All This Time (17 page)

Chapter
Thirty-One

After
three glasses of twenty year old Kentucky whiskey, I’m tingly enough to succumb
to Natalie coercing me to join her on the dance floor. We dance playfully
around the floor to the slow jazz music. She gets freaky a couple of times,
running her hands down my sides and squeezing my ass, but it doesn’t bother me.
She has definitely had a lot to drink tonight. Truly, everyone is having a
great time, including me. I finally talked Chelsea into letting me call 911 and
have her checked out. They took her to the emergency room and I called before
coming to Holidays to check on her status. Since I’m not family they wouldn’t
tell me specifics, but said she would be released soon and that bit of
information thoroughly calms my anxieties. That scene scared the shit out of
me.

Rolling
my hips to the sensual vibes playing on the jukebox, I twist around slowly
facing our table. While I’ve been on the floor, Blues arrived. He’s leaning
with his back against the large post next to our table watching me while
smoking. The heat that shifts through my body with his eyes latched onto me is
all consuming and burning hotter than the fire at the end of his cigarette. I
smile imagining that he is visualizing peeling off my clothing and wishing that
he was taking me hard. Teasingly, my hands roam all over my body and his eyes
shift to annoyed. I spin around laughing at how incredibly foolish I’m
behaving. I don’t know what the hell has gotten into me. It’s not like he is
really that interested in me and I know better than to play this dangerous
game, but fuck I can’t stop thinking about being with him.
I need him again
.

Natalie
grabs my arm, pulling me toward the bar. “I need to quench my thirst.”

I
snort, “Me too,” but my reasons aren’t because of our dirty dancing. “Can I get
another?” I beg the bartender propping my hip against the high back barstool.

“I
want a Peachtini.” Natalie smiles at him before glancing back at me. “You are a
naughty girl Angel.”

“Whatever,”
I laugh hard and shake my head. “You’re really making Wise a crazy man grabbing
my ass right in front of his face.”

“God,
he loved that shit. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.” She bounces on her
feet while throwing her head back. “I’m so getting some tonight.”
Lucky
bitch!

I
take my drink, that the bartender passes me and sip slowly. Natalie accepts her
drink and then turns around stumbling back over to our table. Luckily, Blues
isn’t there when we return. Ah, who the hell am I’m kidding? I’m absolutely
crushed, but what disappoints me even more is finding Lourdes with a snarky
glare sitting mixed in among my group.

“Hi
Lourdes,” Natalie giggles, taking her seat and sliding over for me to join her
in the booth.

“Hello,”
Lourdes replies, watching both of us with a suspicious spark in her eyes. “Who
was that display for?” She asks Natalie, but I respond instead.

“That
was for us.” I smile sweetly. Pushing her annoyance with me is one of the
easiest things to do. “We don’t do anything for anyone else.” I bump Natalie
playfully and she smiles while nodding her head in agreement.

“Interesting,”
Lourdes snaps through a forced grin, leaning forward, “I don’t doubt
you
do everything with selfish intentions.” She knows that my statement wasn’t
anything like what she’s implying. Lourdes is just being a bitch and I’m not
going to let her get to me.

The
band begins playing and this time I sit so that I can watch them. Blues isn’t
actually in the band. He just joins them on occasion so for now it’s just the
three original members. Finally, after a couple of songs Blues is brought on
stage, but he isn’t in my direct line of sight. The crowd in front of us blocks
him and in order for me to see him, one of us would have to slide over. I catch
Lourdes staring at me a few times. After each one she lets her hate filled eyes
linger before shifting her full attention back to the band. I just keep
replaying the whole conversation between Decks and his aunt, about her hating
me because she’s jealous, and keep my mouth shut.

“Would
you like to dance?” A sexy deep voice purrs. I smile after turning and glancing
up at Decks.

“Hey
you,” I say, reaching up for his offered hand. “Welcome home.”

He
wraps me in a tight embrace and moves us to the slow groves of the sultry
music. Surprisingly his hands, remaining around my back behave. He leans down
placing his forehead against mine, staring into my eyes.

