Kiss Me Read online

  Behind him, Mal snorted. Alejandro paid off the delivery boy and carried the hot box into the kitchen.

  Mal followed him into the kitchen and found the cupboard with the plates while Alejandro opened the box. At the first whiff of the pizza, his stomach growled, and he realized he was hungrier than he thought. Mal set two plates on the table and eyed the food.

  “How long have you been sketching, anyway?”

  “Since high school. I used to do it to just to keep my hands busy.” Pulling out two large, gooey pieces, he placed them on the plates before wiping his hands. “Wait here. I’ll go get them.”

  Bustling out to his bedroom, he felt like a little kid getting ready to share his homework with his parents. There was a thrill of excitement, threaded through with that anxious voice that wondered if he would get laughed at. He wasn’t an artist. Not like Mal. But for whatever reason, it was important to him that Mal see these.

  Mal was seated when he returned, and Alejandro slid the folder between them as he took his chair. “Just don’t laugh too hard,” he said lightly. “I have a fragile actor’s ego.”

  Mal was more interested in the folder than he was in the pizza. He opened it and turned through the pages slowly, pausing every once in a while, turning back through the pages occasionally. Alejandro ate mechanically as he watched Mal, chewing the thick crust without tasting it.

  When Mal finally looked up, he was smiling, but his face was serious, too. “Do you ever use models? Your hands, in particular, are amazing. Look…what you did here.” He pointed to one sketch without touching the paper. “The marks you included. The scars. They can tell a whole story about these hands.”

  “No models, no. I do them from memory.” A slow flush of heat spread through his muscles, better even than the euphoria from making out on the couch. “Those are my grandfather’s. Or what I remember his hands being like, at least. You really like them?”

  “I do. I mean, I don’t know as much about sketching as I do photography, but I think you have a lot of talent and even more potential.”

  Alejandro dug into his pizza with more enthusiasm, launching into talk and questions about Mal’s work. It took a little while for Mal to warm up to it, but Alejandro couldn’t really blame him. The kissing had been more than amazing. Alejandro just wanted to see if he was right in thinking that it all could be amazing. Or even more so.

  Chapter 3

  Bonita’s restaurant was gorgeous. If Alejandro’s sister put half the effort into the food that she put into decorating the small space, then Mal had no doubt it would be the talk of the town soon. Because the rented space was so small, there was a certain air of intimacy. Mal could almost believe that he and Alejandro were the only people in the building.

  Or maybe it was just Alejandro? There were other couples in the dining room, but Mal only had eyes for his date. In the low candlelight, his skin was the color of caramel, and his eyes were like melted chocolate. Mal kept sipping from his water, trying to distract himself from memories of tasting his warm, salty skin.

  It had been two nights since their first date. Mal wasn’t getting any work done, because he couldn’t concentrate. His mind was consumed by thoughts of Alejandro during the day, and at night, all Mal could do was dream of him. Unfortunately, his dreams didn’t go any further than reality—there was kissing, there was groping, there was a sharp desire for more. And then he woke up, hard and frustrated.

  Mal hoped tonight would have a different, less frustrating ending. He liked Alejandro, and he liked spending time with Alejandro, but he was going to burst.

  “Everything looks too good,” Mal said, to cover the fact he couldn’t pay attention to any of the food on the menu. “What do you suggest?”

  Alejandro’s gaze flickered down the list. “If you like fish, the blackened cod with the lime sauce is good. Or if you want something meatier, I like the lamb with mushroom risotto.” A questioning smile curled his mouth as he glanced up. “Just make sure you save room for dessert. I already told Bonita to save some apple empanadas for us.”

  Mal set the menu aside. “The lamb sounds delicious. Almost as delicious as the apple empanadas. Is Bonita here tonight?”

  “Bonita’s always here,” Alejandro joked. “She said she’d come out when she got a break.” He gestured for their waitress to come over. “That’ll probably be sooner rather than later. She’s excited about meeting you.”

