Pressing Adalyn Read online

  Ass.

  The bartender returned with Ian’s drink and I leaned forward, fisting a handful of the bartender’s shirt and leaned in to speak into his ear.

  “Bring me 4 shots of whatever is the strongest you’ve got.”

  When I let go, he winked at me and I giggled before he walked away. Intentionally giggled, of course. No self respecting woman actually giggles. Glancing at Ian out of the corner of my eye, I could see the shock in his face. And for the first time, anger. Aha! Finally. So that’s how to make this asshole angry. Bruise his ego. Heaven forbid there be one woman on earth who doesn’t throw themselves at him.

  “I have no problem with having fun or being crazy, I just choose not to do either of those things with you.”

  He winced and actually looked genuinely hurt by my comment and I immediately felt guilty. I was supposed to be apologizing to him and trying harder for Stacy. But something about him just got me so worked up and it was like I literally couldn’t help myself.

  “I’m sorry. I was a bitch to you earlier and I’m still doing it now, and I promised Stacy I would try harder to get along with you. So... I’m sorry.”

  “What was that?” He asked with a huge grin, leaning his ear closer to my mouth. “I knew eventually my charm and dashing good looks would get to you.”

  “Ha! Keep telling yourself that. I’m just being nice for Stacy’s sake.”

  “You know I don’t really believe that, right? You think I don’t see, and feel, the way your body reacts to mine? If it’s the chase you want, if you want me to work for it, then I will. But there’s no denying that there’s something between us, Adalyn.”

  That kind of cocky attitude is exactly what pissed me off about him. I guess I should thank him for reminding me of that. Hating him was a lot easier than pretending to get along.

  The bartender returned with my shots and lined them up in front of me. I shyly smiled at him before yanking on his shirt and pulling his mouth to mine. We shared a brief, albeit wonderfully sexy, kiss. When I pulled away he winked again and turned to take another order. I don’t know where the urge to do that even came from. Okay, that’s a lie. I wanted to show Ian I could be impulsive, and if it made him jealous, then that was just a perk.

  Wait. Jealous? Why did I care if he was jealous?

  No time to explore that thought. Without looking at Ian, I immediately downed all 4 shots, one right after the other. Dammit, they burned. And were disgusting. I fought the urge to gag or let it show on my face just how much I had not enjoyed those shots.

  Once I got my now churning stomach under control, I turned to face Ian. Now I was the one with the smug face. I’m not sure why, though. That was probably one of the dumbest things I had ever done. What was I thinking? I wasn’t. I wasn’t thinking. I was pissed and he challenged me and my obsessive need to always win an argument made me want to prove a point. And based on his knowing smile, that’s exactly what he had wanted. I fell right into his trap. SHIT.

  I needed to find Stacy. Fast. I needed someone to know what I’d just done before the alcohol took over. I wasn’t experienced with this, but considering I never drank and I’d asked for something strong, I assumed I was about to be falling down drunk in a very short amount of time. If the warmth spreading through my extremities was anything to go by, I was already halfway there.

  After spinning in circles a few times, I finally spotted her. Whoa, spinning was a bad idea. She reached me just as I started to wobble. I could see the confusion in her face, though she was starting to look a bit blurry.

  “What is wrong with you, Addy? Are you okay?”

  I tried to explain, but apparently my reactions were already delayed from the alcohol and I took too long to speak up.

  “She just tossed back 4 shots.”

  I tried to turn to glare at Ian who was close behind me, but my eyelids felt heavy and I wasn’t sure if I was glaring or looked like I had fallen asleep midair. Stupid Ian. This was all his fault. With his stupid gorgeous body, wrapped tight in those dark denim jeans and a plain black t-shirt that looked like it had been painted on. With his stupid beautiful eyes that made me want to reveal all my secret desires and beg him to take me to bed. With his stupid face that I wanted to lick as if he were a delicious ice cream cone. Why do I keep thinking about licking him? Fighting the urge to act out my irrational thoughts was proving to be a lot more difficult in my inebriated state.

