Unwrapped (5 page)

I see red.

He lifts his hand to gesture to the bartender,
but I move in, grabbing his wrist and pulling it down between us,
twisting and applying the pressure just so.

Douchebag lets out a strangled yelp of pain.
“What the fuck, man?”

“You ever learn jujitsu?” I ask, my tone
conversational as I keep bending back his fingers, dangerously
close to breaking point. “No, of course not. It’s not flashy like
kung fu, or kickboxing. You don’t get to throw punches, feel like a
big shot.”

Douchebag whimpers. He’s slowly crumpling lower,
trying to keep me from tearing his joints right out of their
sockets.

“Me, I like it,” I continue quietly. The
bartender’s just down the bar from us, and there are people all
around, but to anyone watching, we’re just having a pleasant
conversation. “It’s all about precision, see. The tiniest amount of
pressure can make all the difference. Like so,” I shift my grip the
smallest amount, and Douchebag yelps again. “Another inch, and I’ll
break all your fingers,” I tell him calmly. “Now, do you want to
think again about leaving Lacey the fuck alone?”

“Fine, yes! Anything!” Douchebag whimpers. I
give him another twist, then let go.

He falls back, cradling his hand. “Jesus, you’re
crazy, you know that?!”

I shrug. “What did you say? The crazy ones are
the best.” I take a sip of my drink, watching with satisfaction as
he turns and bolts from the room — almost knocking Lacey down on
her way back in.

She rejoins me, looking over her shoulder
suspiciously. “What happened to him?”

“No idea.” I give her an innocent look.
“Everything alright with Juliet?”

“No,” Lacey collapses on her stool again with a
slump. “She says it’ll all be fine, but I know her. She’s just
trying to make me feel better.”

“You’ve done everything you can,” I point out,
sympathetic. “This is just a freak delay.”

Lacey shakes her head, her blonde hair
shimmering under the lights. “I’m a terrible friend,” she says
mournfully. “You don’t even know the half of it.”

“Come on, you’re a great friend. You’d do
anything for her — including flying cross-country through a
blizzard.” I gesture for the bartender again, this time pointing to
Lacey’s near-empty glass of wine.

She stops me. “Do you have any tequila in this
place?” she asks the bartender.

He gazes at her adoringly. “Sure.”

“Pour me a shot. Make that two.” She gives me a
sideways look. “Or four.”

“You sure about that?” I raise an eyebrow.

Lacey shrugs. “You got a better idea?”

I have plenty. Hell, juggling fire or going
sky-diving without a parachute would be a better idea than this.
It’s dangerous, reckless. I’m practically asking for trouble. It’s
so far out of character I don’t know where to start.

“Sure,” I tell her. I know I’m tempting fate,
but right now, I can’t find it in me to care about anything except
the lights, sparkling devilishly in her blue eyes, and the gorgeous
golden skin curving in the hollow of her neck. “Set ‘em up. I’m
in.”

The first shot is fine, at least, that’s what
I tell myself. Two and three go down easy, but by the time we reach
shot number four, I’m hanging on to my self-control by the thinest
thread. The bar has cleared out now, we’re the last to leave,
sitting up by the bar — close together, side by side.

Too close.

“Look at you. I never took you for a party boy,”
Lacey teases. She licks salt off her hand and then gulps from the
tiny glass.

I catch my breath, still reeling from the
glimpse of her pink, wet tongue. “Who are you calling a boy?” I
retort, knocking back my own drink. I don’t bother with the salt or
lime wedge, I just feel the burn as the alcohol snake down my
throat, trying to remind myself of what she said before: I’m like a
brother to her. She’s not interested.

Lacey fixes me with an unreadable look. “You
know, all the time we spent together with Juliet, I don’t think we
ever hung out alone.”

I pause. “You’re right.”

“I guess we never had much in common,” she adds,
and there’s something in her voice I can’t figure out.

“You always thought I was a boring preppy nerd,”
I tell her, emboldened by the booze.

Lacey chokes on her water. “I did not!”

“Sure you did,” I grin, “You went out of your
way not to be around when I came by.” I never thought twice about
it before, but now I’m surprised to find it burn at me.

“That’s because I was giving you guys some
privacy,” Lacey argues. “And what about you? You thought I was some
slutty party girl.”

“Hey,” I frown, “That’s not true.”

She waves my objection away. “It’s OK, I was. I
mean, not slutty, but I wanted to have a good time. College was
always going to be about fun for me, my last chance to be crazy and
irresponsible.” Lacey lets out a sigh.

“What about now?” I ask, “Sounds like you’re
having plenty of fun: living it up in LA, all your glamorous
events.”

Lacey snorts. “Glamorous. Sure.” She pauses,
knocking back another shot. “The truth is, things aren’t working
out so well.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

Lacey lets out a sigh. “LA isn’t what I thought
it would be. I’m running around doing errands for my awful boss all
day, working hosting jobs on the side.” Her eyes meet mine, and I
see something worn out there, her spark dimmed. “You want to know
what my last gig was? Dressing up like a Disney princess for some
spoiled six year-old’s birthday party.”

“That sounds fun,” I offer, trying to sound
upbeat.

“Sure, until she ate too much cake and vomited
all over me.”

“Ouch,” I try not to laugh.

“They docked my pay to cover the dry-cleaning,”
Lacey adds. “Real glamorous.”

