Got the Life (A Nicki Sosebee Novel) (19 page)

“Hey, I’d read that story.”

Nicki leaned back against the warm brick wall, and they were silent for a few moments.  Then she pointed to the west.  “That’s the evening star, isn’t it?  Guess I better make a wish.”

“You know it’s really Venus, right?”

Nicki nodded.  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I learned that back in school and just forgot.”

“So what are you gonna wish for anyway?”  He threw the spent cigarette butt to the concrete and stomped on it, rotating his foot back and forth over it.

Nicki pondered, staring at Venus’s steady glow.  She stood up and took a few steps forward.  “I don’t know.  I’ll have to think about it.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jesse look over at her.  “You look really pretty tonight.”

There was something about the way he said it.  It was so sincere, so sweet, and so unlike anything she’d ever thought about or expected from Jesse in the past.  Jesse was the kind of guy who never seemed to take himself, his life, or anyone else seriously.  He pushed the boundaries, not to make a statement but to be a pain in the ass.  He contradicted people just to get a rise out of them.  Nicki had always gotten along with Jesse (in short doses) but had never thought about him as more than just Sean’s friend.  In high school, he had been dogged in his pursuit of Nicki, even though she’d had a steady boyfriend.  He’d flirted with her off and on since, but Nicki suspected Sean had put a stop to it, affirming to his male friend that Nicki was not interested.  And she hadn’t been.  A couple of weeks ago, she’d thought some of pursuing him just to see how Sean would react, but she’d just as quickly dropped the idea, because that would involve actually spending time with Jesse, and she hadn’t thought she could stand spending more than fifteen minutes at a time with the guy.  Now, though, after bonding in a weird way, feeling like the only two middle class people there at this event, and then his tender observation when she least expected it...  She and Jesse would never be boyfriend / girlfriend material, but—for the first time ever—she could imagine spending a little more time with him.  She pulled her gaze off of Venus and turned to face him.

He looked serious, more serious than she’d ever seen him.  He had a small smile that looked almost innocent.  “That’s a really sweet thing to say.”  Nicki explored his eyes and took just two steps, and those steps placed her right in front of him.  Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips, and she placed her hands on either side of his face, her palms against his cheeks, and she kissed him.  Jesse parted his lips as his hands held her at the waist.

It had been years since Nicki had kissed a smoker, and she’d forgotten about the initial nasty taste.  But then she could taste Jesse underneath, and he wasn’t bad.  Something about the cigarettes—maybe the nicotine?—made her lips tingle when it rubbed off on them.  Jesse might have been a clown most of the time, but his kissing was serious—confident, strong, and firm—and Nicki was surprised at how much she enjoyed it.

It lasted longer than it should have.  Much longer, and Nicki would have asked him to stop by her place after he got off of work.

Instead, they acted like adults.  The uptight diners inside would have been proud of their restraint.  When Nicki opened her eyes, she saw Jesse Roberts in a whole new light.  And she had no idea what to say.  Her arms were still around his neck and his remained around her waist.  She managed to say, “I guess I should probably get back in there.”

Jesse inhaled, and for the first time ever, he not only looked cute (which Nicki had never denied), he looked
sexy
.  His voice was hoarse.  “Yeah, me too, before I get my ass chewed.”  But he couldn’t let it go, could he?  He kissed her one more time, and she felt that telltale sign in her panties assuring her that he
did
turn her on.  But she didn’t know that she was quite ready for him.  She
did
wonder what something like that would do to Sean...and since Sean was her ideal man, she didn’t want to destroy what little chance they had.  She couldn’t just let her hormones rule her every action, no matter how titillating Jesse had become in just a matter of minutes.

And then there was the matter of the icy blonde she’d seen him with earlier in the week.  She hadn’t even thought about that when she’d kissed him.  “Oh, uh, sorry.  I overstepped my bounds.  I forgot you were dating someone.”

Jesse’s brows tightened and then he raised his right eyebrow.  “Dating someone?”  His face relaxed and he said, “Oh.  You mean Fiona?”

It was Nicki’s turn to look confused.  “Who’s Fiona?”

“Tall blonde...you know, at the nightclub, you had that hoity-toity older dude on your arm.”

Nicki chuckled.  “Oh, yeah.”

“I’m not dating her.  Her sister wanted to meet Sean, and I was her gateway.” 
Fuck
.  Of course.  Why did that not surprise Nicki?  As though Jesse could read her mind, he kissed her again, and her thoughts of Sean floated off as though on the flutter of a butterfly’s wings.

She could feel her blood surging through her veins, as Jesse’s last kiss managed to amp up her desire.  But now was not the right time.  She moved her hands to his chest, hoping that stance would give her the will to resist, but there was no need.  He said, “Do you want me to walk you back inside?”

It wasn’t
that
dark yet.  Maybe, though, it was because he was also feeling whatever she was, and it felt confusing and too new.  “No, that’s okay.  Thanks, though.”

He nodded.  “Okay.”  He let her go and she backed up a couple of steps, trying to break the electrical circuit that seemed to keep her bound to him.  She walked a few more steps back and brought her hand up in a wave.  Even though it was darker out now, it was still light enough that he could see her.  He waved back and she smiled, then turned on her heel to finish walking around the building.

She’d only walked a couple of steps when Jesse said, “Hey...can I call you sometime?”

