Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
NATALIE
Theo was in the middle of the dance floor, showing off his moves. The women were all formed in a circle, doing their best to flirt and smile. He was eating up the attention, drawing gazes from every direction. I knew the feeling; it felt like I was in a trance, making it hard to look away.
I was tempted to walk over and apologize, but he seemed preoccupied and not all that upset about me rejecting him.
I downed the rest of my drink and pushed my way through the throng of people where Gina and Claudia were taking up space on the far end of the dance floor. There were flashing lights everywhere, the music was loud, and the energy was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
Claudia grabbed my arms and pulled me in. “Where is Mr. Hottie?”
“He had to take a business call, so I snuck away,” I lied. “Now he’s over there dancing with some friends. We agreed to meet up later if we’re both still here.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go over there?” Claudia’s hair swished from side to side as she looked for him on the dance floor.
“I don’t want to seem too clingy, so maybe later. Right now, I just want to dance,” I said, trying to carve out enough space to move without brushing up against someone else.
“Here, drink this. I’m already tipsy enough.” Gina handed me her lemon drop martini. “Do you want to call it a night after this dance?” Her words were slurred. Clearly, the alcohol had done its job tonight.
My gaze drifted around the room. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
“It’s your night. Your call,” I said, giving my head a shake. I needed to get my shit together and focus on getting my life back on track. Not focus on a guy who could never be anything more than just a night of fun.
She held up a single finger. “One more.”
The three of us threw our hands in the air and moved to the beat of the music. When the next song started playing, a warm palm landed on my waist, causing me to yelp in surprise. I knew exactly who it was by the shiver running down my spine. I turned, feeling my heart race at the grin playing at the corners of his mouth.
That grin probably had a lot of girls swiping right.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked, dipping his head and pressing his mouth against my ear. He was so close that my head began to swim at his intoxicating scent, which hit every one of my goddamn senses.
The smart thing to do would be to tell him no. Let him walk away and find someone else, but I couldn’t find the words. There was something about that man I couldn’t shake.
“Sure. I do owe you, after all.” I forced a smile, trying to mask the fluttering of nerves in my stomach .
He pulled me against his chest. “You could sound slightly more interested.”
“I wasn’t sure if you would have any energy left. It looked like you were working up quite a sweat on the dance floor.”
His finger brushed against my cheek, causing it to burn hot. “Just trying to get your attention.”
A breathless laugh floated out of me. “You had my attention way before that.”
His brown eyes were twinkling with a smile. “Are you flirting with me?”
I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to us. “I don’t know if I would go that far. I’m just being honest.”
“Well, if we’re being honest, I have a confession of my own.”
“Let’s hear it.” My heart was skipping over its beats as I held his gaze.
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you all night.”
The man was too smooth for his own good, and something told me he knew it too. I needed to keep my guard up because he was making me feel weak in the knees and all kinds of stupid. I didn’t usually fall for cheesy pickup lines, cute dimples, and nice abs. I’d been there, done that.
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“If I have, I never truly meant it until tonight.”
I pressed my hands against his white dress shirt, feeling those strong muscles ripple beneath my palms. “How often do you use that line?”
“First time.”
I stared at him, blinking and trying to figure out why, in a club full of beautiful women, he would want to spend time with me when he could have had anyone he wanted.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I sure hope you do because it’s the God honest truth.” He lifted my chin, and his eyes darted to my lips. “You are, hands down, the most beautiful woman in the room, and I want to kiss you so bad that I’m afraid if I don’t, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“You don’t waste any time, do you?” I tried to remain calm, but I was too distracted to think straight. Every touch, every stare, was making it hard to focus.
His hands roamed along my waist before spanning them along my lower back. “Not when there is something I want.”
“You don’t even know me,” I said, not even realizing I was stepping into him. I looked up into his eyes, searching for a sign that he was being genuine and not just feeding me a line.
“You’re right, but I want to get to know you.” He brushed a piece of hair out of my eyes.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say to that. I was feeling out of sorts and acutely aware of how close we were. I wanted to kiss him as badly as he wanted to kiss me. But the idea of making the first move was terrifying.
As if sensing my hesitation, he moved closer and ran his thumb along my jaw. I tried to focus on the music and the swaying bodies around us instead of wondering what kissing him would feel like.
Before I could overthink more than I already had, I ran my hands along his shoulders, feeling a thrill of excitement when he pressed his lips to my mouth. I parted for him, feeling everything around us fade away. A simple touch shouldn’t feel so good, but that was nothing compared to what his kiss felt like .
His hand went to the back of my neck, holding me in place and keeping me exactly where he wanted me. I hadn’t felt this type of yearning in years. I convinced myself that I’d probably never feel it again. He was proving me wrong and making me forget all the reasons why I walked away from him in the first place.
The kiss only lasted for a minute, but when we stopped, I compared that kiss to every other one I’d had in my life.
This wasn’t normal, and I was questioning my sanity. My lips tingled, and I had to remind myself to breathe.
He took a step back and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I’m sorry, Natalie. That was really forward.”
My heart was beating hard enough for him to feel it. “You don’t need to apologize. I liked it.”
He smiled back sheepishly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
I wanted to hide my face in embarrassment. I couldn’t believe I said that out loud. What the hell was wrong with me?
