Page 2 of Obsession on Repeat (Vinyl Hearts #1)

My ears were ringing, and it wasn’t from the music.

No, the honor was all Alice’s from shrieking earlier when I told her that I had turned Sullivan down for lunch.

I did the final checks in my booth, making sure all the discs were in order, and with a final nod at Jake, the main bouncer, Venom was open for business.

Three hours later, I took another swig from my water bottle, rolling my neck as I felt the sweat dripping between my shoulder blades. My eyes scanned the crowd. I had been looking for any sign of Sullivan, and I hated it. With a grunt, I tossed my bottle onto the floor.

As the song changed, the water bottle was placed on the end of my turntable.

I glanced over my shoulder, surprised but annoyingly pleased to see him standing there in a white tee shirt and jeans.

The fast song echoed in my ears. I wasn’t paying attention to the words anymore, despite how loud they were.

The bass vibrated in my chest, the words from the song whispering in my ear like a deadly siren.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands gripped my hips. My mouth met his halfway, and I closed my eyes, the music twisting around us as the caress deepened. I gasped when my backside hit the turntable.

He ended the kiss. "Take a break."

"I can’t!"

"Yes, you can." He cupped my face with his hands. "I think it’s about time I bought you that drink."

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. "I already said—"

"I know what you told me, but I’m not going to quit asking!" His right thumb stroked my cheek. "Don’t you feel this? It’s crazy, but don’t you feel what's happening between us?"

It was scary, a familiar ball of nerves appearing in my stomach. He kissed me again. I couldn’t help but smile when he pulled away.

"I have to work!"

"I’ll wait for you."

Laughing, I wrapped my fingers around his wrists. "I know you’re not a club fanatic. There’s no reason for you to suffer." Releasing him, I turned to dig through my bag. I handed him a sheet of paper. "This is my cell phone! Call me when I get off. "

"You promise that you won’t disappear this time?"

I licked my lips, the taste of him lingering in my mouth. "I won’t disappear this time."

The twenty-four-hour pancake house wasn’t busy, but I suspected it was due to it being four o'clock in the morning. I looked at Sullivan to find him staring at me. "What is it?"

"You’re drinking coffee, and you haven’t been to bed yet."

"I don’t know if I will be anytime soon. I’m used to being up late, so I tend to drink lots of coffee," I shrugged. "I’m not addicted to it."

"Right."

"I’m not!"

Chuckling, he raised his own glass; the water slick with condensation. "Okay, fine, you’re not addicted to coffee. What are you addicted to? Well," he sipped his water, "besides music, I mean."

"You’re certainly curious about me."

"I’m always curious about the women I kiss. "

I almost spit out my coffee, wiping my mouth with my napkin. "The only thing I’ve done lately outside of work is finish a Stephen King novel I purchased four years ago. Basically, I spend every waking hour at Venom. That’s about it. I’m boring."

"You’re not boring; you’re selective of how you spend your time." He reclined in his chair. "What book was it?"

"Desperation."

"I’ve read that one, it’s good."

"I think we’ve switched roles. You’re interviewing me as if I’m the celebrity." I glanced around the restaurant, smiling as I noticed two older women at a nearby table shyly looking at him. "Then again, maybe we haven’t."

He didn’t remove his gaze from me. "What made you move to Australia?"

I brought my gaze back to him. "Nothing in particular. It's a beautiful country. I move a lot."

"Define a lot."

Smothering the urge to roll my eyes, I smiled into my cup before taking another sip of the steaming hot liquid. "Every couple of years."

"Why?"

"Because I can." My answer was abrupt, but I didn’t care. "What else are you curious about, Mr. Masters?"

"Well, I was curious about how you tasted, but we've already answered that. "

I fumbled my cup, but I managed to steady it at the last possible second. I stared wide-eyed at him for several seconds before clearing my throat. "Every time I think I have you figured out, you do or say something that surprises me."

"I’m sorry. I don’t usually say things like that. I mean, I don’t do things like that with someone I just met."

