Skin to Skin

by J. M. Stone

  “Oh, yeah,” she said as an afterthought, “What happened with Brandon? Did he leave or is he lurking around here somewhere?”

  I sighed. “He left and I’m not getting into this with you right now.” I took the clothes she tossed me and went into the bathroom to get dressed.

  Ten minutes later, I was standing in front of the mirror, turning side to side, trying to decide if I could bear to wear what she’d given me. It used to be one of my favorites before…just before. I hadn’t worn it in a long time. It’s not that it looked bad on me; in fact, quite the opposite. The last time I’d worn it, the short yet tasteful teal blue shorts were a little baggy, and the flowy, sheer, black key-hole racerback tank was extra baggy. Now, since I’d gained a little ‘happy’ weight, as I called it, it fit perfectly and looked pretty damned good, if I do say so myself.

  The shorts covered enough of my long legs and I paired the tank with a plain black tank underneath to preserve my modesty, among other things. Things I don’t talk about.

  I felt good, looking at myself, which is something that hadn’t happened in a long time. Looks-wise, I was the polar opposite of my brother, Jackson. He had the dark hair and deep brown eyes of my father, while I took more after my mother. Size eight, 5’6”, hazel eyes, long blonde hair, and built pretty generously in the boob department, but not overly so, you could say I was passably pretty. Some would say I’m beautiful, but I’ve never been one to really put stock into my looks.

  I turned sideways again, took a deep breath, and shook myself out of my stupor, deciding that it was time to quit hiding. I tied my hair into a messy knot at the nape of my neck and did my makeup, a little of my favorite perfume and I moved out of the safety of the bathroom.

  Leah glanced up, muttering a faint ‘finally’, gave pause for only a moment, raising one eyebrow but saying nothing. I appreciated that more than she could ever know, especially because I’ve never really dressed up to go out since I moved here. Yeah, I dressed up for special occasions, but not like, dressed up dressed up, you know, for going out. You know what I mean.

  “Alright. So, let’s swing by my house so I can change, then we’ll head to Griff’s for dinner, a pre-fight cocktail, then we’ll head to the arena to watch the buff-daddy’s get to it. Cool? Cool! Let’s go!” Leah cheered the last part, her perkiness making me giggle.

  Time flew by, and I was having fun. Seriously, though, it’s hard not to have fun when you’re with Leah. She’s so bubbly, sweet, and genuine, and then she’s crazy, zany, and wild, too. Definitely never a dull moment with her and I was so happy that she and I had become so close.

  Pre-fight cocktails turned into pre-fight happy hour, so we were pretty thankful Calland decided to pick us up from Leah’s house and take us to Griff’s. And pretty thankful he was our unwitting DD. He’s a nice guy...unless you’re his sister or his sister’s best friend, apparently. So maybe I should watch out?? Hmm…

  Now we were halfway through the fight, our buzzes had pretty much worn off, and Leah was still drooling over some guy she’d bumped into, literally, when we were headed to our seats. Not gonna lie, I had totally drooled, too. Seriously hot. Tattoos…mmm. He’d winked at her, steadied her, and walked away, leaving her completely dazed and confused in the middle of the aisle, halfway to our seats. I say she’s still drooling over him because, turns out, his seat was about three rows down in front of us and about two seats to the right.

  The next round started with a roar from the crowd and I turned my attention back to the cage, cringing as blood flew in an arc as a well-placed blow lanced open the brow of one of the fighters. Calland was jumping up and down beside me, shouting and hollering, and even Leah had abandoned her hottie watching to join in the cheering.

  A large, obviously drunk guy in the row behind me started yelling obscenities, throwing himself forward as he swung his arms around, the beer in one hand spilling over and soaking my back, while his other connected solidly with my shoulder, shoving me forward. I gasped, the pain shocking and instant as I flailed, grabbing for Calland’s arm to stop myself from falling over the seats in front of me.

  Calland caught me easily, and as soon as I had my balance, he rounded on the guy, his voice menacing, even over all the yelling all around us. “HEY! Watch what the fuck you’re doing, asshole!”

