Chapter 1 #2
I glance to my right at the sound of my name, but before I can place who it is, a hand taps my shoulder. I turn—and there she is.
Penny.
“Hey,” I say, the word slipping out on a breath.
She looks… gorgeous tonight. At some point after the ceremony, she ditched the long, flowy dress for a short-as-hell silver sequined mini that’s got more than a few of Xander’s teammates doing double takes.
Not that I’ve been checking her out all night or anything.
“Wanna dance?” she asks, casually.
Her honey-colored eyes catch the moonlight, her skin glowing—a mix of sweat and the night’s light making her infinitely breathtaking.
“I don’t know how to dance,” I answer, and yeah, it sounds as lame as it feels.
She rolls her eyes, grabs my wrist, and pulls me toward the dance floor anyway.
“Okay,” I mutter, hating the hint of panic creeping into my voice. I can manage a basic one-two step, no problem, but this music Xander likes—reggaeton—is a whole different game.
“Relax,” Penny says, hooking her thumbs into the belt loops of my pants.
Fuck.
I’m used to being this close to women, but I’m usually the one calling the shots. Something tells me Penny Levine could have me eating out of her hand if I let her.
She starts swaying to the rhythm, and magically, my body follows. My hips move with her like it’s second nature.
“Yeah, Miles. Just like that,” she says, flashing me a blinding smile.
I exhale through my nose, and the longer I let her lead, the better I feel. By the third song, my hands settle low on her back as we grind together.
“So how’d you learn to dance like this?” I lean down and ask against her ear.
Instead of pulling away, she turns her head, her cheek grazing mine. “My mom’s Colombian. She taught me everything—how to dance, cook, speak proper Spanish.”
Damn, this woman is full of surprises.
“That’s awesome. My mom never taught me to cook, and I only speak English,” I say with a smirk. She laughs soft and warm. “Don’t tell her, but I think I got robbed in the mom distribution deal.”
I wink, and she swats my chest, shaking her head.
The music shifts, but Penny doesn’t miss a beat. She masterfully moves us across the floor, hips swaying, shoulders shimmying. She must know how sexy she looks—completely into it, feeling every second of the music.
“What?” she asks, a slight frown tugging at her lips.
“I’m just…” I hesitate, searching for the right word. “Impressed.”
“How so?” she presses.
“Well, you’re rich, smart, beautiful.” Her brows lift, but that little smirk on her lips tells me she already knows I think that. “You can dance, cook, speak more than one language… I don’t know. It’s impressive.”
She lets out a soft laugh and looks down at her drink. “No, not really. It just means that my upbringing was different from yours.”
Well, shit.
“I mean, I could say the same about you. You’re smart, funny, good at what you do…” she starts listing off, and because I can’t help myself, I cut her off—
“Handsome.”
Right on cue, she rolls her eyes, but the smile tugging at her lips gives her away.
“Or would you say I’m hot?” I add, and it’s not until I finally breathe out that I realize I’d been waiting for her answer.
“Yeah, you could say that,” she says, completely unfazed.
Screw that.
“What are we really doing here, Penny?”
She gives me this innocent, almost angelic look, and if I didn’t know her better, I might actually buy it. But we’ve been around each other long enough—longer now that we’re working on Xander’s ice rink—and Penny Levine doesn’t do anything without a reason.
“I asked my friend to dance,” she says, flashing a shit-eating grin.
I roll my eyes. “Of course you did.”
“Fine. I’ll be the brave one tonight.” Her tone changes—less playful, more direct—and I feel it all the way down my spine. “We’ve known each other for a while, and I’d be lying if I said I’ve never thought about you naked.”
My eyes widen, and she smiles like she didn’t just drop that little bomb.
“What? Don’t look so surprised, Miles. Can you honestly tell me you’ve never thought about me naked?”
Fuck, she’s going straight for my dick.
“You’re right,” I admit. “I can’t say I haven’t.”
“Exactly.” She shrugs like it’s nothing. “So I figured—we’re in paradise, we’ve had a few drinks… why not have some fun?”
Like she didn’t just casually offer me a night I definitely wouldn’t forget.
“Penny,” I start, because as much as I’d love to fuck her brains out, this isn’t simple. We’re going to be working together for a while, and mixing business with pleasure? That gets messy. Fast. Not to mention she’s basically family at this point.
“What?” she cuts in. “Are you scared of me getting clingy?” she asks, like she’s reading my thoughts.
“Penny, I don’t do messy,” I tell her honestly. “You’re Gio’s best friend. My sisters love you. I’m not trying to complicate things.”
“Okay, I can totally see where you’re coming from,” she says easily. “But if you want to be a real man and enjoy a night of no strings with a woman who doesn’t want anything more… meet me in the palm grove in ten minutes.”
She rises onto her toes, her lips brushing dangerously close to mine.
Then she’s gone—walking away like she knows exactly what she just did to me, those damn hips swaying as she disappears into the shadows of the palm grove.
I stand there for a beat, staring after her.
Then I turn and head straight for the bar.
“Whisky,” I murmur, already reaching for it. I down it in one swallow, the burn doing nothing to settle the restless energy buzzing under my skin.
Is this really happening?
No strings. That’s what she said, right?
No expectations. No complications. Exactly how I like it.
I drag a hand down my face, exhaling slowly as I try to convince myself this is simple, that we’re on the same page.
Fuck it.
Let’s go.