Then Kiss Me (13 page)

I thanked Carla and told her I’d no doubt see her later.  I
n seconds, I
found the keg.  David was minding the tap.  “Hey, Case.  Would you like a cold one?”

“Love one.”  He held the tap, and the beer foamed up inside the blue plastic cup.  I dug my cigarettes out of my jacket.  “Do you have somewhere I could hang my jacket, and can I smoke in here?”

“Yes and yes—you should know that.”  Well, I
didn’t
know that, because I hadn’t seen any people smoking in their house
now
, and I didn’t want to assume anything.  “Give me your jacket and purse.  I can throw them on my bed.  And there should be an ashtray in
the living room.”  He came up close to me so he could quit shouting.  Even though the party was loud, that didn’t mean people couldn’t discern his voice.  “I think someone’s been looking for you.”

Feeling coy, I raised my eyebrows in feigned disbelief. 
“Really?
 
Who?”

He smirked and winked, then said, “Living room.”  Then he walked upstairs with my jacket and purse.  I made my way through a couple of groups of people, saying an obligatory
hi
here and there.  In fact, I spotted Lee, the singer in Scott’s band, but he didn’t see me.  That was probably for the best.  I finally made my way to the living room.  I spotted Jim and Scott on the couch.  Scott looked…
delicious
.  He was wearing a white shirt with a skull design on it.  His short hair was
mussy
in a sexy way
and he looked like he was feeling extra devilish tonight.  The
re was a sparkle in his eyes
I could spot across the room.

The guys on the couch were watching a video on t
he television and didn’t notice
me at first.  Jim said
hi
and nodded his head my way as his elbow met with Scott’s ribs.  Scott looked up and beamed.  He stood up.  “I didn’t know if you were coming.”

I
teased, acting
like I was offended.  “I promised, didn’t I?”  The two of them made room for me on the couch.

Scott held up a bottle.  “We’re drinking schnapps.  You game?”

I raised an eyebrow.  “I’ll take a shot.”  I promised myself that I would take
one
shot.

These two had never seen me drink before.  At one time, I’d been able to hold a lot of liquor, but anymore, it seemed, I couldn’t
hold much at all.  I’d have to be careful.  I picked up the shot and downed it in one gulp, then chased it with a swallow of beer.  The warm liquid flowed down into my chest, spreading, tingling.  I almost instantly relaxed.

Scott and Jim exchanged a glance.  Jim said, “Nice.  But can you keep up with us?”

I smiled. 
“Remains to be seen.”
  I lit a cigarette and leaned back, sipping my beer.

Scott smiled back.  “You’re in a good mood tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m in a damn fine mood.”  I held up my cup for a toast.  “I’m not
workin
’!”

Jim and Scott touched their cups to mine, and we all downed another gulp.  Jim started pouring us each another shot of schnapps, and
Julie
came and sat next to him.  I waved at her.  It was too loud to talk with the music and the crowd.  Scott held the shot glass up to my face.  I drank it
, already breaking my promise to myself
.  I said something he didn’t hear, so I cupped my hands to his ear and
repeated myself.
“Are you trying to take advantage of me?”  Oh…that had been a bad idea.  I was too close, and I could smell his musky cologne…and him. 
Jesus…what a heady mix.
  I felt a quiver run through my body.  I was going crazy.  I wanted to touch him.  But I had to
reign
it in.

He turned his head, and the look on his face was one of mild amusement.  “You decide,” he said and held up the bottle again.

“In a little while,” I yelled to be heard over the music, but he poured it anyway.

I started to grow too relaxed and feared that if I didn’t get up and move around, I’d pass out after the long day I’d had.  I used my empty beer cup as an excuse to get up.

