London Bound: New Adult Romance (Chase Brothers) (10 page)

Now that he’d tasted her, he knew he didn’t have a prayer in hell of staying away.

Chapter 11

Abbie swayed into Alexi. It would be so easy to go back to kissing him. Kissing as well as practically dry humping him on the bench. That was…new. What kind of idiot was she? It was one thing to want to be adventurous; it was another to get so caught up. It had to be the alcohol talking, because she did not do that.

She was no virgin, but hooking up wasn’t really her thing. And she wasn’t sure why, but it was really important to her for him to know that. “Combustible. Right. I just feel like I need to breathe for a minute. Catch my breath.”
Get my brain working.

His smile was slow, but it reached his eyes. “I can live with that. How about we go dance?”

What? No
. Dancing was far worse. Because with dancing she’d be pressed up against him and remember what he tasted like. Maybe if they just talked for a minute more she could get her bearings. “I was thinking we could stay up here a little longer. You know, talk a little more. Maybe you can tell me why you’re really hiding on the night of your birthday party.”

She tried to step around him, and he blocked her path. “Maybe we should grab coffee or something for that kind of chat. It’s a very boring story. Besides, if we stay up here, I won’t be thinking about my life story. I’ll be thinking about how you taste. Anyway, I can’t really disappear too long from the party. It’s only a matter of time until someone comes looking for us.”

She flushed. They could have totally been seen. The thought hadn’t even entered her mind. She’d been so
consumed
. Actually, no thought had entered her brain. She’d been entirely focused on getting as close to him as humanly possible.

She blinked up at Lex, the chasm between what she wanted to do and what she should do growing ever wider. “You’re right. Lead the way to the dance floor. I wore these shoes for a reason. They should get used.”

“Ladies first, of course.”

As she preceded him down the stairs she wondered why him? Why this guy? The last thing she wanted to do was get caught up in a guy so hot she didn’t dare touch. Not to mention a spoiled rich kid. He might not be making it rain, but the air of wealth clung to him.

But Lex had a way about him. She could see herself so wrapped up in him that nothing else mattered. One kiss, and she already knew he would consume her life if she let him.

* * *

Lex followed Abbie into the din of the party. Jasper had switched from the dance tracks to Robin Thicke. The mellow and seductive sounds of
Lost Without You
filled the room, and couples gravitated toward each other, holding on tight, some nearly making love on the dance floor.

Lex knew it wasn’t a good idea. But he wanted to hold her again, just to feel her skin against his before he had to let her go and put the mask on again.

Her hips swayed with each graceful stride, and he had to work hard to keep his brain from wandering too far down a path he couldn’t go. Before she melded into the throngs of party guests, he snatched her hand.

Whirling to meet his gaze, she paused just on the edge of the crowd, hanging on the precipice between fantasy and reality. He pulled her in close before leaning in to whisper, “Can I have one dance before I let you go?”

She blinked up at him before a slow smile spread on her lips. “Which one of us is going to be in debt after this dance?”

He smirked. “I have a feeling it’ll be me, but it’s a debt I willingly take on.”

Lex’s brain wrestled with his libido for control of the situation. He didn’t kiss her again, but instead, held her to him so her head tucked neatly under his chin and the scent of her shampoo tickled his nose, making him think of somewhere tropical and secluded.

He brushed his fingertips over the soft skin at her lower back. The satin feel of her flesh teased and sent electrical pulses through his blood.

He glanced quickly around before drawing her further into the dimness where no one would see them. And in the darkened peripheries of his own party, he started to enjoy himself.

He tapped her lower spine in time with the music, wishing the moment could last. When his hands slid further up her back, she inhaled suddenly, and he drew his head back to look down at her. “Are you okay?”

The tip of Abbie’s tongue peeked out again, taunting him. “Yeah, uh, you sent a shiver down my spine.”

“Good shiver or bad shiver?”

Her lashes lowered. “Good.”

Thanks to the blood roaring in his head, he couldn’t think, couldn’t remember all the reasons he should let her go, the reasons he couldn’t hold her like this, the reasons to walk away. He repeated the shiver-inducing caress, and she whimpered.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Abbie.”

Her voice was soft. Barely discernable with the music. “Why not?”

“Because it makes me want to misbehave, and we’ve already misbehaved enough for one party.”

Her brows furrowed before she met his gaze again. “You’re trouble, you know that?”

“You wouldn’t be the first person to tell me that.” But she would be the first who mattered. What the hell was wrong with him? He barely knew her, but he was already risking too much just to spend a little more time in her presence. He needed to get a serious grip.

With the song fading in the distance, his brain exerted a final defensive maneuver and won the battle over his libido. Gently, he set her away from him. “Thank you for the dance, Abbie. I’m sorry about the kiss. It won’t happen again.”

Then he turned around and deliberately walked away.

Chapter 12

Abbie stumbled several steps before she found her footing. The instant she’d left the warm cocoon of Lex’s arms, she felt empty, and that scared her.
And
he wasn’t hers to hold onto.

Unable to find her friends with a quick scan, she sidled up to the bar, looking for a good viewing spot. She signaled the bartender and asked for water.

“Hello, Little Bird.”

Abbie jumped as the voice whispered over her consciousness. She whirled around. Sure enough, Xander leaned against the wall. Clutching her hand to her chest, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

His smile was wry as the corners of his eyes crinkled. “I could ask you the same thing. Are you here to pilfer my photography gig?”

It was only then that she noticed the camera around his neck. “Oh, you’re working.” Who was Lex that he could afford a photographer of Xander’s caliber just for his birthday? “Not poaching, I swear. I’m here for the party.”

