Wanting Reed (Break Me) BOOK 2 (45 page)

He had quite the surprise waiting for me inside the white box the other day. A Dallas Cowboys cheerleading uniform. This costume barely covers ten percent of my body. My only saving grace is the weather is mild, nearly in the sixties, so I literally won’t freeze my ass off tonight. Earlier, his offer to keep me warm leads me to believe the lack of material is the main reason why he chose it.

We arrive at Lansdowne Pub. Electricity fills the air as people file into the building. Some people have come in costume while others just came out to enjoy the atmosphere. We walk inside and are mesmerized by our surroundings. The entire place is decorated to the nines in Halloween decor. After Reed and Tommy check-in our coats, we head straight to the bar. I’m all about showing my team’s colors, but when you are in a city like Boston that is full of sports history, you’re going to get some evil stares from the enemy. Of course, not all of them are evil and Reed takes notice as he tugs me to him when Dracula walks up to me and bites my neck.

“What are you thinking about, baby?” he whispers with a sly grin before placing his lips on my neck and sending a thrill through me. My hands automatically drift to his thick hair, and I pull myself into his hard body.

“How many things we can do with handcuffs,” I say, gently tracing the outline of his strong jaw. I see a look of passion in his eyes that tells me I am his and only his. It makes my heart stop and my next breath difficult to release. He’s so beautiful and all mine.

“Baby,” he groans, snaking his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him. “I told you we should’ve stayed home. It’s going to be way too hard for me to keep my hands off you in this skimpy thing.” He smiles wickedly, fingering the glitter on the white top of my costume and letting his finger brush against the swell of my breast. His eyes meet mine for a brief second. I know what that look means. He then slides his fingers up the side of my throat, and I feel the pad of his thumb gently caress my bottom lip as he studies me with heavy lidded eyes. He leans forward and gently brushes his lips over mine.

The burn starts at the pit of my stomach and reaches down between my legs. I have a feeling we’re not going to last the night in this place. He retreats, leaving me breathless. We should have stayed home, but we have guests. I told Reed that we need to be good hosts. When they leave in a couple of days, we can do whatever we want.

“Reed, hands off!” Juju yells, grabbing me away from her brother. “You two need to tone down all this PDA and have a shot with Tommy and me. I want to make the most of my time here with you guys and hang out with my big brother’s girlfriend before I leave this fabulous city!” She pulls out her phone and hands it to Reed. “First off, I want a picture.” She takes me by the hand and wraps her arm around my waist and tilts her head slightly so our heads touch.

“Don’t be rough with her, Juju,” Reed teases as he tries to figure out her iPhone. I watch his eyes seductively travel the length of my body, and when we our eyes lock, he gingerly pulls in his lip with his teeth. He just stoked my fire with that little gesture. Did I say we need to get out of here?

“Oh, please. Enough. Elle can handle anything, especially if she’s with you.” She winks as Reed finally takes the picture.

“Thank you very much,” she quips. “Now, get a picture of Tommy and me.”

“I didn’t come here to be your personal photographer.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Juju waves her hands dismissively. “Just a couple more and we’ll be done!”

Reed takes a picture of Tommy and Juju and then Juju grabs her phone and directs Reed and me to pose for our picture. Standing behind me, he wraps his strong arms around my body and rests his chin on my bare shoulder.

“Oh, look at you, guys. You’re so cute. You match!”

“Only you would notice something like that,” I mock humorously as Juju finally takes the picture. After texting me the picture, she puts away her phone. Tommy finally orders the shots and the bartender lines them up as Tommy starts a tab.

“Hey. Hey, roomie!” Luke eases his way through the crowd toward us. “Where have you been staying these past couple of days? I miss waking up to your handsome face every morning!” he yells, resting his hand on Reed’s shoulder as he looks around the group. “Hey there... Tommy, right?” He extends his hand to him. “Did you get what you needed for my boy when you came up?” Luke grins at Reed, squeezing his shoulder.

“Yep, got all the cash.”

