“Don’t worry, it’s not scary. It’s all in good fun.” Dane slid his arm around the back of the chair, allowing her to get even closer. She took the invitation, drawn in by the warmth of his body and the spicy smell of his cologne that carried citrus undertones. It smelled good – really good. The urge to bury her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder and bask in the smell was nearly undeniable.
“Scary I can handle.”
“Oh, you mean the Splatterzone thing.”
She nodded.
He chuckled. “It’s just fruit juice. It won’t stain or anything. At least I don’t think it will.” He looked down at her legs, noticing the beige hem of her dress. “Oh shit. I never thought about your dress. So sorry. I’m pretty sure it’ll come out.”
Her eyes widened, making him laugh a little harder.
“I’m very sure it’ll come out. If it doesn’t I’ll owe you a dress.” His hand around her arm grasped her shoulder and gently squeezed it, attempting to reassure her.
He was charming, she’d give him that. Charming and oh-my-God sexy. She didn’t bother to hide her examination of him. She had no doubt he was a NY cop.
The black button-down shirt hugged his lean, muscular torso. Someone didn’t get a body like his without being a physical person.
Alex was naturally lean, but not all that muscular; he always said he was too busy to work out. And she figured that with the few extra pounds on her, who was she to criticize? He was still a good-looking man, but he didn’t ooze sexuality like the man sitting next to her did. And he certainly couldn’t cause a stirring between her legs with a simple look, like Dane seemed to be able to. It was at that moment that she came to a conclusion: Sex with Alex had been mediocre. Sex with Dane would be mind-blowing – an experience unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Her body’s reaction just being near him confirmed it.
“Welcome everybody!” Her ponderings were interrupted by the sound of a fourth zombie-demon as he raced down the aisle to the left of her and leapt onto the stage. “There’s a few rules we have to go through before we start the show.”
She glanced up at Dane, shared a smile with him and then refocused her attention back to the stage.
“So, if you have a cell phone put it away or –” He pointed toward Genevieve, who gave him a deer in the headlights look until she realized there were several hundred people awaiting her reply.
“You’ll get fucked up?”
“Exactly! You’ll get fucked up!” The zombie-demon jumped up and down a couple of times and then refocused his attention to the crowd. “No photography. If you pull out a camera it’ll –” Again, he pointed to her to provide the information.
“It’ll get fucked up,” she provided with a little more zest than the first time. The energy of the zombie-demon was contagious, riling up the crowd.
“And if you get up during the performance you’ll –”
He didn’t even have to point to her this time for her to provide the information.
“You’ll get fucked up!” Laughing, Genevieve thrust her fist in the air, accenting her point.
Hearing Dane laughing, she looked up at him and caught his gaze. Their eyes locked a moment and she felt an electricity flowing between them.
“You’ll get fucked up!” he confirmed. “Now, time for the show!” He leapt from the stage as the lights began to lower.
Chapter 3
~ Genevieve ~
“Oh my God, that was insane!” Genevieve looked down at herself and gave her head a shake in disbelief as they exited the theatre and stepped onto the sidewalk of the strip. The t-shirt she was wearing was saturated with cherry fruit juice, and the smell was almost overwhelming. She attempted to run a hand through her hair, but her once silky locks were now wet and sticky.
“So you liked it?” He took her hand and they began to stroll down the strip, heading in the direction of their hotel.
Genevieve looked up at Dane, his blonde hair in various shades of red and pink and pink streaks running down his face. A bout of laughter overtook her.
“What?” He grinned.
She bit down on her lower lip to stop the laughter. “You look ridiculous.”
He winced, feigning hurt by her insult. “That stings a little. And here I was thinking you looked absolutely adorable.”
She began walking backward, pulling him along with her. “I seriously doubt that. And to clarify, your look is a ridiculous cute.”
He narrowed his eyes at her as he began to walk forward, being her eyes to keep her from bumping into someone. “I didn’t think there was such a thing. Cute and ridiculous just don’t go together.”
“Why can’t they go together?”
“Because they can’t. Either you’re cute or you’re ridiculous.”
A smirk emerged on her lips as she eyed him. “So you want me to drop cute then?”
A low growl emerged from him as he stopped walking forward and pulled her into his arms. His arms were thick and powerful as they wrapped around her, drawing her in. The night had grown cool and the feel of his hard warm body against hers felt amazing. She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her body flush against him, attempting to get closer to his warmth.
The cologne that had teased her nose while in the casino playing the slots was now overpowered by the cherry smell. And he was… sticky. Another bout of laughter erupted from her. She suspected this was supposed to be a romantic first kiss moment, but she couldn’t help her reaction. His neck, his shoulders, every exposed inch of him was sticky.
“Not the reaction I usually get from women when I’m trying to make a move on them.”
She bit down on her lip attempting to halt the giggling. “I’m sorry.” Leaning into him she flicked her tongue along the side of his neck, tasting the cherry. His body stiffened against her. “You’re really tasty, though.” She went in for another teasing nip, running her lips along the side of his neck.
He inhaled sharply and a low growl-like moan escaped him, as his hands pulled her so tight it left her winded. His tight grip loosened, but not before she felt a bulge beginning to form against her belly.
When she pulled back from him the heat in his eyes as she met his gaze caused a yearning between her legs. It both scared and excited her. One man, she’d only been with one in her life; could she possibly give in to her desires to this virtual stranger?