Only in Time (A Mystique Antiques Novella) (5 page)

It was useless to argue. Cassie wasn’t having any of it. Ally gave up. She followed her friend into the throng of bodies, letting her own find the rhythm until both were back-to-back, dipping their hips to the beat. They swayed and shimmied until they reached the center of the dance floor.

Cassie was right about one thing. Men loved to watch two women dancing together. The few stares they received a minute ago multiplied. Between the alcohol and the lustful gazes, Ally’s cheeks burned hotter than the track lights above them. The more men stopped to stare, the bigger her smile spread across her lips.

Lord, what had her friend talked her into?

Flirting and teasing came naturally to Cassie. Ally though…she’d almost forgot how to do it. A look here, a tip of the head there, and it started coming back to her. Along with how much she enjoyed it. So long as none of the onlookers got bold enough to approach, or worse, try to bump and grind with them.

One guy, just a few feet away, looked as though he had the intention of joining in. While his own body slowed on movements, his eyes danced up and down Ally’s body, making her feel naked. At least he was easy on the eyes, and that made his gawking a little easier to tolerate.

He gave Ally a wink, taking a few steps toward her.

Not wanting to give him the wrong impression, Ally turned her eyes toward the stage. The singer was in the zone, belting out the lyrics, eyes shut, head and body swaying in front of the microphone. Something about him struck a familiar chord in her memory. Maybe she
had
heard of this band before.

Her eyes moved to the bassist beside him. Though he faced the crowd, his eyes remained on his guitar, making it hard to see how familiar he looked. Upon a pedestal, the drummer beat his drums, shutting out the people grooving on the dance floor. Ally couldn’t see him either. Mostly due to the weird light shining down on his face.

But the man on lead guitar, the one who was playing the riffs that called to her soul, his eyes were glued on her.

Bright eyes sparkled under the lighting. She held his gaze for a heartbeat then forced herself to look away. But she couldn’t shake the effect it had on her. The way it made her belly feel like a million bubbles floated inside.

Taking another sip from her drink, she hoped to distract herself from the need to look at him again. The stronger the urge grew, the quicker she drank. The need outlasted the cocktail as the last sip of liquor burned down her throat. Tiny beads of sweat formed at the nape of her neck. She brushed her hair away, hoping to cool herself.

It didn’t help.

She sensed eyes weighing on her. Slowly turning toward the stage, she gazed back at the guitarist, not the least bit surprised that he hadn’t looked away. Dark brows knitted as his fingers slid across the fretboard. If Ally didn’t know better, she’d think he was offering her some type of challenge.

Pressing her back against Cassie’s she dipped a little lower, shaking her hips with more force. Guitar guy moved his fingers faster.

So this
was
a challenge. Fine. Handsome didn’t know about her competitive streak. She’d win this game of seduction.

Rolling her shoulders, Ally tilted her head down until her eyes peered through her lashes. She moved her hips in sync with his chords. He relaxed one brow, jabbing the other upward. Was he taunting her?

Ally kept up with his increasing rhythm until her entire body shimmied. Guitar guy’s mouth gaped a little. His eyes raked over her body, lingering at her hips a moment before slowly working their way up. Ally knew she had him when she noticed his jaw clenching.

Not backing down from the challenge, his fingers danced across the strings. He turned his broad shoulders until he completely faced her. Ally did the same. She barely caught glimpse of the frown on Cassie’s face.

Running her hands down her sides, she pressed her palms against her hips, giving them a few extra shakes for his benefit. His eyes fell back down to where her hands now rested, making Ally’s heart kick up a notch.

Turning to face Cassie, she tore her eyes away from him, casting them on her friend. Cassie was too busy looking over toward the bar, at Mike, who’d walked to the edge of the dance floor to watch them. With arms folded across his chest, Ally knew the smile teasing his lips was for Cassie. Mike’s eyes never turned to Ally. Not that she wanted them on her anyway.

She gave Cassie one last glance before gazing back to the stage. Tall, dark, and handsome had moved from his position near the amp. Standing just at the edge of the stage, he looked as though he could leap from it and land just a few feet from her.

The longer he stared at her, the harder it became to look at anything but him. She loved the way his dark curls brushed against his temples as he bobbed his head with the music. And the way his shoulders curled in when he changed chords on his guitar. Even the way he squinted his eyes when hitting the harder notes. But his smile…it intoxicated her more than anything she’d tasted inside the martini glass. The same smile that showed off a cute little dimple in his right cheek.

When Ally met his eyes again, something inside them shifted. He looked older, wiser, more…familiar.

What was it about that dimple that jarred something in the back of her mind?

She slowed her movements, taking her hips from a full-blown shake to a gentle sway. The thump of her heart competed with the drums until the beats faded and all that remained was the twang of the guitar chords.

Dark brows pinched until his piercing eyes disappeared behind closed lids. The heat building in Ally’s body waned. She wasn’t sure when his attention had become her sole desire, but she felt like she would explode if he didn’t open his eyes and meet hers again.

Her stomach tightened in a perfect little knot just above her navel. Need pulsed inside her veins, the need to run up to the stage and demand him to look her in the eye, to tell her his name, to explain why she felt empty when she wasn’t the center of his attention.

No man had ever caused such a reaction in her heart, but a boy had. Once. Years ago. Six years to be exact. In this very town. The last place she’d saw him. The last time she’d been able to be herself around any man. And that boy…he’d been more than just some guy. He’d been her confidant. Her shoulder to cry on. Her best friend. Even more so than Cassie.

