“Fucking hell, Carm!” Matty shouts as his body slams into the seatbelt. “This thing is a complete piece of shit! When are you going to get a new car?” He sounds pissed and I know he’s just speaking from frustration but I flinch anyway. He knows as well as I do that I can’t afford a new car right now and even if I could there’s about a hundred other things that need my attention before I can upgrade my wheels. My mind wanders to my mother and my chest constricts. Matty must see my response because his hand is on top of mind before I can blink.
“Don’t go there right now, honey. Don’t let that bitch ruin our night. I’m sorry for what I said about the car.”
I blink away the tears that were threatening to fall and nod my head. I try the ignition again and the car comes to life. I ease on to the gas this time and Matty switches on the radio, presumably to fill the air with something other than our uncomfortable silence.
It only takes me about ten minutes to drive downtown and we park at the Convention Center and walk up to the condo. It turns out Shane lives in one of the new city loft buildings and as we ride the elevator to the tenth floor an anxious feeling like butterflies starts to form in my stomach.
“Are you okay?” Matty sounds concerned as he looks me over. I check myself in the glass wall of the elevator and run a hand over my ponytail.
“Fine,” I lie through my teeth but he just shrugs and follows me out into the hall.
The building’s design is what I would call industrial chic with exposed duct work that runs the length of the eight foot ceilings and stark white walls. As we approach the door I can hear a familiar giggle coming from the other side. Leigh. She must have beaten us here. I lift my hand to knock but the door flies open before I can.
“Come on in.” A guy I’ve never seen before winks at me devilishly and I wonder if he’s from the soccer team. I look past him into the condo at the wall of bodies that are filling up the space and I figure that most of them must be. “Get out the piggy bank guys because we’ve got another dime on our hands!” he shouts as I pass in front of him and the group of guys all cheer.
“Told you that outfit is hot,” Matty laughs at my back but I ignore him as I slip out of my coat and head for the kitchen that’s visible just beyond the foyer.
“Caramel!”
Leigh is seated at the long marble island and she screams my name when she sees me. She’s wearing a slinky little red dress and from the look of her she isn’t on her first drink. “Get over here and meet Seven!” she shouts, hopping off the bar stool and landing on her feet in front of me. A tall guy with a shaved head standing behind her extends his hand. He has a lip piercing, cheek piercings and two stretched lobes and he doesn’t look a day over twenty one.
“Seven?” I repeat back, taking his calloused hand in mine. “Like the number?”
He gives me a warm smile and nods his head. “Like the number.”
“Seven is a drummer,” Leigh adds, looping her arms around his neck and leaning in for a sloppy kiss. “In a band.”
“As opposed to?” Matty starts but I shush him.
“Do you play around here?” I ask, though it’s difficult to have a conversation with him while Leigh’s tongue is down his throat.
“Once in a while. We’re called ‘Rabid Instincts’,” he explains, pulling away briefly from her assault on his mouth.
“What do you play?” Matty asks innocently. “Country? Pop?”
Seven looks at him like he’s crazy. “Nah, man. Metal. Only metal.” He gives us one final smile before wrapping his arms around Leigh and burying his face in hers. Yuck.
“Get a room,” I mumble under my breath as Matty leads me away. We walk over to the other side of the enormous island where bottles of every kind of liquor possible are set up. Matty picks up a red solo cup and starts to pour some vodka into it.
“Look at this spread, Carm. I’m going to get white boy wasted!” he says, smiling into his cup and I groan inwardly when I realize that this puts me on babysitting duty tonight. When I don’t say anything he pulls me flush against his body and slides a hand down my bare back.
“Now don’t pout. We’re here on a mission, remember? You just need to tell me exactly how ‘boyfriend-y’ I need to be.” He’s whispering in my ear when Shane comes around the corner. I know the moment he sees me because his eyes flare with something - lust maybe - and his expression heats right before he takes in mine and Matty’s stance. I glance down and realize that I’m pressed against my best friend’s body as his hand traces circles on my back. In an instant Shane’s expression switches from playful to downright pissed. That’s what I wanted though, I silently remind myself. For him to think that I’m taken. Matty pulls away and follows my gaze to where Shane is standing with his hands clenched by his sides.