  Keep tongue in mouth. Keep tongue in mouth. Tongue. In his mouth. My tongue in his mouth. DAMMIT.

  “Dammit, Ian. Why did you let her do this? She never drinks. She’s going to be completely wasted. She is going to be so pissed tomorrow. And you better believe I will not take the fall for this shit. When she’s hung-over and looking for someone to blame I will gladly be throwing you under the bus.” Stacy wrapped her arm around me and led me to a couch. “Can you sit with her for a minute while I get a bottle of water? And can you manage to not let her do any more stupid shit until I get back?” Then Stacy was gone, leaving me in the hands of someone I felt the growing need to be far, far away from. I could feel him smiling at me.

  Dick.

  Mmm, I wonder if he has a big dick. STOP IT. He is a dick. Don’t think about his actual dick. And quit thinking the word dick!

  I could feel Ian chuckling as he sat entirely too close to me on the couch. Why is he laughing? Did I just say all that out loud? Ugh, I couldn’t even tell if I was thinking things or actually saying them. I was so screwed. His enjoyment from this was making me so angry I could have punched kittens. Someone find me a kitten to punch!

  “What, you couldn’t get any closer? Why don’t you just sit on my fucking lap?” Did I really just ask him that? I sounded hateful, but I wasn’t sure my body was backing up my words. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him, but I saw a finger trailing down his chest. Who the hell is touching him right now? Oh my God, that’s MY finger. Why couldn’t I stop my hand from moving? Help! Someone! Mayday! Mayday!

  Obviously, I no longer had control over any part of my body. All I could do at that point was pray that I would black out and not be able to remember any details when I woke up tomorrow. I’d take having my head in a toilet in the morning over having to relive these humiliating memories any day.

  Ian grabbed my finger and pulled it to his mouth, kissing the tip. There I go shivering again. Maybe I was just getting the flu. Sure, Addy, keep lying to yourself. Dammit! Now my own brain was making me mad! Hey brain, shut up! No one asked you!

  His face was so close to mine. If I moved just an inch towards him our lips would be touching. He was looking at me like…I had no idea what that look was on his face. Somewhere deep inside I knew that whatever that expression was, it would normally piss me off. Right then, thanks to the alcohol, it was making me feel warm and tingly all over. I wanted him to kiss my finger again. I wanted him to kiss all my fingers. Then my lips. Then maybe he would kiss my jaw, down my neck, trailing down between my breasts.

  Get it together, Adalyn. Snap out of it.

  Stacy returned just in time to save me from doing something I would undoubtedly regret tomorrow. I chugged the bottle of water, feeling some of it drip down my chin and land on my chest. I looked over to see Ian staring at that drop of water like we were in the middle of the Sahara and he was dying of thirst. I could see his chest rising and falling heavily and his pulse pick up tempo on his neck. Mmmmmm…his neck.

  I couldn’t tell if it was the water dribbling out of my mouth or if I was actually drooling over him again, but I was interrupted by a group of guys who came barreling towards us before I had the chance to figure it out.

  One of them immediately snatched Stacy up by her waist and pulled her off the floor and into a big bear hug. She giggled as he placed her back down, then made his way over to Ian. Ian stood and did one of those secret bro shakes that all typical man children do. The other two guys were talking to Stacy, but then bro shake guy turned to me.

  “Hey, you’re Adalyn.”r />
  “No shit. Gold star to bro shake for stating the obvious,” I said rolling my eyes.

  He chuckled at me and shook his head. He looked relaxed with an easy smile. I immediately liked him. He was attractive, but not really my type. A little on the thin side with tattoos up his arms and a piercing in his lower lip. The fact that I wasn’t sexually attracted to him made it a lot easier for me to tame my inner bitch a little.

  “I’m Brett, Stacy’s friend. Stacy says you’re an amazing singer, and here in about 20 minutes we’re going to start doing some live karaoke. Was hoping I could talk you into joining us up on stage. It being the first night, not sure if a whole lot of people are going to be up to participating. Trying to recruit some people ahead of time.”

