Authors: Jade C. Jamison
Then Kiss Me (39 page)
When she met his eyes again, his lips spread into a grin.
Shit
. He knew what she was thinking. He
had
to. But maybe she could play it off. “Well, uh…where
you
come from, that might be acceptable date attire, and, I suppose, the teens wouldn’t mind, but I’d guess you might want to be a
little
more conservative.
Maybe a button-down shirt at least?”
He nodded.
“Got it.”
He moved his head forward a little again, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. She began to doubt she’d ever be able to breathe normally again. But he stopped, his lips close enough, his breath warm on her cheek, his arm braced on her car, and said, “What are
you
planning to wear on our date, Ms. Erin?”
She swallowed
again,
well aware of the powerful effect he was having on her. She didn’t know if it was just part of his personality or if it was because he was the big, bad rock star. It didn’t matter really. He was having the effect and analyzing
why
wouldn’t change it. “Uh…I’m not sure yet. Like I said, this was kind of a last-minute thing for me.”
“A dress?”
“Well, yeah, I have to wear a dress.”
His lips turned up into a half-grin. “You don’t
have
to, Erin. That’s a societal expectation, and you forget…my job’s all about rebelling against expectations. You
wanna
wear a bikini tomorrow night, I wouldn’t object.”
She wasn’t quite sure how to take his statement, but she was pretty sure he was fucking with her, just like he had all the young women onstage tonight. Maybe he thought he was so clever, she’d never notice. Needless to say, the smoldering feelings she’d had just moments earlier iced up. “I’m sure you wouldn’t, Mr. Schultz, but I can assure you I’ll wear something date appropriate.”
He raised his eyebrows, a look of amusement causing a twinkle in his eye.
“
Mister
?
Fuck…that’s the second time I’ve been called that tonight. What the hell?”
Erin turned in the tight space between Riley and her car, but as she moved back to open the car door, she backed into Riley. “Apparently, I and others are trying to show you the respect we expect in return.” She turned her head slightly to the right to catch his eye.
His left arm wrapped around her waist and held her up against his body. She could feel his strength and it made her feel instantly weak. The coldness she’d felt?
Gone in a second, replaced by furious desire.
But she couldn’t let it show. She refused to play the helpless victim in his cat-and-mouse game. Still…he was proving to be irresistible. “Oh, I
respect
you.” She felt his breath on her neck and then he said in her ear, “I just think maybe we could have a little fun together too.”
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They make sweet music together, but can it last?
MADversary
Megan Walker doesn’
t plan to attend her high school reunion, but her best friend Lisa begs
her to come along. Megan doesn’
t want to risk running into her old boyfriend Tyler Green, a man who has since become rich and famous as the
frontman
of a heavy metal band called
Madversary
. Lisa convinces her that Tyler would never show up for something like a reunion, so Megan gives in, only to regret it. Because when Tyler does show up, the spark
reignite
s, and she doesn
’
t know that she can bear letting him go again.
Enjoy the following excerpt from
MADversary
:
Megan kept looking around. “Do you remember Lisa French?”
Tyler said, “Your best friend, right? How could I forget?”
“Well, she doesn’t look much different today. You’d recognize her. Have you seen her tonight?”
“No. Is she here?”
“Yeah.
She’s my ride, but I haven’t seen her since we got here.” She stretched her back and then her neck, rolling it around. “Guess I’ll have to call a cab.”
Tyler slid his hand across the table and covered Megan’s hand with his.
Oh, shit
. She’d managed to keep most strong feelings for Tyler at bay all night and had, in fact, enjoyed how sweet he was. She’d started feeling that
friends only was
just fine, but feeling the heat radiating from his hand…
She looked up from his hand to his eyes. She thought he was feeling the same way now too, that there was
a chemistry
between them they’d forgotten about, and all it took was one touch. She looked in his eyes and forgot about him as an old high school boyfriend or even as a friend. She felt her pulse quicken and she was surprised he couldn’t feel it through her wrist. Her beating heart felt loud in her ears. She parted her lips to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. He asked, “Do you want me to call one for you?”
Or
not
.
Yep, she was now in the friend zone.
Fuck it
.
“No, thanks.
I got it.” She stood and felt the effects of the alcohol. “It was nice seeing you again, Tyler.” She did a small wave and turned around.
