All This Time (13 page)

Chapter
Twenty-Three

“This
place is unbelievable, Decks,” I whisper, looking up into his smiling eyes
after glancing around the large ballroom tucked inside the back of the Kennedy
residence. Since he sauntered us out to the dance floor thirty minutes ago,
Decks has refused to take a breather and the force of our bodies crushing
together is getting on my last damn nerve.

“It’s
a nice place,” he agrees, sliding his hands methodically up and down my back.
“I’m so glad you agreed to be my date. Without you, tonight would have been
boring as hell.”

Smirking
at his playfulness, I roll my eyes and counter, “I doubt that. Have you noticed
all of the women watching you?”

“It’s
too bad for them that I can’t take my eyes off of you.”

“Decks,”
I warn, feeling his hands sliding further down my back than I prefer.

“What?”
He smirks at my scowl. “Are you aware that every woman in this room hates you
right now because we look so damn good together?” At least ten sets of eyes are
willing me out of Decks’ embrace.

“If
I were your girlfriend, I would be pissed off by their blatant fawning.”

He
presses his lips against the edge of my ear and suggests, “We could always give
them something to really be jealous over.”

“Now
that calls for a drink.” I push away from him, marching over to the open bar on
the adjacent balcony. Without looking behind me, I know that Decks is following
closely. Strolling up to the bartender, I order, “Whiskey on the rocks.”

“Make
that two,” Decks corrects, leaning with his back against the railing and
surveying the crowded dance floor we just vacated. “My aunt and uncle are
coming this way. I want to introduce you.”

I
twist my head around in his direction seeing Decks push off of the bar.
Smiling, he lifts a hand toward a distinguished older gentleman with an
exquisite woman latched onto his arm as they approach.

“Glad
you could make it tonight,” Nelson Kennedy says clutching Decks’ hand while
reaching out with the other for the glass of champagne the bartender offers.

Nelson
is in his mid sixties with thin salt and pepper hair. In his younger days he
was probably a nice looking man. Today he looks old and haggard, but then again,
it may be my hatred for him that distorts my perception. His eyes flick my
direction briefly, but he dismisses me, and turns away just as fast.

“Hello
Nelson,” Decks says before turning toward the woman Nelson left standing behind
him.

“Hillary,
it’s so good to see you,” Decks’ aunt says, placing a kiss against his cheek.
She is a petite woman with dark gray hair swept up in a chignon. Her silver
dress shimmers under the dimmed outdoor lighting. The smile radiating from her
pale face completely outshines the exceptional dress.

“Camille,
you look beautiful and Britny seems really happy with Hartley.” He winks at her
before turning back to Nelson, “Adding an attorney to the family could prove to
be useful.”

“Perhaps,”
is all that Nelson retorts, as he shifts around, turning his back on Decks and
greeting another couple. He completely dismisses Decks just as he had me.

“Camille,
this is my date, Angel Johnson.” Undisturbed by Nelson’s complete disregard,
Decks smoothly slips an arm around my back. “Angel, this amazing woman is the
mother of the bride.”

“Good
evening, Mrs. Kennedy,” I say flashing my real smile.

“It’s
nice to meet you dear,” Camille says, smiling thoughtfully at Decks. “Hillary,
she is quiet lovely.”

Decks pulls
me closer against his side, smirks down at me
and says, “I agree completely.”

“I’m
sure we’re not alone in thinking that she is the most beautiful woman here
tonight. Well, except for my baby girl, of course.” Leaning in close, Camille
places a hand on Decks’ free arm and whispers seriously, “Lourdes must really
hate this one.” I arch an eyebrow up at her comment. “Don’t fret,” she speaks
to me through a soft giggle, while straightening her back. “The poor child
envies everything that rivals her for attention.”

Surprisingly,
insecurity is the problem with most beautiful women which makes them hate other
women. It is interesting that Lourdes’ reasons for hating me could be because
she feels threatened by my looks. If she wasn’t so filled with bitterness
Lourdes would be absolutely gorgeous. However, nearly every time I’ve
encountered her, the snarl eclipsing her face takes away from her beauty.

“She
was a fat kid,” Decks chuckles before adding, “I think all of her anger comes
from starving herself to death.” Camille shakes her head at his teasing so he
continues. “And she’s color blind. She found out the hard way how to tell the
difference between a ripe and ready banana.” I’m confused. “She can’t decipher
between green and yellow. I may have mixed up the two colors one day when she
asked for my help.”

“Ah,”
I reply now that I get what the hell he is talking about.
Brothers
.

“Accidentally, of course.
Best part is I’ve told her for
years that yellow looks atrocious on her, when it’s actually green that makes
her look like that little Mike creature from Monsters Inc.”

“Stop
that, you rascal,” Camille scolds, and okay, I’ll admit that I laughed at that.

“Think
nothing of it Nelson. It was an honor for me to stand in for her dad,” the
voice belongs to the man I was hoping to avoid running into tonight.

