Chapter 5 #2
Before I can do or say something I’ll regret, I hold up the bottle with a grin.
“I can tell you’re cautious. You don’t trust us wild rockers,” I tease. A flash of surprise, followed by a small smile moves across her face as I lead her away from the dancers.
After popping the cork and filling the glasses, I pass her one.
“To Luke.” I lift my glass in a mock toast.
“To Luke,” she replies, taking a sip.
Her eyes go wide, and I snort a laugh at the adorable hypocrite.
“Undercover princess, my ass. You’ve never even had good champagne before!”
Her cute grin erases this entire week from hell. “A girl could get used to this,” she muses.
So could I.
Seriously, Casey. What is wrong with you?
I drain my glass to purge this weird attraction. I can’t even remember a time I was the one with a crush, and here I am going all eighth-grade-boy on a woman I spoke to once.
Well, twice now.
When I see her glass is empty as well, I refill it, only to immediately regret it. My days of using substances to cure myself are over.
Her look of confusion when I put the bottle and glasses I just filled on a side table is totally justified. Before she can ask, I grab her hand and lead her toward the dance floor.
“Where are we going?” she shouts.
“To dance!” I toss back.
“What? No way!”
My heart sinks in disappointment, and I’m about to let her go, when I catch her shy grin. She’s not resisting, just insecure. My suspicions are confirmed when she turns a fascinated stare on the crowd of moving bodies. It’s so obvious she wants to be out there, not observing from a corner.
Challenge. Accepted.
We’ve almost reached the dance floor when I stop cold.
Oh no. What is she doing here? !
“Hey, darling!” Jana says, blocking my path.
I lose Callie at the same time Jana’s arms fly around my neck.
Before I know what’s happening, her glossy lips graze my cheek while her aggressive embrace drags me further from Callie.
It wasn’t an accident. Nothing with her ever is.
I could kill Luke for inviting this woman. He knows about our volatile history.
She’s clinging to me like we’re back at that infamous Oscars after party, not like a bitter ex who just blew up my life on a national scale. Lingering hope that was the final punishment for my betrayal evaporates. She’s never going to let me have peace.
“What are you doing here?” I snap, trying to pull away from her.
“Having a good… time! Unlike you, apparently.” Her flirtatious grin matches the glassy look in her eyes. She’s drunk. Fantastic. “What’s wrong, darling? Don’t want people thinking we’re back together?”
I try to extricate myself from her arms, but she’s too far gone in her revenge fantasy for subtle hints.
“I’m with someone,” I lie, motioning toward Callie.
Maybe it’s not a lie. Technically, I was with her when I got abducted.
Callie’s confused stare is punctuated with a darker emotion. Is she… jealous? A hot surge of excitement rushes through me.
Huh. Wasn’t expecting that.
“ That girl? What, does she work here?”
I fire a cold look at Jana. Her malicious smile sends a chill over me.
“Wait,” she says, eyeing Callie with a devious glint. My pulse pounds in my ears. “She doesn’t know, does she? She has no idea who I really am. Who you are.”
“I have to go,” I grumble, ducking out of her arms.
She yanks me back and drags me in for a kiss.
Stunned, I freeze as her fingers lock in my hair and her tongue plunges into my mouth .
What the actual hell?!
I grab her wrists and wrench them off me.
Her challenging look when I step out of reach leaves a sick feeling in my stomach, but I have no interest in playing this game with her.
The last time was the last time. I made no secret about that, and I thought she finally got the message when she retaliated with those defamatory stories for Kara Corbin.
“Does she kiss you like that?” Jana taunts.
“Have a great night,” I reply with a tight smile.
We’re not doing this. She’s already done enough damage.
I’m having trouble reading Callie’s expression as I make my way back to her, but I’m not letting Jana ruin this for my new friend.
“Sorry about that,” I say, leaning close. “Ex-girlfriend.”
“Ex? Does she know that?”
Her gaze drifts to something behind me, and I can only assume we’re still being stalked.
I force a casual smile. There’s no way in hell I’m addressing that landmine right now. Hopefully never.
“Sometimes the lines get blurred,” I say in a dismissive tone. “Okay, enough stalling. Let’s dance!”
I take her hand and drag her into the sea of guests as far from Jana as we can get. I’m not ruining this night with the truth about what Callie just saw. Better she thinks it’s exactly what it looked like.