  “She’s excited about meeting me? Why? What did you tell her?”

  There wasn’t time for him to answer before the waitress arrived to take their order. Mal sat back and watched Alejandro smile and charm the young blonde, discreetly adjusting his semi-hard cock against his thigh. Alejandro had left his hair down tonight; Mal was itching to run his fingers through it again.

  “She’s seen your work,” Alejandro said as if they hadn’t been interrupted. “And she’s been listening to me tell her what a genius I think you are for six months now. She’s just excited that I finally got the nerve to ask you out.” He smiled as he sipped at his water. “Twice now.”

  Mal had been on dates before. He’d even been on dates before with guys he really liked. But he had never been on a date where the actual date part seemed like more of a hindrance than anything. He had to settle with reaching across the table and lightly touching the back of Alejandro’s hand.

  “I hope you have the nerve to ask me out a third time. Or will I have to earn Bonita’s approval first?”

  “Bonita likes who I like.” He paused, the tip of his tongue appearing along the edge of his teeth as he seemed to contemplate his next words. “There’s nothing stopping you from asking me out, though. I have a feeling that I won’t be able to deny you anything you might ask for.”

  Mal arched his eyebrow. “I have a feeling I might have to test that later. But in the meantime, are you doing anything Saturday night? It’s St. Patrick’s Day.”

  Alejandro thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Not that I can think of. Do you want me to save it for you?”

  “If you don’t mind me monopolizing your time three nights this week. But…I’m greedy,” Mal admitted, “and I don’t want to wait until next week to see you.”

  “It would actually be two weeks. I have to be in San Francisco next week for some club work.” Alejandro lifted his hand to entwine their fingers. “So be greedy all you want.”

  Nothing about Alejandro’s schedule should have come as a surprise, but even so, the disappointment was like a rock in the middle of his stomach.

  “Do you go up to San Francisco often?”

  “Depends on my shooting schedule. I usually get up there for a week or so every other month. You should go. You’d get some gorgeous shots.”

  “Gorgeous shots of the city, or gorgeous shots of you?”

  His eyes twinkled. “I meant the city. Or the bay. You can take pictures of me anywhere.”

  Mal leaned forward. “I’ll go up to San Francisco, but only if I get some exclusive shots of you. In the club, and around the city.”

  The slight lift of Alejandro’s brows showed he hadn’t expected the direct approach, but the way his fingers tightened around Mal’s said that he more than didn’t mind. Though it wasn’t usually Mal’s style to be quite so assertive, something about Alejandro demanded it. He’d had only tastes of the man, and frankly, he wanted to glut. He would push as far as Alejandro let him.

  “I can’t guarantee exclusivity at the club,” he said. “I’ll have to double-check, but I think they’ve already got a photographer lined up. But you’re welcome to the rest of it. Do you have something specific in mind for the pictures?”

  Mal narrowed his eyes. “You should be photographed at the bay. Near water. Every time I shoot you on set, you’re nude. You’ve got a great body, but there’s more to you than that. I want to capture that.”

  “Make sure you get his big mouth, too.”

  The woman who hovered at the table’s side could only have been Alejandro’s sister. Tall
and slim, with the same dancing eyes, she didn’t give either man a chance to respond before she was pulling up a chair from a nearby empty table and sitting between them.

  “You must be Mal,” she said, sticking out her hand. “I’m Bonita.”

  Mal held out his hand. “I am Mal, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “I was beginning to think I’d never get a chance to meet you. Sometimes Alejandro can be all talk.”

  Mal couldn’t help but be surprised, once again, that Alejandro had apparently spent so much time worrying about asking him out.

  “Well, once he bribed me with the best food in the city, I couldn’t even think about turning him down.”

  “That wouldn’t be the first time I got my brother a date. You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but he’s ridiculously shy.”

  Mal smiled slowly. “I wouldn’t have expected that. Especially given the way he comes alive in front of my camera.”

  “I’m still sitting here, Bonita,” Alejandro scolded with a half-smile.

