Come to Me Softly (Closer to You #2)(14)
Author: A.L. Jackson

The bathroom door knob rattled, and I shifted forward at the same second Aly came walking out.

My breath caught. Literally got stuck right in the middle of my f**king throat.

Goddamn.

The girl was gorgeous.

She was wearing black skinny jeans. And heels. Heels I hadn’t seen her wear before that made her about five inches taller. The girl was already all leg, sexy as all hell. Pair her body with those jeans and those shoes and she was a goddamned wet dream.

Just because it was Aly, she had to match it with this soft gray sweater, something that made her appear all innocent and shy, the thick woven threads dark and plush. The hem brushed just over the top of her low-cut jeans. She swayed a little, letting her ankle fall to one side as she chewed at her lip, like she was impatient to see my reaction. Or maybe she was nervous. Either way, it was really f**king cute and a little bit infuriating because this girl had not one single clue the effect she had on me. She fidgeted as I rose to my feet, shifting enough that I caught a flash of the creamy skin of her still-flat belly.

I shook and my fingers twitched, ’cause damn, I just wanted to touch.

The sleeves of her sweater were fitted and long, extending down over her hands. She fisted the material in her palms, squeezed her shoulders together, watching me approach.

I edged her up against the hallway wall and took her by the hips. “Baby . . . you are . . . you look amazing.”

A self-conscious giggle left her, and she looked up at me with a blush kissing her cheeks. Chewing at the inside of her lower lip, she set the welcome of her green eyes on mine. “I figured since it was our first date and all, I’d dress up for you.” Then she winked.

She f**king winked.

Amusement curled one side of my mouth, and I dipped in and took over that nibbling on her bottom lip. “Our first date, huh?” I mumbled at her mouth. “Not sure what you’d call all those times I had you on the back of my bike. How about all those times in your room?”

“I’d call that us . . . getting to know each other,” she drew out.

I nudged her chin up with my nose and buried my face in the warmth of the delicate flesh of her neck. “I’d say I got to know you pretty well,” I murmured at her skin.

I felt her raspy laughter roll up her throat. “Yes, I’d say you definitely did.”

Pulling back, she gazed up at me, brushing her fingertips down my cheek. The girl just looked happy. And maybe it was wrong, but I couldn’t describe how good it felt to be the one to paint that expression on her face.

Christopher yanked his bedroom door open and rushed down the hall. I turned in his direction, and I could feel the joy that witnessing Aly’s had pushed to my face, all uncontained and uncontrolled.

Because I was f**king happy, too.

Christopher smiled a little like it didn’t piss him off so much, him seeing me there with his sister. As he sauntered toward us, his eyes drifted down Aly. As he passed, he clapped me on the shoulder. “Looks like you’re trying to get our Jared here in another fight, Aly.”

I chuckled low. Dude knew me well. Something I was going to have to get under control, too, losing myself to the chaos that simmered below the surface, ready to overpower my heart and mind. I’d lose her if I didn’t, and I’d rather die than let that happen.

Confusion twisted Aly’s mouth into a frown. Her attention darted between Christopher and me.

Figured I’d clarify, though I was pretty sure she had to know exactly what he was implying. Without breaking our connection, I inclined my head toward him. “I think that’s your dickhead brother’s way of telling you that you look really nice.”

Irritation flashed across that gorgeous face. Offense puckered those full lips, and she flung her arms out to the side. “Oh come on, Christopher. I’m completely covered. What do you want me to wear, a sack?” she challenged.

That sounded like a brilliant idea to me, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to voice it. The way this girl looked was dangerous, hazardous to my sanity, f**king perilous to any ass**le who even thought about moving in on her.

Not gonna happen.

Quiet laughter seeped from him as he stuffed his wallet into his back pocket because he knew it, too. His tone softened. “You look beautiful, Aly. But you always do.”

Hers was just as soft. “Thank you.”

I wound Aly’s hand in mine. “You ready, baby?”

She turned that softness on me. “Yeah, let’s go.”

FOUR

Jared

Night had taken hold as the shortened fall days threatened to give way to a desert winter. A crush of cars jammed the streets, a string of restless headlights and frustrated taillights as rush hour crammed the city the evening before the holiday. It seemed everyone in the city had someplace to go.

It took us less than five minutes to make it to our own destination. Aly made a left into the gravel parking lot of the Vine. Loose rocks crunched beneath her tires, and she carefully made her way through the overflowing lot to find an open spot. She pulled in between two beat-up pickup trucks, cut the engine, and we all climbed out.

A cool breeze blew through, kicking up loose debris and scattering it along the ground. Dense city lights glowed a foggy haze against the inky dome above. Only the brightest of stars broke through the urban night. In the windows of the square, brick building that held the Vine, neon lights burned with the promise of beer and a moment’s reprieve, and a low thrum of classic rock seeped through the walls of the tiny bar.

Aly rounded the front of her car. I snaked my arm around her waist and tugged her to my side, because I just needed her close. It was weird, too, unsettling almost, being able to step out with her like this. To proclaim she was mine and not some dirty secret that could only happen behind closed doors.

I pulled the door open and stepped aside to hold it for the two of them. Christopher entered first, and I placed my hand on the small of Aly’s back as I followed them in.

A shot of panic hit me, escalating my pulse. I froze at the threshold as a deluge of memories crashed over me.

And not the pleasant kind.

Three months ago, the day Aly’s mom had shown up at the apartment, I’d come here to escape the dread that had taken me over. That night, I’d been propped up at the bar, alone, doing my best to drink away my anxiety, to hide from it. Really just to f**king drown in it. Because the end result was already clear. I’d known destruction was coming. I’d felt the rending, the tearing away that would usher in the ruin.

I swallowed hard as I glanced at the bar to the right.