Guilty Pleasures: A Collection (10 page)

“Damn, Alyssa.” He slipped his hands around her waist from behind, surprising her with the warm, comforting, and unexpected hug. “It shouldn’t be that way.”

She closed her eyes, relishing the gentle way he was holding her, the way his face was pressed to the side of hers and his hands were clasped against her belly—which tumbled with sensual awareness.

She swallowed hard, ignoring those physical, arousing sensations making themselves known where Shane was concerned. “It’s always been that way, and I’m okay with it.” She might have come to accept the situation, but she’d never grown used to her mother’s indifferent behavior.

Side-stepping him, she grabbed the jumbo sized bucket of Red Vine licorice that was their snack of choice for the Twilight Zone show, then turned to him with a bright smile, refusing to let a too serious moment spoil their evening together. “Come on, we have a marathon to watch.”

#

Five hours and over ten Twilight Zone episodes later, Shane and Alyssa were reclining on the wide, sectional couch next to one another—shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, with Alyssa occasionally turning towards him when something from one of the shows scared or startled her. Which, lucky for Shane, was more often than not.

He’d turned off all the lights earlier so that the house was dark and eerie looking. The shadows flickering on the living room walls from the glow of the TV added to the ominous ambiance. He glanced toward Alyssa and found her gaze completely focused on the current episode,
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
, which was one of his favorites because it never failed to give Alyssa a good scare, and him a good laugh at her expense, even though she’d seen it half a dozen times before and knew exactly what was going to happen, and when.

Her eyes were wide and fixed on the TV screen. Her body was rigid with anticipation, and her expression intense as she watched the story unfold, about a man on a plane who believed he was seeing a hairy monster figure standing out on the aircraft’s wing during a very heavy rain storm. And just because Shane felt like breaking up the tense moment, he leaned toward Alyssa and tickled her in the ribs while growling in her ear, effectively terrifying her.

She screamed and jumped, then glared at him and punched him in the arm. “Dammit, Shane, you know how worked up I get over this episode.”

“Yeah, I do, which is why scaring you is so much fun,” he said, chuckling. “And here comes your favorite part.”

Actually, it was one of the scenes she dreaded the most, where the delusional passenger opened the curtain covering the aircraft’s window only to find the gremlin pressing his ugly, pig-like face up against the glass.

Another small scream caught in her throat, and she rolled toward Shane and buried her face against his neck so she didn’t have to look at the little demon. “God, I hate that evil gremlin monster,” she said as her body shuddered along the length of his. “I’m not watching any more of this episode. It’s absolutely horrid. Tell me when it’s over.”

He slid his arm along her shoulders and tucked her closer to his side, so that their bodies were nearly entwined intimately. “You big chicken.”

She pinched him lightly on his belly for that. “I only put myself through this torture once a year for
you
, you ungrateful oaf.”

“I appreciate your sacrifice,” he said solemnly. He also liked the way she splayed her hand on his stomach. “Now be quiet so I can watch the rest of the episode without you yammering in my ear.”

She huffed in response to his playful insult, and her warm, damp breath wafted against his neck—which he felt like an electrifying caress all the way down to his groin. He sucked back a groan, and it took monumental effort to concentrate on the show and not the perfect way Alyssa fit against him.

The episode continued, with the gremlin wreaking havoc on the aircraft’s propeller and engine, and freaking out the man in the process. In a fit of panic, the guy managed to secure himself a gun, and after opening the auxiliary exit and getting himself sucked halfway out the plane, he shot at the monster, in his mind killing it. The bizarre encounter sent the man into a mental breakdown, leaving the audience wondering if it had all been real, or yet another wacky trip through The Twilight Zone.

With the episode over, Shane’s attention returned to Alyssa, who was still snuggled up against him, her body completely relaxed and her breathing deep and even. Realizing she’d fallen asleep, he grinned to himself and threaded his fingers through her soft hair and caught the floral scent of her shampoo, which went straight to his senses. He thought about waking her up to watch the next show, but instead decided to let her rest a little longer while he played with her hair and enjoyed the feel of her lush, pliant breasts pressed so enticingly against his chest.

