“Oh, yeah. Anne?” A finger slid beneath my chin and gently lifted, forcing me to face him.
Mal stared at me and I stared back despite my best intentions. His face gentled. None of the drunken amusement remained. He just looked at me and all that stuff about seeing someone’s soul began to make sense. It was terrifying. I could almost feel a connection between us. Like there was something I could reach out and grab hold of.
It couldn’t be real.
But for one perfect moment, it was just me and him. We were in our own little bubble and nothing or no one else existed. It was strangely peaceful.
“There we go,” he said, not taking his eyes off me. “She doesn’t do it for you or Davie though. Only I get the crazy eyes. Because I’m special.”
Ben said something. I didn’t hear what. Then Mal looked away and the moment was gone. The spell was broken. “It’s sweet, really. She can’t live without me.”
“Obviously.” Ben laughed.
My jaw clenched. Fuck Mal Ericson and his games very much.
“I haven’t met your lead singer, Jimmy, yet,” I said, finally finding my fight. It was either words or fists. Given the way he just exposed me to ridicule, I was good with either. “Maybe he’s the real favorite and you’re just the runner-up. Did you think of that?”
His mouth fell open. “You did not just say that to me.”
I didn’t answer. Let’s see how he enjoyed being teased.
“Anne, are you trying to make me jealous? You wouldn’t like me when I’m jealous!” The drunken lunatic roared and started pounding on his chest like King Kong or the Hulk or whatever the hell he was trying to be. “Take it back.”
“No.”
“Don’t toy with me, Anne. Take it back or I’ll make you.”
I screwed up my face, incredulous. And he said I was crazy. Or crazy eyed. Whatever.
The madman shrugged. “Okay, pumpkin. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Without further ado, he launched himself at me. I screeched in alarm. The noise was awesome. My beer bottle went flying across the floor.
It could be said I’m somewhat ticklish. Sure as shit, I hated being tickled. His fingers were dancing and digging in turn, hitting all my sensitive spots, damn it. It was like someone had given him a map to my body. I was panting and squirming, trying to get away from him.
“Boundaries, you bastard,” I hissed.
His answering laugh was no less than wicked.
Then I started to slip off the couch.
To be fair, he did try to break my fall and he used himself to do so. Hands grabbed hold of me, turning as opposed to torturing. We fell in a tangle of limbs, me landing flat on top of him. Mal grunted as the back of his head bounced off the hardwood floor.
Ouch; that had to hurt.
Despite the knock, his arms remained tight, holding me to him. The man felt good, better than I’d ever imagined. And you had to know I’d done some serious imagining, even out there on the balcony. The playful light disappeared from his eyes and every inch of him tensed. He stared up at me, unblinking, his mouth slightly open. I got the distinct feeling he was waiting to see what I’d do next. If I’d take things further. Mostly, I concentrated on breathing. Then he looked at my lips.
Breathing was out.
He couldn’t want me to kiss him. Surely this was just another game. Except it wasn’t, not entirely. I could feel him hardening against my thigh. Things low inside of me tightened in response. I hadn’t been this wound up in ages.
Fuck it, I was going for it. I had to know how his lips felt. In that moment, not kissing him was out of the question.
“Malcolm, no!” Ev stared down at us sprawled on the floor, her face a picture of dismay. “Let her go. Not my friends. You promised.”
All trace of sexual tension melted away as embarrassment filled me to overflowing. Everyone was laughing. Well, everyone except for David and Ev. Sadly, they’d chosen that moment to rejoin the party.
“Your friend and I are meant to be together. Suck it up.” He gave me a squeeze. “You know, I thought you at least would recognize true love when you saw it. I’m very disappointed in you right now, Evelyn.”
“Let her go.”
“Davie, control your wife, she’s making a scene.” Distracted, Mal’s hold on me loosened and I managed to scurry off of him. Lucky for him, my knee didn’t land in his groin.
“You’re the one rolling around on the floor, dude,” said David.
“Not. My. Friends.” Ev repeated through gritted teeth.
“Your shirt is on inside out, child bride,” said Mal, the side of his mouth kicking up. “What have you been doing?”
Ears turning pink, Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest. Her husband did a bad job of hiding a smile. “None of your f**king business what we’ve been doing,” he said in a gruff voice.
“You two disgust me.” Mal climbed to his feet then grabbed hold of my hand, hauling me upright. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. You?”
He gave me a goofy grin and rubbed at the back of his skull. “My head would probably hurt if I could feel it.”
There was my answer. He was plastered. I was entertainment. Any romantic notions were strictly mine. The story of my life, really.
Finally the laughter quieted down. We were still the focus of every eye in the room, however.
“Malcolm, is that your beer on the floor?” asked Ev, pointing at the mess my fallen bottle had made.
Before I could open my mouth to apologize, Mal was there.
“Yes. Yes, it is. But do not despair. I’ve got this.” He ripped off his T-shirt and knelt, mopping up the spill. There was a whole lot of hard flesh and bronzed skin right there. A truly impressive amount. His back was covered in ink, an intricate scene of a bird taking flight, the opening wings spanning across the breadth of his shoulders. A sigh rippled around the room at the sight of him half na**d on his knees. It wasn’t just me making the noise, I swear. Though yes, I definitely contributed heartily.
“Christ, Mal,” said Lauren. “Put some clothes on before you start a riot.”
The man just looked up and grinned.
“And I think that’s our cue to leave.” Lauren pushed herself off Nate’s lap. “It’s been fun. But we’ve got work tomorrow, unlike you musical slackers.”
“You’re taking my Anne?” Mal asked. His lips turned down at the edges. He climbed to his feet, leaving his sodden shirt on the ground. “You can’t take my Anne. I need her for stuff … private stuff, in my room.”