I am swaying with the beat, lost in the rhythm, when a pair of large hands settles on my waist from behind.Erin glances over and flashes me a cheeky grin, giving me a thumbs-up before returning her focus to her own dance partner.Looks like she’s given her stamp of approval to my “partner”.Smiling, I close my eyes again, letting go of any lingering thoughts and surrendering to the music, feeling a surprising sense of freedom and safety in my anonymity.
The man inches closer, still holding my waist, pulling me flush against him.His front is now plastered to my back as we dance to the music and he starts to wind his arm around my waist while his other hand creeps up my front between my breasts to lightly circle my throat.
I tense.
But when he merely brushes my pulse point with his thumb and sways with the rhythm, I let go again, leaning into his hard chest.The slight pressure sends a shiver down my spine, and I relax into him, letting the music and the moment sway me.His body is hard against mine, steady, and I find myself leaning further into him, the heat between us grounding me as I lose myself in the rhythm.
After a few beats, his hand on my throat creeps higher as he gently grips my jaw to tilt my head to the side, and I feel the warmth of his breath against my neck.Goosebumps explode over my skin and I suppress a shiver of arousal.My breath catches in my throat when soft lips trace the side of my neck from behind my ear down to where my neck and shoulder meet.
My heart slams in my chest and I feel myself getting wet.
Shit, I didn’t plan on this.Should I stop it now?
But it feels so good.
Then his hand, which was at my waist, travels farther south, to the hem of my dress, and his thumb draws little circles on my naked thigh, sending jolts of electricity to my core.
The circles wander higher and higher toward…
Wait!
Clarity hits me.
I grip his hands with mine, yanking them away from me and turn around, ready to tell him that I am not interested in taking things further.What I see is a broad chest, and when my gaze travels up, I meet stormy dark eyes blazing down at me.
I think I will faint right there, but strong arms pull me back against his hard chest and he growls darkly in my ear.
“Hello, little flower.Did you miss me?”
After a few seconds of shock, I come to my senses and try to disentangle myself from Damiano’s firm grip, but all my struggling only brings me closer to him.
He smiles darkly at me and nods toward Erin.I turn and what I see has my blood run cold—the man she was dancing with has his hand gripped around her throat and an arm wrapped around her upper body, effectively preventing her from struggling or escaping.
“Follow me and your friend will make it out of here without a scratch.”
I want to scream.
But all I can do is nod with shocked resignation as he wraps his fingers around my upper arm and hauls me across the dance floor through a door in the back into a dimly lit hallway.I turn my head to see the other man dragging a very pissed-off and uncooperative Erin along.I wince when she kicks him in the shin, afraid he might hurt her in retaliation.He merely grunts and tugs her after us.
Please Erin, don’t fight.I will get us out of here, I plead with my eyes.
Damiano opens a door on the right and shoves me inside what looks like an office, soon followed by the other man with Erin in tow.Then he releases my arm and looks at me with cold fury, his jaw clenched so tightly I can hear his teeth grind.
“Please, Damiano, don’t hurt her, she has nothing to do with this,” I beg.
Erin gasps behind me.
“This is the guy you were running from?Girl, are you for real?If I had known he looked this hot, I would have personally shipped you to him!Have you looked at this hunk?I mean really looked?”
I cringe.
Shit, she’s had too many drinks.I glare at her, as does the guy she danced with.
I look back at Damiano just in time to catch his lips twitching.But maybe I imagined it, because he is still very pissed and very dark, and very handsome.
Nope.Not going there.
I try again, not above begging for the safety of my friend.“Let her go, please.”
