Date in the Dark (9 page)

“Miles?”

My heart races at the whisper of Allie’s
voice. “Allie, I’m here,” I tell her and turn to face the sound of
her voice. She can probably hear the excitement in mine.

“Parker?” she gasps.

I step back. “Seriously, you knew it was me
by the sound of my voice?”

“Well…yeah. Of course I did. So, Miles really
is your brother?”

“You knew?” I ask and laugh.

“I had a hunch.” She laughs with me and for a
moment I smile at the sound, absorbing the way it makes me
feel.

“Can you dance?” she asks.

“I can dance very well, actually. Can
you?”

“I have before…but I’m not experienced, so I
apologize now if I step on your toes. I’m not very good and now
that I can’t see, this is a disaster just waiting to happen.”
There’s humor in her voice and I can’t help but get excited at how
much more comfortable she sounds tonight than when we are at work.
Hopefully the idea of being with me outside work will change her
mind.

Slow music starts to play in the background
and I hear people start to talk. Fewer people feel the need to
whisper tonight. Just when I’m about to suggest we start dancing,
someone bumps into me, causing me to bump into someone else.

“Oh…” Allie’s voice is so close to my ear I
can feel her breath. I take advantage of knowing where she is and
wrap my arms around her. My hand grazes her butt and I move it
higher, pulling her into me.

My arm close around her small waist easily
and I have to take a deep breath at what her warm body next to mine
does to me. Her hair falls close to my face, smelling of the same
spiced vanilla she wears each day. I smile at how perfectly the
scent fits her. I’ll never think of another woman when I smell
vanilla. Only Allie. And now that I have her in my arms, I don’t
want to let her go.

“Would you dance with me?” I whisper in her
ear when I’ve got one hand at her hip and one holding her small
soft hand.

She lets out a breath before answering. “Yes,
I would love to.”

We make our way onto the middle,
I
think
, of the dance floor, bumping into only two couples on our
way. Not once did we let go of the other.

“What happened to Miles?” she asks
softly.

“I made a deal with him.”

“A deal? What kind of deal?”

“I told him I’d set him up with your friend
Kelly.”

Allie laughs in my ear. “And how do you plan
to do that?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

The music switches to another slow song and
I’m surprised to hear they have a live band. They’re playing a song
that I don’t recognize, but I can’t complain that it lets me hold
Allie for a few minutes longer. We start to dance, moving our
bodies together. Allie laughing every now and then when she steps
on my feet, and it makes me happy. If I could hear that sound all
day, she can step on anything she wants.

Allie

How unbelievable is it that being this close
to Parker feels so right? I take back everything I said about this
date-in-the-dark idea. Or about Parker for that matter.

His hold around me is firm, and I feel
protected. I was never afraid of being in the dark, but if I was,
his presence near me would have faded that fear. It would’ve been
weird had his brother shown up. I mean, I was going to ask Miles
about Parker anyway, but this works out in my favor. I no longer
have to pretend my date is Parker. My date really is Parker.

I have one hand on his shoulder and one in
his hand. They’re like most men’s hands are, rough and firm, but
when he strokes his thumb across my hand, the tenderness that comes
from it isn’t what I expected. I like it. Each time he touches me,
my body reacts in a way I’ve only felt once before—with Parker.

Our small steps move gracefully with the
music. Parker is an amazing dancer, and he makes me look good. If
only the other couples could see how amazing he is. I wish I could
see his face, his eyes. To feel the way he’s looking at me.
I
have it bad for this one.

“Alright everyone, one more song, and we’re
off to dinner.”

It’s already been an hour?

Parker’s body freezes at the announcement and
then he pulls me in closer—I didn’t think it was possible. His
woodsy scent surrounds me, shooting a flutter into the pit of
stomach.

“I could dance with you all night,” he
whispers in my ear, and my heart beat picks up speed.

“Yes, it’s nice,” I say calmly.

“You’re shaking. Am I making you
uncomfortable?” His voice rises and he starts to pull away.

