She was a terrible actress.
I glared at her, eyes promising vengeance. She smiled sweetly and ignored me.
So much for women sticking together.
“Of course I will,” Kade said smoothly, his voice practically purring.
Cathryn sniggered and grabbed her purse, slipping out of the booth.
As she hugged me goodbye, she leaned in to whisper:
“Remember what I said about Sam.” Her grin widened. “You’re welcome.”
If only she knew I’d already sampled the goods.
And the goods had wrecked my life.
I moved to slide into the booth, desperate to put distance between us, but the second I turned, Kade caught my wrist.
The music shifted. Slow and heavy. Like temptation in audio form.
He didn’t say a word—just pulled me with him, away from the table, out into the middle of the bar.
“What are you doing?” I snapped, trying to twist away.
His grip was firm. Not bruising, not rough… but commanding.
“We’re dancing,” he said, voice low—like he wasn’t giving me a choice.
I dug my heels in, but he just kept walking, tugging me through the crowd until the press of people surrounded us. Watching us.
“Kade—”
“You look too damn good to be sitting down.”
I opened my mouth to protest again, but then he pulled me against him, one hand on my lower back, the other curling around mine.
The contact was electric. His palm was hot through the thin fabric of my dress, his body solid against mine. My heart hammered once. Twice. Then steadied—to match the slow thrum of the bass in the song.
“You don’t get to touch me,” I whispered. It wasn’t convincing. Not even to me.
“That’s cute,” he said, leaning down until his lips grazed the shell of my ear. “But you didn’t say no the first time.”
I stiffened in his arms.
“That was a mistake,” I hissed.
“Sure it was,” he murmured. “Then why are you still here? Why are your fingers trembling in mine?”
I hated him.
I hated how steady he was. How grounded. How easily he dismantled every wall I tried to put up just by looking at me like that.
Like I was already his.
“I said I wanted to be left alone.”
“And I said no.” His thumb brushed just beneath my ribs. “You think you’re still in charge, little mama?”
