Saving Grace

  "I...uh...I," Luke stammered still staring at my chest. "Fuck, I'm sorry," he said finally looking into my eyes. "It's just that you're really hot and my friends bet me that I wouldn't be able to stick my tongue down your throat and I, fuck, I shouldn't have said that. Sorry, I'm really drunk and you're really hot."

  "Are you related to Tucker Belvi by any chance?" I laughed.

  "Huh?" he said eyes on my chest again. "No, never heard of the guy, so can I buy you a drink?"

  Then Shane was in between us moving Luke with his index finger away from me. "Move away. Now," he said.

  "I was just trying to..." Luke stammered.

  "Mine," Shane said. "Move away."

  HIS? Oh, I am so yours Shane Maxton.

  Luke raised both his hands into the air in surrender, "Sorry, dude. I didn't mean any disrespect; your girl's really hot." Then he stumbled away.

  Shane's eyes met mine again. Something lingered behind the blue, something hidden and dangerous and made me want to get in all sorts of trouble. My pulse raced and all I wanted to do was reach out and touch him.

  "Shane!" a voice screeched. Bliss shoved her body between us, moved really close to him, and grabbed both his arms. "Babe, I need you right now!" she said pulling him away.

  I tore my eyes off his and they locked onto Bliss's bloodshot ones. She held my stare and smirked, then licked her tongue over her lips seductively.

  His raspy chuckle wrapped around me, "I'll be right back." Insane thoughts of tackling Bliss to the ground crossed my mind as I watched her drag him into the back hallway. Oh. My. God. It's like he just punched me hard in the gut. Why would he just leave with her? Why did he just call me HIS, look at me like he wanted to devour me and then LEAVE TO GO INTO THE BACK ROOM WITH THAT THING?

  Lea snickered, "I'm going to hit that girl so hard she'll have to take off her shoes to shit!"

  Mollie and Marie crowded in next to us at the bar. Marie gave me a tight smile, "He's a jerk."

  Two blonde girl s, who were standing next to us listening to everything that just happened, giggled loudly. The taller one leaned across Mollie and asked me, "Is that Shane from Mad World?"

  We all nodded still looking in the direction of the back rooms.

  The smaller blonde sighed loudly, "Wow, he's like, a real rock star."

  She looked up to the taller blonde who was smiling dreamily towards the back rooms, "Uh huh, I'll have two of them, please." She craned her neck to look at me, "Was that his girlfriend? How hard do you think it would be for me to get him to take me home?"

  "Are you serious right now?" I asked. "You could probably open a damn seafood house with all the crabs he probably has," I hissed.

  Lea smiled sweetly at the girls, "Honestly, he has a really tiny penis, believe me I've seen it. It's like, smaller than my pinky. He's my boyfriend's best friend and he stays with us all the time. I've seen it." She held up her pinky for the two girls to see.

  Marie leaned in, " Wel l, you know he's gay, right?"

  Mollie nodded her head, "Yeah, he's in a serious relationship with his keyboardist Alex." She shrugged her shoulders, "Don't tell them we're saying anything to you, they don't want their fans to know."

  The two girls walked away shaking their heads.

  "Wow, we are four insane, petty, little liars. Aren't we?" I laughed.

  Mollie crossed her arms and huffed, "Girl, I'd just about say anything to keep any of those disgusting barflies away from Alex."

  I smiled at Mollie, "Looks like he's checking you out right now," I nodded towards our table to Alex who was eyeing Mollie. "Go on, Mollie. Go take his order," I laughed. Lea, Marie and I pulled her to our table, untied her apron, and sat her next to Alex. "You're on a break for a few minutes," I winked at her and sauntered back up to the bar alone.

  Ryan held an empty shot glass in front of my face and waved it back and forth in front of my face. "You look like you need a shot. Everything okay?"

  "Yes to both questions," I replied.

  He poured my favorite whiskey into the glass and I watched the lights of the bar reflect off the surface of the liquid. I slung the drink back and cherished the burn as it slid down my throat. I motioned for Ryan to give me another one, there was no use staying sober tonight, I didn't want to remember anything that happened or was happening with Shane and any girl other than me. I drank my next shot and slammed the glass hard against the bar.