  Drunk Guy’s face turned a mottled red and he dropped his beer, not that there was much left. Most of it was running down my spine. “Who the fuck are you, talkin’ to me like that?” he roared.

  “You just spilled your beer all over her,” Calland shouted, pointing to me, “and then hit her and knocked her over!”

  “I didn’t fuckin’ do anything to her, pansy-ass mother fucker, so why don’t you take your little bitch there and get the fuck outta here!” Spit was flying from Drunk Guy’s mouth as he yelled at Calland and I ducked, trying to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

  I froze as Calland tensed, a deceptive calm moving over his face. I knew that look, knew things were about to head south at a fast pace. I moved close to his side, placing my hand against his chest and murmuring, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. It’s not worth it.”

  He gently shrugged me off, patting me on the shoulder and then moving me quickly aside to grab Leah, who’d chosen that moment to launch herself at Drunk Guy, screeching and spitting venomous words at him like a she-cat from hell. His face was turning redder and redder and Calland looked like he was having a difficult time controlling his sister without hurting her.

  “HEY!”

  The shout drew our attention enough to break the moment for just a second, which was enough time to allow Hottie to reach over and snatch Leah from Calland’s arms, then turn on his heel and move through the crowded aisles away from us.

  Panic washed over Calland’s face as he grabbed my arm, hollering at me, “Let’s go!” as he scrambled to follow the stranger who’d just taken his sister, forgetting all about Drunk Guy who was still blustering over Leah’s attack, forgetting about the fight in the cage in the center of the arena, forgetting about everything but getting to his sister.

  We made it to the lobby, drawing up short when we saw Leah leaning against the wall beside the exit, laughing and chatting animatedly with Hottie. Calland shook his head and stalked over, relief and distrust warring on his face.

  “Calland! Chloe! Meet Ian.” She gave us a grin as she waved her hand between us in introduction, taking a second to mouth Oh my God!, fan herself, and wink at me while Calland and Ian shook hands.

  “Man, I looked back just in time to see Leah jump at the big guy behind you and couldn’t help it. I saw you struggling to hold her and didn’t even think about anything but getting her out of there so you could get things calmed down…sorry, man. I know I freaked you out a little bit but I was just trying to help,” Ian said, his smooth, dark honeyed voice sending shivers down even my spine.

  I glanced at Leah out of the corner of my eye and had to fight a grin as she practically melted into a soppy, drooly mess at Ian’s feet.

  Calland shook his head and grinned as he slapped Ian on the back. “I definitely was freaking out for a second, but hey, thanks, man! She’s kinda high-strung,” he said in a pseudo whisper, shaking his thumb at Leah.

  Leah glowered at Calland for a second and then turned her mega-watt smile on Ian. “Well, since we obviously are done watching the fight, whatcha say we move this to the bar? My pre-fight cocktails have worn off and I need a drink.”

  I shrugged, looking at Calland since he was our DD. He shrugged and looked at Ian, asking, “You wanna join us? We could head back to Griff’s if you want.”

  Ian gave Leah an appraising look and nodded. “Yeah, Griff’s is fine. I’ll meet you there so I have my car.” With that, he winked and headed out the door.

  Leah stuck her lip out and pouted. “He didn’t even ask if I wanted a ride!”

  “Oh, shut it, Leah. Like I would let you ride with him anyway. You just met the dude and the way you were drooling over
him, you’d be spread out in the backseat screaming ‘take me, I’m yours’ in a heartbeat!”

  I reached out and smacked Calland’s shoulder, glaring at him while he pretended to shrink away from me. The effect was ruined by his uncontrollable laughter, though. And mine…seriously, the little falsetto voice he just used killed me. Leah just ignored him and shook her head in exasperation. Guess she’s pretty used to him after 25 years.

  We left the arena and piled into the truck, me flopping into the backseat while Leah commandeered the front seat and Calland’s radio, much to his dismay.

  For the third time, Calland smacked Leah’s hand away when she changed the channel on his satellite radio to the 90’s channel and Aqua’s Barbie Girl began blaring obnoxiously through the car. He growled in disgust and hit a button on the steering wheel, nodding when Enter Sandman by Metallica took over the speakers.