“You’re just starting out,” I try to encourage
her. “Everyone starts at the bottom. That’s why I was out in LA
doing those depositions when everyone else has already taken off
for the holidays.”

“I know,” Lacey manages a smile. “I guess I just
miss having Juliet around. LA is so big, I just feel … adrift
sometimes, out on my own.”

“You can always try someplace else,” I suggest,
“Maybe New York, or DC, closer to her.”

And me.

The thought stops me dead, but Lacey doesn’t
notice the change. She shakes her head, as if shaking off the whole
subject. “Enough about that. Want another round?”

“No way,” I laugh. “I’m past my limit
already.”

“Aww, c’mon …” Lacey teases, tilting her head at
me. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Only me throwing her down on the bar and
ravaging her until she’s screaming my name in ecstasy …

I blink, lost for a moment in the fantasy of her
lips, sweet under my mouth, and that soft flesh, yielding to my
hands..

No. Bad. Stop.

“I think I’m going to call it a night.” I get
up, ready to escape with my dignity still intact, but Lacey reaches
across and stops me, her hand soft on my bare arm.

“Stay,” she breathes, and her eyes glint,
cornflower blue, mesmerizing me. “I have a game for us.”

“A game?” My body has leapt to her touch, and I
know, I’m heading right for the edge. Another drink, another hour,
and who knows what I might do?

Lacey smiles at me, dangerous and tempting.
“Let’s play truth or dare.”

***

He wants me.

After everything that’s happened today, I pray
it’s not just wishful thinking making me see things that aren’t
there, but I don’t think so. Even if the weird way he chased off
that guy from the plane was just him acting all big brother on me,
the look on his face right now is unmistakable: the dark flash in
his eyes, the way his gaze seems to trail over my body, making me
shiver like I’m already naked, feeling his touch on my skin …

My pulse kicks, and I feel a surge of power. He
wants me, and tonight, I don’t even want to ask myself why — if
this is the tequila talking, or loneliness, or just the mixture of
an empty bar and this dress and momentary insanity. I don’t care
about reasons or logic right now, not with the dim lights shining,
dark gold threads in his hair, and every nerve in my body screaming
out to touch him again.

He wants me.

Now I just need him to do something about
it.

I meet his gaze in a coy smile, even though my
heart is racing like crazy with wild anticipation. “What do you
say? Ready to get to know each other a little better?” I reach over
and take a sip of his drink, slowly licking the moisture off my
lips.

Daniel blinks once, then lowers himself slowly
back on the barstool beside me. “Why not?” he gives me a grin that
turns my insides to molten honey. “This should be good.”

I have to catch my breath. All night, I’ve been
at war with myself: trying not to flirt with him or make a fool of
myself. But now, I’m suddenly reckless. Unleashed. Now I’ve spied a
crack in his cool, collected attitude, I’m not going to let this
chance slide by, not without a fight.

I just want him, more than I can stand.

“You first,” I announce, slowly crossing my
legs.

Daniel looks down at the fabric riding up over
my thighs, then back up at me. “That’s easy, truth.”

Of course. A guy like him is an open book:
nothing to hide. “Hmm,” I muse, wracking my brain. If I’m going to
push him, it needs to be something good. “Where’s the craziest
place you’ve ever had sex?”

Daniel raises an eyebrow, but he doesn’t flinch.
“I don’t know …” he frowns, “Nowhere. I’ve always just done it the
regular way, on a bed.”

I stare in disbelief. “Seriously? Not even in
the backseat of a car? The gym locker rooms? The rooftop of the
student lounge?” I prompt.

Daniel looks bashful. “I guess I’m just boring
like that. Why, where’s yours?”

I think for a moment. “Backstage at a rock show,
up against the amps. He lasted like, two seconds flat and I nearly
went deaf … and electrocuted,” I shake my head, giving a wry smile
at the memory.

“Sounds painful.” Daniel laughs, and I lose
myself in his eyes. The tequila is warm in my bloodstream, mingling
with desire and recklessness in one heady cocktail that’s
impossible to ignore as I sit here, inches away from Daniel, his
tanned forearm resting casually on the bar between us, close enough
to touch …

I snap back to reality. “What?”

Daniel gives me a patient smile. “I said, why
bother nearly killing yourself like that? It doesn’t sound like it
was even worth your while.”

I shrug. “It was an experience.”

“Jumping off a cliff is an experience,” Daniel
points out. “You going to try that too?”

“No, it’s like …” I try to gather my thoughts,
“This is it, my wild adventurous youth. One day, I’m going to be
settled down with a kid and a mini-van, and, and, a Costco
clubcard. I want to be able to look back and say, I lived. I had
adventures. You know?”

“Nope,” Daniel makes a face. “I’ve been on the
same path since school, I never did anything crazy.”

My heart catches. I force myself to meet his
eyes. “It’s never too late to try.”

Daniel looks at me, and the moment is electric,
pulsing between us, vivid and full of meaning. Then he coughs, and
glances away. “Your turn,” he says, and his voice is strangled.
“Truth or dare.”

“Dare.” I reply immediately, my heart still
racing.

“Big surprise,” Daniel grins.

I shrug, teasing. “Bring it on.”

He opens his mouth to say something, then stops.
“No,” he says, almost to himself, and I would kill to know what he
just stopped himself saying. “Umm, I dare you to tell the truth
about something.”

“That’s not fair!” I protest, but he just shakes
his head, laughing.

“I didn’t make the rules!”

I sigh. “Fine, what do you want to know?”