Sultry Groove (Reckless Beat #4) (3 page)

Had they anticipated someone more glamorous? Or confident? Maybe it was her puny five foot frame. Or something different entirely, like a comment one of her previous employers had made. Christ, it could be anything.

Sean swayed briefly on his feet before coming to stand in front of her. He towered above her, all broad and domineering. If only she’d known he was so large, she would’ve worn her three inch heels to compensate for at least one majorly varying degree between them.

He continued to stare at her, the potency of his perusal changing from confusion to something softer. Appreciation, maybe? She didn’t know. All she could focus on were those eyes and the enthralling way they took away her trepidation.

He opened his mouth, giving her a glimpse of flawless teeth, then frowned and pursed his lips shut.
Not good.
His features were a mask of contemplation. Not a comforting sign. Highly intoxicated males and deep thinking didn’t usually mix.

His lips parted again, and this time she held her breath, waiting, as he said, “Are you a pixie?”

Sean had fought
hard to open his eyes, and now that they were, his attention was completely transfixed with the redhead in front of him. She was a miniature goddess in tight black pants and a pale green lace bodice, with the barest hint of curves to steal his attention.

Her clothes were laid back, yet gorgeous as hell. She rocked his intoxicated foundation with her wide eyes and flushed pink cheeks. He really should apologize for embarrassing her, but the words wouldn’t form. She
did
look like a pixie—small, sweet, and innocent. He was spellbound. He’d never seen lips so lush or skin so creamy. Even entranced, he refused to ponder the possibility of her being a drunken hallucination.

He held out his hand, waiting, bated breath and all that shit, until the surprise left her features. In a blink, she changed from shock and awe to haughty and tough. The transformation was like a mental orgasm. She gave a wicked smile, those dark-brown eyes narrowing to consume him, dick first.

“No, sorry. I’m not a pixie.” Her syrupy tone was cute. A wanted distraction from the repeat sound of Sidney’s voice in his head. “I’m Melody, but call me Mel.”

Her hand clasped his, her skin smoother than silk, yet her grip was firm and strong. Fuck, he was drunk. Beer goggles or not, this woman was tempting as hell. For forty-five seconds, his mind had been completely devoid of the dreaded upcoming wedding. He hadn’t had the ache consuming his chest or the nausea in his gut over his career. This woman had given him a much needed respite from his sorrow, and he was going to grasp on tight to the sensation, riding the wave as long as possible.

“You’re so tiny.” He wasn’t slurring, per se, neither could he hide the fact he was completely shitfaced. He ignored Mason’s snort and concentrated on the way her mouth twitched with contained mirth. Damn, she was hot. Toned, tight, stacked—slightly. Her top exposed enough cleavage to show she had a small, firm rack to match her equally small, firm body. He was sure he could fit his hands around her slim waist. Her stature was probably a prerequisite of her career choice.

“OK, OK,” Leah interrupted, separating their hands. “You need to sober up before you say something even I can’t forgive.” She linked her arm around his elbow and tugged him in the opposite direction. “Time to chug some water, my friend.”

His feet moved without his consent, stumbling away from the pretty pixie. “Leah, please.” He tried to turn, and she yanked him harder, practically dragging him forward. “I need to get back there.”

His band manager stopped at his side and turned to face him. The pity in her eyes brought back the pain he was trying to forget. “You need to sober up before you insult her with something she can’t laugh off.”

“
Please
, Leah.” He hung his head. He needed the buzz of intoxication to continue. The alcohol was the only thing keeping the tentative smile on his face. Once that was gone, he wouldn’t be able to pick himself up off the floor. “I need this.”

“I know you need something to occupy your mind right now.” She wrapped her hand around his forearm and squeezed until he looked her in the eye. “But Mel hasn’t done anything wrong. She doesn’t deserved to be laughed at—”

“That wasn’t what—“

“I know. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. I’m swimming in the same hell-hole.”