“I
missed you,” Decks says seriously and I nod hoping to get away without
responding verbally.

“I
didn’t know you were coming back tonight. Actually I didn’t know when to expect
you back.”

“Sorry,
I got caught up in the excitement of how well the business meeting went and
hung around for a couple of days. I didn’t have cell service or I would have
texted you.”

“Wait
Decks,” I cut him off, needing to clarify. “I didn’t mean for you to think you
need to check in with me. I was simply making a statement.”

“
It’s
cool babe, but,” he smiles, “I liked thinking about you
wanting me back sooner.”

Now
his hands roam along my sides, landing on my hips and pulling me closer against
him. His thick erection presses into my belly and I glance up, noticing his
eyes darkening with desire. I put my hands on his shoulders, pushing away from
him slightly.

“You’ll
need to calm down.” I say, arching an eyebrow. “Please tell me that you
remember what we discussed before you left.”

Sighing,
he lowers his eyes to my lips and I know that he really wants to kiss me, but I
just can’t do it. Without him noticing, I roll my eyes at his reaction and in
the process they land on the man standing center stage narrowing his eyes on
us. I can’t understand all of these confusing looks that Blues keeping giving,
but for someone who doesn’t want me, I’m beginning to think he isn’t succeeding
in that belief at all.

“You’re
killing me Angel,” Decks says, pulling me back into his arms securely. “I
remember what we talked about, but I wanted to give you another chance to
change your mind.”

“Let’s
get a drink,” I say twisting out of his embrace and grabbing his hand tugging
him toward our table.

“How’s
it hanging, Decks?” Wise asks jokingly, slapping hands with his buddy before
stating in a serious tone, “We need to talk.”

Releasing
me, Decks nods his head and motions toward the back of the bar. Wise follows
him through the large crowd on the dance floor, leaving behind the rest of his
guys. I am dying to know what is so serious that Wise needed to speak to Decks
the minute he gets back.

“I’m
going to the little girl’s room,” I say leaning into Natalie and thankfully she
just nods rather than offering to join me. I steal a quick glance at Blues as
he starts another song and realize it’s the same song he heard me listening to
when he intruded on my hot tub time. He twists to the right slightly, following
me all the way with his eyes while he croons through the sexy Miles Davis song.

“It
doesn’t look good on our part. He wants action not excuses.” I hear Wise shout
as I pass the men’s room. I stop in front of the door leaning my back against
it to eavesdrop.

“I’ve
got it covered,” Decks growls angrily. “And I don’t need you telling me how to
run my goddamn business. Just do the fucking job I pay you to do.”

“Easy
man,” Wise says. “I don’t doubt you’re all over it. I’m just relaying what Juan
told me yesterday. He’s antsy as hell to get his shipment replaced. You know as
well as I do that he will retaliate soon if we don’t meet his demands.”

“You
know what, fuck him. All I care about is what happens next. We’re getting this
bullshit settled and then leaving Juan’s demands behind so we can move onto
bigger and better brother.”

“Fine,”
Wise relents and before the bathroom door jerks open I spin around, pretending
I’m exiting from the ladies room.

“Angel?”
Wise says, spotting me first.

“Hey
guys,” I smile, but neither of them drop their scowls as they allow me to pass
in front of them striding back toward the front of the bar.

I’m
happy that I overheard all that I did, but now I’m anxious to pass it along to
Russ so he can get down to the bottom of who the pissed off party is. Now that
a true retaliation is anticipated I will be extra cautious when hanging out
with the X’kapz.

Chapter
Thirty-Two

I’ve
tried the best I can for the past thirty minutes not to stare. I fail
miserably. Seeing Lourdes hand lying on Blues lap across the booth from me is
driving me fucking mad. I hate her touching him, but he’s just sitting there
lifeless and cold. Not once has he made eye contact with me either. He knows
that I can clearly see everything she is doing to him, confirming that he
absolutely doesn’t want anything more that the one-night stand we had over four
months ago.