I walked back to the kitchen.  A few people had already left, so it was getting a little easier to move through their
house
.  It was still packed, though.  When I got to the kitchen, I saw David there, but he was standing on the other side talking to a small group of people.  There was one well-groomed
tall gentleman standing next to David and he looked rather enamored—was that the guy David had cooked for the other night?
  A better question…was that the tall guy he’d first met at the party when I’d first seen Scott playing in his band?
  I’d fill up my cup myself then.  I bent over to fill it up and it hit me.  I was already getting drunk.  I was pretty damned buzzed already.  So I decided not to fill up my cup.  I stood up to get my bearings and instead walked to the sink to rinse out my glass and then pour
ed
myself some water.  I figured out then and there that I couldn’t hold my liquor like I used to…as if the last party hadn’t taught me that lesson.

No matter, I thought.  I was having fun.  I stopped by the restroom to check myself.  Nothing seemed quite real, but my makeup and hair still looked good.  If I slowed down (or completely stopped) my drinking at this point, I should be fine.

I stumbled a little bit but was feeling all right.  When I got back to the living room, I saw Wendy sitting between Jim and Scott, and
Julie
was nowhere to be seen.  I stood there for a second and was getting ready to move forward when I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder.  I turned around.  It was Lee. 
“Casey, right?”

I smiled. 
“Right.
 
Hi, Lee.”

“Did you hear our CD earlier?”

I cocked my head. 
“No…what CD?”

“We’ve put together a CD and so we were playing it for everyone.  How long have you been here?”

“Half an hour maybe.”

“Oh…you missed it.  Maybe we can play it again later.”

“That’d be great.”

I heard Scott’s voice.  “Casey!”  I looked over, and he was motioning for me to sit where he’d been next to Wendy.  I looked over at Lee.  “Hey…see you later, okay?”

He grinned, white teeth gl
eaming. 
“Sounds good.
  Nice to see you again, Casey.”

“You too.”

When I walked over to Scott, I asked, “You sure you want me to take your seat?”  He nodded.  “So I missed
hearing
your CD, is that right?”

He smiled. 
“Yeah.
  I’ll give you a copy and then you can listen to it whenever you feel like it.”
  I smiled back.  That would be fucking awesome.

As I sat
down
, I gave the expected
hi
to Wendy.  She gave me a look I couldn’t quite figure, but I supposed she wasn’t very happy with me.  Scott sat next to me on the arm of the couch.  He asked, “You ready for another one?”

“No way.
  I need a minute or two.”  He didn’t seem affected by the alcohol at all.  Before I knew it, his hands were on my shoulders, squeezing them.

“You’re tense, woman.”

“Maybe so, but I don’t
feel
tense
.”  Maybe I was nervous.
  No, it was probably
sexual
tension.

He kept massaging my shoulders, and it felt like my bones were melting out of my body.  His hands felt so strong on me and yet so gentle.  “Wow—that feels incredible.”  I let my head lull forward, relaxed. 
But
I was aching for him.  I wanted him to touch me all over, but I was going to enjoy the moment.

Wendy said, “Excuse me,” and got up, heading to the kitchen. 
Yep…just as I’d thought.
  She’d just been trying to scare me off so she could have Scott all to herself.  I wasn’t that easy to scare, though.  Now that she’d vacated my old spot, I moved over, and Scott slid off the arm of the couch next to me.  I noticed that one of his arms was still on my shoulder
, so I leaned into him a little
.
 
Mmm
-hmm…this was nice.

Jim was playing a prank on someone across the room, laughing loudly enough that we could hear him over Slayer, the music that was blasting through their place.  Scott said in my ear, “Come with me.  I want to show you something.”  I looked at him, curious.
  He grinned.
“My new stereo.
  You like music, so I figured you’d appreciate it.  It’s up in my room.”  I chugged the rest of the water in my cup and then he grabbed my hand to lead me through the crowd.  We headed up the stairs.  I
slipped on a step
and then starting giggling uncontrollably.  “C’mon, you nut.”  I kept laughing but managed not to trip a
gain
.