He was halfway into the next episode when Alyssa murmured something in her sleep and shifted closer, so that her thigh slid in between his and she was half on top of him. She nuzzled his throat, and her soft, moist lips trailed along the underside of his jaw, sending a flash of heat rippling through him.

His body hardened in a rush, his pulse quickened, and he didn’t dare move, because he didn’t want this erotic moment to end. When her hand started wandering lower, toward the waistband of his khaki’s, the erection straining the fly of his pants throbbed in anticipation.

But instead of stroking along that taut, confined ridge of flesh, her palm changed directions. Her fingers found the hem of his t-shirt, slipped beneath, and stroked and caressed his stomach, his chest, and all the way up to his taut nipples.

Unable to help himself, and needing to touch her too, he gently slid his hand over the sweet swell of her hip, then dared to skim higher, until her plump breast filled his large palm and his thumb rasped over the tight nipple beading against her top. She moaned softly, arched into him, and Shane was certain she was still sleeping and in the throes of a very pleasurable dream that was beginning to mingle with something far more tangible.

He really should wake her before this encounter went any further, but that thought fled his mind when her mouth settled against his, tempting him beyond reason. Lost in the seductive moment, he flicked his tongue along the seam of her lips, and when they parted for him he delved deep inside, engaging her in the kind of slow, soft kiss he’d fantasized about for years.

Except reality was so much better. So much sweeter. She tasted like honey and heat, and his most treasured wish come to life. And he couldn’t get enough of her. Knew he never would.

Gently, he eased her beneath him and his erection found a home at the crux of her thighs. Tangling one of his hands in her tousled hair, he kept on kissing her . . . deeper, and deeper still. He was getting drunk from the feel of her, and her uninhibited response was like a drug to him, dragging him under and pushing him to the point of no return.

And that was a line he refused to cross without her being completely and totally aware of who she was about to make love to.

He slowly, gradually broke the heated kiss. His breathing was shallow and ragged, his body rioting with the need to be inside of her. Ignoring those demands, he grazed his lips along her cheek, her jaw, then lower to the fragrant skin of her throat.

A soft, purring sigh escaped her, along with his name, which surprised the hell out of him. Either she was more cognizant that he’d originally thought, or she’d just let her true and intimate feelings for him slip.

She stirred beneath him, and he lifted his head just in time to watch her lashes drift open. Even with only the soft glow of the TV for illumination he could see that her lips were swollen from his kisses, and her eyes were hazy with desire.

She frowned up at him for a handful of seconds, until the confusion in her gaze gave way to the realization of what they’d just done. That what she’d just experienced hadn’t been a dream, after all. Then, with a physical jolt he felt to his soul, she panicked.

“Oh, God, no,” she said in a raspy, frantic whisper and started pushing him off of her.

He immediately moved, and as soon as he let her up she bolted off the couch to put some distance between them. She stared at him, horrified. “What were we doing?”

He sat up, braced his forearms on his thighs, and tried not to think about the aching erection still making itself known. Her question was a silly one, because he knew that she fully realized what had just happened between them. But just in case she needed him to confirm their actions, he gave it to her straight. “I believe we were kissing.”

She moaned, a low, keening sound that told him she wasn’t at all pleased to hear him verify that particular truth.

“It’s not a big deal, Alyssa,” he said, trying to soothe her.

“Yes, it is!” she wailed and waved her hand wildly in the air in her near hysteria. “You’re my
best friend
!”

He tilted his head and regarded her calmly. “And?”

She looked at him as if he were insane. “And best friends don’t kiss like that. Those kind of kisses can change
everything
.”

Exactly
, he wanted to say, but didn’t, because it was obvious to him that she had a big problem when it came to accepting any kind of change in their
friendship
. No matter that she’d just shown him how much she wanted him minutes ago, she wasn’t ready to admit that things had, indeed, already changed between them.

