It's All Relative (2 page)

Three rounds later, the girls finally went to find April on the dance floor. They found their gregarious friend in a swarm of beautiful boys, each one trying to get a hand on her slim body. She expertly slinked between three or four, placing her hands all over them, but somehow managing to stop them from groping her. It was an impressive feat to watch, and Jessie laughed at the sight.

Giggling in delight, April squealed at seeing her two friends. With arms on each other for support, and to keep back the eager boys, the girls danced together effortlessly. As the alcohol burned through Jessie’s body, her moves loosened, her dress rode a little higher. A couple of guys nearby took advantage of that, resting their fingers on her toned legs. Enjoying the feel of a man’s attention, she let them. She even laughed when one forward guy wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her hips back into his. She allowed herself to grind with the older man, but immediately broke away from his grasp when it became obvious that he was enjoying it a little
too
much.

Grabbing April and Harmony’s hands, she pulled them over to the bar for another round. The man looked highly disappointed, but Jessie could only laugh at his dismay. He was really too old to be at a club purely for the fun of it, and Jessie was sure he spent his weekends trolling, looking for young, easy hookups. He even completed the player look with a paisley dress shirt, opened about three buttons too far, and a gaudy gold chain poking through his chest hair. Approaching the dark, stained bar, Jessie wished him luck, but she had no intention of being an easy score.

The next several hours went by in much the same way—the girls found a group of guys to dance with, then left them to grab more shots at the bar. The bartender started offering his suggestions on what they should drink, and pretty soon they had moved past the sweet, creamy liquors to the hard stuff. Several guys, hoping to speed up the inebriation of three attractive girls, bought them even more drinks. Each man was obliged with a swift kiss to the cheek and an intimate turn on the dance floor, but not much more than that.

Jessie was pleasantly buzzed, laughing with her friends at the bar, when she felt a set of eyes on her—different than the eyes she’d felt all night. Twisting to search for the source of the heat, she instantly spotted a guy at a nearby table. He was standing by himself, sipping on a beer and staring at her. Jessie couldn’t help but return his focused gaze. Even if she’d been completely sober, he would have gotten her attention. From their proximity, he looked tall and athletic, the cut line of muscle clearly visible on his arm as he tilted back his bottle. While his body seemed nice enough, that wasn’t really what had captured Jessie’s attention. It was more his face.

An intriguing blend of ethnicities fused the man’s genetic code, but Jessie’s muddled brain couldn’t quite place what they were—an appealing mix of Caucasian, Latin, Asian, or maybe even Puerto Rican? His skin was that beautiful mulatto color that always looked deeply tanned, regardless of the season. But even that wasn’t what had Jessie still staring at him. It was the eyes. He had the most stunning pair of bright blue eyes. She wanted to be closer, so she could see for sure, but she was positive it would be like staring at a tropical ocean. In her carefree state, she suddenly wanted to be swimming in those eyes.

Almost as if he’d finally realized they’d been staring at each other for a while, the man blinked and looked down at his table, like he’d just been caught doing something wrong. Jessie knew she had a certain attractiveness to her. Her mother had graced her with the aforementioned cleavage and a trim waist to emphasize it, and her father had given her his dark brown hair with matching chocolate eyes. Harmony and April hadn’t let her leave the house tonight until she’d shucked off her I’ve-just-been-dumped sweats, and she’d spent a good hour giving herself sexy smoky eyes, painting her lips the perfect shade of red, and taming her naturally curly hair into thick ringlets. The alcohol flowing freely through her veins made her think she looked particularly amazing.

She bit her lip as the beautiful boy kept his eyes downcast; a small, adorable smile curved his mouth. Jessie couldn’t be sure, but he didn’t seem to be waiting for anyone. Maybe still feeling her eyes on him, he lifted his gaze back to her position at the bar. As Jessie was still staring at him, he quickly returned his vision to the table, but his smile grew a little larger.

Laughing that the most attractive guy in the club was actually being shy with her, Jessie twisted around to order them a couple drinks. April and Harmony looked at her expectantly, but furrowed their brows in question when she only purchased two of her favorite drink—rum and vodka with a splash of orange juice. Seeing their confusion, Jessie nodded her head at the man. “He looks lonely. I’m gonna go cheer him up.”

