Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Anderson

"Where are we?" Aspen cracks her neck, handing me the helmet I bought her earlier today and shaking her curly her.

"Downtown?" I arch an eyebrow, resting the helmet on the seat of my bike. Nerdy Doc with framed glasses and lab coat is hot. The biker chick look with skinny jeans that fit her like a second skin, hugging the curves of her rounded ass, leather jacket and tall boots has me drooling since I picked her up an hour ago. "We're in Belltown."

"That's obvious." She snorts, pointing at the Space Needle, then turning around to the building in front of us. "What are all those people waiting for?"

"Hawk," the valet parking dudes greet me. One takes the helmets while the second jumps on my bike.

"There's a full house tonight, good luck going inside." Ryan stays behind handing me my ticket.

"Thank you for the heads up, Ryan." I take Aspen's hand marching toward the back door.

"This isn't a ride along the coast," she insists. Her eyes are weary, her body is tense, and surprisingly, she's holding my hand tight and grasping my arm with her other hand.

"Hawk, my man," the security guard on the back door greets me, interrupting Aspen. As he greets us as he opens the door. "They're at full capacity, keep an eye on your girl."

"All the clubs?"

"All except the acoustic bar. There's a private concert." He indicates angling his head to the left. "I'm sure they'll let you in, though."

"Is there something special going on?"

He nods. "The boss and his band are playing tonight." He salutes me closing the door from the outside.

Weird, Kevin didn't mention having a gig tonight.

"Where are we?" Aspen grasps my hand tighter as we walk through the dim hallway.

"The Silver Moon." I scan the area, checking who's working tonight. "We have a couple of options, choose between bar or…Do you want to hear live music?"

She halts, pulling me toward her. "Live music?" Her brows knit into a frown. "What happened to ‘let's drive?'"

"I promised to distract you." With my free hand, I touch her temple, drawing small circles on it, then smoothing the wrinkle in between her brows. She furrows her nose. I slide my finger to the tip, poking it slightly, and resisting the urge to kiss her nose. "You seemed too stressed when I picked you up."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She shakes her head. "The best way to erase that worry is interrupting Kevin's gig."

"Who's Kevin?" She raises her eyebrows in question.

"My partner." I smile, waiting for some ‘tattoo artist' suggestion but he says nothing. "He's cool, you're going to like him."

She intakes air, nodding slowly. Her shoulders loosen up, and she smiles. "Then, we shall listen to the troubadour."

No one is on the stage when we enter, music blasts from the speakers overhead. I find us a seat in the left corner of the bar, closer to the stage. Aspen orders a margarita while I order whatever special they have on tap. She sheds her jacket, uncovering a red sleeveless blouse that shows off enough of her cleavage. I can see straight down; I'm mesmerized by her full breasts and the hint of a black bra covering them. My pulse quickens as I picture those breasts bursting as I unhook the delicate garment holding them.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Kevin walking toward us. "I apologize in advance," I warn Aspen.

"What?" She blinks twice, confused.

"Look what the cat dragged," Kevin says, stopping right beside Aspen, shooting her a flirty smile. Fuck, I should've sat right next to her. "And who are you, gorgeous?"

There's a primal urge inside me to push him away from Aspen.

The waiter delivers our drinks. Aspen grabs hers, gifting Kevin a cordial smile. Her tongue darts out, licking her lips first and then the salt around the rim of her glass. My jaw drops. My breath catches. Fuck, what I would give for that tongue to swirl around my cock. Just friends. She takes a couple of gulps, gazing at Kevin after licking her lips. "I'll be better after two or three of these."

"Aspen, this is Kevin, my?—"

"Partner," she finishes my sentence, extending her hand. "Nice meeting you, Kevin. It surprises me that we haven't seen you around the house."

"Sweetheart, tell me when and where and I'll be there with Gran Patron."

"Cool it, man," I advise him.

He lifts his arms, surrendering, "Chill, Hawk." The music stops, the voices of everyone around take over the background. "I better go backstage. We start in a few. Are you going back to your Mom's tonight?"

Aspen raises her margarita glass signaling the waiter to bring a second one.

"Not sure, I brought the bike." He nods, agreeing that if Aspen continues drinking at this pace, she might not be able to hold onto me while we drive back to her house. "Depends on how things go. The apartment is only ten minutes from here."

"Nice meeting you, Aspen."

"Same, Kevin."

Once he's out of earshot she leans, and gives me a knowing grin. "He's cute. Handsome. I approve." Then she twists her lips. "He's a flirt, is he…bi?"

I rub the back of my head not understanding how she knew Kevin is bi-sexual. "Yeah," I respond with a shrug. "Does it bother you?"

She touches her sternum slightly shaking her head. "Not at all. Does it bother you?"

"Nah, he is who he is."

She opens her mouth, but the music begins and we go quiet. I drag her chair closer to me. "You can see better from this angle," I explain as she stares at me.