The crowd closes in around us, forcing us together, and I don’t hate anything about the feel of Callie’s warmth against me. Her arms slip around my neck, while my hands curl on her waist.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been this close to another person. Not since Jana in the latest (and last) “on” of our on-again-off-again cycle.
But this already feels different than anything I’ve experienced. There’s nothing opportunistic in the way Callie’s looking at me. Touching me. No expectation or entitlement, just the same innocent wonder she’s been wearing since I first made her stay.
A sub bass drop sends her shifting closer as she adjusts to the tempo change. The frenetic house beat is my new favorite rhythm when her body locks into mine. She rubs and grinds in all the right places, and I fight with my dirty mind to keep my hands where they belong.
But hers start to drift…
I suck in a breath when she unhooks her arms, freeing her palms to roam. One smooths over my chest while the other slips into my hair so her fingertips can play. Her touch is sensual and determined and so incredibly dangerous.
Shit, this is brutal.
Any lingering doubt about whether her flirting was intentional or just being nice falls away when her hungry gaze drops to my lips.
A flood of anticipation rushes through me.
My heart pounds as my body tenses with need.
Her grip tightens on the back of my neck.
Her hips plaster to mine, scraping over my zipper as if seeking ways to torture me.
There’s not a chance this person plays games for the fun of it, and when her cheek nuzzles my chin, I know she’s wrestling with the desire to kiss me.
Blood pounds through every recess of my body. I’m on fire to taste her and show her how good I could make her feel. Just because my heart has never belonged to anyone else, doesn’t mean the rest of me hasn’t.
Her gaze creeps to mine with an open invitation. My fingertips dig into her hips as my brain fights my dick.
This isn’t her world. She’s drunk on an experience she will regret tomorrow.
The thought of her ever feeling regret when it comes to me is enough to break the spell .
With incredible fortitude—and against the protest of my body—I step back with a weak smile.
“I’m thirsty. Let’s go get a drink,” I explain.
Her expression sags with frustration I feel in my bloodstream, but it’s the right thing to do.
I didn’t come to this city to fix one person and break another.
At the bar, I ask for two waters and find an empty stool for Callie to sit.
Her gaze is saturated with questions, confusion, and maybe a touch of hurt.
I have no idea how to explain what just happened, especially while shouting over the music. So instead, I press the glass of ice water to my head as if to cool down.
“Whew. It’s hot in here, huh?”
When her expression doesn’t change, I brace for what’s bound to be an awkward exchange.
“Is everything okay? Is it your ex-girlfriend?” she asks, cutting a quick look at the dancefloor.
I flinch in surprise and release a dry laugh. “Jana? No.”
I hadn’t even thought about her since Callie reclaimed every brain—and body—cell I have.
Her face scrunches in an adorable pout. “Oh, I see. So it’s me. I’m just a terrible dancer.”
I can’t stop another grin. “Yes, that’s it.”
She lifts a brow, and I sigh. Guess I’m not getting out of this. Might as well go all in.
I lean closer and catch her gaze.
“You don’t want to sleep with me, Callie.”
She coughs through a swallow of water. “What?”
I search her face with a challenging look of my own. “Am I wrong? Is that where you wanted that to go?”
It’s too dark to tell if she’s blushing, but her nervous fluster doesn’t require light .
“We can’t dance without sleeping together?” she counters, but there’s no conviction in her voice.
“You tell me. Would you have let me kiss you out there?”
I know the answer. And I know she does too when she lowers her gaze.
“Probably,” she mumbles.
“You would have. And you would have loved it,” I tease to lighten the mood. I didn’t sacrifice the kiss I so desperately wanted just to scare her away with the explanation.
Her eyes find mine again, and that strange protectiveness returns.
In some ways, she’s so mature beyond her years.
In others, her naivete is as alluring as it is terrifying.
She’s walking a path she can’t begin to understand, and her guide is the last person on this planet she should be following.
I haven’t seen Luke in a while, but I know him well enough to know he didn’t invite all these people here to prove how great he’s doing.
He's also my best friend, so I’m not eager to rip him down in front of the only true friend he seems to have left besides me.
“Anyway, this isn’t your scene. I’m trying to remember that. The normal rules don’t apply.”
Her gaze locks on something behind me and goes dark. I twist back, positive I’ll find Jana, but what I see is even worse.
Shit.
Anger spikes through me. Resentment. Maybe it’s not fair, but I’m human too.