A young woman to my right got shoved by someone trying to access the bar, sending her sailing into my side. I collided directly into Cash’s chest, and he caught me, preventing me from hitting the floor. Cash had always been handsome, but had this muscular chest just been existing under my nose all this time?Get a grip, Ella. He’s your daughter’s boss. He’s your best friend’s boss.
I studied him as he ordered our drinks. He had a perfect square jaw that was outlined in a five o’clock shadow, and his aftershave smelled of sandalwood and jasmine. His dark, whiskey-colored hair was just long enough to make me wonder what it would feel like to run my fingers through it. My eyes traveled down his torso, and I thought about what else was hidden under that tuxedo.Slow your roll, Ella.
“Here you go.” He turned back to me with a broad smile, his eyes creasing in the corners as he handed me my drink. He licked his lips slightly before taking a pull from his glass of what looked like bourbon.
“Thanks,” I said, turning my gaze to the dance floor to keep myself from wondering what it would feel like to kiss him. We were surrounded by beautiful people, all dancing so close to one another. My cheeks felt like they were on fire as I imagined dancing with Cash like that. I threw back my drink in three swallows, placing the glass on the bar. “You know what we need? Shots.”
“Shots?” Cash echoed. “Are you sure about that?”
I flagged down the bartender. “Two shots of Patron please.”
Cash’s eyes widened. “I haven’t done shots in ages.”
“Me either. Not since my thirty-fifth, and I made it a new rule to never do shots again. But rules were made to be broken.”
“Ella Claiborne,” Cash said my name slowly and deliberately. I noticed the faintest southern accent begin to peek through. “You really are trying to get me drunk.” He knocked back the rest of his drink, returning the glass to the counter just as our shots were delivered.
“I do believe I promised you a fun night, Mr. Montgomery,” I said, plucking my Visa card from my small purse and sliding it across the bar. “Actually, bartender, let’s go ahead and get another round of these. We’re celebrating.”
“You’ve got it,” the bartender said before disappearing once more. Cash and I each took one of the shot glasses in our hands and held them up.
“To Jax and Liv,” I said.
Cash’s warm eyes settled on me. “And to us on our first night alone together.”
“Cheers,” I said, gulping down my shot. The liquid burned its way down my throat, loosening my limbs almost instantaneously. I watched as Cash tossed back his shot and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed ever so slightly. I had no idea that could be so sexy, but on him, it was.
The bartender came back with our next round, which we quickly downed.
“Now, we dance.” I reached for his hand and guided him through the throng of people to a spot near the center of the dance floor.
* * *
The two shotswere exactly what I needed to loosen me up and get me out of my own head. My body fell into rhythm with the Rihanna song that was playing, my hips shaking to the beat.
It turned out Cash’s moves extended beyond Frank Sinatra, and I was entranced by how sexy he looked, his face glistening with sweat. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his tux—enough to expose a set of toned forearms that seemed to flex just to taunt me.
With each song that played, our bodies got closer, another layer of self-consciousness peeled away by the tequila. The room and my heart thudded as Cash’s hands made their way to my waist, pulling me in. We moved together, our hips in sync in a way that had me thinking about all of the other ways our hips could work together. Admittedly, the thought had crossed my mind before, but those times I’d been sober enough to not actually fling myself at him.Stop it. He is off-limits.Yet my hands managed to slide around his neck of their own accord.
His eyes locked with mine in an intense stare, and suddenly it felt hot. Unbearably hot, as though the club was on fire and Cash was on fire and I was on fire from these thoughts about a man I should most definitely not be thinking about. My mouth went dry, and I licked my lips—partly because they were so dry and partly to give me something to do so my tongue wouldn’t find its way into Cash’s mouth. As we swayed together, I wondered what that mouth would feel like all over my body.Seriously, Ella.
The strobe lights seemed to swirl around us, and all of that tequila started to seem like a really bad idea, especially when I remembered how little I had eaten all day. My entire body tingled with warmth, and the way he was looking at me wasn’t helping with the whole remembering he was off-limits thing.
His grip around my waist tightened, and if his eyes were laser beams, my clothes would have melted right off me. I recalled that old Usher song, the one that talked about wanting to make love in this club, and I realized I finally understood what he meant. Because I wanted all these people to disappear. I needed to feel the heat of his body over mine. I needed…
“I need water.” I leaned into his ear so he could hear me over the music. I really did need water, but I also needed to do something to break this trance before I climbed him like Mt. Everest in front of all these people.
He nodded, and I started weaving my way toward the bar. Cash’s hand slipped from my waist to my hand, his fingers lacing through mine in a way that felt like foreplay.Jesus be a Xanax. What am I doing?
I pressed up to the bar with Cash behind me, and I found myself leaning into him as I waited for the bartender to notice me. Why did this feel so good… so natural?
After I ordered, I noticed the raised voices of the couple standing next to me. At least, I assumed they were a couple based on the way he gripped her. Then I remembered how closely Cash and I had been dancing and reminded myself that making assumptions makes an ass out of you and me.I wonder what Cash’s ass feels like. Focus, Ella.
The girl beside me wore a pained expression, and her body language was screaming for this guy to get off of her. Every time he leaned in, she leaned away. She was pretty with a spray of freckles across her face and blonde hair. She reminded me a little of Grace, so my Mama Bear radar was on full alert. With his popped collar, the guy looked like a douche—like his dad probably bullied some school to let him into a fraternity.
The bartender returned with our glasses of water, and I turned to face Cash, handing him his.
“Do you mind if we stand here a moment?” I asked. I moved in closer so that he could hear me. “I think there’s something going on with these people standing beside us.”
