She scrunched her brow thoughtfully as she took a small spoonful of ice cream, licking it off the spoon in a way that made my mind go to naughty places all over again, then she shrugged.
“I like going to the beach. Going surfing with Grace,” she offered. “I really do feel a sense of relaxation and peace when I'm by the water. I always have, ever since I the first time I visited the ocean.”
No wonder she had such a beautiful tan. She must spend all her free time at the beach, I thought, looking down at her tanned cleavage. The thought of her in a bikini, tanning in the sun did something to me.
“I like going dancing and running, too,” she added. “Grace and I had a great time dancing a few weeks ago at this club in San Diego, actually.”
“Oh yeah? I go up to San Diego to see an old friend every now and then. We sometimes hit the clubs, even though I'm not much into it these days. Which one was it?”
“Oh, I dunno if you've heard of it. Le Venin?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I know that place. It's the one that’s decorated like what I imagine a vampire bar would look like.”
She laughed. “No way, that's what you think about it? Seriously?”
I shrugged. “I don't know what it is about the place. Maybe it’s all the red and black velvet. It just always gave me that kind of Dracula vibe.”
“You know, I thought exactly the same thing the first time Grace took me there. Grace said I was crazy. I never thought I'd hear anyone else say that about Le Venin!”
We both laughed. It was cool to talk to someone who seemed to see things in a similar way. And between the surfing, running, and dancing, I wasn’t surprised she had the amazing and sensual body she did. She took great care of herself; that had been obvious even before I managed to get her clothes off.
I took another bite of ice cream, pondering over what else I wanted to ask her. For the first time in longer than I could remember, I wanted to know everything about a woman. I wanted to know what made Nalia tick. It wasn’t just because she was sexy as hell; it was because she was interesting, beautiful, and funny.
One thing was for sure: she had my attention. And I was pretty sure it wasn't going to be on anyone else for as long as she was around. As much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself, the only woman in my head was the one in front of me.
“So what was your childhood like growing up? Were your parents very encouraging about your music?” I asked.
She froze, an odd, unreadable expression grew over her face, then she shrugged.
“I have an older brother, Jackson. He was always very supportive of my playing. Between him and Grace, I’ve got a lot of support,” she smiled, a bit hesitantly.
I smiled. “Is he super protective of you like I am with Talon?”
“Oh no. He’s wayyyyyy worse,” Nalia laughed, then pointed her spoon at me. “And he hates Bleeding Heart. Not the music, but the band itself. When I told him about the job, he told me I couldn’t take it. To put it bluntly, he pretty much said you guys were a bunch of douchebags.”
I laughed. “Wow, well, I’m glad you didn’t listen to him. Maybe I’ll send him front row tickets to all our shows. Ya know, bribery. Maybe that will get him to like us, see that we're down to earth guys, that we don't have shitty attitudes and rock star egos.”
Nalia narrowed her eyes, grinning. “That’s not the reason he hates you guys. It’s more regarding your reputation with women. He was worried about... Well, you know, with your reputation, about me getting hurt.”
I raised an eyebrow. It was true, I’d had some flings here and there over the years, but if anyone was known for getting around, it was my younger brother. He had a tremendous talent for sleeping with girls then pissing them off. Although, I guessed that with the internet and gossip mags and tabloids, there were probably all sorts of false stories about me floating around. The paparazzi would say anything to sell their stupid magazines.
“My reputation? Me, personally? I didn’t know I had one,” I laughed.
“Oh, according to Jackson, all of you definitely do,” Nalia nodded, taking another spoonful of ice cream. “And, as far as my brother is concerned, you’re nothing but a womanizer who might break my heart. He’s just worried I’m going to end up falling for you and then getting hurt,” she added, her eyes meeting mine.
I smiled, holding her gaze with a challenging look. “And are you?”
She stared back, her smile widening, then shook her head. “Nope. I knew there was a chance this might be difficult, but I’m good. I’m here, first and foremost, to do a job for you, and that’s exactly what I plan to do. I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that.”
“And the sex?” I cocked an eyebrow.
Her eyes beamed with mischief as she laughed. “Just a wicked hot bonus.”
I grinned and leaned across the counter to kiss her. The ice cream tasted sweeter on her mouth than my spoon. She giggled, wiping ice cream off her chin as I pulled away.
“Mmm, you taste good.” I winked at her. “Incredibly good. I think it’s possible I could eat you all day.”
“So do you,” she winked back at me, then took her spoon, rubbing some melted ice cream on her chest. “Still hungry, Owen? Has your appetite been satisfied yet, or are you still hungry for more?