  Bonita rolled her eyes. “And you’re not speaking up for yourself. Again.” She leaned closer to Mal. “He’ll try to hide. Don’t let him.”

  “I won’t,” Mal promised. He wasn’t sure how a man like Alejandro could hide. Didn’t he realize that all he had to do was walk into a room, and everybody would stop and notice him? “Not that I’m one for attracting attention.”

  “You got Alejandro’s. I thought I was going to have to set up a Facebook page saying, ‘Please date my brother’!”

  Alejandro snorted. “I think I’d be more worried with you placing a personal in the paper. You couldn’t even find your own website if I didn’t have it bookmarked for you.”

  “You get crazies in the paper.”

  “And the Internet is chock full of all the sane people?” With a smile, Alejandro relaxed in his chair, his thumb casually stroking the side of Mal’s hand that he still held. “Besides, I found my own date, didn’t I? I don’t need anybody else right now.”

  Something about the tone of Alejandro’s voice made Mal’s muscles tighten from his throat to his groin. Not for the first time, he wondered how he was going to make it through the meal.

  “So, Bonita, how long has the restaurant been open?”

  “Three months. And hopefully it’ll last three more months if Alejandro’s plans work out.”

  “You’re too hard on yourself, Bonita.” His tone with his sister was soft and affectionate. It was very easy to see just how close the two were, even if they did tease each other. “You can do this. I know you can.”

  The kitchen door opened and the most enticing aromas drifted into the dining room. Mal’s stomach growled, and his mouth began to water. “I’m going to reserve my judgment until after dinner, but I think this is probably going to be one of my favorite new restaurants.”

  “Just make sure to tell all your—”

  She was interrupted by the hostess coming over and tapping on her shoulder. The hostess leaned down and whispered something in her ear, which promptly led to Bonita rising from her seat.

  “Sorry, guys. Emergency in the kitchen.” She leaned down and brushed a kiss over Alejandro’s cheek, then surprised Mal by doing the same with him. “I’ll be back with your dessert. I promise.”

  Alejandro watched Bonita rush off with an amused smile. “So now that my sister has made me look thoroughly pathetic…” He shifted back to face Mal. “Do you have any sisters? Tell me you do and that you understand what it’s like to have one poking her nose in your business every chance she gets.”

  “No, I don’t. But I think it’s great how much…well, how close you are. Nobody in my family would threaten to put up a Facebook page to help me get a date. Their threats aren’t quite so benign.”

  His thick brows drew together slightly. “What do you mean? What do they threaten you with?”

  Mal waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing anymore, since I moved to the other side of the country. But my family is far from accepting of my so-called ‘lifestyle’ choice. Devout Irish Catholics, the lot of them.”

  “Probably like my parents aren’t exactly thrilled about my career choice. I understand.”

  Mal would have liked to push and find out just what his relationship with his parents was like. But even he could recognize that it might be a little too early in the relationship to get that curious. Even if a part of him could recognize that he was already falling a little bit for Alejandro—a porn star.

  “So I guess you’re pretty lucky to have Bonita, even when she does drive you crazy and stick her nose where it doesn’t belong.”

  “It’s probably silly, but Bonita’s my best friend. I love her so much because she drives me crazy.”

  Their appetizers arrived, and though they both dove into the food with a ravenous hunger, Alejandro continued to reach across the table to touch Mal whenever the opportunity arose. He laughed when Mal dribbled pesto down his chin, made wicked innuendos with the celery sticks that garnished the plate. When their entrees arrived, he promptly stole a bite of Mal’s risotto and then teased him by demanding to feed him a spoonful in return.

  By the time their plates were taken away, Mal was even more entranced.

  “Well?” Alejandro prompted. “When was the last thing you tasted anything as good as that?”

  “Two nights ago. And, no, I’m not talking about the pizza.”

  A slow smile brightened Alejandro’s eyes, though his thick lashes ducked to hide it as he toyed with his napkin. “Are you really going to come with me next week? I know you have work. I don’t want you to feel obligated.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind me tagging along. I know you’re going there to work and not on some vacation.”

