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I went from breathing too fast to not being able to breathe at all. What kind of excited did he mean?

“Get up and get dressed – we’ve got plans tonight.”

I looked at him curiously as I clambered off the bed and opened my suitcase, pulling out a pair of jeans. I was getting used to Joel springing ‘surprises’ on me like this.

“Do I need to dress them up or down?”

“Stinky, you’d look stunning if you wore a sack – whatever you want to wear is fine.”

With that he left the room, closing the door behind him with a final lopsided grin in my direction.

I waited until my heart returned to its normal rhythm and then I dragged on a pair of skinny jeans and a baby blue cami top with a plunging neckline.

I slipped on a pair of flats and dabbed a bit of lip gloss on.

I opened the door and stepped out. Joel was waiting in the living room, lounging on the sofa in a pair of jeans and a baby blue shirt. I rolled my eyes.

“Do you spy on me and match your outfit to mine or something?” I asked incredulously .

Joel laughed, eyes dancing. “I was about to ask you the same thing. Do you want me to change?” he asked, standing up and starting to take his shirt off.

I gulped at the sight of his abs, and I took the two steps across the room to him, pulling his shirt from his hands before I got way too carried away by his body.

“No, I’ll change,” I insisted hastily, tugging his shirt into its correct position. I might have smoothed it over that washboard stomach just a moment longer than was strictly necessary, and I couldn’t help the tiny little sigh that escaped my lips.

Joel looked down, past my face, to my breasts – I was braless in this top. He groaned softly. “No, don’t change, they look awesome,” he murmured, his hand grazing up my belly.

I pushed him away, flushing. “Well, let’s go then, since we’ve established that neither of us is changing!” I snapped at him, stomping towards the door. He snorted and followed me.

“Are we getting a cab?” I asked while we waited for the elevator. Joel shook his head, smirking. I was instantly suspicious.

“Where are we going?” I demanded.

“Curious – there’s another adjective for you,” Joel joked. “We’re going to a concert, seeing as I missed out on Princes of Lion in Sydney.”

I looked sharply at him.

“They’re not playing here, though.”

Joel laughed. “Did I say it was them?”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Who then?” I asked.

“Impatient. Another one.”

I huffed and looked away as the elevator came to a halt at the ground floor.

The night air was balmy. I was warm in jeans, but not uncomfortably so. Joel looked smug beside me as we walked through the bustling streets of Soho. It wasn’t exactly convenient to the tennis, but it was definitely more interesting.

“I had some awesome nights out here when I was nineteen,” Joel said. I looked up at him and he grinned down at me.

“You came here when you were nineteen?” I asked.

Joel nodded. “Yeah, during the semester break from uni. I came with a couple of mates and we stayed for a month. It was insane – the amount of beer I drank … I can’t even remember how many girls I picked up.”

“Okay, stop right there – too much information, buddy!” I snapped, holding up a hand.

“Jealous, Stink?” he asked cheekily. I clapped my upraised hand over his mouth before he could continue. His eyes twinkled merrily, his grin widening under my hand.

“I’m not jealous of you, or the countless skanks you’ve boned!”

Joel reached up, and with very little effort he pulled my hand away from his mouth, keeping hold of my wrist and pulling me against him.

“You sure?” he asked teasingly, releasing my wrist and trailing a hand down my arm and down my side until it rested on my hip.

“Yes, I’m sure Joel,” I breathed, totally unconvincingly. He leaned down until his mouth was level with my ear.

“I think you’re in denial, Melanie Black.”

I managed to pull away then, folding my arms protectively across my chest. “I think you’re wishing I was one of them, Joel Herbert,” I accused.

Joel winked at me. “Well, it would be unforgettable, that’s for sure.” He raised one eyebrow at me suggestively. I huffed.

“Okay, Mel, I promise that I’ll be a gentleman for the rest of the evening,” Joel assured me chastely.

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll believe that when I see it,” I grunted.

Joel picked up my hand and passed it through the crook of his elbow.

I watched him surreptitiously as we walked.

He was wearing such a pious expression on his face that I almost laughed, but I stopped myself just in time.

I was too interested in seeing how long he could keep it up for.

We arrived at a blacked-out glass door with a bouncer standing outside it. Joel produced two tickets from his pocket and the bouncer opened the door and let us in. There was a set of steps leading down.

“This isn’t a sex club is it Joel?” I asked nervously. Joel the Gentleman gave me a horrified look. I tried not to grin .

“I would never take a lady to any such establishment!” he gasped. I did grin then and he winked at me, before returning to his chivalrous persona, taking my hand and assisting me down the steps.

It was dimly lit at the bottom of the stairs, but there were a lot of people on the dance floor, surrounding an empty stage.

Joel led me towards the bar and ordered two bottles of water. He unscrewed the lid on one and passed it to me. I thanked him with a mock curtsey. Two could play at this game. I took a sip from my water.

The crowd started whistling and I turned my attention to the stage. I dropped the bottle of water. Joel managed to grab it mid-air, taking the lid from my hand and securing it. I gaped at him and he smiled indulgently at me.

“I thought you’d enjoy this,” he leaned close to my ear so I could hear him over the music. I held him down at my level and turned my lips to his ear.

“I don’t believe this!” I exclaimed, bouncing up and down with excitement. “How did you know he was going to be playing here ?”

Jace McKenzie was notorious for doing sneaky little gigs in small independent venues. Even hardcore fans didn’t often know about them until it was too late.