Wobbly legs or not, Megan took a deep breath and forced her eyes open wide. She walked toward the doorway that would lead to a hallway. She only hoped she could find her way to the front entrance. It didn’t matter, though. She just had to get out of there…and fast.
“Hey,” she heard Tyler’s voice behind her as she felt his hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.
Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, you just got up all of a sudden. Why are you in a hurry now? Will your cab turn into a pumpkin or something?”
She forced a smile. She didn’t realize her emotions had been that close to the surface. She didn’t want to be that obvious. “No. I just need to get home. Feeling tired. It’s been a long day.”
“Well, let me at least walk you outside.”
No need to be a bitch. She said, “You can catch a ride with me to your hotel if you want.” She used her phone to find the number of the cab company in town.
“I’m staying here, so no need. But thanks.”
She nodded as they got close to the revolving door. She dialed the number and told the woman on the line where she was and said she needed a ride. The woman said, “We’ll have someone there in about fifteen minutes.”
Megan hung up the phone and walked farther out toward the pavement where someone stood at a podium. “Do you need your car?”
She smiled.
“Nope.
Just waiting on a cab.”
She saw the attendant staring at Tyler as he walked up behind her. She could tell the attendant recognized him. She looked over to Tyler and said, “Look, you don’t need to wait with me. I’m okay.”
“I
want
to, Meg. I don’t know the next time we’ll get to hang together, and I’d
kinda
like to maximize our time alone. The next two days…we’ll probably be bombarded with people. Tonight, though, everyone had certain people they were looking for and we weren’t on their radar.”
He
.
He meant
he
wasn’t on their radar. Megan didn’t know that there would be lots of people searching for her.
She looked at the ground and kept walking. She didn’t want to be close to the attendant, have him scrutinizing their every move. She saw a park bench a few feet away and started walking toward it. She didn’t know what to say to Tyler. She only knew that he harbored no feelings for her, while she still had hidden feelings she’d forgotten about. She just wanted to go home and be alone. She might cry in her pillow or lie awake for hours, but that didn’t matter. She just needed to be by herself, whether she cried or not. Finally, reaching the bench, she said, “Suit
yourself
. I’m afraid I won’t be much company, though.”
She caught his eyes and his were searching hers, looking for something. She felt her lips part slightly as though she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. There was a dull, throbbing ache in her core, and she felt like she’d starve the rest of her life without tasting him again. She took a deep breath of the cool night air and closed her eyes. It would be okay. Tyler Green would leave and her life would go back to normal.
But when she opened her eyes, Tyler’s nose was close to touching hers. He was leaning over, his body close, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her at the back. “That’s too bad,” he said, “because I was hoping to spend a little more time with you.”
All air escaped her lungs as Tyler’s lips met hers, enveloping them in a kiss. He was warm and electric, and she felt adrenaline rush through her veins, making her fingertips go numb and causing her to wake right back up. This was not the kiss she remembered, though. It was slow and sensual and, like the music he wrote today, more mature. His tongue explored her mouth, and she felt her nipples grow rock hard in response. But if she’d read Tyler right earlier, a kiss would be all she’d get.
So she planned to enjoy kissing him until her cab got there. Her hands finally responded to her brain’s demands and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her body right up to his, and Megan realized the Tyler Green of today was not the boy she’d dated back in high school. There was nothing sweet about his kiss; it was ravenous and greedy.
She was nearly breathless when the cab arrived and she didn’t know how she managed to become aware that it was there. She couldn’t bring herself to pull her body away from his, but she had to.
Tyler unlatched his lips from hers and whispered in her ear, “Should we tell the cab to beat it?”
That was all she needed to hear and it didn’t matter if she was just going to be the friend Tyler loved and left. She needed him and she wanted him
now
.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to my good friend Sara
Novack
, also a fantastic nurse and awesome medical consultant. Because I’m a believer in (mostly!) realism, she keeps my medical shit in check! Thanks, girlfriend!
Thanks also to my
Facebook
fans for their input regarding the book cover.
Extra special thanks goes
out to Kristie L.
DeCola
, Sara, and
Kriston
Case-Graham. You were a lot of help, girls, and I can’t thank you enough!
Connect with me! I don’t bite (well, not too hard anyway)!
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