Czytaj książkę: «Nights Of Fantasy»

Prologue

Six months ago...

“If you want me to leave with you, you’ll have to kiss me first.”

Jaleen Walker glanced at his friends before setting his eyes on the woman who was making it extremely difficult to keep his distance. He’d arrived at the bar ten minutes prior, along with the other men celebrating his friend Aiden’s bachelor party.

When Aiden Chase had received a call from his soon-to-be wife, Summer Dupree, Jaleen’d watched Aiden’s face turn from excitement to concern when he learned his fiancée had had one too many fruity drinks. It had only taken a minute for Aiden to announce that he wanted to crash Summer’s bachelorette party.

Since Summer was like a little sister to Jaleen, he hadn’t argued with Aiden and had quickly informed the guys that the bachelor party was about to become coed. Jaleen hadn’t even known Aiden for an entire year, but the two had immediately hit it off when Summer had taken him to a holiday celebration last year.

Summer and Aiden were getting married in less than forty-eight hours and Jaleen couldn’t be happier for the both of them. It seemed like all of his friends were tying the knot and he’d been to more pre-and postwedding celebrations over the past few years than he could count.

Now that the men had arrived at the chic Miami lounge, they learned that Summer wasn’t the only one tipsy. Most of the women appeared to be feeling a buzz and dancing as if they didn’t have to get up in the morning for rehearsal. Reacting quickly, each husband, fiancé or boyfriend went to their significant other to join them on the dance floor, leaving only those unattached to watch the scene unfold.

“I’ll be right back,” Jaleen said to Danni, ignoring the way her lips curled into the perfect pout.

Jaleen looked at the remaining men and motioned for them to group together. “Maybe we should get all the women some water,” he suggested to his friend Luke, Aiden’s friend Dax, Summer’s cousin Malakai and a few others. “Then I’ll ask Aiden and the others if they need help getting any of the other ladies back to the hotel. But, fellas, let’s remember that these women are friends with Aiden and Summer, so we have to act respectfully.”

“Agreed,” Dax said as the other men nodded their heads. “I think I have a bottle of aspirin in my rental car, so I’ll grab that, too.”

Jaleen glanced at Malakai, both men knowing that the statement was made for the men who weren’t either family or like family to the happy couple. They didn’t have to worry about Luke and Dax because both were stand-up men.

Once they’d gotten the bottles of water and aspirin ready for the women, they returned to the group. Jaleen almost laughed at the way Luke and Dax made a beeline for two of Summer’s friends and business associates, Nicole LeBlanc and Aaliyah Bai.

“They are so predictable,” Malakai said, shaking his head. “I assume you’re going to find Danni?”

Jaleen didn’t have to respond because Malakai was already heading over to the other men to assist with a couple of Summer’s high school friends. It was well-known news that although Jaleen and Danni were constantly bickering, they had a close friendship. He wouldn’t be surprised if bets were going around the group that they’d be the next pair to start dating. But Jaleen knew that could never happen. He wasn’t exactly a one-woman type of man. Although he never dated more than one woman at the same time, he had a reputation for not allowing a woman to make it past the one-month mark.

Jaleen glanced around the VIP area and dance floor, finally finding Danni in the corner of the lounge. As he approached, he tried to ignore the soft sway of her hips as she moved to the beat of the music. She looks beautiful. All the women were wearing teal dresses while Summer was in all white. Despite the fact that the dresses were each similar in style, it was Danni’s teal formfitting dress that had his undivided attention.

“There you are,” he said when he’d reached her. “Why are you all the way over here?”

“Because I knew you would find me.” Her eyes sparkled with interest. “And I didn’t want all our friends to see when you kissed me.”

Jaleen ran a hand down his face. She’s not going to make this easy. He couldn’t even remember how long he’d waited to finally feel how soft Danni’s lips were. However, he wanted her to be fully conscious of her decisions when he kissed her. She wasn’t sober, which meant he had to keep his lips to himself.

He glanced down at the glass she was holding. “Danni, I don’t think you mean that,” he said, reaching for her drink. “How about we trade this drink out for a bottled water?” She accepted the water and took a nice long sip. He tried not to watch the way her lips curled around the bottle, but he failed.

“I do mean it,” Danni said as she closed the distance. “The only way I’m leaving this bar is if you kiss me like I’ve seen you kiss so many other women.”

Jaleen winced at the comment despite how true it was. “I do want to kiss you, but how about I kiss you tomorrow night instead?”

She tilted her head as if trying to decide if she could trust to him or not. “Hmm, okay, that might work. As long as you actually kiss me so that I can mark you off my list.”

Jaleen raised one eyebrow. “And what list might that be?”

“My special list that I made on my birthday,” she said with a cheesy grin. “My ‘Thirty Things To Do Before I’m Thirty’ list.”

Jaleen did a quick mental calculation. She’d just had a birthday, so he assumed she hadn’t gotten far on the list.

“You’re on it more than once,” she said in almost a whisper.

When she ran her fingers down the collar of his shirt, he made no effort to stop her. A special list. It sounded like a bucket list of sorts and he knew Danni was big on lists. She was the only woman he knew who didn’t just make a grocery or chores list, but rather a list to remind her she’d created a list for groceries and chores. He often teased her about being overprepared, but she denied it each and every time.

