Caught in some magic spell she unwittingly placed over him, he wanted to take her to his apartment, peel the red scrap of material from her body, and feel her move against him like she moved on the dance floor. For the first time in a long time, something hot and fierce stirred inside him. He wanted her.
And when Theo Campbell wanted something, he fucking got it.
Chapter Three
Onthedancefloor,Hazel sashayed over to Chloe and yelled in her ear, “Don’t look now, but there’s a guy on your left who’s staring at you.”
“What? Who?” Chloe swiveled her head from left to right, but all she saw was a swarm of people around her.
Putting a hand on her forehead, Hazel said, “I’m so glad I said, ‘don’t look.’”
“Wow, he’s gorgeous.” Blair fanned her face. “He’s seriously checking you out. I’d bet he’d help you with yourlittle problem.” Blair threw her arms in the air and twirled in a circle. “Chloe’s getting laid tonight!”
Daniela took one look at Blair and just rolled her eyes.
“I’mnotsleeping with some guy checking me out,” she said with a laugh. “Besides, the dance floor’s crowded; he’s probably looking at someone else.” Anyway, she was having fun dancing with her friends. It had been ages since she’d gone out and let her hair down, metaphorically. Hopefully the new change in her life would bring on other new changes—like a life partner.
Hazel grabbed Chloe by the arms, twisting her around slightly. “Look over my shoulder—don’tmake it obvious,” she said when Chloe tilted her head. “See the guy at the edge of the dance floor with a glass in his hand, wearing the black pants and shirt?”
Chloe nodded. “The one with the biceps and gray tie?” God, hewasgorgeous!
“Yep, that’s the guy,” she said, sounding pleased with herself. “Is he still looking this way?”
“Yes, and he looks familiar…” Chloe squinted to focus through the flickering light; there was something about him… She sucked in a quick breath. “I know him! That’s Theodore Campbell.”
“Who’s Theodore Campbell?” Hazel asked.
“My brother Ethan’s best friend,” she explained. “Theo left Australia twelve years ago, and I haven’t seen him since.” A bubble of happiness exploded in her chest at seeing an old friend. She paused, frowning. “What’s he doing here?”
“Checking you out and wanting to jump your bones, that’s what,” Blair said, dancing around Chloe with a playful grin on her face.
Chloe laughed. “Not hardly. He always saw me as Ethan’s little sister and never looked twice at me.” She grimaced as a memory of glow sticks and dances leapt to mind. “God, I tried so hard to grab his attention.” How many times had she followed her brother and his friends around just to get a glimpse of Theo, get a minute of his attention? Too many times, that’s what.
“You had a crush on your big brother’s best friend? That’s so adorable,” Daniela teased.
“It was pathetic, and you know it.” Chloe rolled her eyes. Mooning over a boy who barely knew she existed, it was something she didn’t like remembering. But that didn’t mean that she needed to avoid Theo altogether. “I’m going to go say hi to him. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time. He could be your birthday surprise!” Blair called out.
Chloe shook her head and chuckled, zigzagging through the crowd, taking care not to get caught up with any dancers as she made her way over to Theo. When she finally stood in front of him, she threw her arms open wide and gave him a quick hug. “Oh my God! It’s been an age. How are you?”
He stared at her for a beat with a slight crease between his eyebrows before he answered, “I’m good. How are you?”
That was not the response she’d hoped for, but she soldiered on, “I’m great. It’s wonderful seeing you again after so long. What have you been up to?”
“You know, this and that. Work takes up most of my time.” He took a sip of his drink and kept staring at her.
She took the time to catalog all of the changes in him. The Australian accent was gone, and he sounded like a true New Yorker. But that wasn’t the only change. The face of the young man she remembered was replaced by something harder, stronger. The easy smile she loved so much looked forced, like it was something he didn’t do often. He wore his light-brown hair longer on top than she remembered. And from the way he filled out his shirt and pants, he’d bulked up. This wasn’t the lanky university student she’d pined over for years; he was fully mature, a man’s man.
Theo’s piercing blue gaze flicked over her. Starting from her face to skim down her body in a way he’d never done when they were teenagers. Actually, back then, he’d hardly looked at her at all. If he had, it had been because he was teasing her for being an annoying little kid.
So why was he looking at her now like he wanted to strip her naked?
Then, it hit her.Theo doesn’t remember me!
She didn’t know whether to be offended or not. She’d only tagged after him like a puppy wanting attention for years. How could he forget her? She hadn’t changed that much, had she? Her hair was still the same chestnut brown, her face was still the same face she’d had at eighteen. Was he pulling a prank on her, or had he truly forgotten her? She needed to know for sure, so she set up a trap. “It was so good meeting up with you at The Rainbow Room last year. I had so much fun.”
“It was. We should do it again sometime,” he said, his face remaining impassive. He knocked back the rest of his drink and put the glass on the tray of a passing waiter. He stepped closer. Their chests almost touching. “I have a place upstairs where we can get away from the crowd and noise so we can catch up.”
