“So is the hotty still here?” Christy asked when they finally had a free moment.
“Hotty?” she laughed. “Who are you talking about?”
Christy rolled her eyes. “Justin of course.”
“Yeah he’s still around.”
“And?”
“And what? I swear it sounds like you’re fishing for some juicy gossip but there’s nothing to tell.”
“Nothing?” Christy asked, disappointed.
“We’re just friends,” she confirmed.
“Well that’s no fun,” she grumbled. “So how do you know him then?”
Touchy subject, she knew JC and Alanna were keeping their relationship secret for now and although Christy seemed pretty trustworthy she couldn’t hand over that piece of information, it wasn’t her place.
“I was a dancer on their tour. Justin and me used to hang out and we kept in touch afterwards. I hadn’t seen him in awhile though.” Not since before she left for Europe with Alanna. She had seen JC and Lance in Sweden but Justin she hadn’t seen in months. She’d been surprised when she’d received the phone calls from him but they’d always been a brighter part of her day.
“Well I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off him,” Christy joked.
Ashlyn forced a smile as she watched Christy walk away to serve a customer. Believe me it’s hard. Her own thoughts shocked her and she immediately tried to busy herself to keep her mind of him.
“Where are we going?”
“What has been my answer the last ten times you’ve asked?”
“It’s a surprise,” she mimicked, not at all pleased.
JC laughed at her attempts to sulk. “You look nice by the way,” he said, taking his eyes off the road for a second.
“Thank you,” she smiled shyly. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” she commented.
“Why thank you.”
They stopped at a well-known restaurant and she turned to face JC. “Are you sure this is a good idea? What if someone recognises you?”
“Or you,” he reminded her. She often forgot that she was in the public eye too. “I’ve got it covered.” He walked around to the passenger side and helped her out. Looking around to make sure the way was clear he took her hand, leading her not towards the front of the restaurant but to the back door.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
The door was open to let air into the hot kitchen and Alanna reluctantly followed him in.
“Hey Danny,” JC called.
A heavyset middle-aged man turned and smiled in recognition. “Hey JC, who’s the pretty lady?” he said, gesturing to Alanna.
“This is Alanna, my girlfriend,” he said, pulling her forward. She waved shyly to the man. “Alanna, meet Danny, the guy who used to feed us when we were poor starving nobodies,” he laughed.
“Yeah and don’t you forget it,” Danny joked. “Everything’s set, just take the stairs.”
“Thanks man, I owe ya.”
He walked them to a corner of the kitchen where there was a ‘Staff Only’ sign fixed to a white door. He pushed the door open revealing a hallway. There was another door on the right and a staircase to the left, which he headed straight for, dragging Alanna behind him.
When they reached the top, slightly out of breath, he pushed another door open and they were outside on the roof. Garden lanterns lit the area and a table was set up in the sheltered corner.
They sat down at the table for two and she looked around amazed. The traffic could hardly be heard from up there and the view of the surrounding area provided the perfect setting.
“Sorry there are no candles. We tried but the damn things wouldn’t stay lit, too much of a breeze,” he rambled.
She knew him well enough to know he wanted reassurance. She smiled up at him. “You did all this?”
He shrugged. “Danny helped.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. “Thank you, it’s perfect.”
“You sure? Our choices were limited but I actually wanted to take you out for a change, you deserve that much,” he sighed.
She knew he worried about that, not being able to do normal things together but it was as much her fault now as his. “JC don’t worry, I love it,” she assured him.
He relaxed visibly and smiled, handing her over a menu. “Good, now what do you want? Danny is gonna come see what we want so we don’t have to deal with the waitresses.” JC pulled a face when he realised the man would be running up and down those flights of stairs all night. “I’m definitely going to owe him,” he muttered.
“What can I get you?” she asked, turning her head towards the next customer. “Oh it’s you.”
“No need to sound so excited,” Justin said sarcastically.
“Sorry I just didn’t expect to see you.”
“Well I’ve got nothing else to do.”
“I told you to go home, you don’t need to stay here.”
“And I told you I’m not going anywhere.”
“You know I could get you kicked out of here,” she said. “This place is for over 21’s only.”