She rested one hand on his chest, moving her fingers in a small, circular motion. Her touch was innocent, but his thoughts definitely weren’t.

“I think we need to get you back to the hotel,” he said as he searched for their friends. He noticed that the others in their group seemed to be preparing to leave, as well.

“Did the ladies drive?” Jaleen asked Aiden as he approached him and Summer.

“No, we had a driver,” Danni answered instead. “But I sent him away since I figured we could walk back.”

The hotel wasn’t that far from the lounge, but tugging along ten tipsy women wearing heels seemed like too much work.

“Let’s head back,” Aiden said with a whistle as he twirled a finger in the air. The group started filing out of the lounge toward the parking lot. Aiden, Summer and Danni hopped into Jaleen’s car while everyone else divided into the other four cars.

“I want to sit with Summer,” Danni said as she pulled Summer to the back of the car, leaving Aiden to sit in the front with Jaleen.

“Well, this isn’t exactly how I thought your bachelor party would end,” Jaleen said with a laugh as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Tonight with you and the guys was a lot of fun.” Aiden glanced back at Summer. “But the fact that I get to spend the rest of the night making sure that beauty in the backseat doesn’t have a hangover isn’t a bad way to end the night, either.”

The amount of love Jaleen heard in Aiden’s voice didn’t surprise him. If anything, it made him envious that he’d never get a chance to experience the type of love Aiden and Summer shared. His eyes caught Danni’s in the rearview mirror. What is it about Danni Allison? For years he’d wondered why the only woman who seemed to be immune to his charm was the same woman who was constantly on his mind.

He supposed that’s the reason they’d developed an actual friendship. Although he still teased her any chance he got, he was well aware that Danni knew entirely too much about his dating history and, for that reason alone, he couldn’t even get her to agree to go on one date.

After they arrived at the hotel and parked the cars, Aiden and Summer bid good-night to the group. The ladies all boarded the elevator a couple minutes later to head to their rooms, while the men went to the bar in the hotel lobby.

Jaleen had just sat at the bar when Luke nodded his head toward the front of the lobby. Jaleen followed his gaze.

Danni was standing near the hotel entrance with her clutch in her hand.

I could have sworn she just got on the elevator.

Jaleen turned back to Luke. “I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah, right,” Luke said with a laugh as he turned to the other men.

Jaleen caught Danni’s arm as soon as she took one step outside the door. “Where are you going?”

“To get something to eat.”

Seriously! “It’s almost three in the morning. Nothing is open.”

“Well, I’ll find a gas station, then. They never close.” She took one more step out the door.

“They have twenty-four-hour room service,” Jaleen said, stopping her again. “How about you order some food in your room?”

A sly smile crept onto her face. “On one condition.”

He was almost afraid to ask. “What’s that?”

“You come to my room and eat with me.”

Jaleen groaned. “If I do, will you eat and then get some rest before tomorrow’s rehearsal?”

“Yes,” she said a little too quickly. Before he knew it, Danni was tugging his arm and leading him toward the elevators.

The second they arrived at her hotel room, Danni tossed her clutch on the table and kicked off one heel. When she went to remove the other heel, she stumbled.

“Whoa, pretty lady,” Jaleen said as he helped her steady. “Let’s be careful.”

“I’m tired of being careful,” Danni replied, looking him in the eye before turning her back to him. “Can you unzip my dress?”

No, I can’t unzip your dress. “Sure,” he said instead. He felt like his fingers were moving in slow motion as he worked the zipper to reveal the back of a sexy, white-and-teal lace bra. It would take little effort to unclasp the sole clip, but he wouldn’t dare do that tonight.

“There you go,” he said, allowing one sole finger to run down her spine. She gasped at the touch before turning around to face him.

“Are you sure you won’t kiss me tonight?” She looked so vulnerable standing there and something in her eyes made him want to say to hell with what he’d said earlier and take a sample of what she was offering. Luckily, his brain was thinking more than the other part of his anatomy.

“Not tonight. But if you ask me tomorrow, you’ll get a different answer.”

For a minute he thought she was going to ignore what he was saying, but instead she walked to the couch to lie down.

“How about I order that room service?” He walked over to the desk. “What do you want?”

“You decide,” she said, curling onto her side. “I just need something to eat.”

The last thought he had before he ordered was that the best food they could both have right now would be if they feasted on each other.

* * *

Sunlight seeping through the curtains caused Danni to awaken. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand—8:00 a.m. She checked her iPhone, surprised that she hadn’t set her alarm. As a matter of fact, part of the night was a blur. She’d planned on waking up a little earlier to meet a couple of the bridesmaids for breakfast before rehearsal in a couple of hours.

Maybe I can still meet them, she thought as she stretched her body. It was then that she noticed she was still wearing her dress from last night. What the...? The back of her dress was unzipped and one shoulder was out of the strap. Her hands flew to her mouth as memories of the previous night came rushing back to her.

Jaleen was here. He came back to my hotel room with me. She also suspected he was responsible for the glass of water and aspirin on her nightstand because she didn’t recall getting it herself.