We entered his room.  I immediately noticed how much quieter it was
once he shut the door
.  Sure, I could hear the music from the living room, but we’d actually be able to talk without yelling in here.  His stereo
, on the opposite side of the room,
was decent size, but the fucking speakers took up half of one wall.  They were pretty impressive.
  I was drawn to it.
  “Looks great,” I said.  My eyes took
silent
mental stock of his room
as I walked across
.  There was a bed (
a
double—thank
God
), a chair, a desk, some books and trophies. 
Tons of CDs.
  A small drum kit in the corner, but not the one he’d been playing at the party where I’d first seen him in action.  All in all, it was pretty tidy for a guy’s room.

He was showing me different buttons on the stereo. 
Boys and their toys.
  My eyes wandered to the rows of CDs below and next to it and started looking at all of them.  He had a lot of CDs of bands I liked and some I only knew by name, but I spotted Lamb of God’s
Wrath
, a personal favorite,
and pulled it out of its place on the shelf with my index finger.

I handed him the case.  “Oh, so you
like
these guys?”  I nodded.  “Yeah, there’s definitely hope for you, Casey Williams.”  I giggled.

He put the CD in the stere
o and turned it up—not too loud
but loud enough to drown out the noise below.  The
delayed
guitar riff to “
The Passing
” started playing, sounding crisp and clear from those gigantic speakers. 
Scott leaned over and pressed the forward button so it skipped ahead to the next track, “In Your Words,” a heavier song that would better show off the capabilities of the stereo. 
I could feel
the demanding music
in my abdomen, in my heart. 
It was a visceral feeling that grabbed me deep inside and incited the
animal inside me
. 
“Sounds fantastic,” I said
, closing my eyes to concentrate on the music
.

I felt his hands slide around my waist from behind, and my abdomen, my thighs, my neck tensed in response. 
Oh, shit
…I eased out a deep breath.  He whispered in my ear, “You like it?”

Like what? 
The stereo or his hands on my body?

A shiver charged up my spine as
my nipples
hardened.  I swallowed and forced my voice to stay calm. 
“Yeah.
 
Great stereo.”
  My voice was coming from my throat
—hoarse and gravelly
.  I
found
my composure and turned around, his arms still wrapped around my waist.  He
leaned
back a little to give me room, but we were close. 
God…the heat coming off him.
  I tried not to shudder.  I was feeling playful, though, and I asked, “Are you coming on to me?”

He smiled back but kept his distance. 
“Maybe.”
 
Then, “Why?”

“Because if you aren’t, I’m going to turn bac
k around and listen to this CD
.
 
But
if you are, I’m going to kiss you.” 
Holy shit.
  Had I actually
said
that?  My heart started beating more rapidly.

He stood there for a second, the smile on his face fading into something else.  I saw his pupils grow darker as I sucked in a deep breath.  “Then kiss me,” he said.

I could barely fathom what he’d just said.  The only thing I knew is he’d just given me complete control over what happened here.  And he’d just invited me to kiss him.  More than that, though, he’d just confessed to me that he was attracted to me like I was to him.  I was nervous.  I didn’t want to fuck this up.  I moved forward slowly, closing what little gap there was between us, and slid my arms around his neck.  I didn’t have to be anxious—we both wanted this.  So I leaned forward and let my lips touch his gently.  His
responded,
and I felt his tongue brush my lips.  My heart started pumping harder
in anticipation of what was to come.  I let my lips part as his tongue made its way inside and began exploring my mouth.  Oh, God…I couldn’t help the small moan that formed in my throat, and it was just a fucking kiss.  Oh, but it was sensual.  His tongue was smooth but firm and insistent.
  And even though I could taste schnapps on his breath, I could taste him too, and I liked it.  My fingers danced on his neck, and then I ran them through his hair.  Just feeling him close, his holding me tightly, feeling the
warmth of his body against mine
was like heaven.  He pressed me even closer to him, and then, in one quick motion, he was lying on top of me on his bed.
  I felt so aroused at this moment, and he was only kissing me.  If he were as good at sex as he was at kissing, I was in expert hands—exactly what my neglected body needed.