The Complete Memories Series (34 page)

The almost kiss that has haunted me ever since.

I snap out of it and focus my attention on unpacking my suitcase full of clean clothes. I need to stock up on Vino, chocolate, and ice cream ready for this month’s visitor. I can already tell she’s gonna be a bitch.

Did u sleep naked last night?

I frown at
my phone and laugh out loud. I think that tops the ten weirdest text messages ever received.

Why? Are u hoping I did?

I hit the send button and chuckle to myself. Jen is the only girl I know with big enough balls to send me a message like that.

In ur dreams, space cadet. I
’m wondering if I need to de-flea myself, that’s all.

I shake my head at her. Space cadet? The girl is random as shit.

No de-fleaing necessary. Cold shower maybe.

Ur not that hot.

Not what ur eyes said last night.
I smirk to myself, wondering how she’ll come back to that one. I know she’ll have one.

I need to go to specsavers apparently. I must be half blind if I looked at u like ur hot.

I laugh. Loudly. Goddamn, she has enough fire inside her to set this city alight. I’d love to be the one to cool her down for five minutes. Actually, make that five hours. I’d need more than five measly fucking minutes with a goddess like Jennifer Mason. My dick stiffens at the thought of spending time with her... In my bed.

U win. U going out tonight?

Wasn’t going to. Who’s out?

I know Saph is out with us.

Get her to ring me and I’ll see.

I shoot a quick message off to Mitch telling him to tell Saph to ring Jen. Too many tellings, and I
’m still as hard as a fucking rock. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, and head towards the shower, doing whatever I can to keep that blonde bombshell off my sexually inclined mind.

~

My eyes scour the club as I lean by the bar with Mitch, pint in hand. As usual, there are a million girls in here tonight. And, as usual, I only give a crap about one.

Said girl is looking so hot in the little black dress and pink heels she
’s wearing that she should come with a warning.

Warning; erection guaranteed.

I bring the glass to my lips, watching as she moves her body to the beat of the music, her hips swaying round tantalisingly. Her body undulates, her curves move like they’re made of liquid, the fluidity begging me to touch.

I clench my free hand and try to focus on something, on anything other than her.

When the song ends, Jen and Saph come bounding up to us. Jen’s cheeks are flushed from dancing, her eyes shining. What would she look like if I was the cause of that? Would she still have that bead of sweat dripping down her neck and running teasingly into her cleavage? Holy...

“
Squashed frogs! Two!” Saph yells at the bartender. Despite how busy it is, Saph gets served immediately. Some people would say it’s the bright red hair piled on top of her head, the watermelons attached to her chest, or the legs that go on forever. In reality, it’s because Red belongs to her Daddy.

And Saph is nothing if not a Daddy
’s girl.

“
To freedom!” Saph toasts, and both her and Jen sink the yellow, red and green shots. Jen wrinkles her face up and does a little shiver, making me smile.

Well, if that ain
’t cute, then I’m fucked as to what is.

“
Nice?” I ask as she leans on the bar next to me.

“
Not particularly.” She smacks her lips together. “But it does the job.”

“
The job being what?” I lean in closer to her and she laughs, slightly bitterly.

“
To forget, for just one night.” She gazes at the bottles behind the bar. “To just be Jen without all the fuckery doo.”

“
And what, can I ask, is fuckery doo?” I try to hide my smile, but she glances at me and grins. She drops her face down and her shoulders shake.

“
I have no idea,” she admits with a small shrug. “It sounded good at the time.”

“
Hey, Joe!” I shout to the bartender. “Can Jen get a drink?”

“
What do you need, gorg?” Joe calls over.

“
Hmmm.” Jen scans the bottles. “You know what, handsome? Give it to me hard.”

“
Sounds like an offer you can’t refuse, Joe!” Mitch laughs.

Joe winks and picks up and empty cocktail shaker.
“Okay, Jenny baby, you asked for it. I’ll give it to you hard.”

Jen smiles her most charming smile at him, and it
’s a damn good job Joe is gay.

If the guy wasn
’t, that cocktail shaker would be shoved so far up his fucking ass it’d be coming out of his ears.

I watch as he mixes vodka, Malibu, cherry sourz, advocaat,
Sambuca, and a dash of Martini. He finishes with a dash of lemon juice and a couple squirts of lemonade. I suck in a breath as the odd coloured drink is poured into a fresh glass and set in front of her.

“
Joe, you know I love you, but what is this crap?” Jen picks up the glass. “It looks like a cross between cats piss and goblin snot.”

“
Triple O by Joe.” Mitch nods his head. “Every time.”

‘‘
Triple O by Joe?” Jen questions, looking between us.

I grin like the Cheshire cat and crook my finger, motioning for her to come closer. I smoothly push her hair away from her ear
, and put my mouth close to it. “It’s rumoured that Triple O by Joe is the best drink to get if you’re gonna get some. The mix of the spirits heightens your senses and relaxes you, so much so that when you do get your way you’ll have three explosive orgasms that toss you into oblivion.”

Her chest rises and falls as she takes a deep breath, and I can almost hear her heart pounding over the music in the club. I look at the smooth skin on her neck, and the temptation to touch my lips to her pulse point to see if her heart is beating as fast as I think it is almost takes over. I
exhale hard, letting my breath travel over her bare skin, and she shivers.

Bing’s low, husky voice sends tremors through my body in an intense, primal way I haven’t felt in a long time. And it isn’t just because of the crazy froggy shots I’ve been throwing back all night.

And it isn
’t just his voice. It’s the way he says it – the inflections he adds in that makes it both threatening and exciting at the same time. It’s a promise woven into a seductive statement that makes me want to rip my knickers off right here, right now.