  “It’ll be good to have company.” Under the table, Mal felt Alejandro’s foot nudge against his leg. “It’ll be good to have your company.”

  “I was serious, you know. About wanting to get some shots of you. The gigs at the movie sets don’t really require much from me. But you…” Mal paused, unsure of how to describe his desire. He didn’t want Alejandro to think that Mal liked him just because he was a pretty face, or just because of who he was, but nobody could deny that Alejandro was one of the most photogenic people Mal had ever encountered. “You could be a challenge for me.”

  “Well, my days are mostly mine. I’ll probably be useless in the morning because the clubs run so late, but…whatever you want. What’ll it take to get comped a few of those proofs?”

  Mal pretended to consider the question, though he was more than willing to comp Alejandro anything he wanted. “I think we can work something out. I’m always willing to barter.”

  His pleased smile only widened farther when the waitress set their empanadas on the table. “I always think I can never eat another bite,” Alejandro said, picking up his fork. “Then Bonita serves something else even more delicious.”

  The empanadas were delicious, but that wasn’t why Mal ate them so eagerly. The sooner they finished dessert, the sooner they could return to Alejandro’s. And the sooner Mal could touch and kiss him the way he had been longing for all night.

  When they were finished eating and drinking, Alejandro went to settle the bill. Mal only overheard some of the argument over how much Alejandro should pay, and if he should pay at all. Finally, Alejandro thrust a handful of bills into Bonita’s hand and turned away before she could return the money.

  The drive back to Alejandro’s apartment passed quickly. The Los Angeles traffic was surprisingly light, and Mal’s skin felt too tight and hot. Alejandro smelled good. He always smelled so good, but it was even more obvious within the close confines of Mal’s car. Mal’s hands tightened on the wheel, otherwise one might have drifted across to the passenger side to settle on Alejandro’s thigh.

  By the time he parked and accompanied Alejandro to his front door, Mal’s body was bowstring tight. He was almost, but not quite, shaking with anticipation. He thought that one kiss might be enough to mak
e him shatter, but he still wanted to feel Alejandro’s mouth on his. He smiled as Alejandro unlocked his door, but his smile turned into a confused frown when he paused instead of opening it.

  “I had a wonderful time tonight.” The black eyes that fixed on him seemed to burn from some unknown light. “Did you?”

  “Yeah. I’m having a great time.”

  Alejandro sighed. Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at his still-closed door before turning back to Mal. “Would you still say that if I told you I can’t invite you in? I have an obscenely early call tomorrow. I really need to get some sleep.”

  Mal almost asked if he was serious, but then, why would he joke about such a thing? He forced a thin smile and said, “Oh, yeah, I get that.”

  There was no mistaking the relief on Alejandro’s face. Reaching up, he cupped the back of Mal’s neck, holding him still as he leaned in to kiss him. The caress was bittersweet, a tease of what could have been, and though Mal savored each slide of Alejandro’s tongue against his, he was still disappointed when Alejandro pulled away.

  “What did you want to do on Saturday night?” he asked. “Anything special I should wear?”

  “Um, I’ll call you and let you know. I haven’t quite decided what we’re going to do yet.”

  Alejandro nodded, though it was clear he hadn’t picked up on Mal’s discontent. The door was just slightly ajar when he turned back.

  “I really wish I had the self-control to invite you in,” he said softly. “Good night.”

  With that, he disappeared inside.

  Mal was outside before his frustration erupted into profanity. He kicked a random car’s tire for good measure, but that didn’t help. Nothing was going to help, short of getting in Alejandro’s bed, and Mal was beginning to wonder if that would ever happen.

  Chapter 4

  Mal’s instructions had surprised him a little.

  “We’re going out,” he’d said on the phone. “Friends of mine have booked Runaway for the night so they can have a big blowout. Free beer, lots of music…it’ll be fun.”