Page 60 of Where the Dark Knelt
“Hey.” The grin he gave us was just enough to show his cute dimple. My heart skipped a beat. I felt like he’d taken it in his palm and squeezed hard with that one word. I had a dull ache in the center of my chest and could feel my body instantly react to him.
I was shocked, my body going intoflight mode, as the adrenaline rushed through my veins and the air seemed to get sucked out of my lungs. Eyes glanced fleetingly at me, expressionless, before he turned his attention and greeted everyone. I was frozen.
The pulse at the base of my neck ticked, as my body reacted at my proximity to him. He was standing so close to me that I could almost feel the electricity arc between us, the air in the space between us felt heavy with awareness, and it threatened to turn me into a jittery mess.
I couldn’t help but inhale his scent, it tantalized me. Itwas the same familiar bodywash and him–his unique body scent–with traces of tequila and beer. I always loved how he smelled. It was such a turn on, and right then it was overwhelming me.
Alfie then smiled a half smile at me, and I knew I blushed as I struggled with how close he was to me, silently cursing my body for reacting to him like that.
A brief, sexy smirk teased at his lips, as his eyes narrowed atme. Alfie knew the effect he had on me, and I wondered if I had the same effect on his body as he did on mine.
Turning toWill, Alfie put his fist up, both men doing that stupid bump thing with them. Will’s eyes darted to me, almost like he felt guilty for doing it and he looked sheepish. I knew he felt disloyal because of Alfie’s lack of attention toward me.
Smiling, I reassured Will I was okay with it. It wasn’t Will’s fault Alfie behaved shitty, and I didn’t want to be the cause of Will feeling that way. I stepped back, creating a little distance between us and watched as he chatted easily with my friends.
After a few minutes I sneaked another peek at him, I couldn’t fight the urge to look at him. As I watched his face, I felt my heart expand and tear at my loss. Not being able to touch him was almost unbearable.
My mind wandered back to the times where he had cupped my face and pulled me in for a kiss, or when he had pressed into me so that I could feel the pleasure I gave him.
Alfie’svoice drew me back into the present. “You were fabulous.” He smiled at Mandy. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. He praised her voice and performance and invited her to sing with him on a bigger stage when they were supporting artists for some rock band in a few weeks. Alfie had said that to me once too though. Maybe it was a pick-up line.
Mandy jumped up and downwith excitement. She glowed at the prospect of working with him. I know it was irrational, because Mandy and Neil were solid, but I felt consumed with jealousy that he was paying so much attention to her.
I ached for him toturn to me, give me praise, and wrap his arms around me. I diverted my eyes away from them, and my heart fell further at the hole he left in my chest now that we weren’t anything to each other.
When I stoleanother look at his features, he was still the same handsome man who oozed sex appeal. His looks, personality, and talent were a lethal combination, at least to me. He stood there talking, so unaffected by what had happened between us, and I wanted to feel numb like that.
Not confident I was going to be acknowledged by him at all, other than that little smile, I stood awkwardly. All these weeks we’d passed each other and not exchanged a word since the day I’d seen him in the store with Max.
Humoring myself, I smirked when I had the outrageous thought that maybe I would only be acknowledged in public, when someone else had their arms wrapped around me.
Lost in my daydream, my eyes must have wandered to look down absentmindedly. When I raised them again, I couldn’t hide my secret smile. Alfie noticed this, and his sparkling hazel, green-flecked eyes locked onto mine.
Lips curving upward at the edges, Alfie wore theslightest hint of humor on his face. It was as if he was in on my secret. I think he thought I was looking at his bulging jeans. Truly, I wasn’t.
My first thought was to just walk away. Not to give him the satisfaction of ignoring me in public again, and I was planning to do just that, but he turned to face Will, gesturing toward me by jutting his chin in my direction.
“Are you going to introduce me?” Will looked like he’d been asked to undress me, his mouth gaping, because he’dtried to do just that, on more than one occasion, but Alfie had shut him down.
Clearing his throat, Will stuttered awkwardly, “This is my… eh, my…” He struggled for what to introduce me as. I thought it was funny and was going to wait it out and let him label me as his ‘something’, but he was my friend, and as a nice person, I couldn’t let him suffer like that.
“Hey,” I said, putting my hand out. “Lily… I’m Will’s colleague.” I gestured with my index finger and pointed down the length of me, just as we had both done the first day we met.
Seeing Alfie’s eyes reflect on that action, for a moment he smiled. Will shot me a glance, as if to say sorry. Smiling again, I wrinkled my nose at him as a sign of affection and saw him relax again.
Alfie took my hand in his, and I melted.My legs trembled and my skin flushed. Smiling, his eyes widened as he watched the effect his touch on my skin had on me. It was like an electric current passing through me, making my body buzz in anticipation.
No one else had this effect on me. Goose bumps sprung up all over me, and I shivered. He noted this by running his thumb overthe goose bumps with a slow sensual smile. “Hi, Lily, pleased to make your acquaintance,” he muttered in his sexy, low, velvety tone.
Lifting my hand to his mouth, Alfie’s eyes continued to lock into my stare, and he grazed his lips sensually over my knuckles. His tongue left the slightest wet-hot trail as he did this, which looked like nothing to an outsider.
An expert in seduction, Alfie’s technique stole my breath briefly, making it hitch in my lungs and his effect panged at my core. My eyes fluttered closed briefly.
Luckily, the room was noisy, and there was a lot goingon so no one appeared to notice what he was doing to me. Noone apart from Alfie, that is. His eyes sparkled, the hue far greener, which told me he still wanted me.
Recognizing the look he gave me, it was the same one healways had, right before he entered me. He raised his eyebrow, almost as a question, before dropping my hand. At the same time, he drew his bottom lip in between his teeth, and let it spring free, wetting it with a flick of his tongue.
The sight was such a sensual experience on such a perfect mouth, and I was mesmerized. I wanted nothing more than to crush my mouth onto his and explore inside with my tongue as I had before.
