I massaged my fingers up her damp bare back. If her hair weren’t tied back in that sexy ponytail I would’ve fisted it to turn her head to look at me. I didn’t have to. Keeping her arm around my neck she arched her back and found my eyes. Her breathing mirrored my own, quickened but deep, fighting for control. Any doubts I might have had about us being on the same page were gone. This was a new, unfamiliar page, actually a page that never existed, but damn, I was ready to write it.
Her cheeks were flushed. She was glowing when she parted those dark pink lips into a cheeky smile. “I think I just became a Maroon 5 fan. You?”
“Not fair, Teeps, you’re playing with my manhood.” It would be downloaded by tomorrow.
She glided her right leg up my thigh, grazing my stiff package. “Yeah, don’t think you have much to worry about in that department.” The words barely escaped and her pink face blushed crimson, her eyes breaking our lock. She was sexy, she was confident, but I could tell she was stepping out of her own comfort zone. With me.
My free hand palmed her warm cheek. “Hey.” My eyes willed hers back. “Not with me, Tal, never with me.” Her pulse in her neck bounded against my fingertips and the air between us continued to sizzle. It was possible she wanted me as much as I wanted her.
“I’m gonna run and freshen up.” She released her hold around my neck and backed up, dousing our flames. Damn. “All that dancing made me work up a sweat. Excuse me a moment.” More like all our sexual tension bubbling to a head. No pun intended.
She clicked her heels across the dance floor in such a way she could have been on a catwalk, gaining the attention of multiple lingering pricks. I was ready to give them a reminder to keep their goddamn eyes to themselves. She was mine. But instead, I briskly matched her stride and brushed my hand across her very low lower back. She tilted her head to the side and curled her lips. She knew exactly what was running through my head. She stopped at the bar to pick up her tiny gold clutch.
“I’ll hang here.” I lifted my chin back toward the dance floor. “Enjoyed the bump and grind out there, good practice.” For later. She bit her lip and glanced around. The confident doctor had a shy side. “Don’t worry, no one heard me,” I laughed. I pointed her in the direction of the ladies’ room and ordered another round of drinks. I lifted my cuff to check the time. Midnight couldn’t come soon enough.
“Looked like a little more than your average bumping and grinding,” Lili blurted, coming out of nowhere. “What? I’ve seen you dance before?”
“Ha.” I took another sip.
“I’m happy for you, Asher. She’s so sweet, has an awesome career, seems to tolerate your immaturity—I mean, sense of humor. Sierra and I clicked with her immediately. We already planned a girls’ day for the next time she’s in Boston.”
I ran a hand through my damp hair. Lil was spot on, Tal was all of those things. Everything she mentioned was awesome, except … three thousand miles. Three thousand miles sucked. Remove one part of the equation and it looked perfect on paper. Problem was—nothing’s that easy.
“It’s too far. She has a thriving dermatology practice. How the hell do I ask her to drop everything she has worked so hard for to come here?” I drained my bottle and motioned for a new one.
“First of all, you don’t. You wait. Start a relationship. Have you ever dated someone you actually care about before?” she rightfully questioned.
Ouch, that stung.
“Damn, Lil, you’re killing me.”
“What? With the truth. Listen. You know as well as I do that this is the first woman that has your panties in a bunch.”
Hell yeah. But somehow hearing it out loud from someone else made it real.
I was done with that conversation. It was real. I wanted Talia. End of conversation. I just needed to figure out how to make it happen.
“Have you talked to Chase? Think he’s going to make it for midnight?”
“Changing the subject, huh?” She didn’t pry any further and I was appreciative. “He texted a couple minutes ago, said ‘Happy New Year’.” Lili’s blue eyes dulled and her shoulders fell with disappointment. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head.
“You think I can get away with this a little longer without Tarzan around?” I teased. She chuckled into my shoulder. I could only imagine what Chase planned to make up for missing tonight.
“Ash, she’s mine.” Now I laughed, if it wasn’t Chase it was Sierra. She broke our embrace and took Lil’s champagne glass from her hand. “Time to get our groove on, chica. Last dance before it’s a new year. Let’s shake our pretty little asses, get you ready for Zummmmmba,” Sierra sang as she tugged Lil to the middle of the dance floor. And some shaking they did. I snagged my phone and took a quick clip and forwarded it to Chase in an attempt to better his shitty night. Then I sent a group message to the fam, who were undoubtedly all together and pajama’d up at Molly’s for champagne and charades.
My phone illuminated eleven fifty-five. I glanced toward the hall leading to the bathrooms. No sign of Talia. My beer lost appeal, so I waited a minute or so more then ventured off to find her. I hadn’t realized how loud the music was in the lobby until I stepped into the long desolate corridor. The sound was buffered by the lower ceilings and wall to wall carpet, so when I heard her voice as clear as day, I froze. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, or maybe I did, either way I heard every word.
“Of course we’ll meet tomorrow. I’m not getting back on that plane without seeing you again.” She laughed and my stomach lurched. “Happy New Year to you too … okay … I love you, too. Wait, just so you know, today was so much fun … can’t wait to do it again. I’m really happy you decided to come here … okay ... bye.”
What was that? Or more importantly, who was that? I wasn’t going to assume shit. I was going to find out. I needed to trust her. Trust her to tell me the truth.
“10, 9, 8, 7…” bellowed through the lobby.
She turned on her heel and flinched. I rested one shoulder against the wall, my foot crossed over the other and snaked my hands into my tux pant pockets ... waiting.
“There you are … everything okay?”
She squeezed her iPhone back into her clutch, avoiding eye contact.
“3, 2, 1 … Happy New Year!” rang out in the distance.
“TP.”
She lifted her long lashes and our eyes collided, the flames from earlier still burned. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not. Talia had no family and sharing I love yous with old friends seemed questionable. My unfounded jealousy brimmed to a head and I decided if this was the last moment I needed to live in then I wasn’t going to ruin it. I buried the previous minutes’ conversation, pushed off the wall, and walked toward her. She didn’t waver. I slid one hand from my pocket and skimmed the pad of my thumb across her silky soft cheek. My fingertips lingered on her neck and slipped around her back. I gently coaxed her closer until I felt her breath mingling with my own.
“Do you have any idea how bad I’ve wanted to do this?” I whispered just inches from her mouth. Her breath hitched and her focus dropped. The seam of her lips parted slightly as her tongue lightly moistened them. “Happy New Year, Teeps,” I muttered with now only millimeters separating us. She repeated my sentiment without uttering a sound. My mouth found the corner of hers and I kissed her lightly. Her lips were even softer than I imagined.
With a deep inhale I pulled back. “Not here, not now, because once I start, there’s no way I am stopping.” A tremble spread through her body and she ceased to breathe. If I weren’t so close I would have missed the quiver in her bottom lip.