Three Little Words (10 page)

            Sliding my hands down to cup her ass, I lifted until she wrapped her legs around my waist. I sucked her earlobe into my mouth, playing my tongue over it.

            It was not how I’d ever imagined our reunion to be, and I’d thought about it plenty. But if she kept rubbing her thumb over the hot skin of my abdomen, I was going to press her against the wall of this cheap, ugly building and fuck her here and now, outside, in the cold night.

            I didn’t give a flying fuck who might see. I didn’t care about anything but Adele.

            I managed two staggering steps, her tight, sweet ass clutched in greedy fingers. Then she gasped against my mouth, and I felt her entire body tighten.

            Placing her hands against my chest, she let her weight drop. She was small, but I couldn’t hold on to her without her participation.

            Back on her own two feet, she looked up at me with wide eyes, the tips of her fingers pressed to her lips. I watch those fingers tremble, the movement cast in the silver of twilight.

            “I’m not ready. I’m sorry.” Then she was gone, running like the demons of hell were after her.

            After a moment in which I watched with stupefied amazement at her sudden change in demeanor, I started after her, hanging back half a block so as not to crowd her.

            She’d clearly survived just fine without me, but I still wasn’t comfortable letting her run off into the night when she was obviously upset.

            I watched until she pushed through the door of the coffee shop where she’d said she worked; I remembered it well, had spent a lot of money on coffee there as an undergrad.

            If that was where Adele now worked, then I’d
still
spend a lot of money there.

            Knowing she’d found a sanctuary of sorts—sanctuary from
me
—I stuffed my hands into my pockets and headed back to my apartment. I hoped like hell that Dorian wasn’t going to want to talk about our feelings, or some shit like that.

            Apart from the bliss of having had Adele in my arms again, and the frustration of not knowing how to earn her trust, I was confused as all hell as I recalled her parting words.

           
I’m not ready. I’m sorry

            Why on earth would she feel like she needed to be sorry about that?

            ADELE

            I curled up on one of the couches in Java the Hut, feeling more than a little bit crazy. I still wore the little shorts from practice, and I was cold, even with my fingers wrapped tightly around the pumpkin spice latte that Meg had made for me, no questions asked, when I’d burst through the front doors like a crazy person.

            I could have gone home. Probably should have. But for the first time in months, I hadn’t wanted to be alone.

            Damn it, but Mal could still kiss. If anything, he’d learned a trick or two—or maybe it was because he was no longer so tentative. No longer a boy.

            No, he was definitely all man now. Pure man, and he still wanted me.

            Despite our past, I wanted him. Now that I’d seen him again, now that he’d explained, I found that the anger I’d held onto over the years had vanished like it never existed.

            We’d been young. He’d been uncertain. I’d been hot tempered. Looking back now, it seemed so silly.

            My apprehension sprang entirely from me, from my issues. From the event that I still had to work every day to forget.

            “Damn.” Sighing, I leaned back against the worn couch, looking back to the counter where Meg was wrapping up the day old muffins and scones, to be discounted in the morning. She winked at me but left me alone, which told me that I looked like hell.

            The shiny bottle of liqueurs that we kept in a colorful row to make hot buttered rum and blueberry tea caught my eye. For a moment I craved it, the numbing sensation that came with a drink.

            I was only tempted for a moment. I’d never had a problem, but over indulging in response to emotion was what had led to that life shattering night.

            No. No drink for me. I’d deal with the nerves that were jangling through my system, nerves brought about by that soul-searing, lust-inducing grope session with Mal. And by the instant connection I’d felt with Dorian, which made me feel like the slut I’d once been labeled as.

            I hadn’t run because I didn’t want what Mal was offering. What I’d
asked
for by flinging myself at him.

            I’d frozen up because while his lips devoured mine I’d realized something, something major.

            Being in Mal’s arms, even while indulging in the first bit of physical contact I’d had in two years...

            I’d felt safe. All the way safe, a sensation I’d thought never to feel again. And like the most potent drug, I was already craving another taste.

            That safe sensation was what had made me so comfortable around Dorian as well, I realized. I’d gotten pretty damn good at reading people—I’d had to—but even though he was clearly a playboy, he hadn’t felt threatening at all.

            And so I’d gone from never wanting a man again to wanting—craving—two of them, all over the course of a few hours. And the thought of two men and me... it brought back memories. Bad ones.

            And so I had no idea what to do. But I couldn’t deny that the entire situation made me feel alive.

            The little sheila looked sweet enough to eat.

            Pushing through the glass doors of Java the Hut, I did my best to contain the drool that wanted to slide from my lips. The steamy air was heavy with the scent of coffee and cinnamon, and there were cute girls everywhere. But all I could look at was Adele.

            She was bending over as I approached, sweeping something into a dustpan. This gave me an excellent opportunity to appreciate the way her jeans hugged her tight, round ass.

            I liked her, as a person, I mean, but I was far from a saint. Seeing her in that position made me want to dig my fingers into her hips, to bend her over the counter and fuck her right then and there.

            The others in the shop could watch if they wanted; I liked being on stage.

            I watched as Adele straightened up, tucking a wisp of reddish gold silk behind her ear. Her cheeks were flushed from her task, and me having the dirty mind that I did, I wanted to see that same flush on her skin when my mouth was on her pussy. When her attention was focused on no one but me.

            That flush only deepened when she caught sight of me. The pretty pink showed me she felt self-conscious, and I didn’t mind a bit.

            It told me she was still interested in me, hadn’t given herself over entirely to Mal. Though I knew something had gone down between them last night, because Mal had been in a perky fucking mood this morning.

            We hadn’t talked about it—we were dudes. But I knew that the discord between us was far from over, even though in the middle of the night I’d come to a realization that I thought might help the situation.

