The man was living up to his reputation.
“You are something else.” I gave him a pointed look, which only made him smile.
“Don’t get me wrong. He’s going to be pissed, but knowing this is killing him will be worth it.” He tilted his chin subtly. “Pretty sure I’m a dead man walking after this stunt.”
I rolled my eyes, painfully aware of how this looked. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
Before Jax could respond, a dark shadow fell over us.
“Mind if I cut in?”
“Actually, I do mind,” Jax said without an ounce of remorse.
“He’s just teasing you,” I said, stepping out of his hold a little quickly, like I’d been caught doing something wrong.
“You owe me.” He winked, clearly pleased with himself.
I pushed him in the chest playfully. “I owe you nothing.”
“Move,” Nate said casually, but there was something in his voice that suggested he wasn’t joking.
Jax raised his hands in surrender. “I guess I can let you take it from here.”
He sidestepped around us and disappeared into the crowd. Payback was a bitch, and I couldn’t wait until the next press conference.
He gestured to the space between us. “Think you can spare a quick dance?”
It was a simple question, so I wasn’t sure why my thoughts were tangled up in a way that I couldn’t seem to straighten out. I didn’t know how to explain what was happening inside me. All I knew was that it wasn’t going away, and I didn’t have it in me to turn him down.
He held his hand out, and I took it. This shouldn’t have been a big deal. I’ve danced with athletes before, so I needed to get my shit together and stop being so weird about things. I blamed it on Jax. He was putting silly ideas in my head.
“I guess one dance won’t hurt,” I said, closing my fingers around his and trying not to think about how perfectly our hands fit together.
The band started playing a slow song, so Nate rested his hand around my waist. I leaned into him without meaning to. “You looked like you were having fun.”
“Define fun? The man is a menace, but at least he’s entertaining.” I laughed, gently swaying to the music. We were moving slower, and it struck me how different it felt. Dancing with Jax was harmless. With Nate, it felt like I was playing with fire.
“I find him annoying.” He pulled me into his chest. Those deep blue eyes locked on mine. They were intense, and I keptreminding myself that I shouldn’t be feeling this way. “Do not believe a word that comes out of his mouth.”
“You realize you’re talking about your best friend, right?”
“That’s exactly why I know what I’m talking about.” Nate tightened his hand slightly on my back. His touch was warm and steady as he guided me along the dance floor. It was hard to ignore how the heat of his palm burned through the fabric of my dress.
Every nerve was on edge, and I silently berated myself. I was a professional. I’ve built my career on sticking to boundaries and not allowing lines to blur in moments like this. Yet here I was, teetering on the edge of something I didn’t know what to name.
I inhaled, slow and steady, when he moved his body closer, brushing his thumb along my back, making it impossible to think straight.
I told myself not to look at his mouth, but my body betrayed me. And of course, he caught me. There wasn’t an inch of space between us.
“I can feel you tensing up,” he murmured, brushing that damn thumb against my back again. I wasn’t even sure if he realized he was doing it.
“I’m not tense,” I lied. I didn’t need a mirror to see the faint pink creeping into my cheeks. We were one breath away and close enough for everyone in the room to get the wrong idea.
“Sure you’re not.” He lifted my arms and wrapped them around his neck. “So, was the boyfriend okay with you coming tonight?”
I swallowed nervously, hoping he wasn’t going to ask too many questions about my fake boyfriend. I was a terrible liar.
“He was fine with it.”