  I couldn’t help but bob my head along with the song, mouthing the words and grinning when Calland caught my eye in the review mirror, winking at me with approval. Leah tried to act aggravated with the music, but I saw her hand tapping out the beat, as well. Towards the end of the song, Calland turned it down almost all the way suddenly and yelled out, “GO!” to Leah.

  She threw her head back and yelled back, “Enter Sandman, Metallica, Black Label!”

  “Yes!” Calland hollered back, turning the radio back up while I looked at them like they were crazy.

  Leah took pity on me, turned down the music again, and looked back at me while she explained, “Calland had this thing where he thought it was absolutely imperative that Emma and I know how to identify all the songs, and the albums, of Metallica, which is one of his most favorite bands of all time. And of course, we had to know some Pantera, too, as well as a lot of others. Emma remembers more than I do most of the time, but I don’t do so bad myself after all these years.” She grinned over at her brother with fondness and it made my heart ache a little bit.

  Jackson and I were that close once. And then I started hanging out more with my friends, being a typical boy crazy teenager, and we drifted apart. I pulled away a lot more, too, when I started dating Greg. No one knew about him at first…or really even now. God, do I regret so much.

  The slamming of the truck door pulled me from my reverie and I looked up to see Calland and Leah staring at me through the window, waving at me to come on. I got out and Leah glanced at me in concern but I just smiled and shrugged her off.

  We walked into Griff’s and, miracle of miracles, were able to nab the table dubbed ‘our table’ by our group, which gave us primo positioning. Calland asked what we wanted and bellied up to the bar through the crowd to get us drinks while we scanned the bar for Ian. I noticed him as he just walked through the door and nudged Leah with my elbow, canting my head in his direction and laughing when she squealed under her breath and clutched my thigh under the table.

  I winced and pushed her hand away, laughing at her and then raising my hand to catch his attention. He noticed me and smiled, but his face broke into a grin when he saw Leah sitting beside me. He sauntered over and I knew then that I was pretty much losing my best friend for the evening when she bolted from the booth and met him halfway, dragging him onto the dance floor as the band started playing a cover of Angel Eyes by The Jeff Healy Band.

  Oh, well, at least Calland would keep me comp- never mind. Looks like I wouldn’t be getting my drink anytime soon either, since he was engrossed in conversation with a pretty redhead at the bar.

  I sighed and planted my chin on my hand, swaying to the music as I sat there silently by myself. A shiver went down my spine as a deep, velvet voice filled my ear, lips brushing the delicate skin as they whispered, “Dance with me.”

  I turned my head and met the stormy gaze of Brandon. He stood up from where he had leaned down to whisper to me and held out his hand. I took it, letting him pull me onto the dance floor, not far from where Leah was dancing with Ian, both of them grinning at each other as they talked while they danced, their arms wrapped around each other like they’d been together for years.

  She glanced my way and I saw her jaw drop and her eyes widen comically as she watched Brandon swing me around and pull me close. I couldn’t do anything but smile wryly and shrug before I wrapped my arms around his neck and moved with him.

  We didn’t speak for a bit, just danced together. Finally I pulled slightly away and looked up at him. And when I say looked up, I mean up. At 6’3”, he towered over my measly 5’6”, and…he’s fucking H.O.T. Seriously, sex-on-a-stick, panty-wetting, hell, panty-dropping, fiiiiine. Smokey grey-blue eyes, close cropped dark hair, a smile that drops me to my knees, and tattoos…mmmmm…all over his gorgeous hard body.

  “Wanna take a picture, sunshine? It’ll last longer.”

  I blinked and ducked my head, flushing once again in embarrassment from being caught staring. Again. Geez.

  He chuckled and pulled me a little closer in, still swaying in circles as the music changed, being replaced by another slow song. This time it was With or Without You by U2.

  I glanced up at him and looked away, staring out over all the other couples dancing as I asked, “So, what are you doing here?”

