I look over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“You’ll be back.”
IT TAKES ME A COUPLE MINUTES to find the perfect target on the dance floor. If I’m going to toy with Blake, I need to make him believe that whoever I find is just as good, if not better than him. He needs to feel challenged.
That’s not going to be an easy find around here—the good-looking part. This isn’t exactly one of those hip downtown clubs.
Then I see him—a guy leaning against the wall, the neck of a beer bottle wrapped in his fingers. He’s got this sexy aura about him—longish dark hair swept to one side, a tight white T-shirt that tapers at his waist and ripped blue jeans. He’ll definitely work—my mother would kill me if she saw me with him.
I stare at him.
He stares back at me, eyes roaming the length of my body.
I stand still, trying to work up the courage to approach him. Where’s the liquid courage when I need it? Before I can talk my feet into moving forward, he pushes off the wall and starts in my direction. His eyes stay on me, dark and seducing. The whole thing plays like a movie in slow motion. My heart hammers—not like it does when I’m with Blake—but with heightening nerves.
Without a word, he grabs my hand and pulls me out in the middle of the packed dance floor. Calvin Harris pumps through the club as he wraps one arm around my waist. My body tenses just for a second, then the alcohol gets ahold of me. I’d be out the door if it weren’t for the help of Jose Cuervo. Instead, I’m pressed against a complete stranger. Letting him touch me, feel every curve of my body. It doesn’t feel right, but it doesn’t feel wrong either. When I dare look back into his eyes, he’s assessing me, silently begging me to relax against him.
I close my eyes, and I try.
He tightens his arm around my waist, bringing us even closer. This room is suddenly too warm. Too much Jose. Too much of the dark stranger. Too much of Blake. I’m not quite sure what to do with my hands so I wrap my fingers around his strong biceps. It’s safe—not too inviting.
“Relax,” he whispers against my ear.
I nod, drawing in all the oxygen my lungs will hold. He moves us together using his hold on me, and as the song switches, I find my groove. I slide up and down his body, enjoying how free I feel. I feel alcohol flowing in my veins.
The dark stranger glides his hands over the curve of my ass at the same time he leans in to whisper in my ear. “Is this what you had in mind when you looked at me like that from across the room? Because I had a little more than this in mind.”
His lips skim my neck. My breath is stolen from me. The English language leaves me stranded. I wanted to play, to dance, to make Blake jealous, because maybe deep down inside, I want something more than he’s given me.
“That’s enough!” an angry, unforgiving voice yells from behind me.
Blake’s eyes are something so fierce I can’t hold them. It’s too much but yet it’s exactly what I wanted.
“She’s with me.” The helpless man is now just a pawn standing in front of an angry king.
Blake sidles up to him, holding on to the stranger’s bicep so tightly his knuckles turn white. “Let. Go. Now. Asshole.”
“And, what are you going to do if I don’t?”
The grin on Blake’s face is evil. “Trust me . . . you don’t want to know.”
“She isn’t worth it anyway,” the guy says as he lets go of me.
Something immediately washes over Blake’s face, and he pulls his arm back and punches the guy. The whole scene flashes in front of me like lightning. My hand in Blake’s. Him pulling me off the dance floor. My heels click as I try to keep up with him. My head spins from shock and alcohol.
He pulls me into a dark corner and presses me against the wall, his knee wedged between my legs. “Tease Blake time is over. Are you ready to get the fuck out of here?”
“Do you want me to look at your hand?” I watch him flex it over and over again between us.
“No.” He shakes his head. “That dickhead was soft.”
I pull my lower lip between my teeth. I’m a novice at seduction . . . it’s the best I can do. “Dance with me.” Twice in one night. Good job, Lila.
He kisses the corner of my lips, trailing down my neck. His mouth is the equivalent of silk against my skin . . . it’s almost enough to convince me to skip all the nonsense and follow him wherever he leads.
“Blake,” I say, pushing against his chest. “Dance.”
He’s stronger than me—a giant next to my small five foot three frame. He pins my arms above my head with one hand and trails the back of the other along my side. “We’re going home. Now.”
I’d argue if I could speak, but I can’t. His thumb brushes the underside of my breast as his lips crash into mine. I never realize how much I like him, what he does to me, until we’re like this. There’s no denying this.
He grins. “What’s it going to be, Lila?”
Holy hell. I can’t say no to that gorgeous face. “Okay. Let me tell my friends.”
He comes at me like he’s going to kiss me again but stops just short. “Hurry.”
As soon as he gives me enough space, I all but run away from him in search of Reece and Dana. I could just text them. They’d understand. Our booth is empty so I scan the dance floor looking for the two polar opposites. Nothing. Ready to give up, I head to the bar to settle my tab, spotting them taking shots at the end of the bar. This isn’t going to be good.
“I’m leaving,” I announce, sliding between them.
Reece stumbles into the guy next to her when she sees me. “Lila, we’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Not really,” Dana chimes in. “Blake wasn’t going to take his eyes off you so we knew you were in good hands. He has good hands, doesn’t he, Lila?”
Before I can reply, Blake comes to stand behind me, curving his hand around the back of my neck. “How are you guys getting home?”
Reece chuckles, leaning her weight against the bar. “The same way I got here. I think I took the train, or maybe a cab. Do you remember, Lila?”
I’m about to set her straight when Blake speaks up. “What’s your address?”
“Umm. It’s a tall building with bricks. By the way, you better not hurt my friend here, or I’m coming after you. She’s amazing and beautiful and smart. You should be doing more than just fucking her brains out.”
I wince, taken aback by my new friend’s drunken threat. It’s bold and full of truth I’m not brave enough to speak.
Blake curses under his breath. He looks down at me, half irritated, half troubled. “I’m going to run outside and get a cab. We need to make sure these two get home before we do.”
I’m a little shocked by his gesture but can’t place why. Blake was minutes away from hitting the homerun he came to score, but that’s going to have to wait. Strange for a guy who’s self-absorbed most of the time, but I like knowing there’s a caring side to him. “Okay.”
He squeezes my shoulder and walks away, his figure quickly being swallowed by the crowd. It takes a minute to soak in, to see him as more than the god of my desires.
“Where’s he going? Do you think I made him mad?” Reece asks.
“He’s getting us a cab. Let’s pay up so we can get out of here.”
I motion for the bartender, letting him know we’re ready for the bill. While we wait, I practically pour a glass of water down Reece’s throat in an attempt to dilute the alcohol. Not wanting to hang around, I settle the whole bill and pull my friends away from the bar.
Luckily, Dana can still walk a straight line. That much cannot be said about Reece who struggles to keep herself upright. She’s so going to kill me when she sees me at work tomorrow . . . if she makes it.
Blake spots us coming out the door and comes over to help with Reece. He makes sure we’re all safely tucked inside and slides into the passenger seat, giving the driver instructions on which address to go to first.