He chuckled softly. “You can relax. I’m only having a bit of fun with you.” He nodded toward Lex. “I saw you dancing with the birthday boy.”

She silently thanked God for the low light in the bar, because it meant that her sudden flush was hidden. “I, uh, yeah.”

“You know him well?” His question was almost too soft to be heard over the din of the rap song Jasper played.

She shook her head. “No. Not really. We just met recently.”

“Pretty hot dance for two people who just met.”

Abbie frowned. The dragon that was her temper woke from a long slumber and stretched its talons. Though cooler heads prevailed, and she remembered Xander was her teacher. She cleared her throat and searched the crowd for Max or Sophie. “No, not really.”

“Not from what I could see at this vantage point. As you know, the camera never lies.”

Had he photographed them dancing? What had her face looked like with Lex’s hips pressed into hers? If it reflected the way she’d been feeling at the time, euphoric desire and a little giddiness, then she was in trouble. “You’ll need an artist release to use that.” She couldn’t put her finger on why, but Xander’s being here irked her. His butting in irked her even more. Something else about him bothered her too. Maybe it was his air of overconfidence, but something about him pushed her buttons, and she had to resist the urge to toss her drink at him. That would have been a waste of perfectly good water.

“That I would, if I intended to use it for anything.”

Through gritted teeth, she asked, “So how do you know Alexi?”

Xander grinned. “Alexi is it?” He smirked. “I used to throw away his dirty nappies.”

Confused, she blinked.

His sudden laugh transformed his face, making him even better looking, but also making him approachable and less cocky. “He’s my brother.”

Brother?
Well that explained the common last name. And Lex had said his brother was a photographer. But she had a feeling like he’d deliberately not told her about Xander. Granted, probably many a girl got close to Lex hoping to brush against fame or something.

Now that she looked closely, she wondered how the hell she could have missed it. Alexi cocked his head the same way Xander did. Had the same almost-smiling uptick of his lips. And their bone structure was similar as well. Except Xander’s eyes leaned toward dark slate, and Alexi’s were a soft silver. “Oh. Small world, I guess.”

“Indeed.” He continued to study her. But again, his scrutiny wasn’t sexual…exactly. At least she didn’t think it was.

She stood there, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot to distribute her weight in the killer heels. She wanted to appear nonchalant, but he unsettled her. “What? Why are you staring at me?”

His grin flashed.
Wow
. It should be illegal for him to do that in public. The simple act of the smile made him look angelic and sweet. He was possessed of the devil’s charm.

“Relax. I already told you, I don’t sleep with students.” He shrugged. “Your face is interesting. I’m trying to figure out the best light to shoot you in.”

He
thought
her
face was fascinating?
Right
. Didn’t mean she was going to let him shoot her though. “I don’t think so.”

He nodded absently. “Well, if you change your mind, I suppose you know where to find me.”

“I suppose I do.” She began to wonder exactly how many of his students he’d
‘photographed
.’

His next question surprised her.

“What do you want with my brother?”

She wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. “Excuse me?”

“My brother—what do you want with him?”

Bewildered, she sputtered. “I-I don’t want anything from him. I barely know the guy. It was just a dance.”

Xander’s eyes were stormy as he leaned into her space. He smelled like Lex. They apparently had the same taste in the unique cologne. The scent swirled around her, and she had to shake her head to clear it.

“Bullshit. I can see it on his face. You intrigue him. Let me do you a favor. Steer clear of him.”

Heat prickled her arm. “I’m sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, I only need to take your advice in the classroom. Outside of it, I can take care of myself.”

He cocked a brow. “Who said I was worried about you?”

With open-mouthed shock, Abbie could only stare as Xander sauntered off to join the throngs on the dance floor. He was immediately joined by a blonde and a brunette, each vying for his attention.

Who did he think he was? She had a father, and she didn’t need to take advice from her professor, who looked more like a player than any teacher she’d ever seen. And if he wanted to steer her away from Lex, he’d just done the one thing likely to make her run toward his brother.

* * *

Lex forced his legs to move in the opposite direction of where Abbie stood. He needed to get as far away from her as possible. And he needed to start using his brain, right fucking now. If that fucking paparazzo had gotten a picture of his face, he was royally screwed. Not to mention the shitter he’d just put Gemma in.

He scanned the crowd for her and eventually spotted her chestnut mane by the chocolate fountain. She was deep in conversation with another woman. Even as he battled the crowd to get to his supposed fiancée, he felt Abbie’s eyes on him. It wouldn’t help him keep his head if she kept staring at him like that. “Hey, Gem, can I talk to you for a minute?”

She smiled up at him as he pulled her aside. “Yeah, Sure. Where did you vanish off to? For a minute, I thought you’d left the party, but I noticed Nick was still here.”

Unable to meet her gaze, he muttered, “Look, Gem, we have a problem.”

She arched a delicate dark brow. “Out with it, Lex.”

“I was on the roof. There was a paparazzo up there.”

“Are you serious?” She rolled her eyes. “They are such a pain in the ass. I’ll go talk to the owner right away. You shouldn’t have to deal with that shit on your birthday. Can’t they just fucking leave you alone, for once? It’s not like you were up there doing lines of coke or anything.” She frowned. “Were you?”

He blinked once, then again. “No. Fuck. No. Nothing like that, but, uh, there was a girl.”

Gemma blinked at him and nodded. “Sophie’s friend?”

She’d seen them dancing at Jaspers party last weekend and had pestered him for days until he’d told her about Abbie. “Yeah. She was up there with me, talking.” He shifted from foot to foot and jammed his hands in his pockets. “There might have been snogging.”