I spin around, surprised to find Beck standing beside me.
The guy jerks his chin in my direction. “Is she with you?”
“All you need to be concerned with is that she’s not with you.”
The guy’s lips flatten as he glares. From the look on his face, it’s obvious that he’s thinking about starting something with Beck. Which is surprising. Most people take one look at the muscular QB and back away. This idiot must be drunker than I suspected.
The last thing I want is Alyssa’s welcome home celebration ending with a brawl.
In an attempt to avoid conflict, I press my body against Beck’s. His arm snakes around my shoulders and he hauls me so close that my breast flattens against the steely strength of his chest. Tingles of awareness shoot through me as my nipple pebbles. When I try to put some distance between us, he pulls me closer.
There’s no way he doesn’t feel my arousal.
“Whatever,” the guy grumbles before disappearing through the crowd.
Now that it’s just the two of us, Beck repositions me until I’m crushed against his front. I inhale a breath, and the scent of his woodsy cologne wraps around me.
“I don’t like other guys touching you,” he growls in my ear before nipping the delicate flesh with his teeth.
His possessiveness sends a sharp thrill through me. As much as I don’t want to like what he’s saying, I do.
Way too much.
With a groan, my arms slip around his neck to tug him closer.
“You’re fucking killing me in that dress, you know that, right?”
Alyssa made sure I was appropriately attired in club wear. The black dress I’m wearing is short and probably a size too small. It showcases all of my curves. Normally, I don’t have the girls on display, but they’re out tonight.
“I didn’t wear it for you.” That’s a big fat lie. I knew there was a chance he would show up after Alyssa issued an invitation. Maybe I wanted him to see what he couldn’t have.
Considering that I’m wrapped up in his arms, it would seem like that plan backfired spectacularly.
His fingers bite through the material and into my backside. “Is there another guy I should be concerned about? Someone I need to rip apart with my bare hands for touching you when you look like this?” His voice deepens. “Because I will if I have to.”
The muscles in my belly clench at the jealousy that fills his voice.
“There’s no one else,” I admit. It would be easy to pretend that he has reasons to be envious, but there’s no point and I’ve never been one for games.
His body loosens and his jaw unlocks. “Good to know.”
When he steps away, his warmth disappears, and a sense of loss fills me. Before I can figure out where he’s going, he grabs my hand and spins me around until his front is aligned with my back. His fingers brush over my sides before wrapping around my ribcage. It’s been so long since his hands have been on me, and I’ve missed his touch more than I’ve wanted to admit.
With a groan, my head lolls back until it can rest against the solidness of his chest. Beck lowers his face to my neck so that his warm breath can feather against my skin. My arms loop around his neck as he holds me close.
Why does this have to feel so right?
It would be so much easier if it didn’t.
One song blurs into the next, and the throng of people dancing fades until it’s just the two of us. Beck holds me so close that I’m not sure where he ends and I begin. The feel of him wrapped around me is intoxicating. His fingers rest under the swell of my breasts, singeing me through the slinky fabric of my dress. I writhe against him, wanting to feel his hands on me.
“I can’t take any more of this,” he growls before spinning me around to face him. “I need to touch you.”
Not waiting for a response, he grabs my hand and tows me through the crowd.
“Where are we going?” I stumble in my heels, trying to keep pace with him.
“I don’t know. Some place where we can be alone.”
A thrill of anticipation spirals through me before settling in my core. As turned on as I am, there’s a tiny voice in the back of my head that questions whether we should be doing this.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I ask.
“It’s the best damn idea I’ve ever had,” he throws over his shoulder.
As we move past the long stretch of bar, I catch a glimpse of Alyssa through the crowd. Instead of smiling and laughing like she’s been doing all night, her brows are beetled together and there’s a scowl twisting her lips.
“Alyssa,” I murmur, pointing to her as Beck hustles me along.