A spark of annoyance burst to life in his chest. “You have no idea.” His voice rose of its own accord, and he winced, not wanting to take his frustration out on someone who didn’t deserve it.

Her hand fell from his arm, and she held his gaze. “I do. I know what it’s like to want someone you can’t have.”

Huh
? Alcohol had distorted his ability to concentrate. He had no clue who she was talking about. “Do you have a thing for Mason?”

Her eyes widened and disgust contorted her beautiful face. “That is
wrong
. On so many levels.” She shuddered. “How could you…” She shuddered again. “Christ. No.”

Sean’s head lolled, confused, tired, too damn heavy to think clearly.

“Come on.” She linked elbows again and tugged him to the table at the back of the marquee to pour him a glass of water. “Once you finish a few of these, you should feel better.”

“I don’t want to feel better. I want to feel numb. I want to be distracted.”

She pulled two chairs from the formation outlining the inside of the marquee, dragged them to the table beside him, and sat down. “You want to be distracted by Mel, you mean?”

Mel? The little pixie? “You mean Red?”

“Christ, Sean, you can’t even remember her name.”

He may not remember, but the picture in his mind was crystal clear. “The whole time I had my eyes closed, leaning against Ryan’s legs, all I could see was Sidney.” He gulped his water, already dreading the clarity it would bring. “I dream about her, Leah. I can’t stop thinking about her. Then I opened my eyes, and Red was there. Cute as hell. And for a second, I didn’t even think of my best friend fuckin’ the woman I’m head over heels for. I was lost in those doe eyes. It no longer hurt to breathe.” He clenched his glass, wishing it would break so the shards would slice through his palm, making him focus on physical pain instead of emotional.

“It’ll get easier.”

He scoffed. “When? At the wedding? Watching Sidney walk down the aisle? Or maybe when they have kids.” He shook his head and regretted the action when the marquee swayed with it. “I go home alone every night and I see them together. I see it in my mind, because I’ve been there, in the room, sharing the moment with them. It drives me insane.”

Leah didn’t reply. He didn’t expect her to. So they sat in silence, him sipping his fucked up water while his gaze found Red in the crowd. He watched her mingle, noting the way her loose hair gleamed in the twinkling lights whenever she moved. She had an air of nervousness about her, and didn’t dress to accentuate all her features. In fact, her clothing was modest. She was the only woman not showing off what he assumed were flawless, athletic pins.

It may be due to the imminent threat of alcohol poisoning, but he appreciated her lack of visible skin. It made him all the more eager to find out what those dancer legs looked like underneath all that material.

“Mel’s a great woman.”

He closed his eyes briefly, anticipating where Leah was going to lead the conversation. “I’m not going to use and abuse her. Jesus Christ. All I did was call her a pixie.” And maybe drool a little.

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m not your mother, or your sitter. I can’t tell you who to date.” Leah kicked his boot, demanding his attention. “If I wanted you to stay away from her, I wouldn’t be here trying to get you to sober up. I would’ve told you to go home and guilted you into believing you were ruining Mason’s engagement party.”

Sean scowled. She was right. “So what
are
you doing?”

“I want you to be happy. And I want you to have that distraction. I just need the level-headed, caring Sean to be onboard when he tries to seduce the woman he has to work with for the next few weeks. Not the slurring drunk who is likely to fuck things up with his insults before the project has even started.”

“But she looks like—”

“Shhhhhhhh.” She kicked his boot again, this time hard. “For future reference, women do
not
appreciate being referred to as pixies. Or fairies, or witches, or trolls for that matter. OK? Keep the compliments to the realm of reality and away from mythological creatures. Hear me?”

He rolled his eyes and went back in search of Red.

Leah shoved his shoulder. “
Hear me?
”

“Yes.” He glared. “Jesus Christ.”

He chugged the remainder of his glass and refilled it, determined to sober up and ditch his babysitter. At least he had a goal now—drink a river of water, spend the next hour draining his bladder, and then drown his infatuation with his best friend’s girl by sinking his teeth into a little ginger.