"I bet you tell that to all the girls."

"Only the ones I’m curious about, Ms. Jones."

His response made me laugh. I watched him smile, a pink blush on his cheeks appearing. "What kind of things are you addicted to, Mr. Masters?"

Sullivan toyed nonchalantly with his fork. "I consider myself rather boring," he shrugged. "I enjoy listening to Classical music. I grew up on it as a child. I prefer to be at home watching a good show than going out to a club."

"So, what were you doing at Venom tonight?"

"I think you know what I was doing there."

My mouth curved upward, but it didn’t reach my eyes. "Maybe I want to hear you say it."

He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table.

"I had a lot of fun with you the other night, more than I’ve had outside of work in a long time.

I’m not one to deny myself when I feel a connection.

I think there’s one between us, so why not try to pursue it?

If you let things pass you by, you’ll never know what they could mean to you. "

I let my eyes skim his face, lingering on his mouth for a second before I brought my gaze back to his. "How long are you going to be with us in sunny Aussie land?"

"One more week. Do you think you could fit me into your busy schedule?"

"You don’t strike me as the kind of man who enjoys relationships that are doomed to fail from the very beginning."

"You're right. Tell me you didn’t think of me today."

"I didn’t think of you at all today."

He surprised me by laughing. "You’re not a good liar."

"It’s why I don’t play poker," I grumbled, "but I’m working on it." I played with the salt shaker on the table. "I like you, but my life is too complicated."

"It sounds pretty simple to me. Music is what drives you; it doesn’t take much other than that to make you happy. The way I see it, we’re more similar than you want to believe. Acting’s a huge part of my life, it’s the only thing I see myself doing forever."

"But it’s not the only thing in your life. You have your friends, hobbies..."

"Are you saying you have no friends?" He pressed, a strange softness in his tone. "I imagine Alice would beg to differ."

I shrugged. "I don’t stick around long enough. People leave, or I do. It’s easier that way. "

"I don’t know why you’re fighting me so hard on this. I’m not proposing to you."

"Give it time."

The comment was laced with dry humor, but he could see the seriousness in my face. "You’ve been hurt pretty badly before, haven’t you?" He surprised me by reaching out to take my hand in his, his thumb stroking my skin. "If you need to talk, I’ll listen."

"I know you would, and that’s what scares me." I pulled away. "You seem like a great guy, Sullivan. You’re certainly one hell of a kisser," I smiled when he blushed at the compliment, "but I’m not good for you. I’m not good for anyone, not even myself sometimes."

"If you give me the chance, I can change your mind about that."

"You don’t know when to quit, do you, Mr. Masters?"

He flashed me a dazzling smile. "So I've been told, Ms. Jones."

Venom was packed at capacity. I smiled at the crowd, throwing my hands up to excite them before setting songs on a loop.

I turned to where Sullivan lingered in the booth.

He had returned earlier that night, insistent on watching me play.

"If you keep hanging out with me, people are going to think you’re a partying, bad boy.

Surely you have better things to do with your free time? "

"I want to be here."

"Suit yourself." I glanced at the turner, momentarily distracted as I made sure everything was going smoothly. Judging by the reaction from the crowd as a remix played, everything was fantastic. "I wish you wouldn’t do that."

"Do what?"

"You’re just sitting there staring at me!"

"What do you want me to do?"

The temptation to see how far he was willing to go was too strong to pass up. "You could come over here, and give me a hand." My breath caught in my throat when he rose from his chair.

"It seems you have everything under control."

"I wasn’t talking about the music."

He chuckled, sliding his hands up my arms. "I swear, I can’t tell which way is up with you sometimes."

"I could help you out with that."

He brushed his lips against mine. "I believe you."

I returned my attention to the turntable, smiling as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I couldn’t deny what he had said earlier was true.

There was something between us, and I desperately wanted to find out what it was.

I only hoped once that happened, I’d be able to walk away without my heart broken into a million pieces.