Chapter 5

Leland took a sip of his Corona and turned his attention back to the conversation next to him. Richie and Duane Lee had been talking for most of the night about the bounty they had just finished. It was a hard one, the jumper was a notorious hider and, after Tim kicked down the door, took off running, just like they had predicted. Stressful is defiantly a good way to describe today, he thought, taking another sip of his drink.

His eyes once again fell on the girl who was dancing out on the floor. She had been dancing when Leland walked in the club, and she had only stopped to grab drinks from the bar. She had on a tight pair of black jeans and a dark red, one shouldered tank top. Her long dark brown hair was curled, nicely complimenting her lightly tanned skin. She seemed as if she had been dancing for a while, her body swaying naturally and seductively to the music.

"Leland, you all there, brah?" He snapped his eyes from the girl to Richie, who was trying, unsuccessfully, to hold in his laughter.

"What?" he asked, irritated. Duane Lee held back his laughter, but his smiled ticked Leland off even more.

"Go ask her if you can dance with her. Hell, maybe you'll even get laid."

"Screw you guys," Leland said as Duane Lee and Richie, unable to contain themselves any longer, burst out in laughter.

He stood up from the table and walked to the bar to get another drink. Looking at his empty bottle, he debated whether or not he really wanted another one. If he did get to dance with the girl, he wanted to at least remember her name. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked out at the dance floor for the girl but he was disappointed to see that she was no longer there. He placed his bottle on the counter to signal for another one and as he reached back for his wallet, the bartender handed him a fresh Corona.

"On the lady there." Leland looked up to see where the bartender was pointing and saw the brunette sitting a few seats down, taking a sip of her drink and looking at the TV. With a slight smile, Leland took his drink and casually made his way over to her, where he sat in an empty seat next to her. She didn't even glance at him but a small smile pulled at her lips.

"Thanks," he said, motioning to his drink before he took a sip.

"No problem."

"Do you make a habit out of buying strange men drinks?"

"Nope, but I thought I could start with you." She turned to look at him with a smile before motioning towards his table. "Brothers?"

"Only the big guy. The other one's a friend. Both annoying as hell, though."

"Yeah? Join the club," she said, nodding towards a table in the corner where four guys were sitting.

"Your brothers?"

"Those guys? Hell no, and thank God." They sat in silence for a while, sipping from their drinks. The girl finished hers before Leland and, after setting her glass on the counter, she stood to leave.

"You going?"

"Just going out to dance. Why?"

"Mind if I join you?" She smiled and shook her head, waiting for him to finish his drink. Leland took one last sip from the bottle and stood, following her out to the dance floor.

"Do you go dancing often?"

"No. Actually, I'm not that good of a dancer."

"Just wanted a chance with me?" When he nodded, she let out a gentle laugh. "I'll teach you. Just follow me. Maybe we can make your buddies jealous," she whispered in his ear before pulling away slightly. Leland knew she was leading him to a spot where they could clearly be seen by Duane Lee and Richie. He watched as she slowly started to move, finding the beat and then motioning for him to follow her lead.

It didn't take long for Leland to figure out how she was dancing and he followed her smoothly. He sensed she could do so much more than what she was doing but she kept it easy for him. The longer they danced together, the more confident he became. As an upbeat song began, the girl began dancing faster, her hips following a routine she knew by heart.

Leland put his hands on her waist and pulled her close to him, feeling her lean body moving against his. A soft noise escaped her lips, he couldn't tell exactly what it was, and she raised an arm to wrap around his neck. He let his hands slide slowly down to the top of her low rise jeans, caressing the skin revealed by the top. She leaned her head back to rest against his shoulders, an audible moan escaping her as she enjoyed the feel of his gentle touch.

Not able to resist, Leland leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck. He heard her gasp and smiled against her skin at her reaction. Still dancing, she turned around and pulled him after her, out of sight of his table and the table where her four friends were sitting. Leland smirked slightly and reached for her, placing his hands on her hips and moving closer until their bodies were touching. She leaned forward to kiss his cheek chastely, barely touching the corner of his mouth, and let her hand wander up and down his left arm, pushing lightly and creating goose bumps on his skin.

He let his lips move to her neck, kissing her, then drawing the tender skin into his mouth and biting gently, marking her. She arched her body into his, groaning, and pulled closer for more contact. Leland ran his tongue over the mark, soothing her, and tasted the salt on her skin. Breathing in, he caught her light, intoxicating scent of jade and freesia.

Pulling back to look at her, he found that her face was flushed and her chest rose and fell in ragged breaths. His eyes fell on her lips, slightly parted, and felt the need to kiss them. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and touched his lips to hers, reveling at the feel of her reacting to him. Her soft, full lips parted willingly for him when he ran his tongue across her lower lip and he explored her warm mouth, the sensations sending shock waves throughout his body and he moaned into her mouth. Leland felt his need for her growing and as she continued to press against him, he deepened the kiss, letting his hands wander, respectively, around her body.

When she pulled away, Leland thought he had overstepped his boundaries, but the look on her face told him otherwise.

"My bodyguards," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sorry, I have to go. Maybe I'll see you some other time?"

"Yeah. Thanks for humoring me, by the way."

"No problem. I'll see you later." She kissed him gently on his cheek before turning to walk towards her friends. Leland watched her go before he made his way over to his table, telling himself that he would have to remember to visit his dad more often. Richie and Duane Lee gave him a knowing smile when he sat back down, but he ignored them; he had just remembered he hadn't asked her for her name.

"That was awfully fast, brah."

"We didn't do anything, Duane Lee."

"After everything you two were doing out there? Come on, Leland, you really expect us to believe you?" He glared at Richie, which only got them to laugh at the look on his face.

"Let's go," he said, standing and grabbing his keys, "we have to leave early for Kona."