing was she still worried about him whether they were together or not. Every time she heard news of Afghanistan, her chest tightened, bracing for news of the worst.
The cold splash of beer on her skin slapped her back to reality. She lost control of her cup while distracted by Antonio’s sensual mouth.
Brett was her present and future. He was the one with the charming smile who helped her find joy in the world again, instead of burying herself with coursework. Lina pulled away from Antonio with reluctance. “No!”
She ran to an exit from the Cavern and up the stairs. She needed air; it was too suffocating. Burst out the doors and into the cool summer night, she gulped the air as if she’d escaped a tomb.
He would follow her, make sure she was okay, she was sure of it. But she didn’t know how to justify her erratic reaction. She hailed a cab and jumped in. Pulling out her phone, she texted Krystal. Taking a cab home. Sorry. Will explain later.
* * *
What the hell was wrong with him?
Antonio stared at the cavernous doorway leading to the stairwell, where she’d escaped. Of course she freaked out. It had been three years, and he’d acted like they were still a couple. Over a thousand nights had gone by since he’d last held her in his arms. He was surprised she didn’t hit him. He ran up the stairs to find her and apologize. Scores of people were against the brick walls, talking or having a smoke, but Lina wasn’t among them. He scanned the area for a stunning blonde in a black dress, but she was gone.
A brunette spilling out of a tight red tank top stepped beside him. “Hey, I’m Krystal. Lina’s roommate
. Where did she go?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “She took off.”
“She left?” Krystal knotted her dark eyebrows and peered at him with suspicion. “Did you do anything to piss her off?”
Besides feeling her up and sticking his tongue down her throat? “I must have.” He shook some sense back into himself as he hadn’t even introduced himself yet. “Antonio Moretti.” He extended his hand. “I’m an old friend of Lina’s.”