“You stay away from me,” I hiss. “There is nothing you could ever say that I would ever want to hear.”
Andy arches a brow. “Are you sure about that, Chrissie? I think we should have a long talk someday.”
It feels as though I’ve just been taunted and threatened at once. My cheeks redden against my will.
“Fuck you,” I snap, and I move quickly from the bar and away from Andy.
As I make my way around the dance floor to Neil, I’m fuming inside and, oddly, somewhat internally messy simultaneously. God, what a weird reaction to being in close proximity to a jerk.
Maybe it’s just knowing Andy’s history with Neil. But Andy Despensa had a way of automatically stirring a reaction in me before I knew anything about him. Even that first night in ’89, before Neil and I were a couple, when Andy had done nothing but watch us dance together at Peppers, I’d felt it this way, all at once, out of nowhere. Prickly skin. Shuddering emotions. A flashing, instinctive reaction in me.
I’ve never instantly disliked anyone the way I instantly disliked Andy.
I push my way through the circle surrounding the guys, and sit on the arm of the sofa, planting my feet on Neil’s thigh. His fingers close around my feet and he smiles up at me.
The smile fades from his face. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head and before I can stop myself, I say, “Andy is over there. Who the hell let him into the party?”
Neil’s eyes flash, alarmed. “Did he talk to you? Was he bugging you, Chrissie?”
Neil is halfway off the sofa before I realize what a stupid mistake it was to tell him about Andy. I spring to my feet and grab his arm.
“He’s not bugging me. I just didn’t want to be on the other side of the room with him.”
“You’re not lying to me are you, Chrissie? Because if he fucking did anything to upset you—”
“He didn’t do anything,” I interrupt quickly.
I stare up at him, then finally Neil starts to relax. I move into his body and kiss him on the jaw.
“Can we get out of here?” I whisper.
Neil brushes my lower lip with his thumb. “We can get out of here.” In a low, husky voice he adds, “I am really ready to get out of here with you, Chrissie.”
His mouth covers mine, and before I realize what he is doing, my body is eased up from the ground until my legs are wrapped around his waist and my arms around his neck. Neil is kissing me, deep, long and with full tongue, in a very non-Neil way.
At the exit the kiss breaks, and I look back over Neil’s shoulder to find Andy Despensa staring at me. My insides go cold again. I didn’t see it before this moment, but I suddenly know that I dislike Andy because he hates me.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Neil flattens me against the apartment door, his lower body grinding into me, his mouth punishing against mine. He’s been on fire since we left the club, charged with restless adrenaline, and the urgency of his flesh has me boiling from head to toe. He’s not usually like this…I feel him push his cock deeper into me…and I mold into him, moving my body there as I struggle to match the heated thrust of his tongue and the force of his kisses.
His mouth lifts, and his panting breath, face close to mine, drowns out my own rapid inhales and exhales. He continues to rub his cock into me as he rummages in his pocket for the apartment key.
“You have no idea how much tonight I’ve been thinking about fucking you,” he whispers against my skin. His hand moves up my bare thigh, under my sundress, and his fingers start teasing me through my panties. “I love the fucking sundresses. I makes it so damn easy to fuck you wherever we are.” His tongue flicks along my shoulder blade. “I stared at you all night, thinking I should take you in the bathroom and fuck you there.”
He bites my neck and I arch upward into him. Whatever this is I feel in him, it is a freaking turn-on. Maybe he’s just hot after hours of having tits shoved in his face and women kissing and brushing up against him everywhere. Maybe he’s just hot over me. Jeez, who cares what this is? He is going to be crazy Neil in bed tonight and I am totally into crazy Neil in bed.
I wait breathy and excited as he fumblingly tries to unlock the door, and I stare up at his face, the tautness of his skin across his features. Then my brows pucker. I’ve seen him look this way before.
For some reason the image Neil makes reminds me of that night we shared in the hotel after he exploded over me speaking with Andy Despensa. Strange, but that night four years ago was exactly like this. Caveman Neil dragging me from the party. Rough, brutal, emotionally void sex. An odd, angry impatience to fuck me and a bludgeoning need to do it. Raging Neil and an endless night of hard fucking.
His mouth comes back to mine just as the door gives way behind me. We stumble through and my feet leave me, and only Neil’s quick hands save me. He scoops me up into him, my legs encircle his body, his fingers dig into my backside beneath my dress, and we continue to frantically consume each other’s flesh as he starts moving us toward the bedroom.
“Oh fuck,” he groans.
My eyes fly open. All motion has stopped, and Neil is frozen in place, staring at something in the living room. Struggling to catch my breath, I peek over my shoulder and my limbs go as tense as Neil’s are.
Oh shit! Jack!
He sets me quickly down on my feet. I jerk my clothing into place and turn.
“Hello,” Jack says in a way that makes my cheeks burn.
“Daddy, what are you doing here?” I ask and my dad’s gaze sharpens.
Crap, that came out lame, but I’m still in shock over finding my dad here and it is not even worth trying to figure out how he got into the apartment to be waiting for me.
I force a smile to my lips.
Jack arches a brow. “You are my daughter. Where should I be?”
Oh crud, he is keyed up with worry over me. It would be so much better if he just got angry sometimes. But worry is the worst. I’ve worried him, yet again, only this time I didn’t mean to do it. Shit!
Neil’s eyes lock on me and I lower my gaze from his. Quietly, he whispers, “You never called Jack, did you?”
I sink my teeth into my lower lip. Great, now I have angry Neil to deal with later.
“Shit, Chrissie,” he says under his breath and then Neil rakes his hair with his hand.
I finally find my words. “It would have been nice if you had let me know you were coming here, Daddy.”
Jack shrugs. “It would have been nice to be able to talk to you about the decisions you’re making in your life. I got home from the road, expecting to spend some time with my daughter. Found your boxes in the Santa Barbara house. What I didn’t find was you, Chrissie. The condo complex confirmed you’d moved out without leaving a forwarding address for them…” Jack’s blue eyes lock on me. “…or for me.”
I change course. “How did you know where I am?”
“Rene,” he says calmly, but he is fuming. “Unlike you, she answers her mobile phone when I call her.”
Damn you, Rene.
Trying not to look flustered, I reply, “I was going to call you, Daddy. Things have been crazy since we got to Seattle. But I wouldn’t have left Seattle without calling you.”
“No? You left Berkeley without calling me.”
I flush. The room fills with a heavy, awkward silence. Neil quickly recovers from his stupor and crosses the room with his hand outstretched. “Hey, Jack, how are you doing?”
I watch as they shake hands.
“I’m doing OK, Neil,” Jack replies graciously.
“Good to hear,” Neil says, with a slight nod. He looks like he wants to drop through the floor.