Her friends laughed and immediately—and not subtly—checked him out. April nodded her approval. Harmony raised an eyebrow and waved at him. Jessie swung her head back around, hoping her friends hadn’t scared him off, but he was still there, shaking his head and laughing as he stared at his table again.

Throwing her friends a warning glare, Jessie started stumbling her way over to him. Ignoring a few slurred greetings as she waded around a couple groups of men, she approached his table with what she thought was a sexy swagger. Immediately, she got her foot stuck in a crack. Luckily it wasn’t enough to twist her ankle, but it did jar her step, and she stumbled and started to fall.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, steadying her, as she squealed in surprise. Jessie was now completely pressed against a hard, flat stomach, and a lean, muscular chest. But his body barely registered as she stared into the most incredible set of sea-green eyes she’d ever seen. They were even more amazing than she’d hoped they would be, and she was reminded of travel brochures used to promote faraway island getaways. He was just…spectacular.

“Are you okay?” he asked over the heavy beat of the music.

As Jessie struggled to pull her eyes from his, her languid mind suddenly remembered the awkward situation she’d gotten herself in. She laughed, the alcohol in her system covering her embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m just not having a good shoe day.” She lifted her foot; the insole was mostly dry by now, but still a little squeaky, she was sure.

Not understanding, the man only smiled as he gently released her from his arms. Jessie found that she missed the contact, and stepped into his side, closer than she generally stood to complete strangers. He didn’t back off, though, just continued to sweep those amazing eyes over her face. Even in her drunken haze, it pleased her that he was focusing his gaze more above her neck than below it.

She handed him a drink, or what was left of it, since some had splashed onto the floor during her scuffle. She raised her own as he tentatively took the glass. “Drink with me?” she asked, in a way that really didn’t sound like a question.

Smiling, he raised his glass to hers. “Cheers.”

They touched glasses, and Jessie watched as he closed those marvelous eyes and tilted back the drink. As she watched him, she wondered how those full lips, pressing so softly against the glass, would feel pressed against her mouth, her neck…her breasts. A little surprised at the immediate sexual attraction she felt for this unnamed man, Jessie shook her head and downed what was left of her drink.

When he was finished with his half-full drink, the man gently set his empty glass on the table and politely told her, “Thank you.” Jessie flushed at his simple words as she set her own empty glass next to his. Amazing how two small syllables were doing so much more for her than an entire night of grinding had done.

With a captivating smile, he examined her heated cheeks, then stuck out his hand, right at hip level. As Jessie’s hips were nearly pressed into his side, she had to back up a step. “My name’s Kai.”

Jessie grinned at the excuse to grab his hand. She didn’t shake it, so much as clench it and press it against her belly. His mouth popped open at the unexpected contact. Jessie instantly loved the warmth she felt radiating from him; just his fingers against her was enough to cause a tingle of excitement to flash over her skin. “Kai…with the beautiful eyes,” she drunkenly murmured. “Hi…I’m Jessie.”

Still smiling, he leaned an elbow onto the waist high table. The move brought his head just a bit closer to hers. She bit her lip. “Thank you for the drink, Jessie.” The way he said her name made a chill run down her spine. She kind of wanted to hear him moan it.

Surprising herself, she asked, “Are you here alone?”

He glanced down at the table, seemingly shy again, then peeked up at her. “I am…just got into town actually. I don’t really know anybody yet.”

The fact that the beautiful man in front of her was unattached made Jessie’s lips twist into a playful smile. “Well, would you like to get to know me?” A small section of her slow brain was shocked that she’d just asked him that. She generally wasn’t that forward…but there was just something about him.

In a gesture that she found exceedingly cute, he looked down again. Then, raising his eyes, he unwaveringly held her gaze. “I think I’d like that.”

Smiling and stroking his fingers still resting against her stomach, she glanced at the empty glass she’d brought him, the nearly empty bottle of beer he’d been drinking before her arrival, and decided that she needed to get this shy guy up to her level of carefree. Taking a step back, she pulled his arm so he would follow her. “Come on, we need to get you caught up.”