God, she missed him. She missed Jonah with every beat of her heart.

Jonah, with hair as black as tea leaves.

Jonah, with eyes as green as a granny smith apple.

Jonah, with a smile sweeter than strawberry shortcake. A dimpled strawberry shortcake.

Sweet Jesus…Could he be her Jonah?

No! He couldn’t be. Her mother’s mention of him earlier. That was all this was. Her mind putting two things together because she didn’t want to think about him. About how he made her heart thump like a base drum—just as loud, just as deep. How a brush of his hand made her skin erect with gooseflesh.

There was no way possible this man and her Jonah were one and the same. Ally refused to believe it. Refused to get her hopes up.

Jonah gripped the guitar’s neck, sliding his fingers over the fretboard. The familiar feel of steel strings pressed into his skin, causing his lips to crook at the corner. Each note poured out of the resonating chamber toward the packed dance floor, bringing more and more bodies into view.

He’d forgotten how much he loved making a crowd move to the music. Had forgotten the amount of satisfaction he got from playing.

His eyes drifted toward Theo as he belted out some lyrics. Guess his brother had been right in asking him to fill in for Jeff. Despite how much Jonah tried to fight it, a big part of him would always be a musician. Sound producing would never be as good as the real thing. Making the magic.

Theo gave him a knowing wink before grabbing the mic to sing the chorus. Switching chords, Jonah’s focus shifted to the dance floor. He spotted two girls, maybe his age, grinding their hips in a rhythm that had every man in the bar staring. A twinge of sympathy filled him for the men who hadn’t come alone. Most of them were getting death stares from their girlfriends, wives, whatever. Some even deflected slaps.

One poor guy suffered the worst. His significant other slapped him so hard he fell off his barstool. Of course, the way he stumbled when getting up said it hadn’t taken much to knock him on his butt. He had definitely passed his limit.

Gazing back at the centers of attention, he played some riffs, hoping to gain a glance. Mainly from the brunette. Might as well have some fun while he was here. God knows Theo would get a kick out of it.

Jonah couldn’t quit staring at the two beauties. He remembered two other girls who could dance like that. How they used to tease all the guys at their school dances, capturing their undivided attention. Including his.

But these girls…they couldn’t be one and the same. Not after the one left him years ago, broken hearted, taking with her his last chance of happiness. His last chance to tell her how he felt. Yet the more he watched these girls shake their hips, the more he wondered about the possibility.

No. It couldn’t be. It was this town. All the memories it contained. Granted, there had been good ones, but the last few months that he lived here…those memories outweighed the good.

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he stared at the women, wondering if they were the type to approach the band after the show. While he hadn’t planned on sampling any of the local
flavors
, the more the dark haired honey shook her hips, the more he reconsidered.

She hadn’t paid anyone a worthwhile amount of attention, but one of the fellow onlookers had a gleam in his eye. Like he stood a chance. Jonah didn’t like it. He couldn’t explain why he felt a pull toward the woman below, but he knew that whatever the man had on his mind wasn’t good. Not if Jonah wanted a chance to talk to her. He couldn’t compete with a guy whose biceps doubled his.

Why did any of this matter? He wasn’t interested in—

A set of dark eyes fell on the stage. Beautiful eyes that caused something in his chest to snap. When he noticed her looking at Theo, a twinge of jealousy filled him. Of course his little brother would get her attention. Not many women could resist his ice blue eyes or his jet-black locks. It didn’t matter if Jonah’s hair was identical. Theo had the looks and the charisma. This woman probably came to see him in the first place.

Her eyes shifted again, to Jesse and his bass. They lingered a moment before moving to Allen, who had zoned into his drums so much, he didn’t know anyone existed.

Then her eyes were on him.

His next breath caught in his chest. It burned with all the intensity the fire in her eyes held. The look she gave him pulled at his mind, nagging it with some instance of recognition. Until she glanced away.

Hiding behind the rim of her glass, she took a sip, averting her gaze. The sip turned into a gulp. And then another. Every time he thought she’d meet his eyes, the cocktail glass prevented it. He didn’t understand why he needed her to look at him, or why a surge of happiness washed over him when the glass emptied.

Her eyes still hadn’t met his. He had to change that. The need for her to stare at him overcame him. As did the urge to jump off stage and rush to her side. And just when he thought he couldn’t wait a second longer, he had her attention again.

He slid his fingers over the fretboard, taking the rhythm to a funkier beat. She seemed to like it. The way her lips hinted at a smile was all the proof he needed. She pressed her back against her friend’s, dipping lower.

The riffs he gave her had her body grooving that much faster. God, she had some moves. Each shimmy and shake increased his need to play faster. And he did.

Telling himself to close his mouth, he took a step in front of the amp. His body heated at the thought of seeing her dance in private. Just how low could she go? He’d love to find out. No girl had affected him like this since…

Shit!

It couldn’t be her. No way possible. She was somewhere up north, living out her dreams the last he’d heard. This woman in front of him—she had to be a look-alike.

He shut his eyes, losing himself in the music, wishing like hell he could forget about
her
and focus on the beauty in front of him. But his mind refused to cooperate. All thoughts went to the woman who’d left his heart in a mess. Ally Jacobs.

Stealing a glance below, he wondered if her look-alike could help him forget. He raked her body with his eyes, not doubting for a second that she’d consume his every thought as he lay beneath her. He imagined his hands pressed to her hips, just like hers were at the moment. Could almost feel the way those hips would roll against his.