A
Harry
Connick
, Jr. song begins playing and all the
couples move to the dance floor. I shake my head letting Decks know that I’m
not really in the mood for his groping. I watch Blues snake his arms around
Lourdes impossibly tiny waist while she presses her body into him hard. The
distant look in his eyes makes him appear to be in a far off place away from
Holidays and her, but that’s probably just my wishful thinking.

About
a minute later a loud roar comes from the middle of the dance floor. I glance
at the side door seeing a couple of Lourdes friends bouncing over to her and
Blues. One of the girls, Jessie Mae, dressed like she should be working a pole
somewhere, struts over to our table and grabs Decks by the hand, pulling him
into the swaying crowd. Decks glances over his shoulder with a hopeful
expression communicating that he wants me to fight for him. Thankful for her
blatant disregard of the chick-code, I smile sweetly, encouraging him to just
do it, and then watch him dissolve into the masses before releasing a happy
sigh.

After
catching Lourdes grinning smugly my way, I smirk while thinking to myself that
she has no idea how much of a favor she actually did for me. Once the first
song ends, the crowd thins and I spot two new girls grinding all over Decks who
appears thoroughly pleased with their risqué ménage dance moves. Sadly, it
isn’t enough to hold his tiny attention span for very long and a couple of
songs later they all return to the table.

“I’ll
be right back,” I tell Decks sliding out and making my way toward the bar. I order
another drink and wait, but before the bartender returns, I feel my phone
vibrating in my back pocket. I slip it out and see that it’s the code phrase I
left for Kris to text me if she needs to talk. I tell the bartender that I’ll
be right back, leaving my drink and slipping out the side door.

“Hello,”
Kris says breathlessly after answering on the first ring.

“Hey,
it’s me. Are you okay?” I ask
,
concerned instantly
that something bad has happened.

“Yeah,”
she laughs before whispering something unintelligible and then says, “Sorry
Sam, hang on one more second.” I can tell that she’s covering the phone and
after a few seconds she returns on the line giving me another apology.

“Are
you busy?” I giggle, thinking that I’ve clearly interrupted something.

“Oh
shut up. Tate’s staying over,” Kris says and I can hear the smiling through the
explanation.

“Good.
Wait! Why in the hell are you sending me a text if you have your man there?”

She
laughs now. “I didn’t realize you would call me back so quickly. A package came
for you today. It’s from Willow Police Department.”

“Okay,”
I slump, completely relieved that it isn’t anything bad. “I’ll see you
Christmas Eve I can get it then. I’m sure it’s identical to the one I got six
months ago. Granddad is relentless on trying to lure me back home, but it’s
just not where I want to be anymore.”

“I
understand Sam,” she sighs, “Too many bad memories outweigh the good ones.”

“Not
really outweighing them, but overshadowing them for so long,” I counter,
feeling a tug at my heart thinking about the lies that my parents continue to
call a happy life, but I refuse to think about either of them or the pain they
inflicted on me while growing up.

“Alright,
well I need to get back to Tate.” Kris hums for a moment, hesitating on telling
me something, but then adds, “He’s coming home with us for the holidays.”

“Ooh,
somebody is being naughty,” I tease, knowing it didn’t take long for my friend
to give her heart away because she is in a place where she’s ready to accept
the love of a good man. I’m so happy for her, but a bit of envy runs through me
at the same time.

“I
love you,” Kris says, ignoring my reference to her being in love with Tate.

“Love
you too,” I reply, clicking off my phone.

I
turn toward the door and find Blues staring at me suspiciously. The look in his
eyes tells me that he definitely overheard the last part of my phone call. I
fake a smile rushing around him through the open door. A wide hand wraps around
my forearm, squeezing tightly and pulling me back outside.

“Hey,
that hurts,” I wince, jerking out of his painful hold.

“What
game are you playing?” he growls, standing several feet away from me, folding
his arms and piercing me with a hateful glare.