I
knew my luck would run out. It’s like karma can’t help but be a bitch to me.
Both Decks and Camille direct their attention to Blues as he speaks with
Nelson. I spin around to the bartender and order another whiskey after downing
my first one. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly and begin chanting internally.
Please
just go away
. I haven’t had nearly enough bourbon to deal with the lust
that Blues will conjure out of my body so I slam back the second drink and
request a double. The bartend winks and obliges me, making quick work of
pouring the dark amber liquid over two chunky ice cubes.

“Ethan,”
Camille starts. “I am the one who is honored. After Owens’ death, Britny
wouldn’t open up to anyone except for you. Truthfully,” she chuckles, “I didn’t
think she would ever find a man she’d want to marry who could compete with you.
A teenage crush like the one she’s had on you isn’t easy to get over.”

“She’s
happy now and that’s all that matters to me,” Blues deflects charmingly.

Leaning
his back against the bar beside me, Decks muses, “Even though Britny is family,
I can’t believe Lourdes didn’t put her foot down and demand someone else give
the beautiful bride away.” I sip slowly on my drink, hopefully blending in and
going unnoticed while finally feeling the warming effects of my liquor.

“I
can’t deny that she did become ridiculous briefly, but I shut it down after
explaining that she didn’t have a say in the matter.” Blues states flatly.

“Camille,
if you will forgive me dear, I must check on something in my office.” Nelson
says before adding, “Ethan,” he pauses and I pray that he will ask Blues to
join him, getting him the hell away from me. “I don’t know how long I’ll be,
but in case I miss you before you leave, I have a meeting scheduled for
Tuesday. I want you by my side.”

“Certainly,”
is all I hear Blues reply, followed by heavy retreating footsteps and then
silence.
Please let him
be
gone too.

Something
deep in my head screams at me to keep looking away, but maybe all the alcohol
has impaired my intelligence because I say fuck it and glance over my shoulder
anyway. It’s so unfortunate that I didn’t listen to the smart part of my brain.
Those sapphire eyes light up as soon as I look back. Deep, rolling waves of
passionate fire engulfs my soul when his lips curl upward revealing a hypnotic
smile.

I
am lust’s bitch
. A loud clicking sound snaps within my brain. Everything
I’ve been battling against locks me down as a wanton slut, eagerly slipping on
heavy gauged handcuffs after just one freaking glance at Blues in a pristine
white Armani tux. Gracefully, I swirl around and face the eye of my storm,
feeling assurance that even though he is smiling he won’t recognize me.

“You
remember Angel,” Decks says proudly, sweeping his arm around my waist and
bursting my anonymity bubble.
Fuck
!

Blues’
sexy smile drops along with his eyes, glaring fiercely at the intimate
connection between me and Decks. Barely able to stand from the combination of
too much whiskey and my reawakened libido, I push out from Decks’ hold securing
my hand on top of the bar for balance.

“Would
you like some water?” a savior from behind me asks. I twist my head around
finding the bartender smiling knowingly at me. I nod at him and turn my body
his direction. Giving all of my attention to the sweet young tattooed guy, I
blow out a heavy breath after accepting his priceless gift.

“Thank
you.” Winking at him, I giggle and add, “You’re my hero.”

A
little bit of naughty girl slips out when I glance over at Decks still leaning
beside me. Proving a point to myself as well as Blues that I don’t want him, I
glide my hand up Decks’ arm, once again draping loosely over the edge of the
bar. I barely feel the material on the sleeve of his coat under my fingertips
because apparently the heavy dose of liquid courage numbed my digits along with
my brain.

Decks
eases around, slipping one arm over my belly while his other arm wraps around
my back so that I am completely encased by his large body. He nuzzles his chin
over the top of my shoulder, breathing against my ear.

“Are
you ready to go home?” he murmurs blowing around my loose strands and making
them
dance
across my neck.

I
giggle softly, and just before I can answer Blues says, “I believe Angel owes
me a dance first.”

Chapter
Twenty-Four

I
can’t speak. Hell I can barely breathe. So when the twitchy movement of my head
appears to be me agreeing to dance with him, Blues peels me out of Decks’
embrace and guides me inside to the ballroom dance floor. I sober up quickly
when Blues snakes his right palm around my waist, gripping the small of my back
and drawing me against him. His left hand, warm and tender clasps around my
right and lifts it, placing it snuggly against his chest. I feel like a lioness
caged by his massive muscular frame. Unsure of my ability to maintain control
if I look at him, my eyes zero in on the pearly button at the collar on his
stark white shirt.

“My
god you are stunning,” he whispers, squeezing my hand delicately.
Do not
look at him.

“Thank
you,” I offer weakly and way too breathlessly, trembling slightly from the
crush of our bodies and remembering how his flesh feels against my flesh. I
force myself not to moan with bliss while need rages through my whole body.

“I
spotted you before the wedding.” Releasing a heavy breath, Blues says, “I’ve
never been so captivated by a single thing before. I had to force my smile and
direct my eyes forward. I almost couldn’t escort Britny down the aisle
properly. One glance at you before handing her over, and I wouldn’t have been
able to keep it together.”

“Don’t
say that,” I whimper, but somehow find strength and add, “You know that isn’t
how things are between us, Mr. Sloane.”

