Chapter 4: The Perfect Kiss
The next thing I knew, Jeff was right behind me. I could feel the warmth of his body pressed against my back, his tender touch as he lightly squeezed my arm to let me know he was there. Feeling his breath on my neck as he whispered into my ear sent shivers through my entire body and my knees buckled. "Would you like to dance?" Jeff asked.
"I would love to," I responded, not daring to look at him.
"Would you excuse us please?" He asked Kelly as he took my hand in his.
"By all means, Jeff." Again Kelly was giving me her coy little smile. I knew what that smile meant, she was reading something into Jeff and I.
Jeff placed one hand on the small of my back and led me to the dance floor. Once we reached the middle of the floor, he turned me to face him, pulled me close and wrapped his arms around my waist. I slid my arms around his neck.
"Thank you. You really saved me. Once Kelly gets started, she just keeps going." I said staring at Jeff's chest. I could feel the eyes of the other Superstars and Kelly focused on us.
"Sam, can I ask you a question? And will you answer me honestly?"
"Of course you can. What's up?
"Is everything alright? I mean, have I done something to make you uncomfortable in any way?"
The words came at me like a freight train and my heart began racing. "Yes, I mean, no! You haven't made me uncomfortable. You've been great!" I raced to get the words out of my mouth.
Jeff placed his hand beneath my chin and gently raised my head until our eyes met. "Then perhaps you can explain to me why you have hardly looked in my direction since we got here?"
I sheepishly tried to answer him. I was whispering and saw Jeff straining to hear me. "I am so sorry. I mean, well, it's just that… Jeff," I started again. "You have to understand, I have dreamt about meeting you for so long, and this has all been so amazing. It just hasn't registered yet. I'm still a bit overloaded. I haven't quite adjusted. I never thought I'd get to meet you, never mind be here dancing with you. I'm still in shock, I'm just waiting to wake up and find it's another fantasy."
Jeff flashed me an endearing smile - it melted my heart. He lightly brushed his hand across my cheek. I felt him lightly pull my face closer to his. He pressed his lips to mine and what began as a gentle kiss turned into pure passion as the rest of the people in the bar fell away and all that remained was Jeff and I locked in the embrace. When we finally separated, his lips lingered on mine. It took a moment to realize where we were. Jeff and I stared into each other's eyes. The crowd was silent but soon erupted into laughter. The sound of catcalls and sly comments suddenly interrupted our gaze. I glanced over Jeff's shoulder to see the group of Superstars pointing at us and slapping each other on the shoulder, generally having a good time at our expense. Kelly was practically standing on a table, straining to see over the group of men. Once she figured out what was going on, she too was yelling at the top of her lungs.
Jeff turned his head to see the exited crowd. As he turned his attention back to me, he let out a chuckle at the sight. I looked at him, cocked my head a bit to the side and listened to the sounds inside the bar. "The song ended."
Jeff listened to the music for a moment. "You're right, I didn't notice. I guess we must look pretty funny." He chuckled again.
"It might explain why we drew such a crowd." I began to laugh along with him. Jeff hugged me close to him and I rested my head on his chest. Wow, that was amazing! He is so strong. I love being in his arms!
Jeff slowly released me from his embrace and led me back to the group of Superstars. Kelly was by my side as soon as we got to the table, pulling me across the room towards the ladies bathroom. I glanced back across the bar to see the other Superstars laughing and giving Jeff a hard time about what had just happened between us on the dance floor. The door to the ladies bathroom hadn't even closed when Kelly began questioning me.
"Alright, girlie, explain. How did Jeff Hardy's tongue end up down your throat?"
"I don't know. One minute we're standing there, talking. The next minute we're caught up in a passionate embrace."
"Girl, I want details! How was it? Come on, tell me!" Kelly now had me by the arms and was practically yelling in my face.
"It was…unbelievable." I sighed. "It was sweet and gentle, yet intense and passionate. It was the perfect kiss. I can still feel it on my lips." I was on cloud nine, wandering in a romantic daze.
Kelly sighed. "Well, it must have been something cause you're out there. I knew he liked you." Now she was just boasting. I kept my mouth shut and let her have her moment of glory.
"So, how are things going with Matt?" Enough of the bragging, time for a change of subject. They looked pretty cozy out there.
"Good." She had a smile from ear to ear. "He is so much fun! I expected him to be so serious, but we're having a great time."
"And are the sparks flying?" I chuckled at the thought. Even if there were no interest between them, Kelly would at least have fun. Her thinking was why waste a good time?
"Maybe. We've been dancing and doing shots. I've been hanging on him a bit and he doesn't seem to mind." She paused. "But it's nothing compared to the raging fire between you and Jeff. She laughed.
"Alright, we should get back. We wouldn't want them to forget about us." Kelly and I headed back to the group of men. I caught Jeff's eyes as we walked towards them. Kelly stopped at the first of the men in our group. I smiled at Jeff and lowered my eyes, breaking the gaze as Kelly began speaking.
"Samantha, this is Farooq. Farooq, this is Samantha." I turned my attention to the large man in front of me. I extended my hand to shake his. He met it with a strong, firm handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Samantha." He said as he released my hand.
"Nice to meet you too."
A tall man with long, dark hair came over and hugged me. "There's no need for such formality." He said as he released me. I recognized the man as Bradshaw of the APA. "We're all friends here." He handed me a beer and said, "drink up."
Kelly led me through the group and introduced me to the rest of the men. All of them were very nice.
I was talking with Edge and Christian when I felt a pair of hands rest lightly on my hips and heard Jeff whisper into my ear, "Would you like to step outside for a minute?"
I turned to see him. "Sure." I turned back to Edge and Christian and excused myself. I turned back to Jeff and he took my hand in his and led me out of the bar.
"Walk with me?" Jeff asked.
"Yeah. It's beautiful out." We began walking down the street. There was a slight breeze and the sounds of the city were all around us. I shivered as a chill raced through my body.
Jeff wrapped his arm around me. "Are you cold?"
"No, I'm fine. I just got a chill." We continued walking and Jeff kept his arm around me.
"How long have you lived here?"
"Goodness, forever. I grew up here."
"Does your family still live here?"
"Yeah, my mom lives about half an hour away from me. It's nice, we still see each other all the time but we have very separate lives. She's always been there for me though."
"And your dad?" He asked.
"He lives in Washington, I think. I don't know, truth be told I don't really care."
"I take it you two aren't close."
I stopped walking. "Jeff, I'd rather not talk about it."
He turned to me. I could see the look on his face. I have never seen anyone look so concerned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."
"You didn't offend me, it's just difficult for me to talk about."
"I understand." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Maybe we should get back."
"Yeah, Kelly and I should head home. We'll never get up tomorrow." We turned and headed back to the bar. I went back inside to find Kelly. Jeff waited outside. When I found her, I lightly tugged on Kelly's arm. "Kelly, we have to go. It's getting late and we still have a drive to get home." I headed back outside and Kelly followed with Matt. As we left the bar, we said goodbye to the other Superstars.
