Page 30 of Slide

Chapter Eight

What the hell was that? Lucy felt like a goddamn yo-yo. Did he still think that kind of shit would scare her away? Or was he just playing with her?

Teasing her then throwing other women in her face was not cool. Okay, yes, technically she’d brought up the other women, but she’d gotten so damn angry. She’d decided to throw away her ridiculous plan, that her and Adam weren’t going to happen and then…

Baby girl, I know that pert little backside of yours is begging for it.

A shiver moved through her. Gah!

She walked through the markets for a long time, trying to clear her head, and wound up at some kind of party. There were tables in the middle of the street. A space to dance. Flowers everywhere. The place was decked out in a luau theme, and best of all, there was a bar. She grabbed a beer, then a burger from the nearest food stall, and found a seat. She wasn’t in any hurry to go back to the room. Adam could be a miserable bastard on his own. She had no desire to look at those sexy frowning lips, those intense eyes—and definitely not that carved-from-stone six-pack that, if she’d been standing when he walked out of the bathroom, would have knocked her on her ass.

Nope. She wasn’t in a hurry to return to that torture. What she should do, though, was take the next bus back to LA, stop messing around, find a damn job, and chalk this lapse of judgment up to a case of temporary insanity. She finished her burger and bought another beer. The light buzz she had going was just what she needed.

Music started and everyone cheered, stood, and moved to surround the dance floor. Lucy got up to join them in time to see three gorgeous women walk into the middle. They had the whole hula skirt and coconut bra thing going on. They started to dance, hips swinging, rolling to the beat of the drums. They were fantastic and she found herself clapping and cheering with the rest of the crowd.

The women started pulling people in to join them and when one of them took her hand, she thought what the hell, and moved into the middle with a few others. A lei was draped around her neck, she was grabbed by the hips, and one of the dancers showed her how to move. Lucy got the hang of it pretty quick, laughing and dancing. God, enjoying herself. When was the last time she laughed, really laughed? When had she last felt light and not weighed down by so much that sometimes she didn’t know how she got out of bed in the morning?

Refusing to think of any of that, she threw herself into it. Living in the moment.

That’s when she looked into the crowd and her eyes collided with a familiar pair of intense blue ones. Her heart did a little kick, knocking the breath from her lungs. Adam stood there like a statue while people partied up a storm around him, those eyes never leaving her. Not even when she caught him watching.

Her first reaction was to stop, but then she changed her mind. He was doing it again, giving off mixed signals. So instead of letting him get to her, or at least letting him see he was getting to her, she spun away and carried on dancing. If he wanted to watch, he could knock himself out. There was no mistaking the heat in his gaze—which she knew he’d just pretend hadn’t been there when the dance ended. Screw it. Maybe she should turn the tables on him? Be the one to do the teasing. To throw out mixed signals.

Lifting her arms, she put some extra swing in her hips, shaking her ass, letting her body move to the music and the pounding drums. The dancing carried on, and though she hadn’t turned back, she could feel his eyes on her. Finally, she allowed herself to glance back at him over her shoulder.

He was closer now, had moved right up to the edge of the dance area, body held rigid, fingers curled into fists, chest rising and falling with each breath.

Hers stuck in her throat.

Oh God.

The look in his eyes could only be described as wild, and when she turned toward him more fully, he took another step forward. Heart in her throat, she moved closer, dancing as she went, rolling her hips, and though it was hard, kept her gaze locked with his. He didn’t look away.

She kept coming until she was a foot in front of him. “Have you been following me? Watching me?”

“You know I have.”

Now she was breathing as hard as him. God, panting. She stopped dancing. “Why?”

Something flickered through his gaze and the muscle in his cheek jumped. “Because no matter how hard I try,” he rasped, “I can’t keep away from you.”

“Why?” she said again, feeling dizzy from the blood pumping hard and fast through her veins.

He bared his teeth like some kind of wild animal. “You know why.”

“Do I?”

“You just danced for me, baby girl, swung that sexy ass in my face because you know I want to get my hands on it.” He took a step closer, getting in her face. “You know.”

Yeah, she knew. What she didn’t know was if he’d allow himself to give into it. “What are you going to do about it?”

A rough breath blew past his lips. “You really want a manwhore like me putting my filthy hands on you, sweetheart? An hour ago you walked away, disgusted at the idea.”

She blinked up at him. He was so damn wrong. “That’s why you think I walked away?” Yes, she’d thrown that word at him over the years, more times than she’d like to remember, but it was out of hurt and jealousy. Self-preservation. She shook her head. “I didn’t walk away because I was disgusted or scandalized by what you said.” She straightened her spine. “I walked away because I’m sick of your goddamn teasing. You pull me in then you push me away, Adam. You make it clear you won’t ever touch me then you act like you did at Abella’s or throw the women you’ve been with in my face. That’s why I walked away.” She poked a finger into his chest. “Not because I’m judging you, but because I…I want you.”

He stilled, unnaturally so, then his eyes drifted shut and when they opened again, they were blue flames. So hot she squirmed where she stood.

“What do you want from me, Lucy?” he rasped.