I have to smile at her morals. "Plenty,” I point out. “It never seems to matter to the girls I meet.”
Married, single, engaged - it makes no difference to how fast they open their legs or throw themselves at my feet.
This girl is different though. Alicia gives me a look, part scolding. "Then you're meeting the wrong kind of girls."
I chuckle. "So show me what I've been missing out on, sweetheart. Say the word, and we’ll go get a drink, whatever you want," I offer, trying to hide my desperation. I don't know why, but getting her to come with me is suddenly the most important thing in the world. If I let her go, if she turns and walks away again, I know. I'll never get her back.
I can't lose her, not after a kiss like that.
Just then, the doors of the restaurant swing open again, and a group of people spills outside. Couples together, laughing and joking with familiar ease. "Alicia!" they call to her. "You coming?"
Alicia’s face changes. Some emotion flashes across her face, a pain that could break my heart in two. Then, just as suddenly, it's gone.
"OK," she says suddenly, turning back to me. Her jaw is set in determination, a new fierce spark in her eyes. “Lets go. Anywhere but here.”
I want to know what changed her mind, but I know better than to ask. I grab her hand and pull her towards my bike, my heart pounding like I just stepped out on stage at Madison Square Gardens. The reasons don’t matter, all I care about is right here with me now.
I have one night. One night with this exquisite angel.
I'm going to make it count.
5.
ALICIA
What the hell am I doing?
I cling on to Dex for dear life: my arms wrapped around his waist, pressed intimately against his body as the motorcycle weaves fast through downtown.
The city lights flash past us in a neon blur¸ bright and electric as the adrenalin pumping through my veins. I can feel every rumble of the engine echo up through my body as I hold on tight to the solid muscle of the stranger between my thighs.
Not a stranger, I correct myself in disbelief. Dex Callahan. The rock-star. The legend.
The man who wouldn’t let me walk away.
I take a shaking breath, the wind whipping around me as we speed through the city. Under the helmet, everything sounds muffled, until I can only hear my heartbeat pounding a scolding mantra with every mile, feel the contours of his body through his leather jacket as I cling on for dear life.
This is crazy. I’m crazy.
No, a voice scolds me. You’re alive.
When Dex finally pulls the bike to a stop, I’m surprised to feel a flash of disappointment.
“Pretty fun, right?” Dex laughs, lifting the helmet from my head.
I shake out my hair, wondering how much of a mess I look. “Motorcycles are dangerous,” I say, instead of admitting just how good that just felt.
He smirks. “Welcome to life on the edge, darlin’. I knew it would look good on you.”
I blush, looking away. Now we’re far from the party, and all the reasons I had to run, I’m reminded just how far out of my depth I am with a man like him. He’s probably used to groupies and daredevils -- rock chick girls who wouldn’t think twice about leaving a party with a man they’ve never met before, not some ordinary girl whose head is still spinning just from a motorcycle ride across town.
“Where are we?” I take in our surroundings; an exclusive apartment block in the arts district across town. There’s a marble lobby gleaming inside, and a doorman poised to help us through the glass doors.
I catch my breath, feeling a sudden panic. He brought me straight to his place? He thinks we’re going to...? “I didn’t mean--” I stutter. “When I said, we should get out of there--” I stop, my face burning up with embarrassment.
“What?” Dex looks confused. Then realization dawns. “No, sweetheart. I wanted to show you something, that’s all.”
He beckons me to follow him inside.
“Like your bedroom?” I ask cautiously, starting to follow. “Because I told you before--”
“You’re not that kind of girl,” Dex finishes, smiling. “I know. But, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” He drops to a whisper, leaning in close enough for me to feel his body, hot against mine.
“You want to be.”
I gasp. It’s just a moment, the briefest whisper of heat, and then he steps away again, heading inside.
I watch him walk away, my heart pounding. This is a dangerous game, I can already tell, but as if possessed by some foreign force, my feet are already following him inside, over to the elevator.
“Going up.” He hits the button for the top floor, and the doors close. We’re alone in the small space.
He lounges against the wall opposite me, his eyes traveling slowly over my body from head to feet. I catch my breath, feeling my skin prickle with awareness under his gaze.
The floors swoop past. The silence stretches. Dear lord, he looks good in those jeans.
“Have you lived here long?” I blurt. Right away, I feel dumb. Way to go with the small-talk, Alicia.
“A few months,” Dex replies, his lips curling in a private smile. “I have a place out by the beach I spend most of my time.”
“Isn’t the rock scene more out in LA or New York?” I ask, curious. It seems strange to have such a big star hiding away out here.
“It is,” Dex replies simply. “But I’m not.”