Page 14 of Blind Attraction

“Not a problem at all. My son was thrilled I could help one of his idols.”

“I’ll make sure the band sends him something as a thank you.” He glanced at Louise who beamed a bright smile and led Alana from the room. He stopped at the front counter, made sure Alana was stable, and pulled out his wallet. He grabbed some bills, more than enough to cover a call out at this insane hour and placed it down. “Thanks for everything.”

Louise glanced at the money, then back up at him and shook her head with wide eyes.

Before she protested, he grabbed Alana’s elbow and led her into the cool spring night. The driver started the car on their approach and climbed out to open the back door.

“Everything go well, Mr. Davies?”

Mitch placed his hand on top of Alana’s head to ensure she didn’t hit herself when climbing into the car. “In a few days she will be back to normal.” A few days in which he planned to sate his desire for her and get the cloying need to protect a fragile stranger out of his system.

* * *

Alana’s eyes no longer burned with every brush of her eyelids, yet she still couldn’t stand to have them open. Her vision was like an out of focus image. She could distinguish light and dark and shades of color, but nothing else. Each object bled into the next, up close or far away, it didn’t matter. Nothing was clear. And it made her dizzy.

Closing her eyes, she nestled further into Mitchell’s shoulder. His arm rested behind her neck. The side of his body pressed up against hers, providing warmth and comfort. She inhaled his scent, pulled it deep into her lungs, and sighed. He was a fairytale. A handsome and strong and protective fairytale, and she wasn’t ready for it to end.

The soft, chilled leather of the backseat reminded her of cool sheets on a nice clean bed. Or maybe her thoughts were in the bedroom because of the gorgeous man beside her. She wanted to see him naked. To learn his body, to touch and stroke and claw. She wanted his lips on her mouth, not her forehead. His fingers on her breasts, not her shoulders.

A smile pulled at her lips and she wrapped her arms around his waist. The dark of sleep tugged her harder, making consciousness waver. His hands moved around her back, underneath her knees and she jerked to awareness.

“Shh,” he spoke close to her ear. “Let me carry you upstairs, and you can fall back asleep in my arms.”

His words were fuzzy and tickled her neck. She must be dreaming.

She relaxed into the pull of his arms and settled into his chest once he stood. This morning she awoke with the fear of the unknown. Tonight she would sleep with heavenly dreams of a stranger’s embrace.

“No.” She mumbled and blinked her eyes. “I have to wake up. Kate needs to drive us home, and I don’t want to be half asleep when she does.”

“You’re not leaving tonight, sweetheart.” His words were soft, yet brook no argument. “It’s only a few hours until dawn. You already said Kate has to work today. Let her sleep, and first thing in the morning we can sort everything out.”

She didn’t argue. She didn’t want to. It was only common courtesy which nudged her to leave in the first place. Better to leave the arms of a rock star on a good note, than be remembered as the blind woman who wouldn’t let go.

She remained quiet until they reached his suite. “Please put me down.”

He squeezed her tight before letting the arm underneath her legs fall. A click sounded, then a buzz, followed by a slide of the door. His fingers came to rest on the low of her back, and he grasped her other hand, leading her forward.

“The lights are out,” he whispered. “Kate isn’t on the couch. She must be in Blake’s room.”

Alana envied her friends free spirit and the way she enjoyed herself with men. Kate wasn’t easy with her body, she just wasn’t afraid to share herself in the name of pleasure. More importantly, Kate loved sex.

Alana thought the whole intimacy thing was a bit of an anti-climax. Maybe things were different in a committed relationship. Over time, a man would learn a woman’s wants and desires. But at her age, she still hadn’t experience the big O with a partner.

“This is my room.”

She sucked in a breath before she could suppress her shock.

“Don’t worry,” he spoke close to her ear, causing goose bumps to form over her skin. “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Sofa? Her mood changed from a frenzy of anticipation, to increasing disappointment. Anger at herself and the way her mother had brought her up to be on the defensive around such a gentle man, bubbled low in her belly. She clenched her fists at her sides and hoped the room was dark enough for Mitchell not to notice.

Any other woman would’ve straddled him by now or bared her breasts and laid herself out like a platter to be devoured. She needed to get over herself, over the insecurities her mother had heaped on her shoulders and experience life for herself. Mistakes and all.

“What will I sleep in?” she asked, striving for a seductive tone. There had to be a way for her to show her interest without looking like a fool.

“Umm. Shit.” His footsteps retreated. Bright light illuminated the back of her eyelids. “I think I’ve got a spare T-shirt and boxers you can wear. That is, if you don’t mind wearing my clothes.”

At the moment, she wouldn’t mind being under his skin, let alone his clothes.

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