“Angel,”
Blues growls low, “for fucks sake,
call
me Blues. I
can’t stand to hear that name coming from your perfect mouth.” I snap my gaze
up to him, seeing a contained hostility deepening the frown lines around his
heavenly blue eyes. Clearly he has issues with his name, but I don’t need to
know anymore about his personal problems. I just need to get this damn case
over. Silence builds between us for a few moments after that uncomfortable bit.

“What
happened back there doll?” Blues purrs, tilting his mouth down, brushing it
against the edge of my face. His hot breath grazes my cheek and my body
temperature ratchets up, doubling the already scorching degrees. I fight the
overwhelming desire to nuzzle into him, and instead I turn my head away to
glance over his shoulder.

My
voice comes out thick and raspy when I answer, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

A
sexy as fuck chuckle precedes his response. “I believe I just witnessed an
angel become the devil right before my eyes.”

The
crowded room is filled with total strangers, but I feel like everyone of them
are onto my charade, and they are all watching, and waiting for me to give up
of my disguise. Being in Blues’ arms makes me feel like I am on display; the
man is larger than life and commands attention. A tiny voice whispers in my
head that I need him and that I can use him for that need. It also reasons that
he doesn’t want me for anything other than a good fuck, which really is
absolutely fine. I mean, that is what we’re talking about here, right?
Wait,
no, I can’t
. Holding back from him is what I must do to prevent a stupid
mistake from destroying everything I’ve worked so hard for.

Finding
the proper words, I defend with what I hope comes across as conviction, “Decks
and I are together now, and I just can’t keep my hands off of him.” I pat
myself on the back for getting through that fat ass lie without stuttering and
giving myself away.
Stay strong,
I encourage myself, hearing the end of
the song we’re swaying to approaching.

“Even
more than with Rad, I damn sure don’t see you with Decks,” he growls deeply
again, sliding his hand up to the middle of my spine. Tingles zip along the
path, surging my need along with it. Automatically my breast thrust forward
into his unyielding chest. He dips his mouth lower, lips pressing against my
ear and while tightening his grip on me, Blues groans, “Fuck...”

Forcing
myself to focus on the couples dancing around us instead of his filthy mouth
and the tightening in my belly, I go for the jugular and counter, “I was
thinking the same thing about you and Lourdes. I don’t get it.”

Blues
growls deeply, his body heat coming through his suit rolls in waves as true anger
appears for the first time. “Not everything is as it appears,” he offers sadly,
schooling his aggression and catching me completely off guard with that
admission. Glancing up at him, I see honesty in his beautiful blue eyes
affirming his statement. He must be with Lourdes because of a debt or an
arrangement with Nelson.

I
sigh, “I figured as much with you screwing my brains out the first night we
met.”

“I
didn’t lie to you that night, Angel. I needed you.”

I
swallow hard. His words feel like tiny threads weaving around my heart,
reaching a part of me that no man has ever touched. An unusual hysteria
commences in my brain, warning me that I am stepping into something that will
consume me fully. Admitting to Blues that I need him just as much would be the
easiest thing in the world, but I am Samantha Walker and I don’t ever take the
easy way out of a damn thing.

“It
was a mistake,” I whisper, lowering my eyes to our joined hands, wishing that I
could take the words back as soon as they slip passed my lips, but no truer
words have been spoken.

Releasing
the enthralling hold on my hand, Blues slips his fingers under my chin and
brings my face up so that I’m staring into his eyes. For the first time, I see
a deep need surging through them matching mine.

“I
have made many mistakes in my life” he admits, stroking his thumb along my jaw
line, “You will never be counted as one of them.”

A
shiver runs down my spine, taking my sanity and making me naive. My mind
becomes cloudy with an urgent desire for Blues to flub up again, but instead of
saying that he needs me, he would confess that he wants me.
That doesn’t
make sense and it will never happen.

A
light wind blows through the open double doors pulling me out of the trance
Blues is navigating my soul into with his words and touch. Although it feels
like my heart is breaking, I shake my head, denying there could be anything
more than a bad decision between us.
No more pretending
. The song ends
and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I slip from his embrace without
looking back, immediately spotting Decks strolling into the ballroom toward me.

“Angel,”
he smiles brightly. “One more twirl around the room with me then I’ll take you
home and tuck you safely into your bed.”

Craving
anything that will erase the memory of Blues’ touch, I nod and Decks takes
possession of my body, moving us effortlessly around the dance floor.

Like
a stupid girl, I glance over my shoulder needing to see him one last time, but
Blues is gone and Lourdes is also MIA. Feeling that it’s for the best, I cling
onto Decks and when the song ends it brings with it the finale of this
whirlwind night. We have a story, but I’m making Blues a short one and
rewriting the ending.
We will never happen again
.

Decks drops
me off at Natalie’s, and still behaving as a
true gentleman, he kisses me on the cheek at the front door before making his
escape. It’s well after midnight so this sweet little family has probably been
asleep for hours. I rush up to my room without disturbing them and change into
street clothes. Meeting Russ for the
intel
he needs to
pass on will help clear my head of all things Blues. At least I hope like hell
it does.