Reed flinches at the comment. I can’t see his facial expression, but I’m pretty sure he’s shooting daggers at Tommy. His comment triggers my memory when I discovered several bills in his dresser drawer. Why did Tommy come up for the cash and not Reed? Was it because he was in the hospital? How badly hurt was he? I am realizing that whatever he took care of was more serious than I thought. I’m intrigued and want to know more about what happened, but tonight is not the right time to get into it with him.

“Cool,” Luke says. “So, who is your friend here?” He smiles at Tommy and blatantly rakes his eyes over Juju as his lips curl sharply. Tommy notices and throws his arm over Juju’s shoulder. Luke really has no filter. Not that Tommy has to worry. He’s a ruggedly, handsome-looking guy with a body sculpted just like Reed’s and shaggy brown hair and green eyes.

“This is my girl Juju. She’s Reed’s sister.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” He looks at Juju one more time and smiles, nodding his head in approval when he turns to Reed. “
Nice
looking family.”

“Dude, tone it down. These are my guests.” Reed crinkles his forehead and impishly shoves Luke.

“Shit, what did I do?” He plays innocent and chuckles. “Anyways, do you mind if I steal these two handsome men over here for a little male bonding?” He winks at Juju and me as he slaps Reed on the back.

Juju and I glance at each other and shrug our shoulders. I can tell when Reed’s arms tighten around my waist that he’s content staying with me, but Tommy seems to like Luke’s idea a little bit more. Slowly straightening, Reed lets out a long breath and frowns at Tommy, conceding to his friend’s request.

“I don’t have a problem with it. Do you, Elle?” Juju asks as she kisses Tommy. “We can do some of our own bonding on the dance floor.”

“Great,” Luke exclaims, throwing back his beer.

“Shots first,” Tommy says as he orders another round of drinks for Luke and passes each one of us our shots. We all clink our glasses and down the potent clear liquid. The Patron roars down my throat, but it feels good.

“You gonna be okay, doll?” Reed asks as he takes my empty glass and places it onto the bar. He cups my cheek and studies my face before he kisses me. The taste of alcohol is fresh on his lips.

“I’m gonna be fine. We’ll meet at this spot in about thirty minutes.”

“I just don’t like the idea of you without me,” he says as his lips curve at the corners.

“You just don’t like the idea that I’m half-naked, and it’s your fault.”

“I’m a fool for leaving you like this,” he whispers into my ear. “Meet me in front of the bathrooms in two seconds.” He winks.

I laugh and shake my head. “You’re impossible.” I reach around and tug his head down to mine and kiss him passionately on the lips. He pulls his soft lips away from mine and groans into my ear.

“I’m calling a taxi.” He smiles fiendishly.

I lean back and stare at his irresistible face. “Go,” I breathe, giving him a swift kiss before I playfully push him. “I’ll be right here.”

The party is in full swing. There are wall-to-wall people. Juju and I spend the next half-hour dancing and people watching. Glancing around the place, we push through the chaos to the crowded bar to order more drinks. When the bartender acknowledges us, I order a couple of beers. Tapping my foot to the beat of the music as we wait for our beers, I hear an all too familiar voice.

“Elle! Oh my God! It’s been a minute!”

I laugh and turn around. I haven’t seen Evelyn since Reed and I got back together. It looks like Evelyn and Bo are exclusive. They make a striking couple. Both have silky, black hair. Bo has intense green eyes, and Evelyn has deep-brown eyes. Evelyn is dressed in a cat suit that hugs her curvy body with pointy black ears, a matching black tail and faint black whiskers drawn around her nose. Bo came as himself, a sexy brooding rocker. I give Evelyn a hug and introduce her to Juju while Bo moves to the bar to order some shots. He does not seem like the talkative type.

“Is it just you guys tonight?” I turn to grab my beer from the bar. “No, Mindy is here, and Piper and the other guys from the band are around here somewhere,” she answers, glancing around the bar.

I’ve not seen Piper since I’ve gotten back with Reed either, and I’m starting to miss her. I make a mental note to call her if I don’t see her tonight.

