Her scarlet dress clung to her bony frame, stretching tight from hipbone to hipbone. I nearly shuddered imagining how those things would feel jutting into me. Matching lipstick was painted onto lips that had to have been enhanced somehow.
She smiled, her grip on my arm tightening. “Well, aren’t you charming. Want to buy me a drink?”
I shook my head, feigning regret over turning her down. “I promised the guys a boys’ night. Perhaps next time.”
Tanner, overhearing what I said, rolled his eyes and made a crude motion with his hands. I ignored him, turning back to the woman. She took my brushoff like a champ, but I had a feeling she’d be back later. “I’ll hold you to it.”
Shawn ordered a round of shots, including two extra for women who had approached him and Bart. We lifted them, clinked the glasses together and downed the clear liquid. One of the women shoved a lime in my mouth.
I took it from her before she smashed it into my teeth and gave her what I hoped looked like a grateful, thank you grin instead of the aggravated look I wanted to shoot her way. Shawn noticed and wrapped his arm around her narrow waist, diverting her attention away from me.
More women came up to us, pawing at us. Most of them knew exactly who I was and recognized some of the others. Which is why flying under the radar never worked for us.
Quickly surveying the crowd around us, I made sure there were no camera phones aimed in our direction. It wouldn’t be the first time photos of us downing shots while drowning in a pack of women would make it onto the internet.
The paparazzi weren’t the only ones we had to look out for to avoid being splashed all over the front pages. Determined to have a good time while still not breaking my promise to myself that I would not end up as tabloid fodder again, I pounded another shot and set my glass down on the bar.
“I’m going to go out on the dance floor, see you fools later,” I shouted over the music.
Bart nodded, but Tanner and Shawn were too busy grinding against women—their version of dancing—to take much notice of me. I set off into the throng of people on the dance floor, finally catching a glimpse of the girl from outside dancing right in the center with her friend.
Her arms were raised over her head, her eyes closed. A sultry, sexy song started playing, and her movements slowed down.
Entranced by the swing of her hair as it grazed her back and the way her voluptuous ass moved from side to side, I pushed my way through the crowd to get to her. The bodies were packed so tight it was slow going, but I finally managed to make my way to her.
Not a subscriber to the idea that any girl on a dance floor wanted to be touched by a stranger, I danced around her until I was facing her. I gently lay a hand on her hip only to catch her attention before withdrawing it again.
“I’ve been looking for you.” I leaned over, brushing her hair behind her ear so she would be able to hear me.
Her eyes flew open, wide with surprise as they flashed in recognition. It remained to be seen whether it was because she knew who I was or simply because she recognized me from the line. A confused look crossed her features. “You have?”
“I have.” I moved closer to her, moving my hips in time with hers. “Mind if join you for a dance?”
She shrugged. “Can’t say no to someone who actually asks.”
I was hoping for a little more enthusiasm, but it was refreshing that she wasn’t throwing herself at me. “I’ll take it.”
Reaching for her hand, I swept her into my arms as soon as her palm touched mine. Her body felt exactly the way I knew it would pressed to mine. She was soft in all the rights places. Even with the smell of sweat and alcohol permeating the air, I could make out her sensual, salty-vanilla scent.
Her hips moved with a mind of their own, and her body melded to mine as if it’d known me for years. Dancing with her was more carnal than my previous couple of hookups had been.
Slipping my thigh between her legs, I drew her in close. Her breathing was as heavy as mine. And I doubted it was from our slow dancing.
I felt her tentatively press herself onto my leg, driving me out of my mind with lust before withdrawing again. My hands slid past her hips, caressing the flesh exposed by her dress. I wanted to encourage her to keep grinding on my leg, whatever she needed.
Jerking her forward, I pulled her flush against my body. My very ready, very wanting body. I felt rather than heard her sharp intake of breath when she felt me press against her stomach. Her step faltered. My arms closed around her waist to keep her steady.
Her head tipped back slightly. She mouthed thanks but didn’t move her eyes away from mine. It was too dark to make out the exact color of her eyes, but they were light. Ice blue maybe, with what appeared to be a darker ring around her pupil and another around her iris.
Her lips parted slightly, her tongue darting out to wet them. That tongue… with her body so close to mine, her scent in my nostrils and her warm skin under my hands, my mind easily slipped to what it would feel like to have that tongue circling my crown, licking my shaft.
My dick twitched. I wanted this one. Bad. It was time to move. We could always come back to the dance floor for some more foreplay later. For now, I probably had to buy her a drink, learn her name. She didn’t look like the type of girl who was going to jump in the back of a cab with me without the formalities being observed.
I bent my head, my lips brushing against her ear to ask if she wanted to go get a drink just as the song ended. It mixed into another, but it was like she couldn’t hear the new song.
She went completely still, then smiled up at me, gave me a swift nod and turned around. She’s walking away?
Wait a second. Holy shit. She was walking away from me. When was the last time that happened? I called out, “Wait!”