Chapter 22 #2
The audience laughed, the exchange light and easy. It was a bit. I knew that. Still, I shifted slightly in my seat, my fingers tightening around the stem of my wine glass.
They moved through the script smoothly after that, reading from the teleprompter, building toward the announcement. Dani’s voice carried clearly, steady and warm as she listed the nominees.
“And the award goes to—”
Applause erupted as the winner was announced. The moment unfolded as expected with a short speech followed by more applause. By the time Dani returned to the table, the program had already moved on to the next category.
“You did good,” I said quietly.
“High praise,” she replied, her hand falling to my thigh under the table.
The rest of the night blurred into a series of conversations and polite smiles. As the formal program came to an end, the ballroom transformed for the post-event reception. A DJ queued up music from behind twin turntables, neckties were loosened, and high heels were abandoned.
Dani and I stayed for a while, long enough to be seen, long enough to not draw attention by leaving too early. But I could feel it building—the quiet, shared awareness that we’d had enough.
Dani leaned in close, her mouth near my ear, her hand discreetly on my hip. “Want to get out of here?”
“Uh huh,” I confirmed.
She smiled, something warmer and more private flickering across her face.
“Let’s go.”
The valet station was crowded when we reached it. A line had formed along the curb of people waiting for their cars.
Dani glanced at the slow-moving line and then back toward me. “Give me a second.”
Before I could ask what she meant, she exchanged a few quick words with the valet attendant before turning back to me with her car keys in hand.
“They’re backed up,” she said. “I’m just going to get the car myself in the garage.”
“I’ll come with you,” I said.
We slipped away from the main entrance, the noise fading as we walked along the side of the building and down into the parking structure.
The air changed immediately—cooler, quieter, the sharp echo of our footsteps bouncing off concrete walls.
Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting everything in a pale, washed-out glow.
Dani scanned the lot with her key fob elevated, looking for her vehicle’s lights as she used the unlocking mechanism.
I leaned back against one of the concrete pillars and exhaled hard.
“I did it,” I breathed. “I didn’t faint or trip or commit any kind of social faux pas that’ll haunt me the rest of my life.”
Dani momentarily gave up looking for her car. She stepped closer, her hands naturally settling at my waist. “You were incredible.”
“You’re biased,” I deflected.
“I am,” she agreed easily. Her gaze dropped, slow and deliberate, taking in the lines of my dress, the curve of my body. “But I’m also right.”
“Oh,” I said. It wasn’t eloquent, but it was accurate.
She closed the distance before I could come up with anything better.
The kiss started soft—tentative in a way that didn’t match the way her hands possessively tightened at my waist. Like she was giving me space to pull back if I wanted to.
I didn’t.
My fingers curled into the lapel of her jacket, tugging her closer until there was no space left between us. She made a low sound against my mouth, something that sent a sharp, immediate heat down to my belly.
“Reese,” she murmured, her lips moving, brushing along the edge of my jaw. “We’re in a parking garage.”
“You’re the one kissing me like that,” I said, my voice unsteady.
“Guilty.”
Her mouth moved lower, slower this time, finding the sensitive space just below my ear. I inhaled sharply, my head tipping back against the concrete without thinking.
Her hands slid down my hips, fingers pressing in just enough to make my breath catch. One of them brushed the zipper at the back of my dress, lingering there for a second like she was considering it.
A shaky laugh escaped me. “We should go.”
“We should,” she agreed, her lips still moving against my skin.
I tightened my grip on her jacket and pulled her back up to my mouth, the kiss deepening without hesitation this time.
Her tongue traced the seam of my lips, and I opened for her instinctively.
She pressed me more firmly against the concrete pillar, her thigh sliding between mine just enough to make my breath stutter.
“Dani,” I panted.
“I know,” she murmured, like she understood exactly what I meant and wasn’t going to stop.
My hands slid from her jacket to her shoulders, and then higher, fingers threading briefly into her hair before I caught myself.
“We’re going to get arrested,” I said weakly.
“Worth it,” she replied.
I laughed, breathless, even as I leaned into her again, my body betraying any intention of stopping.
Eventually, she pulled back, just enough to meet my eyes.
“Come home with me?” she asked, her voice softer now, something real and unguarded coloring it.
“Yes,” I said, my answer immediate.
She smiled and laced her fingers through mine.
We didn’t let go.