  "Damn, what did that shot glass ever do to you?" Shane's voice asked next to me. A loud cursing Bliss was behind him, I swear, frothing at the mouth.

  "Ew, Shane," I said pointing at Bliss's weird expression. "Was your dick just in that?"

  "Definitely not."

  "Don't li e , Shane. Let's go back there and finish what you started," she purred to him as she slid her hands up his chest.

  His whole body stiffened at her touch and he yanked her hands off him. "Why don't you stop lying and go get ready for your show. And stop the junk you're shoving up your nose too, you're driving us all crazy."

  She pushed at his chest and stormed off cursing at him.

  "Wow, what did you do to her that got her so angry with you?" I didn't want to make a scene, but holy crap did I want to start screaming at him.

  Shane rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. "It's not what I did Grace; it's what I wouldn't do with her."

  I slammed back my third shot wanting him to shut the hell up. "Shane Maxton saying no to a girl, isn't that unheard of? She's pretty hot Shane, what gives?" I said as I stood up to face him. My hands clenched into fists at my sides and it took everything in me to stand there and wait for him to break my heart, to my face.

  "She's not you," he whispered looking right into my eyes. He slanted his body so close to me I felt heat burn off his body into mine, "Grace, I still have the taste of you on my tongue and the feel of your body in my arms, you're not easy to get off my mind. As a matter of fact, I haven't thought about anything else since I first laid my eyes on you."

  I stepped away from him just from the sheer intensity of the look he gave me. It rolled over my entire body like slow waves and I wanted to swim in the waters forever.

  He raked his hands through his hair, "No matter what I say Grace, you'll never believe in me, you'll never know the real me." Shane dropped his hands heavily to his sides and walked away backwards from me, giving me a look like I just kicked his puppy clear across the bar. What the hell just happened? I needed to find if there was anything that happened between him and Bliss before I ran after him.

  In the background, somewhere in the rest of the bar, Vixen4 took the stage and started playing a mix of hard rock and alternative shitty music. Bliss's voice screamed into the microphone and I truly wondered if all the people here in the bar that paid to see them were deaf.

  I turned around to the bar again and without saying a word, Ryan placed another shot in front of me. I grabbed the glass and walked over to the table where all my friends sat, all my friends except for Shane. I had no idea where he walked off to.

  Slumping into the chair next to Ethan, I placed my drink on the table and stared at it. A thick arm wrapped itself heavily around my shoulders and Ethan's head appeared in front of mine. "You okay? Let me guess, Shane? Are you still pissed at him? I thought you guys were tight again."

  I fixed an unblinking stare at him trying desperately not to show any reaction.

  "What happened last band practice anyway? What the hell was that about?"

  I shrugged. Everyone around me was drinking, laughing and talking. I just wanted to go home, but I knew I wouldn't be alone. Gabriel would be there. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

  "Just waiting for you to answer me about Shane. Last time I saw you two together was at band practice and I thought you were going to kick his ass every time he talked to you. Then he's taking care of you when you're sick, and now you look like you're fighting again." He pulled his chair closer to me and nudged me with his elbow. "I thought we were like best buds. Talk."
r />   I cracked up. "You sound like Lea now." I looked in his brown eyes hoping he wouldn't start making fun of me then just sighed and went for it, "I got pissed off because he messed around with Bliss." I held my hand up to him so he wouldn't say anything, "And before you start yelling at me about it, believe me I know I'm an idiot, I've turned into one of his stupid groupies."

  Ethan slumped his huge shoulders closer to me, "Grace, you two have some sort of unspoken thing between you. Everybody can see it. You guys do more than write music together, it's like everyone is watching you have this intense sexual experience with each other through your guitars. Put yourselves out of misery and just get together already." He sat back and smirked, "Oh, and sweetheart, I know for a fact Shane never touched Bliss, not even when we were kids. They are like our annoying little troublemaking sisters."

  I was rendered speechless. Not like me at all.

  "You know, he thought that's why you were pissed off at him at practice. And you know what, I know I said a lot of crap about him to you, but Grace, I've known him my whole life, he's met his match, he's done. He hasn't even noticed any other girls since he saw you that first night. And I think he's tried to, but he just can't, it just always comes back to you."

