Mistaken Identity (2 page)

“Wow, you do a really good
Dex
Kimber
.”

“Thanks. I, uh, heard that before. You a
Paranormal fan?” he asked, using the show’s shortened nickname.

She nodded. “I lust after the writers
pretty much. Their story lines are brilliant.”

“You a writer?”
Refreshed by
her admiration of the show and its production versus the looks he and his
co-workers possessed, he wanted to know more.

“Journalist.
I work for
the local paper, but I admire creative writing, and I may, or may not, be
working on a book of my own.” Her slow, southern, drawl coaxed a smile. No
small feat, considering.

“You here for the
convention?”

“Yeah, my best friend,
Mya
, purchased passes for the weekend, sort of
congratulations for making Lead Editor, and a happy birthday present rolled
into one.”

“Well happy birthday and
congrats.”
He raised his half-empty glass toward her.

“Thank you.” She beamed.

“How old are you?” He narrowed his eyes,
unable to gauge an age range on her youthful façade.

“For the record, that’s not a question
most women like to be asked. I’m thirty. Mark the occasion on your calendar
because next year I start counting backward.”
 
She winked, and he chuckled.
 
I like this one. She’s got spunk and
substance.

“Noted.
Can I buy
the birthday girl a drink?”

“Sure, but only if you hurry.” She peered
down at her watch. “Only thirty more minutes to go.”

Eager to lose himself in anything other
than his memories he glanced down the bar, caught the bartender’s gaze, and
nodded. The brunette returned the head gesture and settled the tab with her
current customer.

“What can I get you this time,
sweetheart?”
 
Leaning over the bar the
woman offered up a view of her spectacular cleavage in the skimpy, black tank
top.

Keeping his tone neutral, he ignored her
signals.
 
“Whatever the
lady likes.”
 

The bartender wrinkled her nose, and he
frowned. Her assumptions and shitty attitude made him clench his glass
tight.
 
It was bitches like this who had
driven
Lis
away in the first place.

With a roll of her eyes she focused her
attention on his newly acquired acquaintance. “What’s your poison, Hon?”
 
Her voice dripped with sarcasm and disdain.

“Whiskey and cola,
Dear.”
The “fuck you” tone the brown-skinned beauty added to her voice made him
chuckle.
She could hold her own just
fine.

“Coming up.”
Chastised,
the bartended changed her expression to a fake friendly.
 
“How about you, cutie?”
She winked at him.

“I’m good.”
 
His tone was flat and even. He felt almost
protective of the cordial southern belle with an easy smile and light
conversation.
 
Saved from an embarrassing
night worshipping the porcelain god and shedding tears he should’ve run out of
long ago, he knew it was the end of the line. The crippling grief lost its
steam. It was time to move on and work through the mourning.

“Thank you,” the woman beside him
whispered.

“You’re welcome, mysterious woman whose
name I don’t know.”

“Oh my God, I forgot my manners. I’m
Kansas.” She held out her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Kansas, I’m Jay.”
 
They shook. Her hand was soft, but her grip
was firm. The scent of something floral and sweet wafted off her. His belly
tightened, and his cock came to life in his pants, pressing against the fly of
his jeans.
I wonder if her beautiful skin
is this soft all over her body.
 
He
cleared his throat. “Rocking name, I love the band.”

“So did my parents. If I’d had a brother
they were going to name him Boston.”

“Hey, they sound like good people to me.”

She rolled her eyes, but the deep dimple
that appeared in her left cheek told him she agreed.

“Why are you ringing in the big
three-o-solo? Is your friend joining you …
Mya
?”

“Nah.
She got
swept away in the
Paranormal
hysteria. Good recall by
the way.”

He inclined his head to say thank you.

“I like the show, but the screaming and
fawning sort of made my skin crawl.”

He snorted. “Tell me about it.”

“I bet you get it a lot, too, being
confused for Jett so much and all.”

He nodded.
“Has to be a
hard way to live, being constantly placed inside a fishbowl for the world to
see.”

“Right?”
She shook
her head. “I don’t get it. They’re just people, same as you and I. Admire their
craft, and give them space.”
 

She gets it.
He opened
his mouth to reveal his true identity. The bartender reappeared, and the words
died on his tongue as she dropped of Kansas’s drink and retreated.
 

“Why are you here alone?” Kansas took a
sip from her glass.

“Same as you, needed a break from the
crazy, and my friends wanted to stay back at the hotel.”

“Aren’t we a pair of introverts? Slinking
off to the bar while they live it up?”

“
Aah
. I like it
better here with you any way.” Kansa ducked her head, and he grinned. He liked
complimenting her and the pretty way she blushed in response. Modesty looked
good on her. In his time of darkness she was a light, and he planned on
gripping onto it with both hands.
 

****

There must be
some truth to birthday magic, because there’s no way this guy would ever give a
girl like me a second glance. As far as I’m concerned my size-fourteen figure
is fabulous, and my nerdy quirkiness is essential to my personality.
 
I mean, intelligence and class are sexy and
timeless
,
right?
 
Unfortunately, these days those qualities
didn’t usually endear her to men. Being caught up in the friend zone worked
well with her no marriage policy. Casual dating with the occasional and very
discreet itch scratching did her well.
 

