Kiss and Tell (4 page)

Both Addison and Carmen pulled up short after stepping into the space, each glancing around.

“Well,” Carmen said discreetly but aggressively popping Addison on the ass. “Let’s get ’er done.”

“I’m serious about that boundary conversation...”

“You know,” Eli murmured as he stood next to Maikao, watching the room. “I’m really feeling uncomfortable with how many women who are old enough to be my mother approached me tonight. Are these events like catnip to cougars?”

“They think you’re a firefighter, dude.” Maikao murmured back to his friend. “Therefore what’s in your pants is the equivalent of a water hose with a house fire.”

“Is that your nice way of telling me that some of the women here occasionally experience burning sensations in—”

“Okay, this conversation is over.” Maikao cut in.

“But—”

“Not. Discussing.”

“All righty, then...” Eli muttered.

Maikao didn’t really care about the repeated un-warranted advances he’d experienced in the last few hours. He was a little put off to say the least but his concern rested with one woman and one woman only—Addison. The sooner she arrived, the better. A part of him felt like shit for doing things this way but he knew pulling her to the side and explaining what he felt would just backfire.

He was tired of dancing around it, tired of trying to hide everything. Maikao’s excuses for not wanting her and Eli to date were total bullshit and he knew it, but he had been grasping at straws. He was done with dating other women, just to show them the door after he realized they’d never compare to her; that they’d never come close to Addie.

Maikao needed her mind off of Eli so that he could...well, he wasn’t so sure what he’d do, just that it had to be
something.

“Stop fidgeting like that. You look like you’re about to either break out into your own version of ‘Smooth Criminal’ in that tux or do repeated hip thrusts. Both or which are disturbing, might I add,” Eli said.

“I can’t help it. I’m ready for this goddamn event to be over.”
Lies
. He was ready to see
Addison.
To make her dance with him, to listen to her make sly comments about some of the other people in the room.

“Yeah, I’m starting to get bored. Hey, what time did...oh, never mind...Jesus Christ.” Eli’s eyes widened to the size of silver dollars.

“What? What’d I miss?” Maikao swung around and stopped in his tracks as he saw Addison and Carmen weaving their way through the crowd. “Jesus. Christ.”

“Is her gown
supposed
to be that short?”

Maikao growled. “Excuse me.” He made his way through the throng of people; eyes solely focused on Addie. Was she
trying
to get him a murder charge?

Dressed in a sleeveless pastel yellow, baby doll gown with a plunging neckline that cinched at her small waist and allowed her long smooth, bare legs to be emphasized as she strutted in four-inch peep toes, Addison had the attention of almost every man in the room. Her naturally curling hair had been pressed to fall in soft layered waves around her slim shoulders; her makeup minimal, but still giving the effect that her eyes were smoky and her lips were fuller.

For a moment when she and Carmen finally stopped, those eyes of hers met his and everything else faded. Every sight. Every sound. Every person. Every. Single. Thing. All Maikao could see was her and all he could hear was the thumping of his own heart as it echoed in his eardrums.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Momentarily he was at a loss for words as he reached Addie and they stood eyeing one another.

One perfectly arched brow quirked in his direction, her lips curving just a bit. Then her gaze swept past him and she asked, “Well, where is he?”

Maikao’s stomach dropped at the realization that she was looking for Eli; that their momentary connection had been one-sided. His jaw clenched. “Why does it matter? You’re
my
date.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Against
my
will.”

He stepped closer. “You had a choice, Addie.”

“Did I? Because I remember blackmail being involved,” she snapped.

It was his eyes’ turn to narrow. “Still afraid Eli will know that you actually use your pu—”

“Okay!” Carmen loudly interrupted. “That’s the end of
that
conversation.” She stepped between the pair and poked Maikao in the chest, speaking for his ears only. “
You,
sir,” Carmen said, jamming him with that finger again. “Aren’t behaving in the manner we discussed.”

“Look at what she’s wearing,” he hissed.

Her eyes twinkled up at him. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m going to find Eli,” Addison snapped before stomping off.

“Carmen...” Maikao warned in a low voice.

“I know, I know!” She waved her hands. “The mission is to keep them apart. I—”

Her words stopped when the band started up, playing a slow melody that had couples stepping out onto the dance floor with one another.

