Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 147021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 735(@200wpm)___ 588(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 735(@200wpm)___ 588(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
I point to my leg. It’s the only excuse I have right now to keep me from doing something I shouldn’t.
“I don’t dance.” Roman polishes off the rest of his drink.
“Untrue. I’ve seen you out there before.” Dallas finishes his water.
“Amendment: I don’t dance unless I’m drunk, and we have practice tomorrow, so getting shitfaced is off the table.”
“Suit yourself.” Dallas hops up and heads for the girls.
Roman pulls his phone from his pocket and frowns. “Shit. I missed a call from my agent. I need to check my voicemail. You mind watching Peggy’s purse thing?” He pushes the tiny, pale blue clutch across the table.
“Sure, no problem. Take your time.”
He heads toward the exit, and I settle back in my chair, scanning the dance floor as Aurora’s favorite song comes on. Her gaze catches on her dad’s empty chair as she looks my way, and she crooks a finger, inviting me to join them.
I shake my head. It doesn’t matter that it’s all I want—to go to her. To touch her freely.
She leans in and says something to Hemi, who nods. And then she’s slipping through the crowd, weaving between bodies as she heads for me. Her hair is damp at the temples, her skin glistening. She’s just so fucking beautiful.
She leans down, lips skimming the shell of my ear. “Why are you all alone?”
I turn my head, our cheeks brushing. “Your dad needed to check a message. His agent called.”
“Come dance with us.” She leans back, eyes moving over my face. She’s been drinking, but she’s not drunk.
I drag my tongue across my bottom lip. “It’s not a good idea, Princess.”
“I’m not asking you to fuck me on the dance floor, Hollis. Just come dance for one song. Have a little fun. You know if it’s his agent, he’ll be a while. You always used to dance with us. It’s my favorite song. Pretty please.” She bats her lashes.
I’m so weak for her. “Just this song.”
She grabs my hand and pulls me out of my seat. It’s something she’s done in the past. But the innocence of it is gone, replaced with an awareness that didn’t exist before. We move through the pulse of hot bodies, sweat and perfume and cologne mixing, but I can still smell her shampoo. I put a protective hand on her waist as we weave through bodies. She pauses, fingers lapping mine as she looks around. Even with heels, she’s not quite tall enough to see over the heads of others.
I bend until my mouth is at her ear. “They’re about twenty feet to the right.”
She shifts until her back is flush with my chest. “Can they see us?”
“If they were looking this way, they could.” My heart is thundering in my chest. I should step back, but I don’t want to lose this connection, even though it’s a dangerous game we’re playing.
“But they’re not?”
“For the moment.”
She moves my hand to her hip, her ass pressed against my growing erection. My fingers grip her automatically. I can feel the heat of her through her dress.
“It’s too public a place, Princess. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not a good idea.” But fuck if I don’t want it to be. I want to kiss my way up the column of her throat. I want to take her home and peel her out of this dress and make her come again. I want to make her mine and never let her go. But Roman’s words dig at me. She would never date a player. I would never allow it.
“If you’d get out of your own way, it would be a perfectly excellent idea.” She releases my hand. I follow as she slips through narrow gaps and try to catch her wrist, but she’s just beyond my grasp.
When we reach the group, Aurora pulls Rix away from Tristan, and the two of them start dancing together. It’s borderline obscene. Which is the point.
Tristan stands beside me with his arms crossed. “I can’t decide if this is payback or foreplay.”
“Probably both. You two are good, though, yeah? And you and Flip are back to normal.”
He glances at me out of the corner of his eye. “Yeah, to all of the above. It’s easier now that me and Flip aren’t living in the same space. We’re both in therapy so that’s good. He and I aren’t all the way back to normal yet, but it’s better that I can’t see what he gets up to. Mostly it’s conflicting, you know?” He turns to me. “Actually, you probably don’t, since you and Roman haven’t done the kind of shit me and Flip have.” He sighs and rubs his bottom lip. “It’s a tough situation to navigate. Flip knows more about me and what I like than he should, and I know more about him than I should. But I love Bea more than anything, and he knows that, so the rest we try to either ignore or look past.”