Nicki stopped and smiled.  She turned her head half a turn and said, “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

Tangled Web
: A Steamy Heavy Metal Novella

Stating His Case

Fabric of Night

Dead (A Nicki Sosebee Novel)

No Place
to Hide (A Nicki Sosebee Novel)

Right Now (A Nicki Sosebee Novel)

One More Time (A Nicki Sosebee Novel)

Lost (A Nicki Sosebee Novel)

MADversary

Innocent Bystander
(A Nicki Sosebee Novel)

Then Kiss Me

COMING S
OON
:

Everything But (Tangled Web)

Old House

Casey Williams has left a loveless marriage and is trying to rebuild her life.  She discovers that, even though you can never go home again, you can find lust again, and she finds a love interest in Scott, her coworker.  She also discovers that he’s a drummer for a heavy metal band and falls hard for him…just in time to discover that, between his questionable friends and psychotic maybe-ex-girlfriend, he might not be the right guy for her.  But her heart beats like a drum for him, and she finds herself willing to play with fire to get closer.

Enjoy the following excerpt from
T
hen Kiss Me
:

I made my way through a couple of groups of people, saying an obligatory
hi
here and there.  I spotted Jim and Scott on the couch.  Scott looked…
delicious
.  He was wearing a white shirt with a skull design on it.  His short hair was mussy in a sexy way and he looked like he was feeling extra devilish tonight.  There was a sparkle in his eye that I could spot across the room.

The guys on the couch were watching a video on the television and didn’t notice me at first.  Jim said
hi
and nodded his head my way as his elbow met with Scott’s ribs.  Scott looked up and beamed.  He stood up.  “I didn’t know if you were coming.”

I teased, acting like I was offended.  “I promised, didn’t I?”  The two of them made room for me on the couch.

Scott held up a bottle.  “We’re drinking schnapps.  You game?”

I raised an eyebrow.  “I’ll take a shot.”  I promised myself that I would take
one
shot.

These two had never seen me drink before.  At one time, I’d been able to hold a lot of liquor, but anymore, it seemed, I couldn’t hold much at all.  I’d have to be careful.  I picked up the shot and downed it in one gulp, then chased it with a swallow of beer.  The warm liquid flowed down into my chest, spreading, tingling.  I almost instantly relaxed.

Jim started pouring us each another shot of schnapps, and Cassie came and sat next to him.  I waved at her.  It was too loud to talk with the music and the crowd.  Scott held the shot glass up to my face.  I drank it, already breaking my promise to myself.  I said something he didn’t hear, so I cupped my hands to his ear and said, “Are you trying to take advantage of me?”  Oh…that had been a bad idea.  I was too close, and I could smell his musky cologne…and him.  Jesus…what a heady mix.  I felt a quiver run through my body.  I was going crazy.  I wanted to touch him.  But I had to reign it in.

He turned his head, and the look on his face was one of mild amusement.  “You decide,” he said and held up the bottle again.

“In a little while,” I yelled to be heard over the music, but he poured it anyway.

I started to grow too relaxed and feared that if I didn’t get up and move around, I’d pass out after the long day I’d had.  I used my empty beer cup as an excuse to get up.

I walked back to the kitchen.  A few people had already left, so it was getting a little easier to move through the place.  It was still packed, though.  When I got to the kitchen, I saw David there, but he was standing on the other side talking to a small group of people.  I’d fill up my cup myself then.  I bent over to fill it up and it hit me.  I was already getting drunk.  I was pretty damned buzzed already.  So I decided not to fill my cup.  I stood up to get my bearings and instead walked to the sink to rinse out my glass and then pour myself some water.  I figured out then and there that I couldn’t hold my liquor like I used to…as if the last party hadn’t taught me that lesson.

No matter, I thought.  I was having fun.  I stopped by the restroom to check myself.  Nothing seemed quite real, but my makeup and hair still looked good.  If I slowed down (or completely stopped) my drinking at this point, I should be fine.

I stumbled a little bit but was feeling all right.  When I got back to the living room, I saw Wendy sitting between Jim and Scott.  I stood there for a second and was getting ready to move forward when I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder.  I turned around.  It was Lee.  “Casey, right?”

I smiled.  “Right.  Hi, Lee.”

“Did you hear our CD earlier?”

I cocked my head.  “No…what CD?”

“We’ve put together a CD and so we were playing it for everyone.  How long have you been here?”

“Half an hour maybe.”

“Oh…you missed it.  Maybe we can play it again later.”

“That’d be great.”

I heard Scott’s voice.  “Casey!”  I looked over, and he was motioning for me to sit where he’d been next to Wendy.  I looked over at Lee.  “Hey…see you later, okay?”

He grinned, white teeth gleaming.  “Sounds good.  Nice to see you again, Casey.”

“You too.”

When I walked over to Scott, I asked, “You sure you want me to take your seat?”  He nodded.  “So I missed your CD, is that right?”

He smiled.  “Yeah.  I’ll give you a copy and then you can listen to it whenever you feel like it.”  I smiled back.  That would be fucking awesome.

As I sat, I gave the expected
hi
to Wendy.  She gave me a look I couldn’t quite figure, but I supposed she wasn’t very happy with me.  Scott sat next to me on the arm of the couch.  He asked, “You ready for another one?”

“No way.  I need a minute or two.”  He didn’t seem affected by the alcohol at all.  Before I knew it, his hands were on my shoulders, squeezing them.

“You’re tense, woman.”

“Maybe so, but I don’t feel tense.”  Maybe I was nervous.  No, it was probably
sexual
tension.

He kept massaging my shoulders, and it felt like my bones were melting out of my body.  His hands felt so strong on me and yet so gentle.  “Wow—that feels incredible.”  I let my head lull forward, relaxed.  But I was aching for him.  I wanted him to touch me all over, but I was going to enjoy the moment.

Wendy said, “Excuse me,” and got up, heading to the kitchen.  Yep…just as I’d thought.  She’d just been trying to scare me off so she could have Scott all to herself.  I wasn’t that easy to scare, though.  Now that she’d vacated my old spot, I moved over, and Scott slid off the arm of the couch next to me.  I noticed that one of his arms was still on my shoulder, so I leaned into him a little.