7 Degrees of Alpha (a collection of seven new BWWM, Alpha Male Romances) (48 page)

Landon

Now, you need to understand. I’m not a stalker or some crazed psycho who needs to do underhanded things to get a woman to come back to my place. I’m not like that at all, but I am
committed
. And when I see something I want, there is nothing or no one that can stop me. I listen closely to my instincts. They have never steered me wrong. Listening to my instincts is how I became the best damn quarterback in the NFL. So when my instincts tell me I need to acquaint myself with this Mel woman from the pool, I listen. That’s how I found myself sitting at the bar in Nuyorican Café, ordering my second Corona of the evening. I sip my brew, peering over the brim of the bottle, my eyes darting from one side to another, seeking out Mel.

After another ten minutes, I finally spot her. Although her back is to me, I know it’s her. Call it intuition. Whatever it is, it’s telling me this is the woman. She’s dressed in a white and black patterned, sleeveless shorts romper and a pair of black ankle boots that give her about a four-inch height difference from when she was at the pool. Her braids now hang loose, and are whipping in different directions as she sways those wide hips and thick thighs around the dance floor. When she turns, I can see her face, and her smile actually causes me to lose my damn breath for a second. The absolute look of joy on her beautiful face makes me want to take it between my hands and possess it…possess
her
.

The only problem is she’s not dancing by herself. Some dude, appearing to be around five-eight or five-nine is her dance partner.
Too bad buddy,
I think as I rise from my stool to make my way over to the dance floor. His night with this woman is about to end, while mine is just about to begin.

“Oh, excuse me.” I hear her sultry voice over the music. That’s the fourth time she’s apologized to me today. I don’t like it, but I can use it to my advantage.

“That’s the second time you’ve bumped into me today,” I bend down to say low in her ear, more to be close to her, than the loud music. As I bend down, I catch a whiff of her perfume. It smells like coffee mixed with vanilla and some sort of flower. I identify the scent as Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. I’ve smelled it before on other women, but on this woman the scent does something to me.  If I hadn’t already been drawn to this woman, the scent would have surely done me in.

“So—”

“And that was almost the fifth apology you’ve given me today,” I say cutting her off, “You want to make it up to me? Dance with me.” I hold out my hand, ignoring the man behind her, who she’d been dancing with. I wait a heartbeat, and she glances over her shoulder at her former dance partner. I make the decision for them both. “You don’t mind, do you, buddy?” I turn my face into a glower so he can get the hint. His time is up. Wisely, he shakes his head, holding up his hands in retreat.
Wise decision.

“Dance with me,” I say again, not giving her time to think about it, as I take her hand in mine and spin her around. The laughter she emits when I spin her around again sends a shiver down my spine. I like it. I want more of it.

              I spin her again and we begin an upbeat salsa dance in rhythm to the music played by the live band. The club is filled on this Friday night, but the only person I see right now is her. Even in those four-inch heels, her moves are swift and as sharp as a knife. The hypnotizing sway of her hips actually has me stumbling a few times, looking like the typical white boy who can’t dance. I was grateful when the band slowed it down, playing a song akin to a ballad. Refusing to release her, I pulled her into me by the hips, then reached down, pulling her arms up around my neck, silently communicating she wasn’t going anywhere. Thankfully, she put up no resistance.

“You smell good,” I say, letting my head fall to her neck and inhaling her scent.

“Thank you,” she smiles.

I can tell she is just as affected by me as I am by her.
Good.
We remain locked closely for the remainder of the song. When the band takes a break, I ask if she wants a drink.

“I-uh,” she hesitates.

“The bar is just right over here. Just one drink, and if you don’t enjoy my company you don’t even have to pay me back,” I joke, feeling like a damn teenager trying to convince his first crush to go on their first date. She smiles and nods. I place my hand at the small of her back, and shake my leg, trying to release the hard on that’s grown in my jeans since we began dancing.

I order another beer and an amaretto sour for her. “You’ve got some moves out there,” I say motioning my head toward the dance floor.

Another smile from her and that funny feeling in my stomach happens again. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“What’s your name?” I ask, hoping she gives me her whole name and not just her nickname.

“It’s Melody,” she replies. “But mostly everyone calls me Mel.”

I nod as if I hadn’t already gathered that information.  “I’m Landon,” I say peering down into her brown eyes, looking for recognition. I’ve had women feign as if they had no idea who I was, just to make it seem as if our encounter was by chance. Now, it doesn’t escape me that, that is in fact what I am doing with this woman. I knew she’d be here and I came looking for her, but I want to make sure she is not trying to play with me. Hypocrite. I know. Sue me.

“It’s nice to meet you, Landon.”

I watched as she brings her drink up to her full, gloss-covered lips. As they wrap around the edge of the glass, my one wish in life is to feel her wrap those same lips around the part of me that is once again stiffening in my jeans.

“Do you live here? You look sort of familiar, but I can’t place you.”

“Well, I did see you this afternoon at the pool.”

She shakes her head and a few of her braids fall into her face. Before I realize it, my hand is up by the side of her face, pushing the braids back. I don’t want any obstruction in the way of her face.

“Th-thank you,” she says, again letting me know she is not impervious to my touch…my closeness. “No. I remember you from the pool, but there you looked familiar too.”

I wonder if I should tell her who I am, but decide against it. “No, I’m not from here.” I shrug, without giving any more information.

“Tell me where you learned to dance like that?” I ask wanting to know more about this woman.

“I take salsa lessons one day a week at a club in Philadelphia where I live,” she says easily, before clamping her hand over her mouth, “Oh, I probably shouldn’t tell a perfect stranger on vacation what city I live in.”

