Her eyes flickered to him then back to mine.
God, she was so close I just wanted to run my tongue along the seam of her ear. She smelled like peaches, and I wanted to see if she tasted like them, too.
She blinked twice as her demeanor turned serious, and I would’ve never guessed what was going to come out of her mouth next.
“Kiss me,” she demanded frantically. “Full on. Right now.”
***
KENDY
My statement must’ve baffled him, because he got this dazed and confused look in his eye. “Kiss me, just do it.” My eyes moved slowly in Dr. Klein’s direction, just subtle enough so I knew he was still staring at me, but where he didn’t know I was staring back. “It’s part of the game.”
Brian angled in but pulled back, hesitating.
“Come on. Give it to me, your best kiss ever.”
And then he cupped the side of my face, grazing my cheek gently with his thumb. I shouldn’t have felt anything, but I felt everything. His light hold sent a tingling sensation from my cheek, down my neck, making my nipples pebble.
He licked his lips as our eyes caught. The lust in his gaze was intense and, as he leaned into me, I found myself closing my eyes and letting him capture my lips with his.
When we touched, I jolted from the electricity that coursed between us. I hadn’t expected that. At. All.
His kiss was soft and sweet, but urgent, and I melted into his hold. My God, was he a good kisser. He sucked on my bottom lip, and alternated between teasing my top and then back to the bottom. After a few seconds, he flicked his tongue for me to open, and I let him in. I felt myself become wet with desire as his tongue slicked against mine. My breathing hitched, and my heartbeat continued to beat hard in my chest, until I felt the thud in my ears.
When I’d told him to kiss me full on, I hadn’t expected his kiss to be like this—all-consuming, overwhelming my whole body.
Then, abruptly, he pulled back, leaving me bereft and cold. My eyes locked on his, and my rapid pulse drummed against my wrist as though it was playing “Little Drummer Boy” on super speed. He left me breathless, but I could tell he was, too.
“Good enough?” he said with a small smile.
I couldn’t do anything but nod. I was like an animal in heat, wanting his lips on me again.
Then I blinked, snapping back to the present, and glanced back at Dr. Klein. Well, damn. I had his full attention now. “Perfect,” I replied, but I was feeling oddly torn, as my body was still preoccupied with that kiss.
I’d kissed a lot of men in my life, but I’d have to rate Brian’s the best kiss ever. If he ever entered some sort of kissing contest, he’d win the trophy by a landslide.
When I finally caught my breath, I flipped around and noticed I’d lost Dr. Klein’s attention. A new group of girls was now congregating in front of him.
Seriously?
My stomach dropped to my toes as my disappointment from earlier turned into pure annoyance. He was one tough guy to decipher. I couldn’t figure him out at all. The nurses at work said he was always saying he was looking for serious material, yet he came to this bar and flirted with everyone wearing a skirt. Well, everyone except me.
Why?
He was a walking contradiction.
I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.
But the psychic had predicted he was it for me. And she’d been right about everything else so far, so I had to believe her. If I wanted any semblance of a normal life, her prediction had to come true.
Maybe I needed to give this more time.
Dr. Klein stood with his entourage of guy friends and headed out of the bar with the group of girls. I didn’t know if they had known those girls from before, waited for them, or had just met them. Either way, they strolled out together before I could even bat an eye.
I peered up at Brian, who had ‘I told you so’ written all over his face. I spun around, not wanting to hear him gloat about how stupid I was.
“I hate him,” I muttered, but there was no bite in my voice.
I stared at the door where Dr. Klein and his friends had just left, huffing in frustration at another wasted outfit and ruined Saturday night.
I just didn’t get it. Evangeline had said it as clear as day that I would get over my past relationship and the guy who gave me the moon was the one I was meant to be with. We’d end up happy. Together.
I should’ve asked her how to win the man of my dreams and how long it would take. I wished she had an eight-hundred number that I could put on speed dial. I hated how this was her last unresolved prediction about my life. It made me feel unsettled, unfinished somehow.
“Hey,” Brian said. “Are you religious?”
I glared at him, already in a foul mood. “What?”
He angled closer, a glint of humor in his eyes. “Because I think you’re the answer to all my prayers.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me, trying to get me to laugh, which worked.
I decided I could let this whole failed night depress me, or I could start anew tomorrow. And my happiness was worth fighting for, even if it had just walked out the door with another woman.
I shook my head to break me from my sour mood. Tomorrow would be another day, and tonight was not to be wasted. “Let’s get out of this joint and have some fun. I’ve got my dancing outfit on.” I shimmied and gave Brian a hopeful smile.
Brian flipped up his collar. “Dancing? Do you know how crazy awesome a dancer I am? I’ll have you pulling me into the alley after one song.”
His goofy face had me cracking up again. The man definitely made me laugh. That was a quality worth marrying. For someone else, of course.
The bartender placed my gin and tonic on the table.
“After this drink,” I said, tipping back the glass to chug it. I felt the burn at the back of my throat and welcomed it. Maybe it would dull the rejection. “I plan to get butt-ass wasted tonight and shake my tail feathers.”
At that, we clinked our beverages, my glass to his beer bottle. I probably wouldn’t remember what happened tomorrow morning anyway. Maybe that was a good thing.
EIGHT
BRIAN
We ended up in the Meatpacking District at Enclave Night Club. The line stretched out the door and down the block, but Kendy used her ever-charming voice and hot body to get us in, totally bypassing the line.
She knew how to work it. She oozed sex appeal, but it was subtle, not annoying. One look from the tattooed bouncer had him practically drooling at her feet. She had a way with words, I was coming to find out.
We rushed straight to the bar, me leading her through the crowd to a spot where we could both fit against the masses. An hour later, we had downed multiple drinks. I’d lost count of the exact number. She kept ordering, and I kept buying. We laughed, chugging back and repeating. I didn’t mind, as long as I kept seeing that smile on her face and her mind far away from Stiff.
I tossed out my one-liner jokes, her laughter fueling me to keep them coming. I didn’t even know where I was coming up with half of this shit, but it was working, and that was all that mattered.
After a couple of hours, her eyes were glossed over. “I’m going to get my dance on,” she said¸ downing her drink and moving through the crowd.
She ended up on the raised box by the DJ, dancing next to another woman. Without a doubt, Kendy outdid this woman in looks, stature, and with her moves. I watched a group of guys congregate below her, their tongues practically hanging out of their mouths as the strobe lights hit her face and showcased her alluring body. My jaw tensed as an overpowering jealousy surged through me.
Her eyes fell shut as she swayed and moved to the music. The men were like moths to a flame, and slowly, she had her own fan club of dudes vying for her attention.
The music was bumping, and I leaned against the bar. The black skirt she was wearing clung to her body like saran wrap, inching up her thighs with each bounce.