            “Hi.” She said, shifting her weight from one foot to another as I approached. “What are you doing here?”

            Raising an eyebrow at her, I enjoyed the cute smile she had when she laughed at herself.

            “Sorry, that was rude. I didn’t mean it that way.” She rubbed her lips together, massaging what looked to be a bit of clear gloss into the soft pinkness that I wanted to sink my teeth into.

            “But... really, what do you want?” She tilted her head to the side as she studied me. There was a bit of a spark in her eyes, one that hadn’t been there the night before.

            Selfishly, I wondered if I was the one who had put it there, or if it had been Mal.

            “I want something sweet.” I smirked at her, my stare fastened on her lips. She would be sweet too —sweet everywhere—and I was dying to taste her.

            Rolling her eyes at my cheesy line, she reached into the glass display case in front of her and extracted a chocolate chip cookie. Wrapping it in a napkin, she slid it across the counter to me.

            “There you go. Something sweet.” This time she smirked right back, and I felt something pull tight in my gut.

            I liked the way she didn’t fall for my shit. I liked
her
.

            “Well, that’s a start.” Picking up the cookie, I broke off a small piece. It must have just come out of the oven, because it was still warm.

            I took a bite then, as I swallowed, held the remainder up to Adele’s lips.

            “My mama always said I needed to share.” I stopped just before the cookie brushed against her lips, the warm chocolate melting over my fingers. “Try it.”

            Indecision flickered in the depths of those gorgeous eyes of hers, and then, like she’d had to steel herself to do it, she parted her lips and accepted the bite.

            I kept my hand where it was as she swallowed, the slight brushes of her mouth against the tips of my fingers like a million tiny kisses, right on my cock.

            I wanted to wrap my fingers in her hair, to pull her to her knees until that became a reality. To blindfold her and tie her hands behind her back so that she had no choice but to focus on what she felt.

            Better yet, I’d like to fall to
my
knees, to smear warm chocolate over the lips of her sex, then take my time licking it off, driving her crazy, bringing her pleasure.

            When her tongue darted from her lips and passed over the length of my thumb, my breath hitched in with surprise, and my cock thickened. No matter how fragile she seemed, there was a core of strength in her.

            She wasn’t afraid, and it drove me crazy in the best possible way. Looking down at her, I was certain she could see all of the dirty things I wanted to do to her, reflected in my eyes.

            I hoped she could.

            “And what was that for?” I was surprised to find that my voice had gone low and husky. I was Dorian Marshall. I’d sung in front of countless people, had been kissed and licked and stroked by a lot of girls.

            Nothing had ever felt as erotic as that little lick from Adele’s tongue. Because none of them had ever been as important to me as this woman was after just one day.

            “You had some chocolate there.” That twinkle was back in her eyes, and her lips curled in a shy but definitely mischievous smile. “It’s my job to make sure the shop stays clean.”

            I growled; I couldn’t help it.

            This girl was far beyond gorgeous, far past hot or enticing.

            She was bloody
dangerous
.

            “Did you come in here just to feed me cookies?” Her voice was a bit breathless, and it took everything I had to hold myself in check.

            I had to kiss her. Had to taste those lips.

            But that little bit of wariness that I’d sensed in her last night made me hesitate. She wasn’t one of those willing, overly eager girls who wanted whatever you’d give them, and though I couldn’t have said why, I was certain that she wouldn’t have welcomed me making a move... well, a more overt move... here and now.

            Normally I would have taken what I wanted regardless. Something held me back.

            “Don’t discount the cookie feeding,” I told her seriously, leaning over the counter and bracing my weight onto my elbows. “The cookie feeding was fucking fantastic.”

            She blushed; I grinned.

            “But you also still have my phone.” It wasn’t as effective as a cold shower, but my head cleared a bit as I remembered her absolute insistence on taking charge of all recording devices of any kind before she went anywhere with me.

            Whatever had put that wariness in her eyes, it was twisted. And though I usually preferred to live and let live, I found myself wanting to kill whatever motherfuckers had instigated it.

            “Oh shit.” She patted her apron pockets, then furrowed her brow with thought. “I totally forgot.

            And I don’t even have it here today.”

            Grimacing, she offered me an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry.”

            “Well, my evil plan has worked then.” I grinned when she looked at me curiously. “You’ll have to see me again.”

            “Dorian?” The female voice oozed with familiarity. I turned to find a short, cute girl with long, curly raven black hair looking at me like she was about to hump my leg. “Dorian Marshall?”

            I’d had sex with a lot of girls, but I remembered every one. I’d never met this girl before in my life.

            I knew that that didn’t mean she didn’t feel like she knew me, though. It was an occupational hazard.

            “That’s me.” I nodded, offering a weak smile, knowing what was coming. I was gratified when Adele shot the girl, who wore an apron that identified her as another employee of the coffee house, a look full of irritation.

            I liked fans. They were the reason I got to play music for a living. But sometimes they popped up at the worst fucking moments.

            “Dorian Marshall from Three Little Words?” The girl all but squeaked. Adele and I both winced.

            “Yup.” Offering what I hoped was a polite but dismissive smile, I turned back to Adele. I wanted to make sure she knew who I was interested in. But the girl didn’t get the hint, edging in closer and closer, until she stood closer to me than Adele did.

            Adele didn’t seem to like it, but I sure enjoyed the hint of jealousy that flashed over her face. But rather than indulging in a cat fight, which actually would have been quite fun to watch, she drew herself up tall and look down at the girl with authority.

            “Marti, have you finished cutting up and wrapping the coffee cakes like I asked you to?” Her tone was mild, but the message was clear: go far, far away.