hid her anxious expression.
“Don’t look at me. You’re the one with all the solutions.”
Ari looked heavenward. “Give me strength. Weren’t you listening? I already told you what to do. Talk to Reid.”
“Wait a minute. Didn’t you just say I shouldn’t rush into your suggestion?”
“Exactly. Keep it flirty and casual. Information only.”
Reid was playing haunting notes. Each keystroke was like an intimate caress.
Talk? Yeah right. She couldn’t stop envisioning him naked. Celine, however, hadn’t reacted to a guy like this since losing her fiancé. Sweet-talking Reid would help her discover the truth about Thane. If she didn’t, Celine could miss out on the best night of her life. She handed her plate to Ari. “I’ll be right back.”
* * * *
Reid transitioned the slow opening of “Shadows on the Road” into a faster tempo. As his fingers picked up speed, lingering adrenaline stirred from the night’s performance. Whenever they played the band’s signature song on stage, West drove the beat on drums. Colby’s bass brought a heart-bumping rhythm. Mace on electric guitar twanged out soul-stirring chords while he blended in on the keyboards. Thane captivated the crowd with his stage presence and resonant voice. “Shadows” always seemed to put emotions in sync. Everyone could relate to heartbreak and discovering their dreams in the unexpected.
A path opened. Lauren stalked forward in a pair of gladiator-style stilettos. Her dress billowed and formed over her breasts and hips. She sat next to him on the polished bench seat, facing the opposite way. He’d made the right choice by not crowding her space. Despite their attraction to each other, she had been skittish at the club. He had to let her come to him.
She crossed her long, toned legs, and the hem of her dress inched up her tanned thigh. “I don’t know who Thane thinks he is, but the game is over. Celine isn’t waiting. We’re leaving.”
“Hold on. He’s not playing games. A group of fans swarmed him for pictures.” Reid switched to a smooth, seductive melody. “He’s on his way. Ask Celine to wait.”
“Nope.”
“Come on. Give a guy a chance.”
“Are we talking about you or Thane?”
He returned her smile. She knew how to flirt. Unlike most of the women he’d met, she had the confidence to do it well. “Both of us.”
“Then you’ve got a problem. He’s not here.”
“But he will be.” Reid leaned closer. “What’s that look about?”
“I’m trying to decide if I should trust what you’re telling me.”
She flipped her hair, and perfume drifted over him. Soft, floral, wholly feminine and warm like the sun.
“You absolutely should.”
“Why?”
She rested against him, and her soft breast cushioned his arm. Blood coursed from his head, starving his brain as it flooded downward. “He really likes Celine.”
“Then he should have gotten his butt here sooner. I can’t make her stay.”
“What about us?”
“I guess that’s your loss for having a friend who sucks at handling time.”
Handle time? They mastered it with every leap into the future to change fate and right wrongs. Her leaving with Celine would top the list of major wrongs. He had to capitalize on the moment. Once he jumped forward in time, she wouldn’t remember he existed. “Give her your car keys.”
“What will that do?”
He leaned in and breathed more of her wonderful scent. “Make it hard.”
She glanced past his waist and his cock responded. Her cheeks grew pink. “That’s an interesting proposition, but I honestly don’t understand how that helps Celine with Thane.”
Warmth lured him in, and he skimmed his lips below her ear. “It’s simple. You’re not forcing her to stay. Celine’s interested or she wouldn’t have come here in the first place. She won’t leave.” And they could continue in a quieter place where he’d follow the trail of her perfume. Throat to breasts and over her belly. From supple calves up her thighs. Tasting, teasing, driving her wild until she begged him to stop.
Lauren released an unsteady breath. “I see where you’re going with Celine, but we can’t—”
He kissed her, claiming the objection with the slip of his tongue over hers. Mouthwatering. Addictive. She was more inviting than anything he’d tasted. Her low moan more captivating than any piece of music he’d ever played. It took every bit of control not to haul her up on the piano, lift her dress, and extract every beautiful sound she could make. A shudder reverberated through him. He had to stop, but one kiss wasn’t nearly enough. He needed to touch her, hold her, have her.
Her gaze reflected what he wanted, but uncertainty shadowed her expression. She shook her head as if to clear it. “What am I doing?”
Not leaving, for one thing. The sight of her tongue painting a glimmer over her lower lip drew him back. Each restrained brush against her lips made him insanely harder. If Thane blew his chances with Lauren, he’d kick his ass. “Give Celine the keys, and find out.”
Chapter 2
Lauren unlocked the door to her townhouse. She hadn’t been able to think straight since giving Celine the keys and leaving the party. Had she made a mistake?
Reid slipped an arm around her waist. “You still okay with this?” He enveloped her in hard muscle and body heat.
Tingles radiated from a kiss low on her neck. Lauren’s knees grew weak. How could he find that spot every time? “Yes.”
“Good.”
One-night stands weren’t new to her. Serial dating had simply replaced a good, uncomplicated fling. Was she supposed to mention it ahead of time? She’d assumed he wanted the same thing. What if they didn’t? “Before we go in, there’s something I should tell you.”
He stiffened. “Are you married?”
“No. Of course not.”
“What?” He turned her around to face him. The porch light illuminated the humor in his expression. “Your eighty-pound German shepherd will tear me apart if I don’t behave?”
“No. I travel too much to own a pet.”
“The place is a mess?”
Not a chance. She couldn’t pass by a couch pillow without straightening it. No need to tell him that. She fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. “I only want sex.”
“That’s your big worry?”
“Yes. Sort of. Women are always hanging around after your shows. I assumed you’d be okay with a one-night stand, but then that’s labeling you. For all I know, you could be the hearts, flowers, and forever type.”
“Relax. You’re safe.” He intertwined his fingers with hers. “I’m not interested in anything long term.”
Great. A club full of guys, and she walked out with the commitment-phobe. Could she pick them, or what?
“But I’m into being with you.” Reid pulled her to him. “Here. Tonight.”
His mouth descended on hers and a wash of sensation spread through her middle.
Man hiatus, the hell-no list, she could set them aside for now. For Reid. Battery-operated pleasure would only leave her starving for him, dreaming of him. Only the glorious erection grinding against her sex could assuage the intense throb between her legs.
Hot,