Exposed (Free Falling) (11 page)

“And now, if the rest of the bridal party would join the happy couple out on the dance floor…” the emcee
announced.

Wait…what?  I didn’t sign up for that.

Our entire table stood to their feet, and from the corner of my eye, I took in AJ’s towering height as he did the same.  It felt like led weighed my legs down as I evaluated the situation – AJ and me, face to face, slow dancing while our significant others sat by and observed.  Sucking in a breath, I stood and linked arms with him just as the others had done, simply because I didn’t have any other choice. 

Not too far from where Terrell twirled a smiling Maisha, AJ and I stopped and he came around to face me.  His expression was comforting, but I still felt unsure about being in his arms while Jason, Kira, and everyone else watched.  In that moment, my eyes drifted to the side of his neck where my name peeked just above the collar o
f his white, dress shirt, and for some reason, the sight of it steadied my racing heart.  I draped my arms around his neck and didn’t wince when his hands settled at my waist. 

I followed his lead and slowly but surely relaxed, letting my
body melt against his just a bit more than before.  It surprised me when he let out a deep breath and seemed to be struggling to hold his composure. 

No more
‘Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected’…

His hands tightened against my waist and I watched his gaze as it gradually fell to my breasts
pressed against his chest, instantly making my nipples harden in my silk, strapless bra. 

My palms were hot and sweaty as AJ lifted his eyes to mine again, now holding me close enough that his fingers interlocked at the small of my back.  Both of us breathed erratically
, stumbling over feelings that seemed to resurface with each passing second, whether we invited them into our atmosphere or not.  There was a sense of reckless abandon in AJ’s eyes that left me to wonder what the hell was going through his mind.  As if he heard me, he inadvertently revealed one of those thoughts without saying a word.

Right at the meeting of my thighs
, I felt his nature begin to rise, and he didn’t shy away or move to conceal it.  Trapping me there in his stare, I realized…he
wanted
me to feel it – wanted me to know that, in that moment, he was turned on.  I licked my lips as unfamiliar feelings clawed their way out from behind a door that’d been on lockdown for years.  I felt myself getting wet and tingly in hidden places.  AJ’s eyes smoldered and I sucked in a breath as his erection grew completely solid.  It took everything that I had in me not to run my fingers through his hair, but I was trying to be mindful of two people in particular who were without a doubt watching us closely.

With that in mind, I sobered ever so slightly. 
“I think I should back up,” I said softly, attempting to do just that. 

G
ripping my waist tighter so that I was locked against his body, AJ refused to let me go…and I didn’t put up much of a fight.  The lingering electricity between us ignited our emotions until we were both consumed by a wildfire of lust that had parts of my body throbbing that I’d nearly forgotten even existed.  AJ released a ragged breath that reminded me of making love to him.  In my head, I remembered the way his hands used to own my body, the way he brought my very soul to life, and the sound of him moaning when I’d make him cum.

T
hat was about all I could stand.

“I can’t do this,” I forced out as the
song faded to a close. AJ released me from his grasp slowly because, with the music now non-existent, he
had
to.

Putting a few inches between us, he cleared his throat as if coming out of a trance.  Discretely, my eyes drifted down to his crotch, observing his
massive hard-on.  Biting my lip, I tore my eyes away from what I knew I couldn’t have.

I massaged my temple
with my fingers, feeling so flustered and horny that I could hardly see straight.  To hide the effects of our ‘closer-than-close’ dance, AJ shoved his hands in his pockets, pulling the material of his pants away from his body while he settled down.  I fought against a laugh, thinking of how high school boys have to implement similar tactics on occasion.  AJ, on the other hand, didn’t bother pretending to not find humor in the situation.  As he traipsed away with his head hung low, I heard him chuckling.

Even his
laugh
is hella sexy…

“Bathroom emergency,” Maisha said,
snatching my hand and dragging me behind her to the restroom.  As soon as the door closed, she started doing the potty dance, tap dancing in her expensive shoes.

I grabbed the bottom of her dress and motioned for her to back
into the nearest stall.  When she shimmied out of her panties, I laughed.

“You are
sooo
lucky I love you,” I said as she gathered up more of the material, aimed her backside toward the toilet, and sat.

She breathed a sigh of relief
when she was finally able to use it, not caring in the least that I stood holding her dress up off the ground.

“I want you to remember
all
of this when it’s my turn,” I said with a laugh.

“I got you, boo.  Trust me, when it’s your turn,
I’mma be there with bells on.”

I smiled and turned my head while she maneuvered awkwardly to wipe.  The toilet flushed and she struggled with her panties – she was on her own with that part.

“Whew!” she exhaled.  “I didn’t think I’d make it!”

We shared a laugh and then the conversation took a turn that I didn’t see coming.

“So…what was all that y’all had going on out there on the dance floor?” She asked.

My cheeks flushed red in my reflection as we stood at th
e sink.  “What’re you talking about?”  I couldn’t even look her in the eye as she washed her hands.

“
Mmm hmm…I saw that look he was giving you.”

I blushed even harder.

“Girl, bye…AJ and I are nothing but friends.”  As soon as the words left my mouth, Kira came through the door and I was so glad that she hadn’t entered a second sooner.  I hoped that the awkward way Maisha and me abruptly ended our conversation didn’t give anything away.

“Ready?”  Maisha asked, heading toward the door.

I nodded and took a few steps behind her, taking note of how tight Kira’s expression was.  Had she noticed the connection between AJ and me out there?