Joel tapped the side of his nose and didn’t say anything more. He moved through the crowd until we were much closer to the stage. I bounced along in time to the beat behind him, and when he stopped, he positioned me directly in front of him.

I was sure I hadn’t said anything to Joel before about my love affair with Jace McKenzie; with his unique, soulful Brit-alt-pop sound.

I was hoarse from screaming about six songs in, when Jace slowed the tempo down, and the opening chords of the song that had first made me fall in love with him began.

Joel turned me towards him and put his arms around me, pulled me close against him. I was so euphoric that I didn’t try to resist. I put my arms around his waist and swayed with him in time to the music .

Joel leaned down and his lips were against my ear, and when the lyrics started, he sang the words along with Jace. He had a husky singing voice that sent my nerves tingling. I closed my eyes and let the song flow over me, feeling Joel’s warm body against mine.

The song lifted towards its climax and I took a deep breath.

Joel stopped singing and I opened my eyes.

His face was so close to mine that I could feel my lips tingling from his breath on them.

I realised that my hands weren’t on his waist anymore – they were under his shirt, my fingers splayed against his skin.

One of his hands was under my hair, curled around my neck. His eyes were closed.

The song ended and the audience screamed for more. I tore myself away from Joel and turned, cheering and clapping and acting as if what had just happened, hadn’t.

I made sure that I kept some distance between us after that. I didn’t let him turn me towards him again. If he put his hand on my waist to keep me close to him in the crowd, I pulled away slightly.

When Jace left the stage for the last time, and the audience started moving towards the door, I looked down at my watch. It was almost one.

“Did you have a good time?” Joel asked quietly as we climbed the stairs and headed back out onto the street.

I refused to look at him. “Yes! It was … I have no words. Thank you so much, Joel. How did you know I like Jace McKenzie?”

Joel snorted. “I’m not sure if ‘like’ is a strong enough word, Stinky. And I’ve heard you singing in the shower enough times to have worked out your obsession with him.”

I flushed, my eyes downcast. “Did you have a good time?” I asked. I didn’t like him thinking about me in the shower. I didn’t like thinking about him thinking about me in the shower. It made me throb in places I was trying not to feel when I was with him.

Joel sighed. “I had a fucking great time, Mel,” he replied fervently. I looked at him then. His eyes were blazing.

“A gentleman wouldn’t use a word like that in the presence of a lady,” I chided him teasingly.

He bit his lip and bowed his head. “I apologise, Miss Black, for my language,” he responded formally. “And now I’d better get you home to bed, before I turn back into a pumpkin.”

I giggled despite myself. I didn’t want to find him charming, but it was almost impossible not to.

“Okay, you can drop the act now, Joel. I’m not sure I like you as much when you’re not being a rogue.”

He glanced sidelong at me and before I knew what was happening, I found myself up against the wall of the nearest building. People continued to walk past us as if nothing was happening. As if I hadn’t suddenly found myself pinned between solid brick and six foot four of pure muscle and sex.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to my neck, just at my hairline, behind my ear, even as he pushed one knee between my thighs. Goosebumps erupted all over me and I trembled. I didn’t have the strength to fight him off. I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

My breath was coming in little panting gasps as Joel’s lips lingered on my skin, the warmth of his leg meeting the heat of my pussy through my jeans, creating pressure on the seam of denim that was rubbing right where I needed it most. His breath was warm on the nape of my neck as his lips moved against my skin, up towards my jaw, my earlobe.

I longed to rock myself against that strong leg, to turn my head, capture his full bottom lip between my teeth.

But instead, I stood frozen. The wanting feeling was far too big.

After a moment he pulled away, silently offering his arm to me, his lips moist and quirked up into a funny little half-smile. I somewhat shakily linked my arm with his and let him lead me away.

“My sincerest apologies for the brief roguish lapse, Miss Black,” he said.

I grinned, relieved that he was joking it away.

Relieved that I hadn’t given in like I’d wanted to.

Like I still secretly wanted to, somewhere down in the pit of my stomach where there was a seed of disappointment that he had stopped when he did.

Not a good idea to think about that.

The elevator seemed to take forever to get us up to our room. It felt too small, too crowded, though it was only the two of us inside.

Joel unlocked the door and held it open for me. I walked inside and went straight to my bedroom door. When I turned back, expecting him to be across the room at his bedroom door, I was startled to find him right behind me.

“A gentleman always walks a lady to her door,” he explained with a smile.

I opened the door and took a step back. “Thank you, Mr Herbert, for the lovely evening. And I’m willing to forgive the little indiscretion on the journey home. I’ll put it down to the overwhelming excitement of the concert.”

I took another step back, preparing to make my escape, but Joel grabbed my wrist and pulled me close again. He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. It would have been a very polite kiss except he lingered there too long, and his lips parted slightly and moved towards my ear.

“A gentleman always kisses a lady goodnight,” he whispered.

“Well, goodnight, Joel,” I murmured. My voice trembled.

“Goodnight, Mel. Oh, I just thought of another adjective.”

“What?” I whispered.

“Horny,” he replied with a grin, and turned and walked away before I could argue. Not that he wasn’t completely right, damn him.

It wasn’t until much later when I was in bed trying to sleep that I realised that ‘pupil’ wasn’t even an adjective – it was a noun. And Joel couldn’t find one noun to describe what I was to him.

Well, that was depressing.