by Kayla Wolf
”I’ll see you later, okay, Lawrence?” Smoothly, she stepped away as he leaned in for what she was horrifyingly sure was intended to be a kiss. The elevator doors closed behind her, leaving him looking confused and a little angry as she all but bolted down the hallway for the hotel room.
If that was dating, Alice thought faintly, she was going to give considerable thought to adopting a dozen cats and resigning herself to solitude.
Chapter 8 - Daniel
Daniel lay on the bed with a crick in his neck, feeling utterly dejected as he heard the door to the room click shut behind Alice. She was going on a date—a date with that coyote he’d met, the tall guy with the hard yellow eyes and the smug disposition. Why was that making him feel like he’d been punched in the gut? It was her choice, wasn’t it? He should be happy for her—she’d always been so shy, it was good to see her getting out of her shell a little bit, socializing, getting to know people. For all he knew, this coyote might be her mate. Maybe Lawrence would move down to the peninsula with them, bring his whole extended family …
Daniel growled in his throat at the thought, flicking irritably through the channels on the TV station. He wasn’t going to think about it. Whatever Alice was doing, he was perfectly fine on his own. So he reached over and grabbed the room service menu, determined to distract himself with food.
Half an hour later, he was sitting amongst an absolute feast. The room service menu had so many options … he’d decided against choosing, instead ordering small servings of just about everything. They’d obliged—he had several bowls of pasta, a couple of pizzas, various plates of freshly cooked meat that was making his mouth water … and dessert was on its way, too. Grinning to himself, he found something mindless to watch on television and set about his meal. It was a reality show, he realized as he ate—a relatively new invention. There were about a dozen human men, all living together in a house with a single woman, who it seemed was trying to choose one of them to be her mate. He found himself fascinated by the program despite himself. The woman was struggling to choose between two of the men. One of them, it seemed, she liked talking to … but the other one she found more physically attractive. One of them would have to leave … but who would it be?
His phone rang, pulling him out of his reverie, and he frowned as he hastily swallowed the mouthful of pizza he was eating to answer the call. It was James, checking up on him.
”So? How are the clubs in LA? Still good?” Their little group had done some clubbing in the big city in the early 90’s—James was clearly still thinking about those wild nights. Daniel looked down at his decadent spread of hotel room service, feeling a twinge of guilt.
”Uh, not sure. Haven’t had a chance to go out yet.”
”Well, obviously, it’s only eight. Nothing decent would be open yet. But you didn’t go out last night?”
He thought of the pleasant evening he’d spent with Alice at the dinner … then thought of seeing her talking to Lawrence and scowled. “No. No time.”
”I’m sure you’re going to have an awesome time, man. Hey, how’s my sister? She holding up okay? Or has she been socialized to death?”
”She’s fine.” He wasn’t sure what to say … he’d been trying to avoid thinking about Alice. He felt a bizarre urge to ask Daniel about her. Would he have some insight into what she might be doing with this guy, about where their date might lead them? But it was none of his business, was it? “She’s on a date, actually,” he said, trying to keep the resentment out of his voice.
James sounded shell shocked. “A what? Dude, careful. My sister’s been replaced with an alien.”
Daniel laughed despite himself. “I know. She’s definitely better with people than she gives herself credit for.”
”Who’s the guy? Is it her mate? Oh man, I should’ve taken that bet with Lachlan—“
”I don’t know. Maybe?” He felt restless. “She only met him yesterday. He’s fine. He’s a coyote.”
”Oh, yeah? I’ve met a few coyotes. Big into family, those guys. You don’t sound impressed.”
”I dunno. I got bad vibes from him. But she’s an adult; she can do what she wants.”
”That’s kinda sweet.”
”What?” Daniel said, feeling defensive.
”Just—you being protective of her like that. It’s good to know she’s got more brothers than just me to look after her, you know?”
Daniel couldn’t help but smile at that. “Yeah, well. I know how gross men can be from first-hand experience. Wouldn’t want her ending up with a guy like you.”
”Ouch,” James laughed. “Whatever. I better go. You let me know how the clubs are! I expect tales of outrageous decadence when you get home, okay?”
Daniel hung up the phone, feeling a little guilty. Outrageous decadence … well, a dozen room service orders certainly fit that bill, but somehow, he didn’t think that that was what James had been getting at. What was wrong with him? Any other weekend, in a big exciting city like LA, with the whole night to himself … well, he’d be out, partying up a storm. Instead, here he was, lying in bed, gorging himself on (admittedly delicious) room service and wallowing in self-pity. Self-pity over what? Alice having other plans? Yeah, it would have been nice to go out with her, spend some time talking about the conference—one of the most surprising things he’d learned this weekend was how enjoyable he found her company. But she had other plans. And that was fine. Absolutely fine. He was fine with that.
Irritated with the television show (the woman had made her choice, and the romantic music was swelling), he switched the channel to a sports game and got to his feet. The night was still young, like James had said. When it came to clubbing, the later you arrived the better the vibe would be. There was still plenty of time to go out. Maybe he’d meet someone, too. Maybe he’d meet his soulmate. That’d show Alice and her stupid coyote friend.