The waiter brings her a second margarita, I signal for him to come closer to me. "Bring us another round of water, please."

Aspen bends close to me, resting her head on my shoulder and her lips brushing my ear. "Are you going to tell him to cut me off?" I shake my head, moving my arm around her shoulder and pressing her closer to me. "Good, because I'm a big girl."

"I ordered water, Doc." I nuzzle her hair, enjoying her scent. A mix of coconut, flowers and honey. "Just trying to make sure we stay hydrated."

We listen to Kevin and his old bandmates play. Aspen orders two more margaritas. I continue nursing my second beer. I'm enjoying the music, the company, and the calm this girl brings when she's around. Mom's health concerns me. Earlier today, she told me that maybe she should live the rest of her days happy. No more doctors, injections, or medicines that make her feel worse than she already does.

"I like that song," Aspen whispers closing the small gap between us. "They do great covers. They sound almost exactly like Without A Compass—my brother was a fan."

"Yeah, they sound old." I don't mention they're the same band .

I comb my fingers through her curls, fascinated by the springing motion. I'm enjoying my time with her. My friend who has a boyfriend for some forsaken reason I can't understand. The one who possesses pouty lips that I crave. Something about this girl calls me. My reactions when she's around are unexpected. I can't remember spending so much time with a girl—a woman.

"My mother is calling more than usual. We have a terrible relationship. My fiancé's birthday is close, and I don't know what to do with my career," she shouts, letting a loud breath out when she's done.

Fiancé? What happened to douchebag? She's marrying the douchebag? I don't know how to address any one of them.

She shakes her head. "I don't want to talk about them. Not tonight. Thank you for this—I didn't know I needed a night off."

My heart swells with those words. My desire was to draw back a smile, erasing the stress of the day or the weeks I wasn't around. From all the missions I've been in charge of, this is the most successful one. The one that makes me feel accomplished. When the session is over, I convince her to hop on over to the bars next door. We party in the eighties to the rhythm of Billy Idol, Queen, Kenny Loggins, and Starship and stopp when U2's Joshua Tree starts to play.

"I like the band, but they're too dramatic to dance to, don't you think?" she says, looking around the room.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Another margarita?" she responds energetically. Five drinks in, and her speech is still smooth, as is her coordination. This woman can pack some serious amount of alcohol. "The tequila they used is perfect. I've never tasted something as wonderful as that one."

I chose Gran Patron to ensure that tomorrow's hangover won't hit her as hard. It wasn't cheap, sweetheart. You're welcome.

She downs it like water. Then she grabs the glass of water I asked for, chugging it. Right then, George Michael's Careless Whisper starts to play. Her body starts swaying, I take her hand marching toward the dance floor.

"I never pictured you like this," she whispers, wrapping her arms around my neck and smiling at me. Her bright eyes fixed on mine.

"How did you picture me?" I move closer to her, closing the space between us. Resting my hands on her lower back, I lead us to the soft rhythm of the music. We've done this before, the night she arrived earlier from her gala wearing a short dress. She was showing off her long, tanned legs in a pair of shinny "fuck me" heels. Sharing her space feels right. So does breathing her perfume combined with the coconut in her hair. The experience is overwhelming in a good way, like Aspen.

I have this desire to spend time with her, occupy the same space as her, and make love to her. I'm fucking confused because I don't know the first thing about a relationship. We are friends, I've never had a female friend who I'm attracted to before. Is this normal? Should I act on it? No, she has a fucking boyfriend.

"Different?" she answers when the song ends. "Serious, sullen…you have short answers and zero conversation starters—unless you're asking questions."

"Or texting," I remind her with a wink.

Lady in Red starts playing. As Chris De Burgh sings the song, I gaze at the beautiful woman in my arms. The lyrics fit her and I doubt I'll ever forget the way she looks tonight. Hypnotized by her brown eyes, the music, and the moment—I put my hand behind her head leaning closer to her, brushing my lips against hers. There's an electrical surge traveling through my spine when I take her lips. She relaxes, opening her mouth as I lick her bottom lip. The taste of her, the feel of her body against me, all these emotions rushing through my body settle as I slide my tongue inside her mouth.

The craving I hoped would subside with this kiss increases, it's a hunger I doubt I can satisfy.

"Wait," she pushes me away. Closing her eyes, she rests her forehead on my chest. "I have a boyfriend and too many tequilas in my system."

Fucking boyfriend. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but friends kiss." I play dumb. She shakes her head, snorting. "Oh well, you'll have to teach me how the rules go. Another margarita?"

Driving a bike with a hard on won't be easy. Some beer, a walk to cool down, and a few feet between the two of us will fix the tent in my pants.

"Getting me drunk won't get me in bed," she blurts out, laughing. "One more and then we can go home."

One more margarita, two more songs, and remember keep your pants on, Hawk.