I
’m single. Being single means inhibitions can be thrown out the window, and that’s what I want to do right now. I want to throw them all away, turn my face to the side, and finish what we almost started more than a year ago.

Because I need to get him out of my system.

His breath is hot on my ear, and I turn my face slightly towards him. “Is that so?” I ask.

“
Mhmm...” He nearly moans it out, causing my heart to pound, and oh for the love of all things shitfaced, someone get me some ice so I can go and cool the fuck down.

“
Well, then.” I smile slightly, and look up at his mocha eyes between my lashes. “I’m not likely to get any tonight, but I’m still gonna drink it. Maybe Saph will join me.” I spy my bright red haired friend rolling her eyes at Mitch.

“
Oi, boobs!” I yell.

“
What?” She looks over Mitch’s shoulder.

“
Come and have a Triple O with me?” I waggle my eyebrows playfully, and I’ve drawn the attention of guys around us. Bing tenses next to me, and as I step closer to Saph, he steps with me.

“
I’ll Triple O with you any day, girl!” Saph claps her hands, and Joe pours another drink from the shaker, barely stopping to think. He places it on the bar and Saph sniffs it.

“
What in the hell is in this?” She raises her eyebrows. “Smells like a brothel.”

“
Know what?” I shrug. “It’s a whole lotta shit we probably shouldn’t down in one go, but who gives a crap? Let’s do this!”

We clink the glasses and drink them in one. Alcohol burns the back of my throat, lining it with a roaring fire as it settles into a comfortable warmth in the pit of my belly.

“Never again.” Saph shakes her head, and dumps the glass on the bar. “Jesus Christ.”

“
I think she’s a wimp.” I turn to Bing, and he’s there, right there.

Like,
“hey I’m so close I can smell the vanilla shampoo you used before you left” right there. And I don’t mind. In fact, any chance of getting a little closer? Shimmy on down. Maybe. I giggle.

“
I think that’s Jen done for the night.” He tugs on a lock of my hair.

“
I’m not Rapunzel.” I shake my head. “Tugging my hair isn’t gonna get me down from my tower, not tonight, so I hate to break it to ya, Prince Charming, but you’ll have to get fucking climbing.”

I laugh at myself, and prop my chin up on the bar.

“Drunk, Jennifer?” Bing whispers the question seductively, and puts a hand on my back.

“
You know, my boyfriend would have kittens if...” I trail off. I don’t have a boyfriend. He has permission to touch. Maybe not from the relationship or break up gods but really, who cares what they think anyway?

“
If what?”

“
It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head and take my phone from my bag. “It’s one a.m. I want to go home, please.”

“
I’ll call us a taxi.” Bing gives me his arm, and I hold onto it tight - less for support and more for the want of his skin against mine.

Okay, so it
’s not the sexy little dreams I’ve been having, but I guess it’ll do.

My head is in the middle of a bad marching band practice, and my mouth has apparently taken up refuge in a bag of cotton wool.

“Oh my god,” I groan, and roll over in bed, placing a gentle hand on my forehead. “Who the fuck let me drink so much last night?”

“
As far as I remember, you insisted on downing a Triple O by Joe.”

My head snaps round too fast. The throbbing turns to a pound, my ears ring, and the room spins a little.
“What in goddamn hell is a Triple O by Joe?”

“
You probably don’t want me to answer that question.” Bing grins.

“
That bad, huh? Then you’re probably right... Can I also ask why you’re walking around my flat like you own the place, minus a t-shirt and plus pyjama bottoms I’m pretty sure you weren’t wearing last night?”

“
You passed out the second I got you in the taxi. I figured you’d prefer to wake up here so I told him to go via my house so I could grab some clothes.” He walks into the room, and I slowly sit up, my hand outstretched for the glass of water he’s carrying.

While I try not to ogle the poster pretty washboard abs right in front of my face.

The cool water slips down my throat, like aloe vera on a burn.

Bing holds his other hand out and produces two tablets.
“I figured you’d want these.”

“
Thank you,” I croak out and take them, downing the rest of the water.

“
You’re welcome, gorgeous.” He smiles and his eyes light up. Does he have to do that? Does he not understand that my head is already full of fuzzy mushy stuff without his sexy presence?

Jen smiles up at me from her relaxed position on the bed, and boy... What I’d do to be in there with her.

The second I put her in the taxi yesterday she passed out on my shoulder. I had my arm around her the whole way back, just holding her close to me. Something protective surged inside me at seeing her so vulnerable. Whatever happened in Devon must have been kinda bad
‘cause not even Jen gets that out of control on a weekend.

“
How are you feeling? You seemed a little devil may care last night.” I lean against the wall, knowing if I get closer to her again I will get in that bed.

“
Aren’t I always?” She gives me a cheeky grin, catching her tongue between her teeth. I want that tongue between my teeth, damn it. “Yeah… No, I’m okay. I just needed to let go last night, I think. I’m as dandy as cotton candy now.”

I smile at her choice of words.
“Are you planning on getting out of bed any time soon?”

“
Probably not.” She closes her eyes.

“
Then you won’t mind if I join you.” I wink roguishly at her, and she opens her eyes.

“
I’m sorry, I must have distracted you from your usual shag fest this weekend.” The hardness in her voice is unmistakable - and did I imagine that flinch?

“
Not at all.” I stand up straight, and move to the door, speaking softer. “I dunno when you’re gonna realise I’m not who I was two years ago, Jen.”

Her blue eyes meet mine, and there
’s a sadness in them, threatening to swallow her up. I want to hold her again. I don’t do holding, I do sex, but for Jen I’d make an exception.

Hell, for this girl, I
’d make an exception for anything.

“
Whatever, Sam. A leopard doesn’t change its spots.”

“
No, but a bird can always renew its feathers.” I open her door again, and walk through it. “If you need anything, you have my number.”

~