“Dance?” Evelyn asks before she takes her shot from Bo and gracefully throws it down.

“Not sure. What do you think?” I glance at Juju who’s already looking out on the dance floor and moving her body to “
Clarity.
”

“Let’s go!” Juju yelps, clutching my hand. Evelyn passionately kisses Bo and follows us back onto the dance floor. We bump into a few shoulders before we find a vacant space. I let myself get loose to the music. Closing my eyes, I feel the thumping bass course through my body as I soak in the lyrics of the song.
If our love was a tragedy, why are you my remedy?
The words and the meaning behind them hit home for me and my relationship with Reed. From day one, I knew Reed wasn’t the one for me, but somehow he always was meant for me. I smile at my thought and continue to dance, tossing my arms over my head and swaying my hips.

When warm, strong hands clutch my hips, I know instantly who it is as the scent of spice and alcohol envelopes me. I shiver at the feel of his skin against mine as I rest my head against his solid chest. His hands travel to my waist while he moves his hips in tune with mine. Dipping his head toward mine, I feel his breath on my skin. I turn my head slightly, allowing easy access for him to blaze a trail of kisses on my neck.

“Miss me?” he rasps, biting the shell of my ear. His hands travel up my bare stomach, and he firmly presses my body against his. Feeling his erection through his thin pants, I grind my ass against him a little more urgently. “I take that as a yes,” he groans.

I pivot, making sure my body doesn’t lose contact with his. “Undeniably,” I breathe, standing on my tiptoes with my lips inches from his.

“Why’d you stop dancing like that?” He smirks, cupping my ass and pulling me flush against his chest.

“I need to taste you now.” I lightly brush my lips over his as he clasps the back of my neck and crushes his lips to mine. The room seems to swirl around me, and the music becomes a faint noise in the background as he consumes me with his touch and his overpowering kiss. Bodies careen and bump around us, but do nothing to separate us. He just holds me tighter and his kiss becomes more urgent and needy.

Someone tapping on my shoulder shatters the moment, and I moan in disapproval.

“Guys, I told you to tone it down.” Juju chuckles, grabbing Tommy’s hand.

“Yeah, hail a cab and go home or find a dark corner.” Tommy laughs, pulling Juju under his arm.

“I’ve been telling her that all night,” Reed affirms as we head off the dance floor.

Returning to the bar, we are greeted by a few more familiar faces. Jace, Brooke and Cane are doing shots. Piper and Link have joined the fray, and Mindy, dressed in an angel costume, has finally found her way and is
draped over Lance’s arm like a cheap jacket.

Seconds after getting off the dance floor, cheers erupt and the place goes wild as the Boston Red Sox win the World Series by beating the St. Louis Cardinals in game six. I cringe, being that I am probably the only Yankee fan in the place. Tonight is going to be one crazy night.

I immediately go hug my brother and chat with him and Brooke for a couple of minutes while Reed stands off to the side talking to Luke and Tommy. Seizing Reed’s arm, I drag him to join me, trying to get him and Jace to talk and not argue. Jace knows how much Reed means to me, and I can see him softening as they start discussing football. As Cane gets in on the mix, I turn toward the bar to catch up with the girls. Piper, who’s dressed as Pocahontas, gives me the latest band news. She invites Reed and me to their next gig, which happens to be at the House of Blues again, while Link and the rest of the band converge at the bar to celebrate their rising popularity.

I get the sense that something is going on between Mindy and Evelyn as Juju and I approach. The fleeting glances that Mindy shoots in my direction and the fact that Evelyn has her back to me feeds my suspicions. I know I have been spending most of my time with Reed, but this shouldn’t be something that changes our relationship in anyway. It makes me slightly uncomfortable.

“You got a minute?” Evelyn asks while Mindy turns to the bar and orders a water from the bartender.

“Sure.” I smile. “Is everything okay with Mindy?” I ask Evelyn.

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Evelyn replies indifferently, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

“Is she? She’s quiet. That’s so unlike her. That and the fact she’s not drinking alcohol.” I chuckle.