Never Standing Still (The Never Duet #1)(44)

“You heard me,” he laughed. “What? You’ve never played Would You Rather before?” His eyes were alight with amusement, his boyish smile back with a vengeance.

“I can’t say that I have.”

“It’s simple. You just pick two really terrible things and then ask the other person which they’d rather do.”

“Um, okay, that’s pretty demented.”

“Well, I think it originated in the male mind, so that’s pretty good for an explanation. Now, pick one.”



Three hours and two beers each later, Riot and I were still laughing. Our earlier argument and disagreement had been laid to the side and we spent our evening simply enjoying each other. Patrons of the restaurant had long since left and we were watching Tilly and her night crew close up shop. One of the waitresses turned the radio on overhead and a top forty station played through the speakers.

“So, you’d honestly let a dog lick fish guts off your face rather than eat a rotten apple pie?” Riot asked me, his face a little red with the effects of beer and smiling.

“Yes,” I said with surety. “One doesn’t include me eating anything nasty, so I’ll take it.” I picked up my beer and took the last sip. Riot, who was still sitting next to me in the booth, took the empty bottle from me, placing it down on the table top softly.

“Would you like another? I think we could bribe the owner, even though it’s after closing,” he said with a wink. Tilly had been by our table numerous times, never pressuring us to leave, inviting us to stay, actually.

“I better not. But I should probably drink some water.”

“I’ve got it,” he said, hopping up and taking our empties to the bar. I watched as Tilly smiled at him, then looked back at me. She filled a tall glass with water and slid it across the bar to him, all the while talking to him about God only knew what. He finally backed away from the bar and headed back to me.

As he was walking, some of the lights shut off, leaving only the flood lights. Riot walked back to the table and I simply couldn’t keep my eyes off him. The swagger with which he walked, the way his shirt stretched across his chest, how his jeans were hanging low on his waist; it was all too much to take in and I found myself holding my breath.

He set my water in front of me, but didn’t try to sit down. I brought the glass to my lips, eager for something to occupy my thoughts and distract me from his body, which was a little too close at that moment.

I heard Tilly’s voice coming from behind him, loud and lovely.

“All right, kids. I’m going to take off. All you have to do is turn off the radio and make sure the door latches behind you.”

“Wait, Tilly, we can leave.” I moved to grab my purse and started scooting out of the booth.

“Don’t be silly, it’s early yet. Use the pool table, drink some more water, have fun,” she said, smiling.

“Um, all right. If you’re sure?” It was a little strange that Tilly was going to leave us in her restaurant after closing, but she was too convincing to give a good argument. She winked and then walked out the door.

“See, we were able to salvage the evening just fine,” Riot said, laugher in his voice.

“I suppose you could say that, although, I think I know more about the inner workings of your demented mind than I’d like to.” I took another sip from my glass and then looked up at him, his caramel colored eyes twinkling back at me, the low flood lights making his already dark skin look even darker.

“Can I ask you a serious question?”

His voice was suddenly not full of laughter as it had been just seconds before, and I swallowed hard, my body reacting to the new way his eyes were looking at me.

“Sure.”





Chapter Thirteen


Simply Together


“Wanna dance?” he asked, holding his hand out to me, palm up.

“Here?” I asked, looking around. “No one else is dancing.”

“That’s because no one else is here,” he said, laughing again. “Come on, Kal. Dance with me.”

His eyes were sparkling, even in the dim lighting of the bar. I couldn’t say no to him, but his gaze left me speechless so I was unable to say yes either. I answered by placing my hand in his. He led me to the middle of the restaurant, which wasn’t exactly a dance floor, but I wasn’t complaining because he was holding my hand. He placed my hand on his shoulder and one of his hands landed on the curve of my waist; his other hand clutched my free one, lightly holding it against his chest. I swallowed, trying not to think about the firmness of his chest beneath his t-shirt.

A slow piano started a new song; a sleepy rhythm and a soulful voice filled the empty bar. We started swaying back and forth to the beat of the music.

“You’re a good dancer,” Riot spoke softly as I tried to avoid his gaze.

“This isn’t dancing, really. This is rhythmically stepping side to side,” I answered, smiling a little. His response was to pull me a little closer and pull my hand into his body, curling his fingers around mine as far as they would go. Then he started to add a little spin in our steps, leading me in gentle, tiny circles.

A percussion dropped in with the piano, adding dimension and a heartbeat to the song. I listened for a moment to a man singing about tomorrow bringing better days, about letting go of yesterday. I felt the words deep down inside of me, but was more aware of Riot’s hands sliding from my waist and flattening against the small of my back, pulling me closer into him. My hand automatically freed itself from his grasp and moved up his chest, joining my other hand at the nape of his neck. His free hand moved down my side, caressing me as it traveled over my body. I was alight with the electricity he moved through me. His hands were like lightning rods; a storm was brewing in that bar and his hands were going to be the end of me.