“Jesus, that’s what I’m here for?” Matty’s eyes widen as he gives Shane a once over. “That is like pure sex in cleats.” He pulls away and hands me his red solo cup. “You are going to need this more than me, honey.”
I nod and gulp down some of the vodka, washing away my plan to play designated driver and hopefully my nervousness along with it. Shane looks between me and Matty and for a second it looks like he might retreat but then he seems to change his mind. He walks over and stops right in front of me and he has to bend his head to meet my eyes because he’s like a foot taller than me.
“You look beautiful,” Shane speaks and he sounds so sincere that I’m a bit taken aback. I’m expecting some kind of douchebag-y comment but in this case he sounds like he really means it.
“Thank you?” I respond and he quirks an eyebrow at me.
“Is that a question?”
I ignore his jest as I look around at the open-concept kitchen and living room. There are wall to wall windows on two sides of the loft and a huge balcony runs the length of the place. The floors are polished concrete and the décor is done in a tastefully minimalist style with lots of cream and gray tones. A huge metal and glass chandelier hangs high above a rectangular table that is presently crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with people playing some sort of drinking game.
“Your home is amazing,” I say honestly.
“Mmm,” he responds, not taking his eyes off of me. The way he looks at me, like he wants to devour me whole is both unnerving and exhilarating.
“I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself,” I say as I fidget nervously with the hem of my shirt.
“Walking in on me naked is not an introduction?” he teases and his voice sends a shiver down my spine.
“I’m Carmelina,” I say weakly and his face splits into a wide grin.
“Carmelina.” His deep voice rumbles in his chest and I feel my knees go a little weak. I’ve never have this kind of a reaction to a man before and it’s kind of messing with my head. Matty is at the island pouring himself another drink and his head is flying back and forth as he follows the conversation. When his cup is filled he walks back over to my side.
“And I’m Matt.” Matt holds out his hand and Shane looks at it like he wants to rip it off.
“I don’t remember inviting your boyfriend,” Shane says it so roughly that I think it surprises us both.
“I’m sorry?” I say and he clenches his jaw.
“Me too.” Shane gives me another once over then turns to leave. He’s about to walk away when Matty’s ex-boyfriend Kyle appears.
“What are you doing here, Matthew? I thought you said you were out of town?” Kyle says accusingly and Matty rubs a hand down his face in response.
“Not right now, Kyle. Can’t you see that I’m with someone?”
“Yeah, I see you with, Carm. What else is new? I’ll give you that she’s hot but unless she’s grown a dick in the last twenty four hours I think you and I have a few things to talk about.”
At the word ‘dick’ Shane turns back around. He looks between Matty and Kyle and before I can come up with a quick lie he has my wrist in his hand and he’s half-dragging me across the room. When I try and pull away he tugs harder and he doesn’t let me go until we’re in a bedroom with the door closed behind us. I notice that he’s breathing a bit heavier and his expression hasn’t warmed at all.
“You brought a gay guy as your boyfriend to my party.” It’s not a question but he follows it with one. “Why?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I say, glibly. “Matty is my best friend.”
“Do all of your best friends touch you like that?” he accuses and I notice that his voice sounds strangely jealous.
“I only have one best friend,” I answer but before I can say more he’s across the room in three quick strides and pressing his lips down on mine. He kisses me fast and hard and once the initial surprise wears off I yank my head back and wipe my mouth with my hand.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shout and his palm curls around the back of my neck to pull me forward.
“Kissing you, babe,” he says as presses his mouth firmly against mine once again. His tongue slips between my lips and I can’t help myself as I start to kiss him back, curling my hands around his powerful forearms. His mouth is warm and tastes sweet with just a hint of spice to it. I let out a muffled moan and melt against his chest as our tongues intertwine. A girl could easily get lost in Shane Mitchell’s kiss but when he spins us around and knocks me into the wall it startles me back into the present. I shove against his strong chest and heave in a deep breath before stumbling backwards toward the door. His breathing is labored and doesn’t speak at first so I look away and study the room instead. His large bedroom has the same polished concrete floor as the rest of the condo and the same wall of windows looking out over the city of Austin. There isn’t much furniture in it other than a huge dark wood sleigh bed, a flat screen television and a leather club chair and I wonder where he keeps his socks.