  "Well, she just hauled him into one of the back rooms and he went with her and..."

  " Sto p, Grace, I was with them. Nothing happened. That man hasn't been with anyone since he made me chase after the beautiful girl he saw with the silver eyes. He may have stupidly kissed girls in front of you to get you pissed off, but only because he thought you were with me. Grace, I've talked to him. Trust me."

  I gave Ethan a small tight smile; my body was in complete shock. Shane wasn't with Bliss. Holy crap. Holy crap. I was so in love with him I felt lightheaded. I couldn't catch my breath and I sat there panting.

  Vixen4 continued their assault on my ears.

  Noticing my zoned out demeanor, Lea, Mollie and Marie dragged me onto the dance floor and made me dance. Bliss screeched into the microphone about how much love hurt and I couldn't believe it, but I agreed with her.

  After a few songs, Ryan jumped over the bar and riled the guys up enough to dance with us. Mollie grabbed Alex, Lea danced with Conner (of course) and Marie jumped in Brayden's arms. Ryan gripped my waist and pulled me up against him. I danced one song with him and feigned needing a drink to get away. When the song ended, Vixen4 said their goodnights, anyway. Bliss screamed a slew of profanities at the audience and they cheered her on.

  I asked Lea to go to the bathroom with me and I told her everything Ethan said. Her lips curled up into a smile and shoved me out of the bathroom, "Then what the hell are you still doing in here with me? Go snag your Badass!"

  We walked out of the bathroom arm in arm and stopped when we reached the dance floor. The crowds thinned out a bit and most of the people sat at tables drinking and talking. Shane leaned up against the bar, a bottle of tequila next to him. And I'm struggling for air as soon as I see him.

  "Oh shit," Lea snapped. I look at her to see what she was cursing about but she was looking straight at Shane. And then I saw her. Bliss was standing next to him. She held his hand and sprinkled salt over it then bent down to lick the salt away. His eyes shot straight to mine, a slow seductive smile played on his lips. Bliss tilted her head back, drank her shot, squeezed the lemon over her mouth, and licked her fingers. His eyes were still locked on mine ignoring everything she did.

  "Oh, that's it," Lea said. "I'm gonna..."

  I placed my hand over her mouth and she looked at me wide eyed. "I got this," I said smiling. "Come on, watch."

  I sashayed over to him, never taking my eyes off his. When I got close to them, he nodded at me and Bliss defiantly crossed her arms and widened her stance. "Get los t, Grace, Shane and I want to be alone."

  I slithered up closer to him until I could feel his breath hot on my skin. "Well, I was just going to tell you that you're doing your shots all wrong." I reached my arm past his body for a lemon leaning my chest against his. His breath faltered. I reached behind him with my other hand, sliding my chest along his, and poured some tequila into his shot glass leaving it on the edge of the bar.

  "Yeah, is that so? Believe m e, little girl, I know how to do shots, and I could probably drink your little ass under the table any night!" Bliss snapped.

  Bringing my face an inch in front of Shane's, I unbuttoned his jeans and slid the lemon slice between the material of his jeans and his warm skin. A low moan escaped through his lips and my body hummed with desire for him. I bit down on my bottom lip and slowly lifted the bottom of his shirt all the way up to his neck. I clutched the shirt in my fist against his neck and whispered, "You want me to show her, Shane?"

  His eyes dilated and one side of his mouth turned up in a provocative grin, "Hell yes, Gray."

  Dipping the index finger of my free hand slowly in my mouth to get it wet, I then eased it out and trailed it along his skin from his collarbone, over his chest and down the tight muscles of his stomach. Small tremors shook his body under my touch. Sprinkling the salt along the moist trail, I bent down and licked all the salt away, lightly pressing my tongue along the salty trail starting from the bottom and slowly working my way up. The taste of his skin combined with the salt and knowledge Bliss was watching me, melted my body into a dripping hot mess. Grabbing the shot glass, I swallowed the tequila and bent down to take the lemon wedge from the inside of his jeans. I slammed the glass down and stood up with the lemon between my lips. With his eyes still locked on mine, I gently placed the lemon in between his wide-open mouth and pressed my lips hard against his.