***

Melody lifted her
face to the night sky, enjoying the cool air drifting over her skin. The party was below her expectations, in a good way. She’d been daunted by the prospect of a formal event, thinking it would be a sit down, set seating meal, giving guests the opportunity to scrutinize her. In reality, it was the opposite. Everyone mingled amongst themselves, coming and going as they pleased. And as Melody pleased, she was currently roaming the far end of the property, alone, concealing herself behind the trees.

Tonight was a reminder of how much she’d changed in the last eleven months. Usually, she was the life of the party, demanding the world’s attention at every opportunity, especially if there was a dance floor. Now, all she wanted was seclusion. The peace associated with being by herself. From extrovert to introvert in the blink of an eye.

“Hiding, Red?”

She gasped, the masculine drawl sending her heart racing in an instant, and not entirely from fright. “Holy hell.” She swung around, becoming transfixed by the smirk curving Sean’s lips. “You scared me.”

She wasn’t hiding exactly. Well, OK, maybe she was. Witnessing everyone else kick up their heels in dance made her a little heartsick. “I was just admiring the view.”

“Me too,” he drawled.

She narrowed her gaze, scrutinizing him, needing to see if the lust in his voice was etched into his features. Yep, totally there. He stared at her, his piercing blue eyes announcing he wasn’t talking about the full moon.

“I see you’ve sobered a little. Enough to walk unaided, at least.” She grinned at herself, proud of the sheepish look he now sported.

“I’m gradually regaining my equilibrium. Not entirely there yet.”

He still had the intoxicated glaze in his eyes. But at least he was standing. That was a bonus.

“Don’t like crowds?” he asked, handing her a fresh champagne flute.

“No, thank you.” She held up her hand to stay the glass and bit back the rest of her reply. The old Melody would’ve verbally sparred with him, driving his interest to new heights, spurring him into desire in a matter of moments. She still itched to tease him, but there was no point. Bringing more attention to herself wasn’t a goal. In fact, it was the opposite of what she wanted to achieve.

“You were going to say something.” He squinted and made her belly tumble in response. “What was it?”

She shook her head. “It was nothing.”

“You shy?” The corner of his lips kicked up in a cheeky grin that smashed the thugishness away from his features.

“No.” She frowned, determined not to become too endeared. “I was just going to say, I’m not really a social butterfly. I’m more of a private
pixie
.”

His mouth widened into a full-blown grin that sent a thrill of excitement from her belly all the way to her toes.

“Really?” He raised a brow. “You seemed at home mingling with the other guys. I was kinda jealous.”

Holy heavens, she missed flirting. There was something about a man’s undisguised attention that made her heart race—even more so now because it had been so long between ego-boosting sessions.

“Oh, don’t worry, this
pixie
has a lot of attention to share. I just give it out in small doses.” It was a lie. She didn’t want to give anyone attention or receive it in return, for that matter, but her soul needed to tease him. That slight buzz of an excited thrill still warmed her veins, making her feel alive again.

“OK, I get it.” He held up his hands in surrender, spilling champagne over the edge of the glass he carried. “I apologize. My pixie comment was meant as a compliment. Clearly, women don’t find it endearing.”

“Clearly.” She pressed her lips together to fight a laugh. Sean had been a curiosity while slumped on the floor. Dark, mysterious, and large enough to make her shiver in both fear and attraction. Now that he could speak in coherent, mostly non-slurred sentences, she was entirely charmed. It was his eyes, sweet and playful, set amongst a ruggedly handsome face that made her intrigued to learn more about him even though she should’ve been distancing herself and establishing professional boundaries.

“So what brings you out here to the secluded corner of the property, Sean? I hope you weren’t coming to spill your guts…literally speaking.”

It was a game. A pretense. She’d been out of the dating scene so long she couldn’t help testing the waters. Any minute now, she’d stop returning his flirtation and treat him like any other student. Just as soon as her chest stopped pounding.