He was halfway into a shirt when he heard the door swing open, and the sound of a familiar—and distinctly aggrieved—sigh. Surprised to hear Alice back so early, he stopped buttoning the shirt. Sure enough, there she was, looking as gorgeous as she had when she’d left … but the expression on her face didn’t suggest she’d had a great time.
”You okay?”
”Are all men absolutely horrible these days? Is that how things have gone since we moved to the peninsula?”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “The date went well, then.”
”He didn’t stop talking. Not once. And the stuff he said was downright disgusting. All this stuff about how women should look, how they should behave, how if I played my cards right and didn’t get too fat he’d marry me so I could quit my job and—I don’t know, be at his beck and call all day long, I guess?”
Daniel was fighting the urge to laugh. Why did it make him feel so good that Lawrence had proven himself to be such a scumbag? “He sounds like a delight.”
”Oh, absolutely. A spring wedding, I think.” She dropped heavily onto the bed on her back, pressing her hands to her forehead in a gesture of acute dismay. “What a waste of an evening.” Then she sat up, noticing the detritus around her for the first time with a puzzled look. “Did you have someone over for dinner?”
Daniel hesitated, very tempted to lie. But something stopped him. “Uh. No, I just … got a little carried away with the room service menu.”
A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. “You better watch out. Lawrence will be in here to give you a lecture about the obesity epidemic—”
”Very funny.”
”You’re probably safe. Something tells me his interest in health has a lot more to do with controlling what women say and do and look like.” She shuddered. “Right. That’s the last thing I’m going to say about him. This never happened, agreed?” A rueful smile crossed her face. “I should’ve taken you up on your suggestion. A walk on the beach would’ve been much nicer than that horror show.”
“Well, it’s not too late.” Impulse driving him, Daniel gestured to the night
sky outside. “I mean, it’s a bit dark for a walk on the beach, but the night’s only just begun, really. I was thinking of heading out to check out the nightlife. Want to come with?”
She blinked. “Really?” A guarded look crossed her face. “You sure I wouldn’t—cramp your style? It’s going to be hard to flirt with anyone if you’ve got a girl with you—”
He shook his head firmly. “Look at you. You look great. It’d be a shame if the only person who saw you was that creep of a coyote. Come out with me. Let’s show off your dress.”
The smile that spread across her face as she nodded in happy agreement made his chest feel strange—like it was full of light. What did that mean? Nothing, he told himself firmly. All it meant was that he’d successfully cheered up a friend. That was all. And besides—he was looking forward to getting out of the hotel room. It was a beautiful night—and now he had a beautiful woman to keep him company. It was no wonder he was feeling good. Great, in fact. Better than he had in months …
There was a tap at the door. Alice frowned, a look of concern on her face. “If that’s Lawrence—”
”I’ll get it,” Daniel promised. But it wasn’t Lawrence. It was a somewhat amused looking waiter with a bowl of chocolate mousse on a tray, garnished with strawberries. Daniel thanked him as he took the plate, carrying it back into the hotel room, where Alice was touching up her makeup in the mirror. “Good news. I forgot I ordered dessert.”
”This night’s taken an excellent turn,” she said brightly, a grin spreading across her face. They sat for a while on the edge of the bed, finishing the mousse together. Then Daniel rose to his feet, offering her his arm with a formal little bow.
”Shall we?”
”Let’s take advantage of the sugar high,” she giggled, her eyes bright. And they set off into the warm California evening together.
The town was absolutely buzzing. He’d done a quick search of the local clubs earlier and made a plan of attack. Around the corner from the hotel was a cute little cocktail bar, barely bigger than a hole in the wall, where they boasted all-natural, organic local ingredients. He ordered her a strawberry daiquiri—while they’d been eating the dessert, she’d mentioned that strawberries were her favorite—and after a moment’s hesitation, ordered the same for himself. Why not have something delicious—even if it was pink and served with a little umbrella in it? He wasn’t trying to prove anything.
“I can’t remember the last time I drank,” Alice told him as they perched at a little table with a view of the busy street. Her eyes fluttered shut as she sipped at the drink with evident enjoyment. “Oh, my God. Okay. I drink now. I’m a drinker.”
He laughed, gazing across the table at her for a long moment—then caught himself staring when she looked back at him, tilting her head a little in curiosity. He cleared his throat. “Hey. I’m having a great time.”
She smiled. “Me too.”
”I wish we’d spent more time together back home. I feel like I’ve been—missing out on you.”
She ducked her head, an incredibly cute blush spreading across her face like wildfire. “What do you mean? I’m always around.”
”Yeah, but … I mean, we never spent much time together. I didn’t realize how—I don’t know. How fun you are to be around.” Why did he feel so nervous? He was incredibly good at talking to people. It was his one skill. What was it about talking to Alice—a woman he’d known for decades—that was suddenly making him feel tongue-tied?
”I’m not fun,” she said softly, shrugging. “My brother got all the fun genes.”
”That’s not true,” Daniel said firmly. “Look at us. We’re out on the town, drinking cocktails. That’s fun. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
She shrugged, not looking convinced. “I don’t know. I’m a good doctor, but all this social stuff … I don’t know. I just like to stick to my strengths, that’s all.”
Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the buzz of the evening, or maybe it was the disheartened way she was looking down at her hands—but Daniel reached across the table impulsively, grabbed her by the hand. She looked up in surprise—and there was something else in her eyes, too. Something guarded. Something she was clearly making an effort to hide. “You have plenty of strengths, Alice. Don’t sell yourself short. You went on a date tonight. That’s brave as hell.”
”That was a disaster!”
”They usually are!” He was laughing, still holding her hand in his. Why did that feel so natural? “Come on. What do you say we go dancing?”
She hesitated, looking down at her half-finished drink. “I don’t know. Dates are one thing, but dancing …” He tilted his head, pinning her with his best beseeching look—he knew full well how powerful his puppy-dog eyes could be. Sure enough, he could see her caving in. “Fine,” she said finally, a smile on her lips. “But you have to pick the place. And I’m going to need another drink first. I haven’t been to a nightclub in forty years, at least …”
”Oh, they never change,” he said brightly, heading to the bar to order them another round. This time, he went for shots—the little bar had a whole range of interesting combinations. He ordered something called a ‘Jelly Donut’, keeping her sweet tooth in mind—and they clinked the little glasses together before downing them.
”Right,” Alice said, her eyes gleaming in a way that was making his chest feel tight and strange. “Let’s go dancing.”
It felt perfectly natural to take her hand in his as they headed down the strip. Experienced as he was with this kind of thing, he could tell that other guys were looking at her, checking out the gorgeous girl at his side … but with her hand in his, none of them dared to try anything. With the alcohol buzzing in his body, it was easy enough to dismiss his urge to protect her as a brotherly instinct—men could be gross, he was just making sure they didn’t bother her so she could have a nice night, that was all. Wasn’t it?
He steered them to a club he’d heard good things about—to his delight, there wasn’t much of a queue, and the guy on the door waved them through after giving Alice an appraising look. She glanced up at Daniel once they’d headed inside, clearly confused.
”Isn’t there a cover charge? Do we pay inside, or—”
”Not for someone who looks like you,” he said, smiling at her. But she still looked blank. “Clubs do better when they’re full of gorgeous women,” he clarified. Her eyes widened in surprise, and he tilted his head. “You—you know how good you look, right?”
There was that blush again—so unbelievably charming. “I mean—I don’t—it’s just an old dress, I don’t—”
He leaned down to talk into her ear as they headed into the club—the music was already loud enough that he had to raise his voice to be heard. “Every guy in here’s going to want to dance with you. Promise.”
She looked up at him. They’d reached the edge of the dancefloor—there was pounding music and a sea of sweaty bodies enjoying themselves, dancing with wild abandon to the beat. He could feel his heartbeat picking up, keeping pace with the music—but he was also acutely aware of Alice, of the way her body had crept closer to his on the crowded dancefloor, of the scent of the shampoo she used and the perfume she was wearing.
”What about you?” she asked, her voice almost too soft to hear over the music. “Do you want to dance with me?”
And he couldn’t help himself. He pulled her into his arms and out onto the dance floor and let the music take over.
Chapter 9 – Alice
Alice couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed this much. The whole evening felt like a blur—the terrible meal she’d shared with Lawrence felt like it belonged to another century altogether. Maybe it was the alcohol, she thought dizzily as Daniel spun her around on the dance floor. She rarely drank this much … the last time she could remember having more than maybe a glass or two of wine had been her college days, back in med school, and that had been decades ago. Maybe the alcohol was loosening her up, making her l
augh, making her feel so free and exultant that she almost felt like she could lift right off the ground. Maybe it was the city—the lights, the noise, the crowds of people having a great time.
Or maybe it was Daniel. Maybe it was this new connection, this surprising compatibility they’d discovered … this real, authentic enjoyment of his company that she’d discovered when she’d spent enough time with him to push beyond what she was now realizing had been a pretty shallow crush. At least, it had been shallow compared to what she was feeling now. Breathless, she stumbled into his space, felt the warmth of his body as he steadied her, felt her whole body thrilling to his touch as though he was a magnet, and she was a pile of metal shavings. Then she giggled again at that completely absurd mental image. She really was losing her inhibitions, wasn’t she? He was grinning down at her, a questioning look on his face, and she laughed again.
”I’m drunk!” she called over the music. He laughed too, leaning in so she could hear him—she felt his lips brush against her ear, and her whole body tingled.
”Me too!”
She grinned as a new song came on, turning back to the dancefloor—then shrieked as she felt her foot give way beneath her. Daniel was beside her, steadying her, and she made a sound of acute dismay as she realized what the problem was—the heel had broken right off her shoe. She reached down and pulled it off her foot, standing unsteadily on the other leg as she lifted it up to show Daniel.
”Oh no! You’ve been hobbled!”
”I literally danced my heel off,” she said mournfully. “I’m going to have to hop all the way back to the hotel.”
”As much as I’d enjoy watching that,” Daniel said thoughtfully, “I think I have a better idea.”