Текст книги "Collision"
Автор книги: K. A. Sterritt
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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 17 страниц)
Chapter Twenty-Two
Leo
The bar was a little out of the ordinary. The non-descript door in the alleyway opened up to an impressive setup. Exposed brick walls were painted white, and projectors were playing a mash-up of movies from varying decades and genres. When I’d first arrived, I’d recognised the airport scene from Casablanca. Instead of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman’s voices, Dooley Wilson’s As Time Goes By was played through the sound system. I’d been told the bar had a really good reputation amongst the locals not just because of the cool décor, but because it literally had no name. Personally, I’d take a cold beer at a pub over these overpriced cocktails, but I needed the money and it was double time after midnight.
“You’re new.” It was just after midnight when a glazed-eyed redhead leaned in across the bar, pushing her boobs together and batting her eyelashes.
“First night.” Despite my sexual frustration, I had no interest. “What can I get for you?”
“You’re fucking hot.” Her words slurred.
I shook my head. “Okay, sweetheart. Maybe you should have water?”
“How ‘bout your number?” She ran her tongue over her upper lip then bit down on her bottom one. “When do you get off?”
I’d dealt with several of these situations in the last hour and it was getting irritating. “Against club policy, I’m afraid.” I had no idea what the policy was. Placing a tall glass of iced water in front of her, I hoped she’d get the hint. I couldn’t get Juliette out of my head, making every other girl simply fade away.
She fished an ice cube out of the glass and ran it down her chest towards her cleavage. She was clearly not taking the hint. Suddenly, she was pulled back, shrieking as she lost her grip on the ice cube and it disappeared into her tight-fitting top.
“Have some self-respect.” Bea stepped in front of my red-headed friend with authority, rolling her eyes.
“Nice timing.” I smiled to see my friend, a little surprised that she had made it instead of heading home. “How was the wedding?”
“The wedding was lovely. A few surprises.” She glanced over her shoulder into the crowd.
“Well, I’m a bit surprised you came. I thought you’d be desperate to get home.”
“I told you we’d stop by.”
“Hang on a sec. I’ll see if I can take my break now.” The Martin Scorcese masterpiece, Goodfellas, was playing out on the walls and through the speakers. It was a perfect choice because the music had an incredible way of telling the story. Pure genius, I’d thought. Layla wasn’t deafening, but we were still having trouble hearing each other over the bar. “I’ll bring a beer and a soft drink over. I presume you’re driving?”
“Can you bring a cocktail too? We bumped into a friend at the wedding. She’s with Angus trying to find us somewhere to sit.”
“Sure.” I held up my hand. “Give me five minutes.”
My break was overdue, so Adriana, the manager, reluctantly agreed to my request. The bar was busy but not that big, so it was easy to locate Bea in a bright red dress. She was waving to me from the lounges on the mezzanine level overlooking the bar. I made my way up the small flight of stairs, holding a tray of drinks. New Order’s Temptation was playing, and I knew Pulp Fiction would be gracing the white screen behind me.
As I got closer, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My body was on high alert. When Bea sat back down, I knew why. A vision in navy appeared opposite her. Juliette. She wasn’t looking my way. She was laughing at something Angus had said. It gave me a moment to stare at her insane beauty. She had looked fierce at fight night, dressed in black and wearing her attitude like armour. At her mother’s charity event, she had looked like an angelic goddess in white lace, tortured by something I didn’t understand. When she had appeared in my house, the ugly memories trampled all over her beauty and smeared it like blood—painful dark red streaks. Tonight, she surpassed anything my mind could have possibly conjured up, even in my wildest fantasies. She took my breath away.
When Angus looked up, so did Juliette. I must have looked like a deer in headlights, completely paralysed, but so did she. Seconds passed without a word spoken by anyone. At least I don’t think there were. I was deaf and mute, induced by the shock I felt seeing her again. Then she smiled and I could have died on the spot. It wasn’t a coy smile or a fake smirk. It was a million-megawatt grin that made me want to drop the tray of drinks, leap over the couch between us and ravish her, body and soul. I suddenly understood the French idiom ‘la petite mort’ or ‘the little death’. I’d thought at the time it was a ridiculous way of describing the post-orgasmic state. Yet there I was, believing it was possible to be rendered unconscious with ecstasy, and I was only looking at her smile.
