I step into the bathroom and take care of business. When I walk out, Aston is exactly where he said he would be.
He takes my hand naturally, leading me down the hallway toward the main room, his large body clearing a path through the packed crowd. As we get to the velvet ropes of our VIP section, my job pops in my mind as I realize we’re walking hand in hand, directly toward his teammates and my best friends.
I drop his hand and fiddle with the hem of my dress.
Aston stops, looking down at his hand, then back to me, an amused eyebrow raised. “Really, Eva? Dropping me that quick, huh?”
“We’re supposed to be just friends, Aston,” I say quietly, looking at our group to make sure no one was watching. “Your friends—players I have to see on a regular basis—are right there.”
He lets out a low, rumbling laugh, leaning down so his mouth is right next to my ear. “Honeybee, I think they’re already onto us based on the way we were grinding on the dance floortonight. If they haven’t figured it out yet, they’re not paying attention to us.”
“Whatever,” I mutter, blowing off his comment as I slide back into the booth and take a sip of my fresh vodka soda.
The next hour goes by in a blur. Tequila has completely taken over the table, but Aston and I have switched to water. The rest of the group is pretty drunk, though, and the energy shifts as the music changes to an electric beat. The pairing off of couples is instant.
Aston’s hand has been running up and down my leg since we sat down, stroking the inside of my thigh with his thumb, getting so close to my center, teasing me to the point of madness, while our friends sit right next to us not knowing what’s going on under the table. But then he’ll pull his hand away, only to start again minutes later. Honestly, I’m getting so worked up, I’m ready to pull him out of here or maybe into the back hall.
Then Ellis’s hockey player arrives with two of his buddies, and he’s exactly the massive defenseman she’d described. Within ten minutes of his arrival, he had Ellis cornered against the back of the booth, his hand buried in her hair as they kissed. They’re the first to leave, Ellis waving at us over her shoulder as he led her out by the waist.
Not long after, Cher and Devon make their claim on two of Aston’s teammates. The group is messy and loud as they decide to take the party back to one of the guy’s apartments downtown, leaving in a flurry of spilled drinks.
All that’s left are me, Aston, and Brody. He is across the room, occupied with a girl he met at the bar earlier.
I lean back against the leather and look at Aston, and he’s sitting back, arm stretched out along the bench, his legs spread out under the table, and his eyes are completely fixed on me. He’s completely sober and perfectly composed.
“Well, looks like it’s just the two of us,” I say, my voice scratchy.
“Yep,” Aston says, touching my bare shoulder with his fingers. “Looks like it.”
I take a slow sip of my water, trying to maintain my composure but my eyes keep tracking the sharp lines of Aston’s jaw and the way his full lips felt against mine in that hallway. He looks relaxed and entirely comfortable while my body feels like it’s burning from the inside out.
“So, your friends are nice,” he says, his deep timbre cutting through the noise in the club. He leans in closer, his eyes locking on mine with an intensity that makes goosebumps scatter across my arms.
“Yeah, they’re great.” I think I say, but I can’t be sure because Aston’s hand starts to drift down my arm and it’s entirely distracting.
“What’s going through that head of yours, Honeybee?”
“Just enjoying the view,” I reply, tilting my chin up, hoping he doesn’t see just how much he’s affecting me.
“Is that right?”
Aston’s smirk deepens. Slowly, deliberately, he shifts his position and his hand disappears under the table again.
I barely have time to register the movement before I feel his large, warm palm on my knee. The sudden heat of his hand sends a jolt straight to my core. And he doesn’t stop there. With an agonizingly slow move, his hand snakes higher up my leg and slips under the hem of my dress.
My breath hitches, and my fingers tighten around my glass as her fingers drift higher up my leg.
“Aston,” I warn, but it’s completely without conviction, as I cast a glance around the room to see if anyone is looking our way.
“Yes, Carrington?” he asks, his tone innocent, while his eyes dance with mischief. He starts to pull his hand away, but I stop it by placing my hand on top of his.
His smile looks damn near victorious as his fingers continuetheir slow ascent up my inner thigh, tracing light lines and circles with his thumb against my delicate skin. Every inch of movement feels like a test to see how long I can maintain my composure. But then his hand reaches the edge of my lace panties.
Instead of moving under them, his hand settles over the thin material covering my pussy, his thumb applying enough pressure on my clit to make me bite the inside of my cheek to keep from making a sound. He begins to stroke over the fabric with his fingers, a teasing, wicked move that sends a wave of heat pooling in my core.
“We’re in public,” I manage to squeeze out, my thoughts shattering as the friction of his fingers against the lace drives me wild.
“No one’s looking at us, Eva,” he whispers, his lips grazing the shell of my ear, sending a shiver through my body. “And even if they were, I don’t give a fuck. You look too sexy for me to just sit here like a good boy.”
