Forever Baby (8 page)

We aren’t the only ones dancing, but the floor isn’t packed with writhing bodies either. At first, our dance is nothing but awkward. My heart isn’t in it. Christian is simply fun though, and he is a great dancer. We are dancing to an upbeat song, and he places his arm around the small of my back. Suddenly, he dips me, and my hair brushes the ground. I let out a small yelp, and he snaps me back up to him. I steady myself with my hands sprawled on his chest, and I laugh. Then, he is twirling me. With my arm in the air, he uses my hand to spin me in circles.

A slower song plays, and I catch my breath as I wrap my arms around Christian’s neck. We dance in true middle school fashion. It is more my pace.

“That was fun. I have never danced like that.” I chuckle.

Well, maybe I have danced like that with Max in our living room when we were kids, but I have never in public. I feel my cheeks stretch from the wide grin on my face, and I realize that it is the biggest genuine smile I have had while in the presence of Andres. The thought of him sends my gaze darting over Christian’s shoulder to our table. I stiffen when I see that the spot previously occupied by Andres and Camila is empty. I pivot my head around to see the back of Andres as he leads Camila out the door.

I lean my head into Christian’s shoulder and breathe, not wanting him to see the panic on my face.
So, Andres left with her. Just great.
I close my eyes, holding in the tears threatening to spill. I know I am being irrational and juvenile, but I can’t help the pain coursing through my chest. Sometimes, our bodies feel what they are going to feel despite the logic of the situation. Rationally, I know that I have no reason to be upset.
So, he left with a girl. It’s not my issue.
I’ve heard of his girl-crazy ways. Maybe I just needed to see it to move on.

Taking in a deep breath, I raise my head. “Do you want to go do some shots?” I ask Christian.

“Sure,” he replies.

At the bar, Christian and I each do two shots. I refuse when he offers to buy me a third even though I really want to do so many that I pass out and sleep for a day. I thank him for the shots and excuse myself to go to the restroom.

Ugh.
I stare in the mirror.
Why does this even bother me? It shouldn’t, right?
Andres is just some guy who I didn’t even know existed up until four days ago.
So, why is he under my skin?
There are plenty of other great people in Spain.
For example, Christian is nice and all. Do I desire to have anything with him? No, not at all. It’s fine. I don’t need a guy. I just need to get a certain one out of my head.
I am going to go tell Nadia that I’m leaving. I have had enough of the bar scene for one evening.

I start to head back to the table. Passing the blaring speakers, I barely notice what song is playing as I peer at the floor. Then, I sense him in front of me. I stop and look up, and I am locked into his blue gaze. My heart races. His penetrating stare steals my breath, and I am lost to him. His eyes radiate so much emotion, but it’s an emotion that I can’t place. The magnitude of unspoken intentions behind his determined look sends a chill down my spine.

He lifts his hand and runs the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip. “Dance with me,” he whispers in his raspy, sexy voice.

I’m stunned. “Camila?” I mutter with a crack in my voice.

He has a fleeting look of confusion before he answers, “She left.”

I gasp when he grabs my hips and pulls me toward him, stepping us back onto the dance floor. My automatic response to his touch—the way my arms wrap around his neck, like we’re closely acquainted—is unexpected, but I’m sure the alcohol I’ve consumed aids it. His eyes bore into mine, and I see a deep-seated emotion.
Perhaps desire? Lust?

We dance, allowing the music to dictate our movements. I’m completely oblivious to the fact that our group is probably watching us. They are sure to be interested in this new development. Concerns of how I appear to anyone other than Andres don’t resonate anywhere near my conscious. The only thought in my mind is our rhythmic bodies in this moment. The rest of the world has fallen away, and all I see is him.

I am cognizant of all points of contact between us. I close my eyes and take in his scent—clean, manly, sexy. Before I know it, I’m burying my head in his neck and inhaling his irresistible fragrance from his collarbone to his ear. I hear his intake of breath. One of his hands rubs around and cups my ass while the other makes trails up and down my back, creating an eager shiver down my skin. He slides his knee between my legs, and I start to grind against it to the beat of the music. It’s a seductive dance of sensation. His mouth slowly peppers me with supple, full kisses on my lips.

I can’t believe this is happening!

The feeling of his soft lips is exquisite. In the deep recesses of my mind, the warnings about this handsome man strive to come to the forefront, but I force them back, not willing to lose this moment. Both of his hands run up and down my sides. He stops below my arms and grazes the sides of my breasts. I inhale sharply as a shudder runs through me.

His hands wrap around the small of my back, and he draws me even closer. He runs his fingers from my waist up to my shoulder blades and through my hair. Pulling our faces closer, he presses his lips firmly on mine. His tongue enters my mouth, and I greedily welcome it with my own. I groan as I feel everything below my waist start to pulse. His tongue explores my mouth with confidence. I’ve lost all logic and thought, and I am nothing but feeling and sensation. My whole body is humming. My chest pounds with exhilaration. My hands explore the strong firmness of his body with a needy intensity.

I continue to dance with him, straddling his leg, while our tongues aggressively explore one another’s mouths. He tastes so good, and his kiss alone could put me over the edge. I’ve never been kissed with such abandon. It’s reckless and delicious. Everywhere his hands touch leaves me warm, and I can still feel the sensation after they’ve moved on. We’re a pair of hot, entangled souls with exploring hands, urgent mouths, and racing hearts.

“Fuck!” he yells as he quickly pulls away.

I’m still reeling from his touch. I try to get my bearings at the loss of contact when he grabs my hand and leads me out of the bar. We start walking down the road. It’s gotten cooler, and I embrace the chill in the air as it soothes my overheated, sensitive skin. As we walk, I don’t say anything. I don’t know what to say. I’m still trying to figure out what the hell just happened back there and what is happening now.