“Look,” she said, her tone pragmatic and much calmer now. “We were obviously both asleep and not thinking straight, so let’s just chalk it up to a mistake and forget it ever happened. I need to go to the bathroom, and we’ll finish watching the marathon when I get back.”

He watched her leave the room, and as soon as she was gone he cursed beneath his breath, hoping that he hadn’t just ruined all the headway he’d made with her over the past few days.

Tomorrow night, New Year’s Eve, would be the telling factor.

Alyssa was on a mission—to find the perfect New Year’s Eve party outfit and to forget all about the hot, melting kiss she’d shared with Shane the night before.

With her arms loaded down with an array of outfits, she made her way to the boutique’s dressing room, still shaken by how far things had gone between the two of them. Now, knowing just how weak she was when it came to resisting Shane, she was more driven than ever to date other men and force herself to get over her intimate feelings for him.

As she’d told Shane last night, giving into a physical attraction would change everything between them. What scared her the most was the thought of not being able to live up to his expectations. She also feared she wouldn’t be able to give him what
he
needed from a committed relationship when she’d never been able to sustain anything remotely serious or lasting with a man. The possibility of losing Shane for good because of her inability to open herself emotionally wasn’t a chance she was willing to take with him.

Her worries were probably for nothing, considering he was interested in another woman. Their kiss had most likely been a fluke. A spur of the moment passionate embrace that had gotten out of hand and never should have happened. What she needed to concentrate on was her own secret admirer, and grabbing
his
attention tonight.

With that thought in mind, she decided to hell with being sedate and practical. Tonight she was going to throw sensible right out the window and wear something sexy, sultry and fun. An outfit certain to attract her own fair share of attention.

Half an hour later she left the boutique with a sparkly white dress that was flirtatious and more form-fitting than anything she’d ever worn before. She’d also purchased sheer, lacy, barely-there lingerie to wear beneath, and a pair of strappy high-heeled shoes that made her legs look slender and endlessly long.

She stopped at the beauty shop and treated herself to a manicure, pedicure, and facial, which was a rarity for her. By the time she arrived back home and indulged in a fragrant bubble bath, she was feeling upbeat and optimistic about the upcoming evening.

With a few hours still left to go before Shane picked her up at six, she wrapped her damp hair in a towel and slipped into her well-worn terry robe until it was time for her to get ready for the party. She went into her office, booted up her computer, and did a bit of work and internet research on a few open projects. And since she hadn’t heard from her secret admirer yesterday because of her busy schedule, she was hoping he’d contact her today, one more time before they met face-to-face tonight at Drew and Cynthia’s.

He didn’t disappoint her. His Instant Message appeared on her screen, blinking with a greeting.

TheOne4You
: I can’t wait to see you tonight.

She bit her bottom lip, wishing she was more excited about the prospect of meeting him, too. Sure, she was curious about who he was and she’d enjoyed their correspondences over the past few days, but she lacked that exhilaration and anticipation that usually came with dating someone new. And she had a feeling her sizzling kiss with Shane was to blame.

Still, she was determined to give this guy a chance.

IshopForYou
: Are you going to tell me who you are before we meet tonight? Like at least your name?

TheOne4You
: A name isn’t necessary. I promise you’ll know me when you see me, and you won’t need an introduction.

She arched a brow as she read his evasive note and wondered why he felt the need to be so secretive.

IshopForYou
: You like to draw out the suspense, don’t you?

TheOne4You
: Yes, I do. Meet me at midnight tonight out in Drew and Cynthia’s backyard, by the rose garden, and you’ll learn everything you need to know about me.

After that short and to the point message, he immediately signed off, before Alyssa could post a response.

She blinked at the computer screen, feeling frustrated and confused. That was it? Meet him at midnight? After all their instant messaging, she had to wait until the end of the evening to finally find out who her secret admirer was?