Page 79 of Where the Dark Knelt
He shook his head, his eyes instantly showing a fleeting hint of pain. “You need a refill?” he asked, sliding off the bench and back to the cooler again.I knew he was being evasive with me and trying to close the conversation down.
Watching him stand with his back to me, I saw him pouring another glass of wine, before leaning into the cooler and pulling out another beer. He leaned forward and spoke to one of his bandmates. His conversation was inaudible over the acoustic guitar that one of them was strumming.
Alfie’sbrow was creased as he turned, and I saw what I felt was a forced smile as he came back, handing me the wine. “I really can’t drink that, Alfie. I’ll be drunk!” I shook my head and put my hand up to refuse the glass. He pursed his lips and a slow grin appeared.
“That’s the idea.”
I was worried that if I did drink it, my defenses against him would be non-existent. He set the wine down in front of me. “Better get that, before it spills.” He chuckled, letting the tumbler go, making me grab and steady it.
Stretching across me to open an air conditioning vent,his foot accidently brushed across my leg, then the back of his arm dragged lightly across my breast as he sat back. “Sorry, that wasn’t intentional.” He looked apologetically at me.
The accidental contact sparked feelings in me, even this minimal contact made me crave his touch.My body immediately reacted, wanting more. The guy that Alfie was speaking to before came over and sat down opposite him.They discussed the set order for the gig. Alfie was off the hook about his personal life just like that.
Wondering briefly if the guy was conspiring to help him avoid resuming our previous conversation, I checked myself as being slightly paranoid at that thought. As they became engrossed in technical conversation, I was able to observe Alfie without him noticing.
His strong jawline was relaxed, his lips occasionally curling into a beautifully perfect smile that was sexy as all hell.Damn it. There was no doubt about it, he was absolutely stunning, and I found myself staring at his mouth, his spoken words not registering at all.
My eyes scanned his flawless, close-shaven skin, and fell back to his beautiful full lipsand when he smiled again, that cute dimple seemed to wink at me from his cheek.
Alfie’ssharp hazel eyes were like mood stones. He had a definite black ring circling each pupil making them piercing to look at. They changed color all the time.
Right now, they were hazel, more brown than green. However, when he looked at me intensely, they were more often than not green.They made me melt, especially when he smiled, but even more so when they were full of lust. When I finished the checking-his-face-out phase, my attention tuned to his voice as he spoke.
His voice had rich dulcet tones. Listening to him speak softly made me feel calm. He definitely had a seductive and addictive voice.
Every now and again a little chuckle would escape his throat, reminding me of the times he did that when he was playfully nuzzling my neck. The effect he had on me was insane. He was turning me on, and he wasn’t even communicating with me.
I realized that I’d been sipping the wine as I was having my‘Alfie feast’, and when I looked at my glass it was almostgone. I shouldn’t have drank all that wine, but I was nervous. I now felt lightheaded and woozy. I decided to sit quietly and listen.
My eyes drooped closed, and I slid down in the seat.I could still hear him talking, alongside the lull of the engine of the van. My head kept rolling to the side, and I felt myself moving as Alfie shifted me into position closer to him, leaning my head onto him.
He thought I was asleep, so I used this to my advantage and snuggled into his side.He sighed. “She’s wrecking me, dude,” he murmured quietly to the guy across from him.
Hearing the guy leave the table, Alfie slipped down in the seat a little more beside me. I had to consciously tell myself not to tense, because I was supposed to be asleep. He inhaled, smelling my hair and sighed again. His arm nestled down the side of me, and he drew me closer to him. I heard his heartbeat become stronger and a little faster at the close contact.
His reaction told me he wasn’t exactly without feelings for me, and I hoped that it wasn’t purely arousal.As his palm rested along my hip, he put slight pressure on it again, keeping me in place.
I felt a featherlight kiss on my temple, his breath on my cheek as he inhaled sharply, before controlling his exhale.The scent of him, his bodywash, and the faint smell of leather on his skin from his jacket made me feel like I wanted to stay there forever.
He inhaled deeply again, before his breathing became a little heavier and ragged when he exhaled.Alfie tensed, but didn’t move. He just stilled, swallowing hard, and eventually relaxed again.
Drew nudged both of usas we arrived at the Firestone Live venue in Orlando. I stretched a little, opening one eyeto peek up at him. “Do all English girls sleep as much as you?” he whispered, smiling slowly at me.
The urge to put my lips on his was so strong I had to restrain myself. “Nope, just me I think. But the wine didn’t help.” I smiled sleepily, stretching a little again and groaned.
He groaned in response and swept his index finger down my nose. He pushed me away from him and got up, looking as if he was fighting his urge for me too.
“Okay, Dan, our driver, is going to look after you.I need to get with my band. You’ll be okay in the wings with him. We can hang out and watch the others when we’re done.” Smiling, I gave him a small wave.
“Go do your thing, rock star!”
Alfiegrinned sexily at me, and kissed my forehead. I think he meant to hug me briefly, but he only lingered a tad longer than was comfortable before turning to run after the others.
The fact that he lingered showed me that he was still struggling to keep our relationship platonic as well.
Dan wasn’t a conversationalist, he just said, “Come with me.” However, he did take care of me, making sure that Ihad a backstage pass, protected me from over enthusiastic fans hanging around by the stage door, and showed me where to go to watch Alfie’s band perform.
His bandmates seemed like regular guys, unaffected by the adoration they received when they performed. I hada newfound respect for him. Alfie didn’t boast, and I hadn’t seen him behave outlandishly given his popularity.