“No,” I say louder than necessary and tighten
my grip before he can let go of my hand. “A little
nervous…yes.”

The next song begins to play and before I can
let myself enjoy the delicate rhythm, Parkers words stun me.

“I’m nervous too.”

I feel his breath next to my cheek as he
speaks and if Kelly could see us, she’d be applauding my behavior.
I turn my head slightly toward the sound of his voice until my face
is almost touching his. In an instant, his mouth is on mine.

His lips are soft and kind, but when I let my
tongue slip instinctively between us, his kiss turns desperate,
causing the core of my body to heat up and my hands to move quickly
around his neck, pulling him closer.

A zing bursts through me as his hands
greedily feel every part of me, touching every inch like he’s
memorizing me. Our lips move faster, absorbing as much as we can.
It’s like we’re in high school all over again and have to get the
most we can before we’re pulled apart. I feel myself moving
backward by his force and couldn’t give a care in the world if we
bump into someone or cause a scene. I’ve never wanted anyone this
much in my entire life.

My back bumps a wall, and Parker presses into
me, never letting his lips leave mine. I can feel how much I’m
affecting him, and knowing he can’t see my reaction has me craving
for more. His right hand holds on to my outer thigh, pulling my leg
up and around his waist. I hold it there and then press my heel
into the back of his thigh until he’s as close as I can get
him.

This is crazy!

What am I doing?

He moans into my mouth and my body responds
on its own, thirsting for his every touch. I wrap my arms around
him, locking my hands at the waistband of his pants.

We’re completely unaware the music has
stopped until a throat clears next to us.

“If the remaining couples could please walk
toward the sound of my voice, your server is ready to take you to
your table,” a man says.

Were other couples doing the exact same
thing?

I know I’m blushing. Had they not stopped us,
they were about to get quite the show.

Parker

“What if…your current career didn’t work out?
What would be your dream backup job?” I ask.

“Ohh, we’re getting into the serious
questions now, huh?” she asks, and I’m pretty sure she’s flirting.
“When I was little, becoming an interior decorator was my dream
job. I wanted to make things pretty, colorful, memorable. Then as I
grew older, the dream never really went away, but reality set in
and I found my love for books was bigger than my dream for
decorating.”

“You read often then?”

“Isn’t it my turn for a question?” she says,
and there is no doubt a smile on her face.

“You’re right. Ask away,” I say at the same
time our waitress appears and informs us she has our desserts.
Tonight is cheesecake. I rest my arm on the back of Allie’s chair
and I feel her shift closer to me.

“Hmmm. How many brothers and sister do you
have?”

“One brother and one sister,” I say and hear
a little moan come from her side of the table. A vision of Allie,
blond hair and green eyes, fills my mind. She moans again, and I’m
a little taken back at how the sounds make me feel. A flashback of
us kissing an hour ago fills my head.

“This is
sooo
good. Have you tried it
yet? It practically melts in your mouth. I might even have to lick
the plate clean since no one will see me.”

That noise alone makes this night feel more
intimate than any date I’ve been on in years. Maybe this place is
on to something with the whole dining-in-the-dark idea. Another
moan comes across the table, and I swallow hard at the thought of
her licking anything and quickly shake the thoughts from my
head.

If this is how she eats sweets every
night…I’m screwed.

“Parker?”

I clear my throat and adjust myself in my
seat. “Yep, sorry. I was just…trying to find my plate with my
fork.”

“Oh, good. I thought you left me.”

“Nope. Still here.

“Parker?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m having a really good time.”

Using the hand that’s wrapped around her
chair, I guide myself forward and press my lips against her temple.
“Come back tomorrow.”

“Parker, it’s not a – “

“Just think about it. If you don’t show up,
I’ll stop asking. But please, just consider it.

Chapter Eleven

Allie

I need a drink, something strong, and I need
it now.
I kissed Parker!
Like, really
really
kissed
him! I kissed him and ate dinner with him, and as if it was the
most natural thing we would ever do. I can still feel the tingle in
the hand he held above the table the entire time. Dinner was over
before I knew it and now I’m left with a decision. It should be
easy, right? Of course, the right thing to do would be to show up
tomorrow, but something is holding me back.

