Read Love Nouveau for Free Online Page A

and make this night a little more interesting, moving from conversation to some action. At this point, I’d just settle for a good old-fashioned make out session. His lips look absolutely delicious and I want them plastered to mine.
    Making my way closer to the keg, I catch Sully giving Phoenix a questionable glare, eyes serious. Nix subtly shakes his head no as Sully’s eyes hide a sinister laugh. The silent exchange brings unease, but rather than focus on it, I let my head drift into the fizziness of the last shot. I feel it in my bones that Phoenix is a good guy and there is a shortage of good guys in my world these days.
    I turn to look at him and he’s already staring. The feeling that takes over is indescribable. Suppressing a flirtatious smile, he simply says, “Let’s dance.”
    “Put on your red shoes and dance the blues,” I sing back, quoting my all-time favorite David Bowie song.
    His face lights up with childlike delight as he takes my hand and places it over my heart. “Did you really just say that? I think I may have just fallen in love,” he muses with a twinkle in his eye. “I grew up listening to Bowie.”
    It’s as if the powers that be have plucked this guy out from the sky and put him in my presence.
    Anxiously, I let him lead me out under the night sky. Oak trees in the backyard are strung with Christmas lights, like twinkling stars winking fatefully down upon us. In my intoxicated haze, they cast an ethereal glow. Phoenix and I move in sync with the bass line of some ridiculous nineties R&B song, our hands exploring each other’s bodies. He smells sexy, like damp earth and musk, and it’s easily the manliest scent I’ve encountered.
    The contours of his arms are magnetizing; I couldn’t pry my fingers away if I tried. Beads of sweat snake their way from my hairline, between my shoulders, and pool in the small of my back. It’s difficult to tell if the salt I taste is from the alcohol or my skin melting into itself. I grip my hands around his neck and gently twist his hair between my fingertips. Phoenix rests his forehead against mine, eyes cutting right through to my soul, and I hear a soft groan escape the back of his throat.
    I trace my tongue over my lips in anticipation and take slow, deep breaths, committing myself not to screw this up. More than anything I want to know what he tastes like.
    Everything about his presence feels right. We fit together is like two pieces of a puzzle. We read each other’s body like we’ve done this before. Phoenix licks his lips and I can taste a sweet blend of alcohol and sweat in the space between us. Heat rises from deep within me and I close my eyes, willing him to make a move.
    Kiss me already, damn it!
    We get lost like this for a few songs—me, a siren, working to bring him into my possession. I sense him leisurely eyeing my body, inhaling my hair, soaking me in as much as he can. And when his soft lips delicately press against my temple, relief washes through me. He wants this too.
    Our gravitational pull is undeniable.
    Phoenix traces his tongue teasingly to my jawline before nibbling on my earlobe. I can’t help but moan as the sensation resonates deep inside my body. My pulse quickens and I’m breathless. I need his kiss to fill my lungs with air. I need his touch to make me believe that good guys like him do exist. I need him to …
    I need him to get out of here.
    My head snaps back involuntarily and my eyes shoot open in surprise. I’m drunk.
    So very, very drunk.
    And I’m overwhelmingly desperate to get away from this party. The earth shifts on its axis and my sense of security goes askew. I scan my eyes through the crowd, desperately searching for Rachel … Cassie … any familiar face. I have to get out of here. Go home. Sleep the alcohol off.
    Now.
    “Ivy?”
    I hear him call out to me. But his voice is muffled. I’m underwater. Phoenix’s nails dig into the flesh of my arms … my head fills with stars … my legs are