  He shrugged nonchalantly. “Met a couple friends down here for a beer after we closed up the shop today. What are you doing here? I saw you come in with Leah and Calland. Out having a good time tonight?”

  It was my turn to shrug. Our heads were angled close so we could speak over the music as we danced. “I went with them to the UFC fight thingy like Leah asked me to this morning. So you worked today?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I told Luke I would handle everything when I got there since we didn’t have too many booked for the day and T.J. was there with us. So he went home to his crazy woman and the furry fiends.”

  I paused. “Who’s T.J.?” I asked.

  “He’s a new guy we had come in. Got a helluva portfolio and I met him at the convention out in L.A. We kept in touch and he called a couple weeks ago, said he was needing a change of pace and wanted to come visit. Good guy. Think he’s got some baggage, though.”

  He cocked his head. “Wait, I didn’t think the fight was even over yet. Why did you guys leave?”

  I rolled my eyes and grinned impishly, lifting one shoulder in a half-shrug of answer.

  He sighed and asked, “What happened?”

  Before I got a chance to reply, a voice broke in, asking smoothly, “May I cut in?”

  I looked over into the grinning face of Ian, who was holding his hand out while standing there half-bent at the waist like an old-fashioned butler. There was something so disarming and genuine about him, I couldn’t help but smile and nod, taking his hand easily and moving away from Brandon, who had gone completely still the minute I let go of him. As soon as I reached up to put my hands on Ian’s shoulders, I saw Leah grab Brandon and try to get him to dance, but it wasn’t happening.

  He shrugged her off and took a step in my direction, but then Ian glanced up and recognition flared in his eyes as he realized who I’d been dancing with, apparently.

  He let go of me and smiled, greeting Brandon with a ‘Hey!’ as they clasped hands and did the whole one-shoulder-man-hug thing. Brandon grinned back at him and Leah and I both looked at each other with confusion as we realized we were now standing still like morons in the middle of the floor while our dance partners ignored us.

  Leah jerked her head toward the table and turned to go sit down. I followed, leaving the guys on the floor. Calland was standing beside the table looking out toward the crowded dance floor. We stopped beside him and realized that the red-head from the bar was standing with him.

  “Hey, there you guys are. Your drinks are on the table and I swear I saw Brandon here somewhere. Do you think you guys could get a ride home from him tonight?” He winked at us and I laughed as Leah gave a pretend shudder of disgust in return.

  “You whore,” she muttered under her breath and then grinned at him when he laughed unashamedly. />
  Brandon broke in behind us. “Yeah, I’ll get them home. Or we will…however it works out.”

  We all turned and noticed Ian standing with him. Leah moved toward Ian, and honestly, I don’t think she even realized she did it. It’s like they just gravitated toward each other and it was cute. Seriously cute.

  Calland glanced between Ian and Brandon in surprise. “You two know each other?”

  Brandon shook his head in affirmation, then said, “Yeah, how do you think he got all that awesome-ass ink?”

  Calland inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Sweet. Alright then, I’m gonna take Tiffany and get out of here, then.”

  Brandon broke in before Calland could leave. “Wait, so how do you know Ian?” He addressed the question to Calland, but he looked at all of us for the answer.

  “This drunk guy at the fight was getting pretty rowdy, spilled his beer all over Chloe, and then when we were standing, he basically clocked her pretty good and almost knocked her down. So then my sister decided she was going to jump the big bastard and Ian stepped in.”

  He turned to Ian, giving him a crooked grin and said, “By the way, thanks again, man, for helping out and getting Rocky out of there before she could hurt herself. Or anyone else.” He grinned at his sister who pouted and punched him in the arm.

  Ian grinned back, thumped Calland on the back and said, “No problem.” He glanced at Leah from the corner of his eye and continued. “I have a feeling that I’ll probably see you again.”

  Awww. How sweet was that? Leah looked up at him with a shy smile, and I felt my lips stretching into a wide smile as she blushed for the first time in like…well, ever. I swear that girl has no shame. It was absolutely adorable to see her smitten. There was no other word for it, and I was getting the feeling that it might be mutual.