He stepped forward, looking like he had a few ideas on what he wanted to do next. I didn’t trust myself or him, so I gently placed my hand on his chest, reminding us that we needed to slow down. “But you told me you were a good dancer, so I want to see more of those dance moves. I’m not sure I’m convinced yet.”
Instead of looking disappointed, he gave me a lopsided grin. “I’m feeling pretty confident that I put whatever doubts you’re having to rest.”
“Oh, really?” I raised my eyebrows playfully. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
He ran a shaky hand through his hair, and my eyes caught on an expensive-looking gold watch on his wrist. “Why does it feel like this is some kind of test? ”
“I thought you were feeling pretty sure of yourself. Don’t tell me you’re having doubts now.”
He gave me a boyish smile, one that was cute and innocent. “Challenge accepted. Prepare to be impressed.”
I had a feeling his dancing skills weren’t the only thing I would be impressed with.
I gave him a playful shove. “I hope you’re as good as you say you are. I wouldn’t want to be disappointed.”
“Trust me,” he assured me. “Just watch and learn, pretty thing.”
As the music turned to something upbeat, Theo moved his body effortlessly. His confidence was infectious, and his gaze never wavered from mine. I was convinced the man could dance to cowbells and make it look sexy.
“See?” He pulled me into him when the song shifted to something slower. “Told you I was a natural.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, fine. I admit, you’re not half bad.”
He pulled me closer. “Not half bad, huh? Just wait until you see what else I have up my sleeve.”
His gaze was intense, and all I could focus on was him and how much I wanted to kiss him again. But how far was I willing to go?
In my head, I knew the right thing to do would be to go back to my hotel. But I didn’t want to share a room with my two friends when I could spend more time with him.
This connection was unexpected. And while I might not have been a one-night stand kind of girl, I still wanted to have one with him. I might end up regretting this in the morning, but consequences be damned, I was going for it.
A night of fun couldn’t hurt, right?
With a nervous smile and a fluttering heart, I leaned in before I talked myself out of it. “Would you like to get out of here?”
His eyes widened momentarily, with a look of surprise flickering across his face. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
My cheeks grew warm; only I would screw this up. “Forget I asked.”
He grabbed my elbow like he was afraid I would slip away. “I don’t think so.”
I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but for the first time in a long time, I was smiling. I was having fun, and it might have been just a small step, but I was grateful for it and tonight it was enough.
“This would be just for one night, right? Nothing else?”
“Are you okay with that, beautiful?”
I swallowed, feeling an overwhelming sense of certainty. “Yes. I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I don’t do this very often.”
His teasing eyes were sparkling. “No one is judging you.”
Nerves rattled through me. “Okay, your room or mine.” I cringed. God, I was so bad at this. And what the hell was I thinking, offering up my room? I was sharing a suite with two queen beds and a pullout. Not the ideal setting, so where the hell were we supposed to have sex?
He rested his hands on my shoulders. “We’re going to have to work on loosening you up a bit.”
“Sorry,” I said as he continued to smile down at me. “I was freaking out because I just realized if we go back to my hotel, we won’t have any privacy.”
He linked our hands together and watched me closely. “I have an entire king-sized bed all to myself and no roommate to worry about.”
I slipped my hand into his. “Your room it is then. ”
He grabbed my chin. “Last chance to back out.”
I shook my head, letting him know I was completely on board with this plan. “I just need to tell my friends I’m leaving with you.”
He nodded and dropped his hand. “I get it. Go ahead.”
I looked through the crowd but didn’t see them, so I dug my phone out, pulled up our group chat and shot them a text.
The Gossip Girls
Me
Where are you?
Claudia
Bathroom.
Gina
I don’t feel so great.
Me
Are you getting sick?
Gina was a lightweight. We would tease her in college because she would get drunk on one drink.
Gina
Not yet, but it might happen.
I slid my eyes closed. It would be shitty of me to leave my friend in that state.
Gina
Why? Where are you?
Me
Don’t worry about it. I’ll meet you by the bathrooms in five minutes.
Claudia
NATALIE EVANS!! DON’T YOU DARE? WE SAW YOU DANCING WITH THAT MAN. I’VE GOT THIS COVERED. SHE HASN’T GOTTEN SICK YET. SHE JUST NEEDS HER BED AND A BOTTLE OF WATER.
Gina
Can you please turn the caps off? It’s making my head hurt. Natalie, I agree with my sister. Have fun. Just share your location, please.
I looked up at Theo. He had his camera in front of his face, attempting to fix a few strands of hair that were out of place.
Me
I can’t leave you when you’re sick.
Claudia
Yes, you can.
Gina
I’ll refuse your help if you come back here.
Me
You really want me to leave with him?
I rolled my lips together. My head was a mess of contradictions.
Claudia
We insist. She’s feeling better already.
Me
I don’t believe you.
Claudia
See for yourself.
The image came through. It was a selfie of the two of them leaning against the stall, smiling and giving me a thumbs-up.
I rolled my eyes.
Me
Fine, but please check in with me when you get back to the room.
Theo reached out and touched my elbow. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I shook my head and put my phone away. “Ready?”
Anticipation flooded through me as I took his hand and allowed him to lead me off the dance floor toward the exit.