  Normally I would have given a snarky, self-deprecating response, but Ian beat me to it.

  “Sorry, Brett. Think you’re fighting a losing battle with this one. No way will you be able to get Sunshine to lower her inhibitions enough to get up there. Her idea of fun is making everyone around her miserable.”

  I could tell by the wink Ian gave me that he was just trying to tease me, but I knew better than anyone that even jokes have some meaning behind them. He might have been making light of the situation, but he obviously thought I was just a stone cold bitch who had no idea how to have fun.

  “I’ll get up there and sing a song with you on one condition, Brett.”

  “You name it, babe.”

  Pulling Brett close to me, I told him my condition. I was regretting the words as they were coming out, but I didn’t back down from a challenge, so whether or not I would regret it later, I was going through with it. I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that the alcohol that still remained in my system was probably a big factor in my willingness to get up in front of a couple thousand people and potentially make an ass out of myself.

  When I pulled away, Brett returned my wide grin with one of his own, reaching out his hand to shake on our little agreement. Ian’s eyebrows were raised, showing his surprise, but he wasn’t surprised enough. What would it take for me to really throw this guy off his game?

  Well, game on Ian, I thought as I tossed back another shot and grabbed Brett’s hand, making my way towards the stage. Game. On.

  Chapter 7

  Ian

  This was by far the most fun I’d had in a long time. Getting under this girl’s skin had quickly become my new addiction in life. The way her face flushed with red, her eyebrows knit together and her nose scrunched. It was much more subtle when she was sober and a lot more ridiculous with alcohol in her, but it was adorable either way.

  It was almost too easy. Almost. Maybe I just knew all the right triggers to really piss her off. I had a feeling there was a lot more to her than I realized, and now more than ever I was determined to figure out what made this girl tick.

  I could have sworn I was having a heart attack when I first spotted her tonight as I walked in the club. I literally could feel my heart constrict and then slow until it felt like it just stopped. She was wearing a tight black dress that stopped several inches above her knee. It was a halter top, cut low enough to show plenty of cleavage from her, what I would guess, around D cup size chest. Her hair was in loose waves and she had a smoky look to her eyes. Those ridiculously high heels did wonders for her legs. Legs that I wanted wrapped around my face.

  Edging my way closer to the stage, I could see the other men staring at her. Some were catcalling and whistling. I felt an unexpected and fierce possessiveness over her. I had the urge to yank her off the stage and carry her out the door and to the safety of my car where I wouldn’t have to share her with any other men’s leering glances. If I thought for half a second that she would actually let me do that without making a scene or clawing my eyes out, then I would. Baby steps.

  Brett said something into the microphone while the band set back up. I couldn’t hear him, mostly because I wasn’t really paying attention. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She was less drunk, the immediate effects of the alcohol starting to wear off, but she was so relaxed. She was laughing at something Brett whispered in her ear and she looked so happy. I wanted to be the one making her laugh and seeing that happiness in her eyes.

  One day. One day I would be on the receiving end of that smile.

  The drums started, snapping me out of my daze, and then my heart really did stop. Her voice wrapped itself around me, gripping me so tight I felt like I couldn’t get a breath. I couldn’t even tell you what she was singing. Everything but her faded out. The people, the sounds, the lights, the smells. It was like they had put a spotlight on her and everything else disappeared.

  I should be scolding myself for thinking like such a pussy, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. She was enchanting. Mesmerizing. Maybe once she got off the stage she could give me my balls back, because she was clearly in charge of them now.

  I snapped myself out of my trance when the song ended, but they immediately started into another one. I recognized it right away but didn’t know what song it was. Wait…is that…The Humpty Hump? I couldn’t help myself. I doubled over with laughter. She caught me, but instead of being mad for laughing like I thought she might be, she winked at me.

  This playful side of her was almost too much. Sexy, feisty, and funny. That was a dangerous combo. I wanted to pull her to me and kiss her. Hard. If I could handle the rejection, I’d do it anyway, but I was too lost in her right now to be able to pretend her obvious disdain for me didn’t hurt my ego as badly as it did.