“Allie. Stop freaking out. Your date couldn’t
have been that bad.” Kelly is a couple of steps behind me, her
heels clicking quickly against the pavement as she tries to keep
up. She sounds irritated, but I don’t care.

Keep up, Kel, I kissed Parker. I broke my own
rules!

And I liked it.

Loved
it.

I can’t wait to do it again.

I’m walking as fast as I can to the first bar
I see. Bennie’s is the just across the street and I waste no time
taking a seat at the old bar and ordering a shot. Vodka. Yep, that
sounds like it should do the trick.

Bennie’s has been around for years, a small
tavern that has been passed down generation after generation. It’s
one of my favorite places to go because it’s only three blocks from
my apartment and there are never more than ten people in the
dark-lit room. It’s the perfect place to have this minor yet huge
freak-out I’m having right now.

“Make it a double,” I say, firmly letting the
gentleman behind the counter know this is not up for debate.

“Coming right up.” He lets out a laugh and
pours my drink.

“Okay, you
have
to tell me what just
happened. I’ve never seen you move so fast. Have you been running
and not telling me? Because that was impressive.” Kelly sounds
winded as she pulls up a seat, flopping her purse on the counter in
front of her. “Oh, good, water,” she says reaching for my glass,
but I move it before she can take a drink. Then, I down the entire
glass and take a deep breath.

“Another?” the bartender asks. He’s tall with
dark hair and looks way too young to be serving alcohol.

“Yes, and a Moscow Mule. Please.”

“Whoa! Allie, you know how those can sneak up
on you. It’s not a good idea to take extra shots of vodka.”

I turn to face her, ignoring her comment, and
consider whether I should tell her. She would be way too supportive
of my behavior. No one loves to break self made rules more than
her.

She combs a hand through her auburn hair and
laughs. “My date sucks. He’s so completely boring. I don’t know if
I want to go back tomorrow. So if you don’t want to, I won’t make
you.”

I want to.

“Say something,” she says, giving me a shy
smile. I nod once and prepare to pull the bandage, hoping I can
keep a straight face. The bartender sets my drink down in front of
me, and I take a nice long drink from the copper mug.

“I kissed Parker,” I say as my face scrunches
up.

Her eyes go wide and her mouth drops open.
“Like the real Parker or were you just really good at pretending
your date was Parker?”

“It was the real guy. His brother was my date
last night.”

Kelly looks at me shocked. “Hey bartender, I
think I’ll have the same as her, and you’d better get me caught up
on the shots too.” Kelly shouts to get his attention before looking
back at me. We stare at each other for a few seconds before
erupting into a fit of laughter. So much for keeping a straight
face.

“Allie?”

My eyes flash up instantly to find Parker
leaning against the bar next to me.
Please tell me he didn’t
hear that.
He watches me in a way that sends warm chills
throughout my entire body and when his eyes meet mine, I can’t pull
them away.

I should kiss him again.
That might
clear some things up and help me make my final decision.

“I didn’t know you came here.” He points to
the seat next to me. “Mind if I join you? My brother’s meeting me
here.”

“Of course.”

“So did she figure out it was—,” Miles, who
fortunately for him, looks the spitting image of Parker, stops
midsentence and scratches the back of his neck as he stares at both
Kelly and I. His eyes narrow and he keeps his gaze on Kelly for a
few seconds longer as something clicks inside me.

Parker told his brother he’s set him up with
Kelly. Now is as good a time as any.

“Miles meet Kelly. Kelly, this is Miles,
Parker’s brother.”

Miles extends his hand awkwardly as Kelly
giggles like a school girl. When the awkward meet is over, the four
of us exchange a few odd glances. My gaze finds Parker’s to see
something unfamiliar flash in his eyes. Fear, maybe?

“Shots?” I ask.