He smiled and willingly allowed her to lead him. Jessie carefully avoided the section of the bar where her friends were watching her every move. She didn’t need them interfering and scaring off the guy. At the other end of the long bar, a girl was tending to the customers. Jessie walked up to her with her newfound friend’s arm firmly around her waist. Sidling up behind her, the beautiful boy kept a slight, respectful distance between their bodies. Wanting to feel that hard body along the length of her, Jessie leaned back until they touched. His free hand trailed down her bare arm, and she shivered, even in the heat of the club. God, he felt amazing.

Jessie shouted an order at the straining-to-hear bartender, and stepped back with the boy once she was handed a couple of shots of Jameson. After thanking her, he closed his eyes and tilted the drink back. Jessie smiled as she watched him gulp his drink, and again pictured those wondrous lips all over her body. Her pain and heartache was so far buried under alcohol and tropical eyes that it was like it had never happened. Harmony and April were right; this was exactly what she needed.

Her companion winced as the strong liquid burned through him. Jessie had been drinking hard stuff from the get-go, so it didn’t even faze her now, but apparently he hadn’t gotten there yet. She spent the next several minutes
getting
him there. When his smile was loose and easy, and his hands casually slipped over her body, Jessie decided to move their foreplay to the dance floor. There, his fingers all over her would be very natural.

With his absorbing eyes glued to her face, Jessie strategically placed one leg between his. Draping her arms around his shoulders, she pulled him flush against her. Running his hands down her back, he pulled her hips into his body, and they began to seamlessly move together. Jessie couldn’t help but notice that being with him felt more natural than any of the boys she’d danced with earlier. As their hips briefly touched while they swayed together, Jessie was reminded of far more intimate actions—actions that she hadn’t done in a while. Her sloppy mind could easily picture doing all sorts of intimate acts with this man.

As other gyrating bodies danced around them, Jessie let herself get lost in his captivating eyes. Running her hands through his dark hair, she brought her face closer to his. He stared down at her, his lips partly open as he softly breathed. Jessie pulled her eyes from that intense gaze, to stare down at those lips—so full, so perfect. She was near enough to feel his light breath against her skin, and she was drunk enough to take it a step further. Letting her earlier fantasy of kissing him fuel her, Jessie shifted their heads until their lips connected.

It was brief, a bare brushing of soft lips against soft lips. Except for the sudden flare of burning heat in her body, it could have been an accident. His hand clenched her hip. Her hand tightened in his hair. This wasn’t something Jessie usually did—making out on a dance floor with a guy whose name she couldn’t even remember—but she had been denied a physical encounter with a man for a while now. And, April
had
promised her that tonight would be fun. And she was really drunk, and he was really sexy. She didn’t want to be good, didn’t want to play it safe.

Jessie noted his eyes fractionally closing as they continued slowly moving against each other. They weren’t keeping time with the fast, thumping music anymore, but making a beat of their own, perfectly in sync to the rhythm of their bodies. Jessie gasped after the brief contact, and felt the anticipation of another kiss rip through her, igniting her. Her body instantly responded, the fire quickly building to an invigorating boil. She hoped her new friend was feeling it too. Unlike the sleazy older man she’d danced with earlier, she wouldn’t mind feeling some of
his
hardness grazing her thigh.

When his eyes reopened, Jessie could see the heat of desire in them. Maybe she couldn’t feel his body yet, but she knew he was, at the very least, interested in her. She smiled and brought her lips to his again—tentative, soft, and teasing. Her dance partner didn’t let her leave it at teasing for long though. As she ran her lips over his, he shifted his head and fully enclosed her mouth. The electricity was immediate. One of his hands left her hip to grab her cheek, holding her securely to him, and his soft lips encouraged hers to part as the tip of his tongue slipped inside. Jessie moaned into his mouth as she heavily leaned against him, closing every gap between their already smashed together bodies.

Lightly tugging on a handful of his hair, Jessie shifted his mouth so she could feel all of his tongue sliding against hers. She felt the rumble in his chest as he groaned in approval. She hoped that if he hadn’t wanted her before, he did now. When his hand slinked over her backside, bringing her leg slightly up his hip, she could feel his need for her pressing into her body.