We finally stop when we reach a park at the opposite end of the street. He sits on a bench and pulls me down next to him. We sit there for a minute as he rubs his thumb over my hand.

“I’m sorry. I had to get out of there. I almost lost control in front of everyone. I don’t know what I am doing,” he says, sounding frustrated.

I open my mouth to speak, but then I shut it, not knowing what to say. I’m still mystified.
How did we go from ignoring each other to making out in the middle of the bar?

He continues, “I tried to stay away from you, but you’re like a magnet pulling me in. Something tells me I shouldn’t go anywhere near you, that I’ll end up crushing you, but I can’t stay away from you. I felt a fierce attraction to you at the club your first night here. It’s something I’ve never felt before. You fascinate me. I can’t stop looking at you or imagining what it would feel like to touch you. I’ve never been drawn to someone like the way I am to you, and that makes me want to stay away. I don’t do relationships, Olivia.”

He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. “That’s the problem. I don’t do relationships. I was hoping that my attraction to you would go away, but I know it won’t. Every time I’m around you, I want you more. I’m sorry for what happened in there. I really don’t know what I was thinking. Fuck, I wasn’t thinking.” He pauses.

“I don’t want to fuck things up and make it awkward for us to be around each other. Carlos is like my brother, and I’m with him and Nadia every day. It could get confusing. I don’t know. I don’t do this. Olivia, I have a lot of fucked-up shit in my life, and I don’t think I can do the relationship thing. You know?”

Relationship thing? What the hell is he talking about?
I finally get the courage to speak. “Um…I’m not sure exactly what relationship thing you’re talking about. I’ve seen you the past four days, and we haven’t even spoken, so I don’t know why you’re talking about a relationship.”

A slight grin graces his face. “Fuck, I know. I must sound like a complete idiot.”

Man, he is so sexy.
I could listen to him speak for days. The way his native language rolls off his tongue is such a turn-on.

“I just know I can’t stay away from you, but I don’t know if I can give you more than a brief thing. I’m afraid that if anything happens between us and you want more…I’ll end up hurting you, and that’s when it will get awkward. Does that make sense?”

Deep breath. Reality check. Is this conversation really happening?
I stare into his dark blue eyes that are burning with such intensity. They look to me in question, needing a response.
What do I say? The guy who I have been infatuated with since the moment I saw him feels the same about me?
In my head, I am jumping up and down, squealing like a girl, and doing cartwheels around the park. I have to focus hard to keep my erupting joy from showing all over my face. Now is the time to play it cool.

“Yeah, I totally get it. I’m not asking you to walk down the aisle with me tomorrow or anything,” I say, teasingly. “I don’t need anything from you. I’m only here for the summer anyway.” I pause, staring into his eyes. I commit every inch of his beautiful face to memory. It’s a wonder to be this close to him. His face is pure perfection.

He laughs, flashing his brilliant smile, and tingles run through my body again.

“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asks hesitantly.

The nervousness in his voice is endearing.

I smile shyly, and I freeze in place from his intense, expectant stare. “Sure.”

I don’t know what he qualifies as fucked-up, but I’ll take my chances to spend time with him, to have him talk to me, to have him touch me for however brief this thing might be.

“I’ll pick you up after school tomorrow. When do you get out of your last class?”

And like that, the edge is out of his voice, and it’s as if he’s having a conversation with a longtime friend.

“Two o’clock.”

“Okay, two it is.” He stands, pulling me up with him.

We start walking, hand in hand, toward my house. He doesn’t say another word, and neither do I. I sneak a glance at him as he stares into the distance, and I can tell he’s deep in thought.

When we get to the door at the gate, he tilts my head up and gives me a lingering kiss. “Until tomorrow then.” He turns from me and walks away, hands in his pockets, without a backward glance.

I stroll into the empty house and make my way to the bedroom. I close the door and lean up against it. Part of me wants to do an obnoxious happy dance, and then part of me wants to pinch myself, so I wake up from this dream because it doesn’t seem real. Nothing that I thought I knew is making sense now.

I fall onto the bed, and I try to process the evening. I was so sure that Andres couldn’t stand me. I think back to his words.

I can’t stay away from you. You fascinate me
.

It doesn’t add up.
Am I really that bad at reading people? And what does he mean by fucked-up?

I hear Nadia and Carlos enter the house, and a knock at my door follows.

“Come in,” I say as I sit up.

Nadia comes in and closes the door behind her. “What the hell was that?” she asks, putting emphasis on each word. Her face is a cross between confusion and excitement.

My sentiments exactly.

I stifle a giggle, taking note of her dumbfounded expression. “I don’t know,” I say honestly, shrugging.

She crosses her arms and continues to stare at me. “That answer isn’t going to cut it.”

“I don’t know. I went to the restroom. On my way back, he intercepted me, and we started dancing. It got steamy.”

A small chuckle escapes her throat.

I continue, “We left. We went for a walk. He said he likes me, but he doesn’t want to mess anything up. He said he doesn’t do relationships, but then he asked if he could see me tomorrow. That’s all I know.”

“Hmm…I love Andres. He’s like a brother to me. But be careful. He’s never been good with relationships, so he’s right about that. Actually, he’s never been in a relationship that I know of. He’s been with girls,
lots
of girls, but not for very long.”

I can’t help but notice her emphasis on the word
lots
.

She gives me a heartfelt smile. “Even though I’ve known you for less than a week, you’re my sister now, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Thank you. I’ll be careful.” Even as I say the words, I know they aren’t true.

What I’m willing to do to be close to Andres is anything but careful. It is reckless, irresponsible, and senseless. But the desire to be close to him, to feel his hands on me again, to feel his lips against mine is so fierce that logic and care hold no place in my brain when it comes to Andres. None whatsoever.