Personal rules aside, Jay was a catch she
couldn’t pass up. A dead ringer for Jett Walker, the southern man had wit,
kindness, and a voice made for sin and satin sheets. The gruff tone melded with
a twang must melt every woman he came across.
I’ll just ride this out and see where it goes. It is my birthday after
all, and he’s one hell of a present.

“Last Call!”
 
Her mood crashed and splintered into a
million pieces like a fallen glass.

They’d been drinking together for the
past hour and half, and she was sad to see their night coming to an end.

“Time really does fly when you’re having
fun.” Jay frowned.

“Always.”
She paused.
“Thank you.”

“For what?”
He scrunched
his face up. A look of confusion filled his dark green eyes.

“Making my birthday so
awesome.”
She shrugged.

A brilliant flash of white gleamed as he
delivered a toothpaste perfect smile. She pressed her thighs together. Heat
radiated from her core.

 
“You know … I should be thanking you.” He
countered her.

“Me? What did I do?”

“You were yourself. Tonight uh, it holds
bad memories for me. You allowed me to forget for a while.”

The pain in his eyes twisted her stomach
into knots. He had such an expressive face. Whatever happened must be
devastation worthy. She placed her hand on top of his. “I’m glad.”

“Can I walk you back to the hotel? It’ll
make me feel better.” He tilted his head as if waiting for permission.

“Sure.”

The bartender returned and slid them
their cards, wrapped up in receipts, and Kansas removed her hand.
 

“I left something special for you.” The
bartender winked at Jay and sashayed off.

Kansas signed her name and watched out of
the corner of her eyes as he grimaced.
 

Writing his name onto a copy, he balled
up the other.
“Nope.”
He tossed the wadded paper ball
onto the tray.

“You’re not interested? She’s really
pretty.”

“Not my type.” The heated look he sent
her way made her heart race. “You ready?” He rose from the bar-stool.

“Yes.”

 
Together they left the bar. The night held a
slight chill, and the darkened streets were alive with activity.
 
A strange sight in the
small town.
The show was based here, so the convention they held was
always a big deal. It amused her, people being so excited about their tiny
slice of paradise. She’d visited other places, even copped an internship at a
place in Chicago, fresh out of college. It was enough for her to decide this
would always be home. Country living suited her just fine, thank you very much.
Her town was full of laid back, honest people who believed in hard work and
old-fashioned values. Jay understood. He came from a small town in Texas, which
explained the sexy drawl.
 
Figures.
The one man
I’m interested in is just passing through.
 
There was an intriguing chemistry between him
she longed to explore.
It’s probably for
the best anyways. A man like this could break your heart. I barley know him,
and he’s all ready under my skin, twisting my guts up like pretzels and
inspiring lust.

Their arms brushed as they walked. Jolts
of electrical energy ran up her arm, puckered her nipples, and made her wish
she was a woman who took more risks. He took her hand. Excitement rippled
through her body.

“Is this okay?” The uncertainty in his
voice endeared him even more. Their gazes locked, and the connection between
them sizzled.

“Very.” She’d never had such a strong
reaction to a man. Her body grew more sensitive with every step. The bra
caressed her like a lover, and her silk underwear tantalized and teased where
they rubbed against her swollen clit.
If
he could do all this by holding my hand, what would sex be like?
 
The naughty musing embarrassed her. Still,
once the seed was planted, it refused to leave. Like a devil on her shoulder
her conscience whispered all the reasons why she should take him to her room
and make love until the sun rose or they collapsed from exhaustion, whichever
came first.
 
I probably misread things.

 
“Do you mind if we go in a side door?” His
words broke the amicable silence held between them.

“Not at all.”

They walked through a side entrance to
the elevators on the back side, and he pressed the round button in.

“Can I walk you to your room?”

“Sure.” There were no warning bells
chiming in her head, and it was far too crowded to try anything. Besides,
Mya
should be in their room by now.
Ding
. The elevator reached the bottom floor, and opened. They
stepped into the empty square.

“What floor?” His finger hovered over the
double row of buttons.

“Eight.”

He pressed it in. The car lurched to a
start and began to ascend. It went up three floors when his finger shot out
once more, and alarm bells rang.

“You’ll have to forgive me, but I
couldn’t’ live with myself if I didn’t do this.”

“W-
wh
—”

The words were muffled by the softness of
his lips. His broad chest and the welcome weight of his body trapped her
against the wall. Opening her mouth she allowed his seeking tongue entrance.
Rational thought fled, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
 
Nerve endings rapid fired, and her body went
up in flames. He lifted her up with ease, and she wound her legs around him,
impressed. His thick length lined up to her throbbing core. She growled in her
throat. He thrust forward, and she ripped her mouth away.

“Oh!”

He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth,
nipped, and pulled away. “Come to my room?”

“Yes.”

He turned with her still in his arms and
pressed the bell to turn it off.
 
The
speaker crackled to life.

“Do you need help?” a male voice
crackled.

“Sorry there’s a kid in here who pressed
it.”

“Okay.” The speaker clicked off.