“Seconds ago I had my tongue in your hot little mouth and you want to know where I keep my socks?” he asks incredulously. I blush because I didn’t realize that I’d said it out loud.
“I guess I’ll have to do a better job of distracting you.” He shakes his head, then picks up a small remote control and presses a button on it to reveal a hidden closet in the wall. He taps one of the panels and out slides one of the built in drawers. “My socks, Carmelina,” he says humorlessly and I have to bite down on my bottom lip to keep from laughing.
He releases a heavy sigh and the tension in the air starts to dissipate. “Look, I didn’t plan on putting my hands on you but when you come to my house looking like you do and wearing a shirt like that you’re playing with fire,” he says, stepping forward again to skim his hand down my bare back. “And this ass,” he groans. “I can’t wait to bite into it.”
“Don’t sharpen your teeth just yet because I can guarantee you won’t be biting into anything,” I say shortly while removing his hands from my behind.
“Look babe, it’s going to take more than you throwing some skinny prick in my face to deter me.”
“Matty is not a prick…you are.”
“You want me,” he says confidently and even though he’s right the way he says it makes me want to slap the smile right off his face.
“You son of a…”
“And I want you too. I find myself getting hard just thinking about you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you on the sidelines yesterday,” he says in a low voice.
I exhale and take a step away from him. “Fine, I’ll admit that I am attracted to you but what woman wouldn’t be? But you should know that you and I…this right here…it’s never going to happen.”
“Why not?” he presses.
“For a thousand different reasons but mainly because you said you don’t do girlfriends and I don’t do douche bags. So there you have it. Besides, I don’t have room in my life for a relationship either,” I explain as I back toward the door.
“Who said anything about a relationship?” he answers in a husky voice as he grabs me and spins me around then walks me back until my legs hit the edge of his bed. His mouth latches on to mine and he pushes me down on to his soft sheets. The taste of him and his hands in my hair make my body thrum and moisture start to pool between my legs. I moan and he runs his hands down my arms making goose bumps sprout up, then he grabs my wrists and brings them up to loop around his neck.
“This will happen,” he says in a rumbling voice before flashing me a grin. The cocky smile is like a bucket of ice water reminding me why this is a bad idea so I shove against his chest as hard as I can to get him off of me.
“I’m not some cheap slut who’s looking for a booty call,” I spit out and he surprises me by laughing.
“You do have an amazing booty.”
“You are such an asshole.” I scramble off the bed and he slowly follows. I smooth down my shirt and straighten my ponytail while he stands there smiling like the cat that ate the canary. Without a word I turn on my heel and head for the door.
“Carmelina?” he says in that deep, hypnotizing voice of his and I throw him a look over my shoulder. “You should know that I always play to win. This isn’t over - not by a long shot.”
***
I hurry from the bedroom only to run smack into Matty in the hall. He has a very drunk Leigh in his arms and her pierced boy toy drummer is nowhere in sight.
“Are you okay?” Matty asks while staring at the closed door like he’s trying to burn a hole right through it.
“I’m fine. Let’s get out of here.”
“I thought you’d never ask but we have to take her home first,” he says, adjusting Leigh in his arms.
“Where’s Seven?” I ask and he snorts.
“The little fucker got my credit cards,” she slurs before nuzzling her head into Matty’s shoulder.
“The kid stole her wallet and took off,” he explains.
“Ouch,” I cringe.
“Right? Anyway, time to bounce. I’m fine to drive since I put down the vodka as soon as Kyle showed up and killed my buzz.”
“Yeah, you’re going to have to fill me in on that situation over brunch tomorrow I think.”
He rolls his eyes but nods and I duck under Leigh’s other arm to help carry her. When we get outside the fresh air does absolutely nothing to revive her so Matty offers to run and grab the car from the convention center. I wait with Leigh in front of the building half-carrying, half-dragging her until Matty returns. When he does we belt her in and I take shotgun while Matty jumps in the driver’s seat.