C
hapte
r
S
ix

A
J

With Kira out of sight, I watched the one person in the room that I shouldn’t ha
ve had my eyes on.  Sitting there with the
new
guy – Jason, or whatever his name is – she laughed at something he said while his hand landed on her thigh.  I stared, watching as he touched her like
I
used to touch her…only it didn’t look like she enjoyed it
nearly
as much when he did it.

The form-fitting, turquoise dresses that Maisha chose for the bridesmaids hugged Sam
’s body in all the right places – tight across her breasts and hips, showing off some of her best assets.  At the thought of it, I could imagine what it would be like to let my hands run over the smooth satin, exploring her curves through the material.  Even knowing that I shouldn’t have been looking, I couldn’t turn away. 

Stop it.  What the hell are you doing?

I chugged down the last of the cha
mpagne in my glass.  I wasn’t jealous; it just seemed weird seeing her with someone else – with someone other than
me
.  She smiled at him and he ate it up.  I didn’t realize anyone noticed me staring until Terrell placed a hand on my shoulder.

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t really like him either
.  I just pretend to for Sam,” he said, taking the seat beside me while Maisha mingled with their guests.

I cleared my throat and looked in the opposite direction of Sam, pretending like she hadn’t had my undivided attention
for the last two minutes or more.  Terrell’s statement lingered in my head.  Initially, I planned to ignore it, but I had to ask.  It wasn’t like he didn’t know I was watching her anyway.

“You don’t like him?” I inquir
ed, making sure my voice remained even.

He shrugged casually.  “I mean…he seems okay enough.  I just don’t think he’s right for her.”

“Based on?”

“Absolutely nothing,” he admitted with a smile.  “Honestly, he’s never done or said anything that put me off.  I just think there’s someone else out there for her.”

I smiled a little at the less than subtle plug.  “So…having the two of us walk down the aisle together was
your
doing, I’m assuming?”

Terrell gave a satisfied nod.  “Indeed.  And I take cash, credit, and money orders only.  No checks please
, ‘cause I don’t know you like that.”

I laughed and
shook my head.

He nudged my arm.  “So…
y’all been talking?”

I ran
my finger around the rim of my empty glass while I thought.  “Some.  Nothing too heavy.  Doesn’t seem like the time for that.”

“Does that mean there’ll be
other
times?”  Terrell added, grinning like a kid on Christmas.

I couldn’t help but to chuckle.  “Nah…that’s not what I’m saying.  I only meant that this type of setting, with everything going on this weekend, hashing out the details of our past is not what’s important.”

“But you
should
keep in touch with her, though.  I mean, you know…in my opinion.  There’s no reason y’all can’t be –“

“Don’t even say it,” I interjected, smiling at how naïve Terrell apparently thought I was.  “You know as well as I do that Sam and I don’t have the capacity to be
‘just friends’
.”  Without having to come out and say it, Terrell filled in the blanks.  What happened out there on the dance floor was a prime example of what a ‘friendship’ between Sam and me would look like – a whole lot of awkward moments where one or both of us would have to walk away hot, bothered, and horny as hell with no possibility of getting our rocks off.  It was easy to deny that there was still a sexual attraction to her before because I hadn’t been forced to face it.  But now?  I knew without a doubt that those urges were alive and kicking regardless of what negative energy still has a place in my heart after having her walk away from me before.  Clearly, at least
one
part of my anatomy hadn’t gotten the memo about her no longer being a prospect.

“Well, I still say there’s some
thing there worth exploring,” Terrell concluded, pushing his chair in when he stood.  “And if you ever need an alibi to get away for a weekend, you know I got you.  Just sayin’….”

I shook my head at him and ignored the offer.  I wo
uldn’t need any alibis, because after this, I wouldn’t be speaking to Sam anymore.  In fact, I’d already decided that, if and when our paths did cross again, it would be at some other random event hosted by one of our mutual friends…not by any doing of our own.

When I saw Kira emerge from the restroom,
I cleared my throat and made sure my eyes stayed solely on her as she walked in the direction of where I sat at the bar.  I forced a smile and returned her embrace when she tucked her small frame beneath my arm and stood there, watching couples on the dance floor.

“We should go out there and show them how it’s really done,”
she joked, knowing good and well that she didn’t have an ounce of rhythm.

Dancing was the furthest thing from my mind
, but I didn’t know how to tell her that.  At the moment, I was fighting off the barrage of feelings – some new, some familiar – that had basically just fallen into my lap.  Either way, I couldn’t seem to control it. 

“Come on,”
she insisted when another slow song came on.

Trailing behind a bit, I went.

We stopped in the middle of the floor and Kira’s arms came to rest on my shoulders as she laced her fingers at the back of my neck.  A long breath helped to center my thoughts somewhat.  Well…kind of.

‘
Don’t even look over there’
, played on repeat over and over again in my thoughts like a chant.

“Your heart feels like it’s
about to leap through your shirt,” Kira commented, staring at my chest curiously.

I peered down at her and
hid behind a smile.  “That tends to happen when I dance with a beautiful woman.”

She deemed that an acceptable answer, although
I
knew there was more to my elevated pulse than the fact that I was holding Kira.  On cue, I let myself steal one more look.  When I did, Sam and her guy were coming out to dance too.  They were way on the other side of the floor, but I still had a clear view of the two of them.  He held her waist and pulled her in close. 
Real
close.  She held his shoulders and leaned her head over slightly when he placed a kiss on the side of her neck, followed by another, and another….