Seconds from being busted, I return my eyes front and center. I need her on the dance floor for my recently made-up ruse to work.
When she fails to find who she is seeking, she steps through the swinging doors. I down my nip of scotch in one hit then quickly follow after her. Because of the bright color of her dress, she illuminates under the strobing lights, making it easy for me to continue watching her in the pitch black room.
I wait impatiently for the perfect opportunity to make my move.
It takes another twenty minutes before the chance arrives. Slater has become distracted by a pretty brunette with a nose full of freckles. While he makes his way to her, I make a beeline for Jenni. When I reach her, I spin her around, yank her back until her body is flush with mine, then burrow my nose in her hair. Her unsure giggle is barely heard over the loud thump of the music roaring from the speakers.
Needing her even closer to me, I splay my hand across her stomach then draw her back even deeper. I feel her pulse raring through her body when I swing our hips in sync to the music. Her movements are more robotic than usual, but it doesn’t take long for her to loosen up. We’re not even halfway through our first song before her dance moves become fluid again.
The only time she stiffens is when I lick a bead of sweat rolling down her neck. She freezes as a scattering of goosebumps skate across her nape. The vein in her neck thrums when she cranks her head back to peer at me. Her eyes strain in the dark space as she battles to recognize my features. It’s too dark for her to see anything.
Her breathing speeds up when I glide my hand up her stomach, past the generous swell of her breasts, and over her delicate neck before I rub her earlobe. My dick hardens when her soft moan vibrates through our practically conjoined bodies. It’s ten times better than the scream I expected.
When she spins around to face me, I keep her body as close to mine as possible. She stares at me, confused and upset. Before she can voice her confusion, I lower my mouth over hers and give her a slow, teasing kiss. My dick hardens even more. She tastes like heaven and hell rolled into one. Her mouth is super sweet from the fancy cocktails she’s been drinking, but salty from a handful of tears rolling down her cheeks.
I lap up her tears with my tongue before kissing her so passionately, nothing but my mouth is on her mind. When I pull back, a grin curls on my lips. The sadness on her face has completely vanished, although some of her confusion has intensified.
Confident I know how to make her smile, I dip her. She squeals with so much happiness, months of torment disappears in an instant. When I flip her back up, her knockout smile is carved on her beautiful face. This time, when I move our hips in rhythm to the beat, her previous apprehensions are nowhere to be seen.
Feeling the sexual tension in the air as rampantly as me, she spins around to grind her curvy backside against my crotch. I gather her hair to one side of her neck so I can kiss, suck, and nibble on her sweaty skin. Not a word is spoken between us as we dance as one for the next hour. If it weren’t for Slater’s deep rumbling voice interrupting us, I have no doubt we’d never leave this dance floor.
“Jen!” he calls out again when she fails to answer his first call.
Jenni’s shoulders deflate as she lets out a soft sigh. “Over here.” She has to project her voice over the music.
While pacing our way, Slater asks, “Are you ready to head out? Everyone is ready to leave.”
Jenni’s eyes lock with mine, wordlessly questioning if she should stay. When I remain quiet, her smile falters. I want her to stay with me, but every time she's near me, I can’t think straight, much less form words.
Displeased by my hesitation, Jenni steps away from me. She doesn’t even get two feet away before my hand darts out to seize her wrist, stopping her hasty retreat.
Her pulse darts past my fingers when I lean in to whisper in her ear, “Unblock my number.”
I feel like all my Christmases have come at once when she replies, “I already have.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jenni
Nick smiles before awarding me another knee-wobbling, pussy-clenching kiss. He devours my mouth with long licks of his tongue and sweet movements of his lips. By the time he pulls away, I’ve lost the ability to walk and talk. While rubbing his thumb over my kiss-swollen lips, he stares into my eyes for several heart-thrashing seconds. Just when I think he’s going to say something profound, his lust-crammed eyes flick to his right.
The narrowed eyes that return to me aren’t the ones I was transfixed by only moments ago. He appears angry, somewhat frustrated. After a final peck, he disappears into a swarm of bodies on the overcrowded dance floor.
I’m so busy seeking him amongst the crowd, I’m scared within an inch of my life when Slater suddenly stops next to me. “You ready?”
When I pivot to face him, his eyes take their time assessing my face and neck. I don’t know what he sees, but it must be amusing since he laughs before looping his arm around my back to guide me off the dance floor.
When I clamber into the back of Marcus’s car, Emily stops sucking face with Noah to gawk at me.
“What?” I question, fidgeting.
With her eyes arrowed in on my inflamed cheeks, she mutters, “It was hot in there—but it wasn’tthathot.”
I avert my eyes to anything but her and spot Nick walking to his truck. He’s peering down at his phone, deep in thought. Suddenly, he stops in the middle of the parking lot. The heat spreading across my cheeks descends to my neck when his eyes lift to me. He didn’t look around; his eyes just locked straight in on me.
My sneaky wave goodbye awards me his panty-combusting grin. I still can’t believe the events of tonight. Before tonight, I hadn’t seen Nick since he vanished from my bed two months ago. When I woke up to an empty bed, I started to wonder if his comfort had been a dream. It was only when I rolled over and smelled his cologne on my pillow did I realize it wasn’t.
I don’t know what compelled me to do it, but the next morning, I unblocked his number from calling me. The first few days, I constantly checked my phone, hoping he had called or sent me a message. As the days went on, so did my stupidity. He was never going to call.