“You
know…” I pause. Crossing my arms and mimicking his stance, I spit, “None of
what I do is your business.”

Blues
steps forward, placing his hands on my shoulders and pushing me against the
cold brick wall. His touch and forcefulness take my breath away. He releases me
quickly, but remains just inches away with his face hovering closely to mine.

“You’re
trying to make everyone believe that you’re with Decks,” he says locking gazes
with me. His whiskey and smoke-scented breath brushes across my lips, and I
want to taste him so fucking badly. My body comes alive with his closeness and
from the fierce stare he’s holding me in. “But I can see that you’re not really
feeling it.” His eyes drop to my lips and I watch as he licks his before
speaking again. My nipples perk up and beg for his fucking delicious mouth.
“You’re playing a very deadly game, Angel.” I stiffen at his words and he
glances back up at my eyes. The cerulean blue color in his is sparking like
fireworks with white hot desire, and I can’t tell for sure if this is for me or
residuals from what Lourdes has been doing to him all night. That thought
sobers me.

“How
about you let me worry about Decks and you keep doing your thing with Lourdes,
seems like you two have really enjoyed playing under-the-table
games
all
night. Run along and keep your Queen happy.” I finish with razor sharp anger in
my tone.

Fuck
,
now he probably thinks I’m interested or jealous of her stupid ass.
You are
!

Blues
stares at me hard. The words are unnecessary. I can see all the things he wants
to say rolling around in those heated eyes. He wants me and the feelings are
mutual, but…

 He
reaches a hand up, placing it on my neck while slipping his thumb under my chin
and forcing my face upward toward his. Instantly, my skin pricks both from his
touch and his desire filled stare. His thumb strokes slowly along my jaw line
and down my neck, pressing on my raging pulse point. I squeeze my legs together
feeling excitement rushing down through my core. Damn I want him to spin me
around and fuck me hard again.

“Angel,”
he growls, lowering his mouth to mine, grazing his lips slowly over them. I
want this kiss, but it’s too dangerous.

“Blues,”
I pant, reaching up and wrapping my hand around his arm. “Please don’t,” I beg
hoping that he will just let me go. I need for him to stop this now before someone
sees us and ruins everything. Damn being alone with him is such a bad thing.

Blues
drops his hand and his gaze. I watch as his rigid stance, always so strong and
domineering literally slumps in defeat. My heart clinches seeing this tough and
confident man appear hurt. But that just can’t be. He has Lourdes and what we
had was only one fuck, a damn good fuck, but still it didn’t mean anything to
him. It couldn’t have.

“Angel,”
he breathes heavy through his slightly parted mouth, slowly lifting his eyes to
mine again. His voice is thick, raspy and panty soaking when he speaks, “I need
–”

“No,”
I cut him off shaking my head while holding a hand up. Disappointment, along
with a little bitterness, shifts my attitude taking my voice along with it, and
this time it’s me who growls. “I really don’t care about your
needs
.
Now, get out of my way.” I push passed him, heading back toward Decks.
Satisfying needs, his or mine, will never happen again. I want this damn job
over like yesterday and I can’t allow myself to be alone with Blues ever again.
I stop at the bar and the guy working holds up a finger indicating he will be
with me in a minute.

“He
left,” A snotty voice filled with smug laughter says behind me. I don’t glance
back at Lourdes, so she moves around to sit on the barstool beside me. “Did you
hear me you little piece of nothing?”

I
shift around, grab her by the upper arm and lean in close. “I’ll warn you once.
If you ever speak to me this way again,” I squeeze her upper arm with all of my
strength, and tears prick her eyes instantly, “I will be the one laughing after
I beat your fucking ass.
Are.
We.
Clear?” I growl, dropping her arm and taking the drink the bartender holds out
to me. At first he was staring completely shocked, but his face instantly brightens
with a proud grin.
God putting Lourdes in her place felt so fucking good
.

After
walking away from the bitch, I let Natalie know that I’m heading home and pass
my whiskey over to Murph who simply nods once.