Page 35 of Imaginary Lines

Page 35

  My brain started going into tunnel vision, but I vaguely remembered there was something else I was supposed to do. I turned to Dylan. “Introduce Lucy to Keith, will you?”

  Dylan looked half-entertained and half-offended. “What, I’m not good enough?”

  Lucy smirked, and I figured they were safe to take each other on. Though what about Sabeen? I glanced around and saw Garza close by, who looked shocked by my outfit, but nodded when I said, “This is my roommate Sabeen. Play nice. ”

  And then I walked slowly toward Abe.

  I could tell the instant he saw me, because he went utterly still and an almost possessive desire darkened his eyes. He set his drink down carefully, like he was afraid of shattering it, and stepped away from the bar to meet me. He seemed robbed of words as he took in my bare expanse of skin.

  I smiled. “Didn’t think I’d come, did you?”

  He shook himself, and then shrugged off his sports jacket and swung it around my shoulders. “You’ll cause a train wreck. ”

  I should have been put out that he was trying to cover me up, but instead my smile broadened. “There are no trains. ”

  “Aren’t you cold?”

  I didn’t drop his gaze. “No. ”

  He reached out and slid his hand around my neck. I leaned into it, and he smiled. His hand trailed down the line of my throat and his thumb swept my low neckline. My skin pebbled with goose bumps.

  I pressed my hand to his chest to stop him. “Abe. . . ”

  “So?” He breathed the word against my neck. “Isn’t this why you came here?”

  He was right. But I shouldn’t have. I should’ve known better. “Maybe I’m here to interview people. ”

  His hand fell to trace the high hemline of my dress, which cut across the upper portion of my thighs. “In this dress?”

  “It’s possible,” I breathed.

  He laughed, equally breathless. “Not on your life. If you just wanted to be friends, you wouldn’t have worn this dress. ”

  “You’re awfully sure of yourself. ”

  “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you could just walk away right now, because we’re just friends, and I’m crossing the line. ”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “I could, you know. ”

  He grinned, cocky and sure. “Go ahead and try it. ”

  I sucked in a breath—and turned and walked away.

  But I could feel the thrill of leaving in the fine hairs that rose on the back of my neck, in the way the nerves in my feet tingled, in the butterflies of desire quickening in my belly. Even as I walked faster and deeper into the back rooms of the club, I could feel him following me, feel the chase that I shouldn’t be indulging in, shouldn’t have been creating.

  I still couldn’t stop myself as I ducked into a dark, silent room, all black and red, muffled by velvet cushions and drapes. Surely a thousand clandestine affairs had occurred here, a thousand dalliances begun and hearts broken. I stopped on the far side of the room, breathing hard, waiting with the anticipation.

  When the door snapped closed I turned, heart in my eyes, hot and wild as the man striding across the room toward me. He pushed me up against the wall, and we were kissing, tangled in each other, his tongue parting my lips with exquisite skill until I was moaning under his ministrations. There was nothing anymore, just him and me, the sensation of tongues and lips and sliding hands. His hand pushed my dress up around my hip and curved down around my ass. It slid up to the inside of my leg, and toyed with the thin cloth.

  I groaned and then caught his hands and held them between us. What was I doing here? I should be home, alone, not diving back into this. What happened to getting over Abraham? I was apparently a sucker for failure. “I shouldn’t. ”

  He gauged my mood carefully, and then nodded and held out his hand. “We could dance. ”

  And, fool that I was, I placed my hand in his. “What a gentleman. ”

  He bent his head close to my ear as he walked me out to the club floor. “Guess again. ”

  The last time I’d danced with Abe had been at my prom, and even as raunchy teenagers, we’d behaved relatively innocently. I mean, I’d been raunchy, who knew if Abe had. But there was no innocence here, no air between our bodies as we fit together and swayed to the pounding of the music, a thrum that seemed to imitate my heart. He was warm muscle and soft musk and soap, and his eyes and smile could light the Arctic on fire. I craned my head up toward him, my arms hooked around his neck. “Do you remember my prom?”

  He let out a groan and I could feel it reverberate through his chest. I could feel everything about him: the hard, strong lines of his thighs against the back of mine; the largeness of his hands as they slid across my waist; and how very, very much he wanted to be dancing. “God, yes. ”

  I smiled. “Why such a sound?”

  “You were killing me. ”

  I twisted around so we were face-to-face—or as much as we could be, with him so much taller than me. “I was killing you?” I aimed for indignant but landed somewhere between thrilled and smug. “Why?”

  “Because I wasn’t supposed to lust after you. ”

  I drew back. “You lusted after me? Never. ”

  He pulled me forward so I could feel how very not never that lust was. I felt hot and wild between my legs, and my muscles clenched with absolute desire. My breath came fast, and I was sure my eyes must be dilated, as his were. His voice came out husky and low. “I wanted to take you out of there and keep you in bed until morning. ”

  I couldn’t keep the smile from my face—or my body from pressing forward. I felt heady and delighted. “You did not. You didn’t like me at all. ”

  “I didn’t think I did. Which made it incredibly confusing when I didn’t want to keep my hands off you. ”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  He mock-frowned. “About wanting the daughter of my mom’s best friend? Are you kidding me? You were off-limits. ”

  I rested my head against his chest. “That doesn’t make any sense. ”

  “It made all the sense. I wasn’t ready for you. ”

  What did that mean? I lifted my head to ask, but his lips found mine instead.

  Minutes, hours later, I reluctantly pulled away. “I should go. I have work in the morning. ”

  “Take it off. ”

  “I can’t. I have stories due. Stories I haven’t even written yet. ”

  “Dinner tomorrow?”

  I made a face. “I can’t. Everyone’s staying late at the office to wrap the magazine. We’re making a night of it. ”

  He sighed. “Then we’re out of luck. We’re playing a Friday game this week, and since it’s in Oakland we’re leaving a few days early so we can adjust to the time zone. ”

  I sighed, too. “It’s probably a good thing. I can remember we’re just friends. ”

  He laughed and kissed my neck, sending shivers all through me. “You’ll never remember that, because it’s not true. ”

  A very loud part of my brain insisted he was right, but I still managed to untangle myself. “I’ll see you when you’re back, then. ”

  He pulled me back to him and pressed a sweet, melting kiss on my lips. His eyes danced when I stepped back, somewhat dazed. “For luck. ”