  Slowl y, I stepped away from him. His breathing was rough and shallow and the lemon was clenched tight between his teeth. My body craved to kiss him.

  Shane held his hand out to me with his crooked smile. "Let's get out of here," he whispered in between jagged breaths.

  Chapter 26

  We ran for our coats and pushed through the crowds to the front door hand in hand.

  "You kno w, Shane," I tightened my hold on his hand. "I just realized you let the Crypt Keeper lick salt off you," I teased.

  Shane turned on me in the middle of a swarm of bodies, "Damn straight I did Grace. And it sure as hell was nice to watch you sweat for what was going to happen next."

  I leaned up closer to him, the crowd of dancing people moving past us. "Is that what you were going for? You wanted to watch me sweat?"

  Shane's gaze fell to my lips, traveled down my neck and over the thin material that barely covered my breasts. His breathing seemed to stop. "Yeah, babe. That's definitely one of the things I'd like to watch you do, among a hell of a lot of other things."

  Oh.

  Shane's expression changed and he looked past me and growled. I snapped my head around to see what he was getting enraged about and my heart sank. Our friends were gathering their coats and following us out and Bliss stood in the center of them all with a knowing smirk on her face.

  It was my turn to growl. And I did, loudly, and pulled him right out the front door with me. Outside the rain and wind whipped through the trees on the street and thunder rocked the pavement.

  Immediatel y, the rain washed over our hair, sliding down our foreheads and dripped off our noses. By the time we reached the corner, our clothes were soaked through, our friends trailing a half a block behind us. Damn.

  We locked eyes. A low husky rumble tore past his lips and he walked me backwards pushing me against the cold wet brick wall of an apartment building. One of his hands slammed up against the damp bricks of the wall next to my face, the other grabbed my waist, trapping me and he pushed himself hard against me. His breath hot on my skin and huge droplets of rain dripping down our faces. He ran his wet lips along my jaw and trailed his tongue along my neck licking at the raindrops that streamed down it. My body ached, writhing with desire. Hungril y, he pressed his lips to mine and my knees went weak from the kiss and the warmth of his tongue. I threaded my fingers through his wet hai
r pressing my body harder against him. The sounds of the rain hitting the street and the moans coming from the back of his throat sent sheer electricity through me.

  The only reason we pried our bodies apart was the loud voices of our friends walking closer to us.

  Not being able to hide in the shadows, we ran ahead.

  We reached his apartment building and everyone caught up to us in the lobby and made their way to the two apartments that were open to the party. My stomach dropped.

  I leaned against the wall, my wet clothes sticking to it. Taking a deep breath, I sighed loudly, "Can I borrow some dry clothes?"

  Without a sound, he stalked toward me. My breath caught in my throat, his eyes looked so intense and they frantically searched my face. "Is that what you want right no w, Grace? Dry clothes?" His words unraveled my senses.

  "No. Not what I want at all. What do you want?" I whispered.

  He leaned in closer, but that low melodic voice of his could be heard crystal clear. "I'll tell you damn well what I want right no w, Grace, I want to smother those beautiful nipples of yours in fucking honey and lick and suck them until you beg me you take you."

  I gasped at his words...Uh, yesssss please!

  "Then I want to slowly pull those little lacy boy shorts you wear to the side and taste you so damn bad, I want to bury myself inside you so deep I make you forget what your fucking name is. I want to completely smother and consume you, so all you see is me." Holy aching trembling knees! "I want to watch your face when I sink deep inside you, I can just fucking imagine it, the way your hair would spill across the pillow, the way your silky skin would feel under my chest. I want to lose my mind in you." He's saying the words and I'm like right there, panting underneath him, naked legs wrapped around him.

  " Dam n, girl," a voice purred next to us.

  I shifted my gaze to the voice that had momentarily broken the spell Shane had over my hormones. Standing beside me was Lea, red-faced and smiling. "Holy crap, Grace! Shane, if she says no, fuck Conner, you can have your way with me!" she laughed.