I laugh at that for two reasons. One, I’ve just discovered we live in the same city, and two, it’s cute seeing her being a little self-deprecating.  “No worries. I promise I won’t jump out of your closet one night while you’re at home by yourself.” I chuckle, taking another swig of my beer.

“Thank you for that.” She laughs too.

I really said it to try to gain some insight into whether or not she had someone at home waiting for her. I don’t even know why that mattered. This was just vacation pussy, right?

“Are you here by yourself?” I ask another question I already know the answer to.

Melody shakes her head. “A friend of mine and a few of her friends are here.”

“Good,” I say, looking directly into her eyes.

“Good?”

“Yup. If you had said you were on a date, I would have said too bad for
him.
” I watched as her eyes widened a bit as realization of my words sunk in. I had meant every word of it. Right now, having had her curves pressed against me while we danced, it didn’t matter if she’d been here on a date.

“Dance with me.
Again,”
I say after a few heartbeats, taking her glass from her hand. The band is playing another slow song.
Perfect.
I pull her in close, and her body responds by curving into mine just like it was meant to fit there all along. She’s all soft curves against my hard body. That scent of hers overtakes me, and I find my head lowering on its own accord to inhale more. Her arms come up to wrap around my neck. Within seconds her fingers make their way to the hair at the back of my head and my cock instantly stiffens. I have a thing with being grabbed at the back of my head, and these feminine fingers gripping me are turning me on. I can’t stop the last words from spilling out of my mouth. “You know you’re in trouble, right?” I growl low in her ear, before gripping her arms and practically dragging her out of the club.

****

Melody

I have no idea how I got here. I mean, I know I went out with my best friend Lina and some of her friends. I remember dancing with a few men, and then
he
appeared out of nowhere. I remember him from the pool earlier. How could I forget those eyes the same color as the Puerto Rican sky, dark brown hair, and strong chiseled jaw? He’s got this whole Chris Evans thing going on except, even better looking. When he appeared at the pool, out of nowhere, I couldn’t control my eyes from sneaking peeks at those rippling muscles as they sliced through the water. His body was magnificent.

Now, here I am standing outside of Nuyorican Café, my back pressed against the side of the building, and those piercing baby blues looking at me as if I am prey.

“You’re beautiful, Red,” he says, and I crinkle my brows in confusion.

I’ve told him my name is
Melody
. Why is he referring to me as
Red
?

The smile that touches his lips is almost lecherous. “Your bathing suit from earlier…
red
is your color,” he says as he runs his finger along the seam of my bottom lip, which is of course covered in Ruby Woo red lipstick. I too, came to the conclusion that red is a great color on me. Hence, the choice to purchase a high-waist red bikini.

“Thank you,” I respond, my nerves growing. “Are you here on vacation?” I ask, not knowing what else to say, as he just continues to stare, that damn finger wreaking havoc on my nerves.

He nods. “I already surmised so are you,” he says. I nod agreeing with his assumption. “And I’ve just figured out the perfect way to spend my first night of this vacation,” he says as his finger now trails along my jaw line.

I raise an eyebrow, silently asking him to elaborate. He places one hand above my head on the wall behind me and the other grips my hip, stepping in closer to me. I feel his hardness against my abdomen, and on their own accord, my hips attempt to press even closer. Even in the darkness of the night, I can see the knowing glint in his eyes. He knows I want him
badly
.

Leaning down he practically growls, “With my cock getting acquainted with this,” he says as the hand on my hip moves around to cup the space between my thighs. I gasp, both from the bluntness of his statement and the way my nipples harden and wetness instantly pools in my panties. I’ve never had a man be this blunt, not even that dumbass ex of mine, but I can see the desire in his eyes, and it feels good to be wanted. Even if it’s for one night. Hell, maybe this will be the self-esteem booster I need to get back on the market once I return home.

As I raise my eyes to take another look in those hypnotizing eyes, I’m not thinking about when I return home, or my ex. All I’m thinking is how I want nothing more than to allow my body to get acquainted with his. He must see the decision I’ve made in my eyes.

“Let’s go tell your friends, you’re leaving,” he orders, pulling me from the wall and into the entrance of the club. He leans down to ask me where my friends were seated. I look around and point to the table, thinking I’ll go retrieve my clutch, let Carol know I am leaving, while he waits. He quickly and silently dissuades me from this notion, when he places his hand at the small of my back and escorts me to the table.

“Lina, I’m leaving,” I say to my best friend who is nearly two sheets to the wind and curled up in a booth with her boyfriend.

“Wait.
Leaving
?” she asks, uncurling from her boyfriend to stand.

I go to step closer to her, only to feel an ironclad grip around my waist. I look up and see Landon staring at me. His gaze uncompromising, silently making it clear he has no intention of letting me go anywhere. I shiver at the promise in his eyes. “Uh, yeah, I’m heading back,” I turn and say to Lina again, before glancing at Landon again so that she gets the hint.

“
Oooh
,” she sings, her mouth spreading into another knowing smile. “Get it, girl,” she praises. “Have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said laughing returning to her seat. I smile, shaking my head, knowing there is very little she
wouldn’t
do. That’s my best friend. I love her.

Again, before I know it, Landon is pulling me toward the door. “I’m parked up here.” He points toward the large parking garage. A few minutes later, we’re on the third level of the garage.

“This is me,” he says, aiming his key at a dark colored Range Rover. He opens the passenger’s door for me, and I find myself spun around again, facing those piercing eyes of his. A few heartbeats pass before he lowers his head, and I want nothing more than to feel those lips that are now aimed at me. A millisecond later he gives me what I was craving.