Breaking the silence, Angus stood up and took the tray from me just as the music changed tempo and Stayin’ Alive from Saturday Night Fever pumped out around us to the squealing delight of the Saturday night crowd. “Thanks, mate. Can you join us for a few minutes?”
I hadn’t yet taken my eyes off Juliette, but his question finally registered with my brain and I shook my head to snap out of it.
“I’ve got ten minutes.” I shook Angus’ hand.
“Leo,” Bea said. “This is Juliette. She stopped by Beans a month or so ago and we bumped into her at the wedding.”
Juliette stood up and closed the distance between us. “Good to see you again, Leo.”
When I kissed her on the cheek, her breath hitched. My whole body lit up, knowing I had an effect on hers. I felt her breath release on my ear. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever experienced. I had completely forgotten she had a boyfriend to that point and the realisation tore strips from me. I let her hand go and stood back. She appeared mildly shaken by our brief interaction and quickly returned to her seat and took her cocktail to her perfect lips.
“Um… Excuse me. You two know each other?” Bea demanded.
Juliette and I looked at each other, willing the other to explain.
“Remember the charity function I worked at last month?”
“Of course. I’m unlikely to forget the rare occasions you come home, am I?”
“Juliette was at that function too.”
“Oh!” Bea had the lightbulb moment. “That was the same day I met you.” She then turned to me and mouthed, She’s the girl.
I opened my eyes wide, silently begging her to shut up.
“I was on my way to my mother’s function when I stopped by Bea’s Beans,” Juliette confirmed.
I sat down next to Bea, opposite Juliette and Angus.
“So, how’s this for a small world.” Bea was clearly delighted by the obvious sexual tension between Juliette and me. She knew about Richard though, so she had to know it wasn’t going anywhere.
“It does seem to be happening a bit lately.” I caught Juliette’s eyes and she held mine.
“I love this song.” Juliette shocked us all when she started singing along to the Jimi Hendrix freak power anthem, If 6 Was 9. After a few lines, she noticed we were all just watching her. “Easy Rider?” She looked at us expectantly.
I glanced at Bea and Angus, but they were blank faced.
“Dennis Hopper chose the songs for the film based on what he heard on the radio in 1968.” My knowledge on the subject elicited another megawatt smile from the beautiful girl opposite me.
“Thank you.” She held up her cocktail. “Cheers to that.”
I really fucking liked this girl.
My ten minutes were up way too quickly and I begrudgingly returned to the bar. They promised to come and say goodbye before they left. Bea was yawning, so it wouldn’t be long. Every time I saw Juliette I felt the same way—I wanted more.
As suspected, Bea came to the bar about forty-five minutes later.
It was around one in the morning and the music was louder and uptempo. There was no set dancefloor, but people were dancing wherever there was room.
“Juliette wants to stay.” She had to shout to make herself heard. “We offered to drive her home, but she said she was enjoying the music. Can you keep an eye on her?” She winked, probably knowing watching her was no burden.
“Sure thing.” I hoisted myself up on the bar and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for coming by, gorgeous.” I looked over her shoulder and saw Angus.
“Thanks, mate,” he shouted, but his words were muffled by Pulp’s Mile End. I glanced around expecting to see Juliette.
“I told her to check in with you before she leaves.” Bea gave me a knowing grin.
“Okay. I’ll look out for her. Safe trip home.”
“She broke up with the douchebag boyfriend. He was at the wedding and isn’t taking it very well, but she’s officially single.”
My mouth opened and closed twice before I could respond.
“I really like her, Leo. Good luck.”
Five minutes later, I caught sight of Juliette walking absentmindedly towards the stairs leading to the mezzanine level. She was staring at her phone, grimacing at whatever she was seeing on the screen. I wanted to make eye contact with her, but she didn’t look my way and I had a queue five deep in front of me waiting for drinks.