“But you wouldn’t.”
Yes he was right, she wouldn’t.
“I hate it when people get all worked up about age. I mean I’m only a couple of months younger than you, and the guys they always go on about me being the baby and…”
She rolled her eyes and tuned him out, busying herself by getting him a drink.
“What’s this?” he asked when she placed the glass in front of him.
“Coke.”
“Coke? That’s all I’m getting? Jeez Ash, cut me a bit of slack.”
“Deal with it Justin.”
She walked off to serve someone else, muttering something about paying him later, and he smiled. He didn’t care about age or what he drank, he just liked getting her worked up. They used to tease each other non-stop but things had changed, she was more serious. He decided he wanted a little of the old Ashlyn back.
“I wish we could do this every day,” JC sighed.
“Me too.”
They were back from their meal and were cuddled up on the sofa.
“Do you wanna stay tonight?” he asked sleepily. He was exhausted and didn’t feel like driving her back to her place. He wouldn’t have minded waking up with her in the morning like they had in New York either. Then there was the little surprise he had planned that wouldn’t work if she went home.
“Mmm, I’ll have to call my mom though.” She rolled her eyes. “She still worries, still thinks I’m a kid.”
“It’s good that she’s looking out for you,” he said.
She felt a but coming. “But…,” she prompted.
He groaned. “But what the hell does she think of me when you call and tell her that you’re staying over? That’s just…that’s just awkward and…weird. I feel like I can never look her in the eye the next time I see her.”
Alanna couldn’t help but laugh. “Why? I could understand if we were actually doing it but you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. Pass me the phone.” She sat up and straddled his hips, reaching out a hand to him.
He did as she asked, reaching behind him and then placing the cordless in her outstretched hand. He covered his face with a pillow as she talked to her mom.
“See, that was harmless,” she said once she’d hung up and placed the phone on the coffee table.
“Yeah right,” he scoffed, running his hands along her thighs. “She’s probably telling your dad right now about that bad boy JC.”
“You,” she asked in amusement, “bad?”
“I can be bad,” he pouted. “So what did your mom say?”
“She said okay see you tomorrow. Jeez JC you are so paranoid.”
“I can’t help it, I feel all guilty now.”
Alanna reached out and with her finger, traced patterns on his shirt. “Well ya know,” she said coyly, “if you’re going to feel that way we might as well do something you can feel guilty for.”
JC’s hands stilled on her thighs and his eyes darted to hers. “What?” he choked out.
“Well if you don’t want to…” She removed herself from him and JC caught her hand as she went to move away from the couch.
“Wait.” He pulled himself into a sitting position. He looked up at her but she seemed to be looking everywhere but at him.
He knew she was afraid of rejection and she had never been so forward before that’s what had surprised him. Because of their past he knew he had to tread carefully in this area. He’d been too scared to approach it before for fear of a backlash from his past mistakes. What she had just said had put new light on the situation though. It looked as though she was well and truly ready to move on.
“Hey,” he said softly, tugging on her hand to get her to look at him. “You sure?” he asked carefully.
She sucked in her bottom lip and finally nodded.
JC let out the breath he had been unaware of holding. Standing up he pulled her into his arms.
He could honestly say this was one of the few times he’d actually felt nervous. The pressure had been building to make this moment right; he couldn’t blow it again. He wondered if she noticed the pounding in his chest.
She noticed JC’ heart beating faster by the second but it was no match for her own, racing out of control.
Where she’d got the courage to be so forward she’d never know.
She knew they’d waited a long time. But the time was right. The man was more than right.
She knew JC was reluctant to push her and so drawing even more courage she led the way up to his room.
JC sat down on the bed and pulled her between his legs. “Alanna you don’t have to.”
“Shh.” She placed a finger on his lips. “I want to.”
She replaced her finger with her lips as JC pulled her onto his lap, shifting his way back on the bed.
His hand trembled as he pulled his fingers through her hair.
Her legs shook as she crawled to meet him at the head of the bed.
He unwillingly pulled back and opened his mouth to ask one more time. He needed to make sure.
“No more talking,” she whispered huskily as she found the button to his pants.
Chapter 8
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