“Okay.” Then I laughed. “Not a place for high heels.”
“Exactly.” His arms slid around my back as he leaned down. “And you’re not allowed entry unless you kiss the guy who is letting you through the door.”
His lips pressed to mine gently, as that indescribable heat began to flutter through my belly. His fingers dug into my back, clutching me against him. I’d never felt true lust before, and the electricity tingling between us was a force of nature that I could not have imagined.
“Damn,” he murmured as he finally backed away. “You are far too hot for your own good, sweetie.”
My eyes instinctively closed, and I felt myself blushing. Then I felt his finger under my chin, tipping my head back up so I couldn’t burrow into my chest.
“Lindsay, you are positively gorgeous. Breathtaking. Don’t worry, if you don’t believe me, I’ll just tell you thirty-two times a day until you do.”
I giggled as he took my hand again, opening the creaky green door.
CHAPTER FOUR
* Dale *
The huge reaction I felt deep in my core every time I touched Lindsay was surprising. I barely knew her. I didn’t even know if we were good for each other yet. But on another level, I already knew. She stirred things deep inside me.
As soon as we walked into the stage area, her bright eyes lit up with delight. “This is so cool,” she whispered. I followed her gaze to the host’s desk, and the giant couch where guests would sit when being interviewed. “It’s so weird from this angle,” she said, looking up at me.
“There are parts of it you get used to, and there are some things that always stay magical,” I grinned.
The theatre-style seating was filling up with people who had come through the main lobby. I led her to the front row, at the far edge. “We’ll have a great view from here, but I can also keep an eye on whether that backdrop wobbles.”
I pointed to the elaborate ‘junk wall’ that we had constructed. It was a massive random arrangement of shelves filled with knick-knacks, treasures, and hiding places.
“That’s really cool,” Lindsay said. “Are you going to change a bunch of the sculptures for every show?”
I slid an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. “Funny, we were having that discussion a few days ago. Some of the pieces will have to be glued down, but there are a whole bunch that we can change out every week, or thematically.”
The chatter in the room was starting to die down as everyone took their seats. “What kind of show is this?” she whispered.
“In about half an hour, you can tell me,” I said.
She pretended to glare at me, but her eyes were sparkling.
I took her hand as the lights dimmed and the host came out to welcome everyone. Natty explained how this talk show format was going to be a bit different, and encouraged the audience to laugh loudly, clap, gasp, yell out questions, or whatever they genuinely felt. He wanted things as informal as possible.
Lindsay seemed curious that he was encouraging people to be rowdy. “I thought that people were only supposed to applaud when someone waved a sign,” she whispered to me.
“That’s why they’re testing this format,” I said.
The show got underway, with Natty interviewing a local musician, then a comedian, then a filmmaker whose indie project became a viral hit and he still couldn’t believe it.
Lindsay seemed to be having a blast, laughing and clapping along with the crowd. Her sweet, enthusiastic energy was infectious, and I found myself laughing along with her. Then she leaned over to whisper in my ear, “Did you see that? When he gestured really widely, his fingers tapped that teapot on the shelf and it wobbled a tick.”
I had noticed, but was shocked that she did. “Good eye,” I grinned.
The second the show wrapped up and the applause died out, I grabbed her hand and led her off to the side, around behind the set and down the corridor. Turning on the lights of the meeting room, I watched as her eyes drifted around the cluttered mess of chairs and couches.
Pulling her against me, I kissed her gently. “Everyone will be coming in here in a couple of minutes, but I needed to get you alone.”
“Why are you so naughty?” she giggled.
“Because you drive me absolutely crazy.”
Sliding my hands down her back, I gripped her hot, round ass, giving a firm squeeze. She gasped, as I caught her mouth with mine, our kiss deepening. Her tiny moan made me need to throw her on a couch and take her right there.