My shift ended at two. It was one forty-five and I hadn’t seen her since shortly after Bea and Angus left. My manager asked if I could do a last glass run, and I jumped at the chance to get away from behind the bar and look for her. I hoped she hadn’t left without at least saying goodbye. She had looked upset by whatever she saw on her phone, and I was worried.
The whole bar was packed with moving bodies. The movies and the soundtracks had everyone on their feet, so I had to push and shove to clear a path through the crowd. I saw her before she saw me. She was dancing by herself, unaware of the three different guys clearly waiting for an opportunity to proposition the most beautiful girl in the room—the most beautiful girl in any room. I put the few glasses I’d collected down on the nearest bar table and moved towards her. She had her eyes closed and appeared lost in her own world, moving in perfect rhythm to the beats of Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman.
Before I made it to her, her eyes snapped open and she immediately found mine. No words were required. We’d already said everything that needed saying with our heated silent exchange, and my need for her was now off the charts. My pace picked up, and before I could second-guess what I was doing, my body collided with hers and our lips meshed in a desperate tangle of desire and need. My arms encircled her lithe body, and we moved as one to music I could feel but my brain could no longer identify. I wanted to think only of this girl and how perfect she felt against me. Her arms had found their way around my neck and were pulling me impossibly closer.
Eventually, our lips moved apart and she stared up at me. Her arms were still around my neck and her body still moved to the beat. My body moved on instinct, and for the longest time, I knew what it meant to be at peace. My hands were clamped to her lower back, pinning her to me. A tapping on my shoulder killed my bliss, and I turned my head without reducing my hold on Juliette.
“What happened to club policy?” The drunk redhead from earlier was standing behind me with her arms crossed over her generous chest.
“I made an exception.” I turned back and kissed the top of Juliette’s head. Unfortunately, the interruption reminded me that I was still at work.
“My shift is about to finish. Will you wait for me?” She looked at me with her navy eyes, and I couldn’t remember my question.
She took a step back, and I immediately felt the loss of her heat. “Okay.” She appeared suddenly shy and unsure.
“Don’t go anywhere.” I kissed her again hard on the lips. I pulled back and held her face. “Promise?”
Slightly breathless, she promised she’d wait. I dashed around, collecting empty glasses at double speed then depositing them behind the bar.
“Nice job, Leo. Can you work next weekend?” Adriana, my manager, asked as I was collecting my wallet, keys and helmet from the locker in the staff room.
“Absolutely.” I had enjoyed working at the bar far more than I thought I would, and that was even before Juliette had shown up and the night had turned into the best of my life so far.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Juliette
I was lost to Leo. Completely lost. I’d all but forgotten about my earlier altercation with Richard. Leo had made me forget about the unnerving messages I’d been sent earlier. He’d made me forget my own name with his searing kiss, his steady heartbeat, his strong arms holding me to him and the way his body felt against mine as we moved in sync.
He wanted me to wait for him. I’d wait forever had been my first thought to his request, and then I’d remembered the shit storm of my life and hesitated. As if sensing my waver, Leo had kissed me again, reminding me how good his lips felt on mine and how I yearned for more.
“Let’s go.” Leo took hold of my hand and gave me no option but to follow him towards the exit. He was now wearing a very sexy leather jacket, and my brain was firing in every direction, trying to work out what I was doing. The several cocktails I’d drunk, the heady mixture of movies and tunes I loved, the ominous text message from my increasingly sinister ex-boyfriend, all combined in a whirlwind of battling emotions. All I knew for sure was I’d wanted to see Leo again desperately.
Leo led me further up the alleyway and ducked under a heavy chain into a small parking lot. There were a few small cars, one 4WD and a motorbike. It was then I noticed the helmet he was holding in his other hand. I couldn’t hide the smile that involuntarily appeared plastered across my face.
“Is that yours?” I motioned towards the sexy black machine.
“Are you game?” He held up keys and raised his eyebrows.
