Page 74 of Pressure Point

She looked around them, but he was nowhere to be found. Where had he gone? Why hadn’t he said something? Her heart sank a little at the thought, until she turned back to Dash. His hazel eyes were trained on her, the one side of his mouth turned up in a wicked smile. Damn, he was pretty. He stepped in a little closer to her, her pulse jumping as she felt his body heat engulf her.

Was this really happening? She was dancing with Dash. He was holding on to her, his gaze focused on her, not some other girl. She’d done it. She had captured Dash’s attention.

So why did this feel so…off?

“You look very pretty tonight. Are you all dressed up for me?” he asked, winking at her.

“Yes. I mean…” she stumbled. “The party. Which, it’s your birthday, we’re here celebrating you, so, yeah, I, I guess it’s for you.”

Nice job, Avery. Really smooth…

Dash let out a laugh, and Avery couldn’t quite tell if he was laughing at her or not. She sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. The last thing she wanted was for Dash to think she was a rambling idiot. Though at this point, it might be too late for that.

He pulled her in closer, their bodies all but touching, as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’m happy you’re here.”

His breath tickled the shell of her ear, making her shiver slightly.

“Really?”

“Sí. I’m seeing a different side of you.”

“Oh.” She swallowed hard, trying not to get her hopes up. Her mind rushed to all sorts of different places of what he could mean. She just didn’t have the right words in her to respond.

“And I really like what I’m seeing.” He winked again, his hand sliding down her back until it rested just above her ass.

Another shiver raced through her, her body responding to his touch. His touch that still felt weird. No, not weird, just different. She couldn’t place what it was, but it just wasn’t right. Not like when Liam touched her. When Liam’s hands were on her it was like her whole body came alive, rather than just a physical sensation like she was feeling now. Her body liked the attention from Dash, that was for sure, but there wasn’t the same magnetic pull she felt whenever she was with Liam. He didn’t even need to be touching her—all he had to do was be in the same room, and she felt drawn to him.

Sliding her arms around Dash’s neck, Avery told herself to focus. Now was not the time to be thinking about Liam. She had Dash’s undivided attention. He was interested in her. She licked her lips, staring into his eyes and letting herself get lost in the moment. The moment that was just them. Her and the guy she’d been crushing on for months, holding on to one another as they moved in time to the music. Dash’s hard body moved with a grace like she’d never experienced, even if his embrace wasn’t quite as comfortable as she’d imagined.

The tempo of the music picked up, and Avery expected a change of pace, but Dash still held her close, moving to the same rhythm as before. It was slow and steady, their faces so close together that their breath started to intertwine. She’d wondered for so long what it would be like to be this close to him, to feel his body move with hers. In all her daydreams, this moment was it. The height of everything. Hell, it’d been damn near an orgasm for the way she had pictured herself responding to his hips swaying with hers. But reality was much different. Everything just felt so…off.

She wished she had a better word, but it was the only thing she could think of. For all the rhythm Dash had, the way his body moved effortlessly, she still felt wrong. Stiff, inept. She didn’t fit into Dash’s arms the way she did Liam’s. She missed that feeling, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. Instead, this was like a square peg and a round hole.

Everything about the moment was “right,” though—just the way her mind had conjured up all those times she’d watched him during practice. And yet, here she was, not near as lost in the moment as she thought she would be. As she should be.

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?” Dash asked, his hand slipping underneath her chin, tilting her face up toward his.

Yeah, Liam…

Avery nodded, too afraid to utter the answer out loud. She didn’t want to ruin the moment. Her pulse kicked into overdrive as a wide, impish grin spread across Dash’s face, his eyes flashing with an emotion she didn’t understand.

“Then allow me to just be the next one in line,” he said, his head dipping closer to hers. “You look lovely this evening.”

Avery heard her own breath catch, unable to process what was really happening. Was this real? She’d been waiting for this moment for what seemed like forever. Planned for weeks. Bought the dress, the makeup, the shoes. Learned how to walk in the shoes. All so she could be here now, in Dash’s arms, listening to him tell her how beautiful she was. Her. The flat-chested, no curves ginger.

This was what she wanted. This was what she’d been waiting for.

Dash leaned in, tilting his head until their lips were just a whisper away from each other. She could all but taste the mint on his breath, the smell taking over her senses. Everything around them faded away, until it was just her and Dash. She knew what came next. She just wasn’t sure how she felt about it. But ready or not, all that stood between her and her endgame was a heartbeat.

Dash Lazaro was about to kiss her.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Where’d you come from? What’s going on?” Elliot asked as Liam slid between him and Chance, grabbing a beer from the bucket that was in the middle of the high-top table they were standing at.

Good fucking question…

“And where’s Avery?” Chance followed up, looking around for her.