  I didn’t mind working for a relationship. Putting in the effort, the romantic gestures, all of the crap my buddies pretended to be too macho to do for a woman. I just hadn’t found the right one. Well, I thought I had. But I didn’t make mistakes twice. I needed to get to know Adalyn. I needed to know if my instincts about her were right. There once was a day when I’d never doubt my own instincts. I’d learned my lesson though, and I was going to be more cautious this time.

  Chapter 8

  Adalyn

  Holy shit. Shit. I just did that. I just sang on stage. In front of hundreds of people. I’m a fucking rock star.

  “Yeah you are, slut!” Stacy yelled as I walked off stage.

  “Shit, did I say that out loud? Ugh, my filter is even worse than normal. Please take me home before I do anything else I’ll regret.”

  “You are so not going to regret that tomorrow. I got it recorded on my phone and we are going to watch that bad ass shit when you’re sober so you can appreciate it. I am so proud of you. You were amazing.”

  Grabbing and downing two of the celebratory shots Stacy had ordered in honor of my performance, I realized I was way past the point of making sound decisions. After pouring my heart out into some Britney pop shit, I immediately felt embarrassed. What’s the cure for embarrassment? Laughter. I had anticipated feeling this way after actually trying and singing a song out of my comfort zone, so I told Brett that we had to immediately go into The Humpty Hump. It worked like a charm and had the desired effect. People were laughing and having such a good time that by the end of the second song, my first one was long forgotten. This ensured that even if I sucked, it didn’t matter.

  “Shut up before I vomit on your shoes. I’m gonna quit while I’m ahead and get out of here. You can stay if you want, I’m just gonna grab my purse.”

  “No way, dickbreath, I’m coming with you. You’re so shit faced you’d probably pass out in the back of the cab and the cabbie would have to drag your drunk ass up to our door and I am not cleaning your puke up off our porch.”

  I tried to slap Stacy but I didn’t even come close to hitting her, and the momentum of it knocked us into a group of people standing off to the side. Stacy and I were giggling and apologizing, but whoever I had bumped into was apparently very unhappy.

  “You idiot!” Carrie yelled, pushing my shoulder with her hand, knocking me back a couple steps. “You just made me spill my drink all over my dress! What is wrong with you!”

&nb
sp; “Calm down, Carrie, it was an accident,” Stacy tried to assure her, but I wasn’t sure Carrie even heard her because her eyes continued to burn holes into mine. I started to speak up and apologize but Carrie huffed off before I had a chance. Stacy and I just looked at each other and fell into a fit of laughter. We had a tendency to giggle uncontrollably in tense situations.

  “Wait, let me grab my purse,” I told Stacy as I pulled her towards the couch I’d been occupying before my vocal debut.

  “Shit! Where is it?! Where is my fucking purse!?” I was looking around frantically, even dropped to my knees on the disgusting floor to look on the floor under the couch.

  “Okay, first off, you have to stand up. Apparently your purse isn’t the only thing you lost. Where the hell are your panties?”

  “What? Oh. This dress was too tight; I didn’t want a panty line. I wasn’t anticipating crawling around on the floor. Oops.” Flashing my lady parts was the least of my worries if I couldn’t find my purse. “I just ran up on the stage and left it here on the couch without thinking. It had my phone and everything in it. DAMMIT.” Turning to see Ian approaching, I growled. “YOU! This is all YOUR fault!”

  Throwing up his hands in a gesture of innocence he came to a stop.

  “I was all the way across the room. How could I have possibly pissed you off now?”

  “My purse was stolen because of you!”

  “Yeah, okay, I still don’t see how I have anything to do with your purse getting stolen.”

  “You…you distracted me. You are always distracting me. You…ugh…you are so frustrating!”

  Spinning in circles, trying to process what to do, I swayed to the left bumping into Ian. I have got to stop spinning. Spinning and shots equaled Ian’s arms around my waist and my guard was down low enough for me to feel my desire dripping down my leg just from his touch. Dammit, where are panties when you need them.