“Are you kidding? Of course I am.” I looked down at my dress and heels, wishing I were dressed more appropriately for my first ever motorbike ride. Yet the idea of being dressed completely inappropriately filled me with glee. I walked over to the bike and ran my hand over the curly pipework and leather seat.
I felt Leo’s body behind me and his lips feather kisses across my neck while he held my hair back. I turned and kissed him hard, feeling the cold metal of the sexy bike on my backside. He lifted me and placed me on the leather seat, and my legs immediately wrapped around him. I could feel his desire pressing into me, and I knew for a fact I’d never experienced real lust until that moment. Every time I’d been in Leo’s presence, I was reminded of our mind-blowing connection, and I couldn’t seem to get enough. He was intoxicating and I wanted to drown in him.
When he pulled back, he stroked my face and pushed my hair behind my ears.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
“Very.” I stroked the leather seat. “What sort of bike is it?”
“She’s a Ducati Diavel. My baby might look like a cruiser, but the one hundred and sixty-two horse power Testastretta engine will give you the ride of your life.”
“That might be the sexiest sentence I’ve ever heard.” I tried to keep a straight face to mirror his serious expression but couldn’t stop myself from chuckling. Leo halted my chuckling by kissing me again, and I had no problem with that whatsoever.
“That’s one way to shut you up.” He grinned, and I was glad I was sitting down. The whole experience with him in the bar, and now being perched on his motorbike, was beyond anything I could’ve imagined. I didn’t want the night to end. “Bea told me you broke up with Dick. Is that true?” he asked when we came up for air.
My body shuddered as I remembered his second act of aggression towards me. “Long overdue.”
He helped me get down then reached into the side compartment and retrieved a second helmet. I held still while he pushed it carefully over my head and leaned in to do up the chin strap. He threw his leg over the bike and secured his own helmet in one fluid motion. Straddling the seat, he held his hand out for me to climb on behind him.
We hadn’t discussed where he’d be taking me. I knew I had to sort out my own mess of a life, but for one night I wanted to let go of everything, be irresponsible and take something for myself.
Before he turned the engine on, he turned in the seat. “Shall I take you home?”
I reached forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, whispering in his ear, “Come home with me.”
Without another word, the hundred and sixty-two horse power engine roared to life. We eased slowly down the alleyway and out onto Liverpool Street. The traffic was light, but Leo still had to manoeuvre between some cars and the occasional truck. I clung to him and rested my face on his leather-clad, muscular back, soaking up the raw power of his body and the bike between my legs. I felt the acceleration out of each set of lights. The adrenaline coursing through my veins made me giddy, and laughter escaped from me. I laughed so hard it made me squeal with unbridled joy. Leo’s body shook, and I could hear laughter coming from him too.
Leo found a place to park his bike easily outside my apartment building. We walked through the lobby and waited for the lift in silence. As soon as the lift doors closed on us, I found myself pinned up against the mirrored wall. Our tongues entwined in a lust-fuelled dance of intoxicating foreplay. When the doors opened on my floor, we were both breathless and needy. Fortunately, my key was easily located in my clutch and I let us in quickly. Leo was on me again as soon as the door closed.
“Tell me what you want.” Without waiting for my reply, he kissed his way along my collarbone.
My head hit the wall gently over and over as my body lit up from his touch.
“Tell me what you want, Juliette.” He repeated his question, but this time he looked me directly in the eyes.
I slowly undid my coat and let it fall to the floor. I then unzipped his leather jacket and pushed it off his shoulders, allowing it to fall to the ground. I grabbed his head and ran my hands through his hair, standing on my tiptoes to reduce the distance to his gorgeous face. Then I whispered in no uncertain terms, “I want you.”
His eyes flared with lust and a small groan escaped his lips as his hands moved to the back of my thighs and scooped me off the ground. His lips immediately found mine as my legs wrapped hungrily around him. We were on the move, but I was oblivious to my surroundings, lost in his kiss, his hands kneading my thighs. My apartment wasn’t big, so he had no trouble locating my bedroom. A door was kicked open, and I squealed as I became airborne, thrown backward onto my soft bed. I landed with a bounce, giggling before Leo’s muscular body crashed down on me again.
