“Are you all right?” My forefinger touches her wrist. Her bones are delicate, her fingers long and slender.
She doesn’t flinch from the contact. Those big brown eyes of hers lift to focus on my face and different emotions all crunch together.
I want her in the most obvious sense. The urge to drag her home to my bed and fuck until we’re both senseless is overpowering.
Also, I feel the intense need to destroy everything and everyone that has ever caused her pain.
“I just need to use the restroom.” She stands too quickly and wobbles.
I’m at her side in an instant, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her steady.
“I’m fine,” she says, and gives me a weak smile before politely stepping out of my grip. “Really. I’ll be right back.”
The restrooms are on the other side of the bar. I keep my eyes on Cecilia until she disappears into the ladies’ room. She’s gone for less than ten seconds when the band returns from their break. The dance floor instantly becomes crowded, obscuring my view.
I’m not comfortable with this. She’s not exactly drunk but she’s probably buzzed and there are too many men here. No choice but to move.
I end up parked so close to the door that Cecilia bumps into my chest when she leaves a moment later.
“You scared me,” she gasps and leans against the nearest wall to catch her breath.
“Do you feel sick?” I ask her. “We can leave.”
In fact, I’d prefer if we did.
“No need,” she says and I can’t hear what she says next because of all the cheering when the band finishes a song.
“What?”
“I said, can we get some air?” she shouts into my ear.
After a nod, I quickly check on my brothers.
Tye has moved. Now he’s right in front of the stage with his new lady friend and he’s got his hands all over her. Meanwhile, Fort is getting a lap dance in a dark corner.
Getty happens to look up from the pool table. When he sees me, I gesture that I’m heading for the back exit. He shrugs and returns to his game.
“Much better,” Cecilia says once we’re out in the cool night air. She closes her eyes and tips her face to the sky, inhaling deeply. “Being in there was kind of a sensory overload.”
The only light out here is a single bulb above the back door. The neighboring buildings are all dark. One of the bartenders is out here vaping and talking on the phone. After a hard stare from me, he wraps up his conversation and scuttles back into the building.
Cecilia opens her eyes. “You can say that you told me so.”
There’s nowhere to sit and she doesn’t object when my hands go to her waist. I’m helping her stay on her feet. I’m also taking the best excuse to touch her. The top of her head lines up with my shoulders and she doesn’t pull away when I draw her close.
“Not my style,” I say.
The curve of her hips is driving me insane. Her breath catches when I massage her waist with light pressure. I’m so hard I’m not thinking straight.
“You know what?” She hooks her arms over my shoulders, letting me press even closer. “This is the first time we’ve ever been alone.”
This is both true and deliberate. I’m in real danger of abandoning all that self-control I was bragging about earlier.
She sways slightly, a reminder that she’s been drinking. No matter how much my dick complains, this isn’t the night to move in for the conquest.
“I’m kind of dizzy,” she says and slumps a little. “It sucks. I don’t know why people drink. So much for new experiences.”
Gently, I tip her chin up with one finger. “It’ll pass soon. Just look at me.”
