Page 19 of Shining Through

She arched her back and pushed her breasts against the hard contours of his chest. Blood pounded through her veins, and her core felt like liquid, soaking her panties, driving her wild. Consumed with urgent need she’d never experienced before, she gave a small gasp when he broke contact. Then his warm breath against her ear sent shivers through her body.

“Want to get out of here?”

Oh my God, was this going to be her amplifier moment? Tabitha the Ice Queen had never dropped to her knees to deep throat a man to grunting climax. Not that she objected to the idea. It was that the opportunity had yet to present itself.

“What did you have in mind?” Her voice was low and raspy as he flicked her earlobe with the tip of his tongue.

“An adventure. Just you and me. Are you up for one?”

Good question. The World’s Oldest Virgin didn’t carry around a stash of condoms, though it was possible he did. Still, she didn’t want her first time having sex to be a random hook-up with a virtual stranger, even one as alluring as Daniil. But a hot and heavy make-out session outside the bar? Her pushed up against a wall, him eagerly skimming his hands beneath her t-shirt.

Now we’re talking.

That she was in disguise only made the fantasy hotter. Though he knew who she was and the threat of discovery was there, for reasons she couldn’t explain, she trusted him to keep her secret. This was a night to cast off her inhibitions. Tabitha Turner might go through life playing it safe, but not her blue-haired, wild-child alter ego.

“With you? Absolutely,” she said.

He bracketed her face with both hands, claiming her once more with intoxicating kisses that made her knees weak and her insides quiver. Her eyelids fluttered and as he bent to nuzzle her neck, she looked over his shoulder to see Samara, Xtina and Ruslan staring. Ruslan pumped his fist in a show of manly approval. Xtina and Samara exchanged high fives.

Go for it!

Outside the bar, she and Daniil headed around the corner of the building into the shadows. Then once more his mouth was on hers, but now his kiss was different. Long, slow, even gentle, but no less entrancing.

“So where are we going?”

“Wherever you want to go. You’re from Chicago,” he teased. “You tell me.”

Oh, right. She’d forgotten that little detail. “Um, I don’t get out much. Anyway, you invited me. I assumed you had something in mind.”

He gave a low, sexy laugh. “I do. But let’s start with drinks and dancing and see where it goes from there?” He laced his fingers through hers. “We can go to a city neighborhood I found a few days ago, and then you can pick the place.”

No plans, just doing what she wanted. Perfect. “We’ll just see what looks like fun once we get to... wherever.”

The energy of the night time streets, and the crisp, cool autumn air brought a heady sense of freedom and excitement. On the rare occasions she was out late, she was doing something skating-related, or feeling guilty that she was missing out on much-needed sleep. But tonight, she wasn’t working or guilty. She was free to have fun with a hot guy happy to do what she wanted to do—even if she wasn’t sure what that was.

“So, Hildegard Snarski. Tell me about yourself.” He gave her a playful smileas they walked to the elevated train platform a few blocks from the bar. “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a stylist,” she said, having this part of her story down. “Specializing in anime.”

“I thought you looked like a Pokémon character.”

“Not Pokémon! I’m Isla from Plastic Memories, an AI cop who falls in love with her human partner, only to die a tragic death.” This, according to Xtina, who’d briefed her on the storyline.

“You seem close to your cousins. Do you come from a big family?”

“Not really. My mom came from rural Missouri and joined a carnival that was passing through her hometown. She worked as a fortune teller and then ended up in LA.”

“Was she an anime stylist too?”

“Nope. She had lots of different jobs, but mostly, she was a groupie.”

“Really.” He laughed at her outlandish story. Little did he realize that she was telling the truth. “And let me guess. Your dad is a rock star.”

Actually, it was Samara’s dad that was the rock star. Tabitha’s was a carnival worker named Donnie who died in a motorcycle accident when she was a baby. Hildegard would have a much more glamorous history. She tossed back her hair. “Yeah, that’s right. A rock star.”

CHAPTER NINE

THE NEIGHBORHOOD HE’D EXPLORED WEDNESDAYafternoon was a lot livelier tonight. Tabitha slowed her steps to look at the restaurants, bars, and nightclubs they passed.

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