I unclasped my jewelled belt and flung it off the bed. Before it hit the floor, Leo grabbed the hem of my dress and roughly dragged it up and over my head. Desperate to feel him skin-to-skin, I did the same with his t-shirt then started work on his belt buckle. I was taking too much time, so he pushed my hands aside and ripped it off, flinging it to join mine on the floor. My hands greedily unzipped his trousers but were pinned to the bed above my head before I could make any further progress.
His mouth devoured mine. Our tongues intertwined in a frenzied collision of desire, and all I could think about was how much I wanted this man. I wanted him with every fibre of my being. One of his hands continued to hold both mine in place while the other grazed down my body, leaving a hot, fiery trail. By the time he reached my inner thighs, I was ready to combust. His mouth found its way to my chest. His free hand moved from my thigh to my strapless bra, pulling down the cups to expose my breasts to his strong, sensual tongue. My back arched in ecstasy, allowing his hand to move under me and unsnap the clasp. I quickly found myself naked from the waist up, writhing, willing him to resume his attention. I was rewarded when his mouth closed down over my left breast, sending me into a tailspin of pleasure. My right leg hooked over his backside, pushing his hardness into me, and our groans tried to outdo the other as the heat between us hit fever pitch.
When his mouth moved to my right breast, my eyes rolled back into my head. I had never experienced anything close to this pleasure and I was still wearing my underwear.
“Oh my God, Leo.” I panted the words as my desperation for him to take me increased.
“I want to savour you.” Both his hands roamed my body while his mouth came down over mine, and our kiss was tender, reinforcing his words.
With my hands now freed, I took matters into my own hands. I pulled at my g-string and wiggled it down my body before going to work on his trousers and boxers.
“Steady on, my little minx.”
I was way too turned on to be remotely embarrassed by my forwardness, and it would have been fleeting anyway as Leo grabbed a condom from his wallet in his discarded trousers.
As he ripped the packet, I glanced down and gasped.
Holy shit! I thought, gritting my teeth with a mixture of fear and excitement at my impending impalement.
“Still in a hurry?” Leo asked with a smug grin, positioning himself between my thighs. His lower arms rested on either side of my head and his thumbs caressed my cheekbones.
I answered by whipping my legs around and giving his backside a firm shove, pushing him straight into me. We were both caught by surprise as he filled me completely. My legs tightened around him, eager to hold on to the incredible sensations flooding my whole body. Leo hovered over me, staring with an expression of awe and rapture.
“You feel so fucking good,” he whispered.
Rendered speechless, I grabbed his head and pulled him down, needing his mouth on mine so I could express everything I could through our kiss.
“I’m going to start moving now.” He pushed in a fraction further before retreating almost all the way out. “You feel so damn good, Jules.”
I loved it when he called me Jules.
When he pushed back in, my head arched back and I willed him to keep moving. As if reading my mind, his pace picked up with each thrust. My mind was swirling in ecstasy, reaching heights I never knew existed. I could stay connected to Leo forever and want for nothing the rest of my life. When I looked up, his piercing blue eyes bored into mine with an intensity I couldn’t quite handle. My head fell to the side and his thrusts halted.
“Look at me, Jules.”
Wanting him to continue his sensual assault on my body, I raised my head back to his gaze.
“Are you okay?”
My eyes glazed at the extreme beauty of this man inside me. I’d seen the results of his fighting prowess bloodied on the floor. I’d seen his whole demeanour change in an instant and had him cause me physical harm in his beautiful house. Yet there was another side to him—warm, gentle and caring beyond which I’d never known from a man. I loved both sides equally and I wanted all of him.
“Don’t stop.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and pushed my hips up. “Please.”
My plea ended any further hesitation. I soared higher and higher, reaching for the summit I was now absolutely sure was there. Higher and higher. Leo was right there with me; his eyes, wild with lust, never left mine.
“Come with me, baby.”
I leapt off the cliff and sailed through our own personal oblivion. I was home.