Maikao’s head snapped up just in time to see Eli leading Addie,
his
Addie, right onto that very floor. She floated into his arms like she fucking belonged there and he saw red.

“Mak! Wait!” Carmen grabbed his arm to stop him. “You can’t go Cro-Magnon right now. If you piss her off, you’ll fuck up everything.”

“Look at how goddamn close he’s holding her.”

“You set the tone for this! You didn’t want to be outright about your feelings. What do you expect?”

“I didn’t tell her because it wouldn’t do any good. She’d only
run,”
he growled, seeing the way she smiled up into Eli’s grinning face. The bastard leaned down to whisper something in her ear and she laughed.

“Fuck. This.”

Carmen jumped in front of him. “No! You let them dance.”

“Are you crazy?!”

“Hear me out,” She held up her hands. “Let them dance for now and
then
make your move.”

He frowned. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“Because I
know
Addie. She looks like she’s enjoying herself but if I had to take a true guess, I’d say she’s
forcing
it. Right now she’s feeling awkward and uncomfortable with the way they’re dancing.”

The music changed to an upbeat Latin tempo and Eli swung Addison out before bringing her back into his body, their hips melding.

“
That
looks uncomfortable and awkward to you?” Maikao was going to beat the shit out of Eli.
Then
he was taking Addie over his goddamn knee. She had to know that with every twist and turn her thighs were on clear display.

“Listen to me,” Carmen stared up at him. “If you do what you want to do, you’ll ruin everything.”

His jaw worked as he stared at the pair, noticing the way Eli’s hands were beginning to drift. When the other man actually managed to get a handful of Addison’s ass, he was done. “Fuck it. I don’t care. He’s touching her.
Nobody
touches her.” He ignored Carmen’s attempts to stop him and bulldozed through the crowd, not giving a good goddamn about anything or anyone, but his woman being in the arms of another man.

“Addison.”

Her name was called with such authority that for a moment she felt as if she’d gotten caught doing something wrong. Her head snapped up and she could see Maikao just a few feet away, murder in his eyes.

She immediately let go of Eli, who glanced down at her in confusion. They’d been enjoying themselves. Things were a little on the awkward side at first, but once Eli started moving, they just seemed to fall into place. The man danced wonderfully—which was a surprise because one would never guess it from looking at him.

Even with that being so, she hadn’t felt right with the way he’d held her in the beginning. The only time she’d ever really melded with anyone during a slow song was with Mak. The way his hands felt on her was...natural.  Eli’s gaze moved from her to Mak’s furious expression and his hands dropped from her waist.

“Something wrong?”

Maikao’s eyes never left her face. He walked closer and grabbed her hand. “You and I need to talk. Now.”

Her brows lowered. “I am not—”

“Two ways, Addie. You come on your own or I carry you out. Which one will it be?” He cut her off.

“Mak, what’s up with you? She’s in the middle of—”

Maikao’s head swung in Eli’s direction so fast that for the first time since she’d met him, the other man actually backed away from his own friend. “Stay. Out. Of. It.” He tugged at Addison’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Mouthing “I’m sorry” over her shoulder to Eli, she tried to keep up with Maikao’s long legged strides as he left the ballroom and led them down a dim corridor, his fingers never releasing her own.

He finally let her go.

Addison rounded on him. “Mak, what the fuck was that?”

“What the fuck was that?” He roared back, then shook his hips in a way that would’ve been funny if she weren’t so goddamned pissed. “What the fuck was
that
shit?”

“We were dancing!”

“Oh, you were dry-humping in a room full of onlookers with your ass practically hanging out!”

“Carmen did this to my dress, you asshole, and you’re the one who told me to show up with my goddamn legs out!”

“I told you to show up as my
date
with your goddamn legs out. Not to show up with your goddamn legs out and play crotch rub with Eli all night!”

“You knew!” Addison pointed at him. “You
knew
I wanted to date him!”

“Well, you’re not going to.” Maikao waved a hand. “So call it a night on your little seduction plan because that will happen over my dead body!”

She gripped her hair on each side, tugging at it. “Argh! I don’t get you! Why in the hell do you give a shit who I date and who I don’t date? It’s not like it would affect you if we went out a few times and it didn’t work out. People do it every day and still remain friends.”

“Oh, it would affect me.” He snarled, backing her into a darker corner.

“How?” Addison threw up her hands. “How would it affect
you?”