She got out of bed, grabbed a sundress and her toiletries and made her way to the bathroom. A shower would definitely wake her up and, hopefully, help her remember more details. Thirty minutes later she was showered, dressed and no closer to remembering all the details.

When she walked back into the bedroom, a pair of shoes in the corner of the room caught her eye. Those are Jaleen’s. Although she couldn’t recall if he was wearing them last night, she’d seen them on him before. Why exactly did I see Jaleen last night? They’d been celebrating Summer’s bachelorette party while the men had been out celebrating Aiden’s bachelor party. She didn’t know how they’d gotten together last night, but she vaguely recalled asking Jaleen if he would kiss her.

Oh, God. I did ask him to kiss me. She couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing...except if he was still in her suite somewhere. She opened the bedroom door and tiptoed around the corner to the living room area. As suspected, Jaleen was sprawled out on the couch with his long legs hanging over the side. She’d always found him attractive—although she’d never admit that to him—however, the sight before her nearly stole her breath.

He still had on his jeans, but he’d discarded his socks and unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his washboard abs and deep vee of his hip bone now causing her imagination to wander to places it never had before. That’s a lie. She’d definitely spent more time than she would ever admit wondering just how sexy Jaleen Walker would look naked. Of course, she’d never go there with a man like him... A man that seemed to trade out women as quickly as he changed underwear. However, there was no harm in admiring him while he slept.

Even in his sleep, his jawline was well-defined and she’d bet that he’d just gotten his goatee freshly cut and hair lined yesterday before the bachelor party. How many times had she wanted to run her tongue across his smooth, cinnamon-brown complexion? As cocky as he was, Danni was surprised there was anything about him she found attractive. He was not her usual type. But lately she’d been looking at him in a way that she knew she shouldn’t but couldn’t help.

She froze when he slightly adjusted himself on the couch, noticing for the first time just how close she actually was to him. She took a step back when his hand reached out and lightly grabbed her wrist.

“Not so fast,” Jaleen said groggily. “How do you feel?”

She momentarily couldn’t find the words to respond as she stared into his deep brown eyes. “I feel okay,” she finally said. “Thanks for taking care of me last night.”

“No problem,” he said, sitting up on the couch. “I only stayed to make sure you were okay.”

Her eyes briefly left his to stare at his lips. What has gotten into me? She was usually a lot better at getting a handle on her attraction to Jaleen. Maybe it was being with him all alone in her suite that had her feeling bold? Or maybe it was the fact that she’d had a long couple of months and giving in to temptation sounded like a good stress reliever.

“Did I ask you to kiss me last night?” she asked.

His eyes darkened. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he made his way to the bathroom.

She blinked her eyes in confusion at the sudden movement. Unsure of what to do with herself until he returned, she sat on the couch and tried not to breathe in his masculine scent that still lingered in the room.

When he returned, he looked a lot more put together than she felt. “So did I ask you to kiss me last night?” she repeated.

“Maybe a few times.” He sat next to her on the couch. “But I knew you were tipsy.”

She was almost afraid to ask, but had to. “Why didn’t you kiss me?”

His lips curled to the side in a smile. “Trust me, I wanted to. But under the circumstances, it didn’t feel right.”

“Because I was too tipsy.”

“Something like that,” he said with a laugh. “The first time we kiss, I want you to be completely alert about what’s going on.”

Her cheeks grew warm and her heartbeat quickened. She was sure she’d regret what she was about to say next. “What about now?” Her voice got slightly lower. “I’m completely alert now.”

Jaleen gave her a look of confusion as he studied her eyes. She knew why he was confused. Up until now she’d done everything she could to try to deny their obvious chemistry. But this was a new year and she was a new Danni. This year, she planned to face her fears unlike she had before. Even so, the longer they sat there staring at one another, the more she regretted her decision to say something in the first place.

“You know what? Never mind. I’m not sure what’s gotten into me...” Her voice trailed off as Jaleen’s face got closer to hers.

“There’s no chance I’m ignoring what you said.” Jaleen’s hand lightly grazed her cheek. “I’ve waited too long to see how soft your lips are.”

She held her breath as his lips inched closer to hers. The somersaults in her stomach only increased when she felt his breath mingle with hers.

“Now would be the time to stop me,” Jaleen said as a warning. Danni didn’t have any intention to stop Jaleen but unfortunately the loud knock on the door did.

“Danni, are you in there? We have to meet the ladies for breakfast.”

Jaleen dropped his hand and Danni sighed at the sound of her friend’s voice. Hearing Nicole was like a jolt to her senses.

“Maybe you should go,” she said, standing from the couch.

A hint of disappointment flashed across his face before he stood, as well. “I guess you’re right.”

They made their way to the door. “Do you want me to stay here until you leave with Nicole?”

“That would be great,” she said with a nod. “I’d really appreciate it.” She grabbed her clutch and quickly exited her hotel room before she dwelled on what had almost happened between her and Jaleen.

It wasn’t that she thought kissing him would be a bad thing. Her fear was that kissing Jaleen would be the best thing she’d experienced in a long time.