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Lane’s hand cupped the back of her head as he gave her a look that anyone watching would’ve been able to identify. Full-on seduction. He was playing the role to the hilt. “Guess we’ll find out.”
Before she could respond, he guided her arms around his neck and then palmed her waist, pressing her hips to his. The grind of their bodies against each other was enough to make Marin lose her words. She had another man on her mind, but Lane wasn’t easily ignored. Her body was already primed, and having a beautiful man sliding against her fired signals she couldn’t have stopped if she tried. But when she closed her eyes to give in to the ruse, all she could think about was Donovan somewhere out there in the darkness watching them. The thought inspired equal doses of desire and tension.
“Hold on, doc,” Lane said against her ear.
She opened her eyes just as Lane whirled her to the edge of the dance floor, making the room spin and blur in her view, and then he dipped her low. Lane’s hand dragged her knee up to his hip, angling her farther back and holding her there. She felt like she’d stumbled into some scene from Dirty Dancing. But with her head upside down, her eyes landed on a man at a table a few yards away. His face was half in shadow, his arms spread wide over the back of the curved booth in a seemingly relaxed pose, but his gaze raked over her with pure hunger. Possession.
Warning.
Fire licked up her spine as an invisible tether between them pulled taut. Suspended animation.
That’s when Lane kissed up her throat.
The tether snapped. Donovan’s lips thinned, icy cool descending over his expression.
When Lane lifted her back up, the view flipped over in her vision, everything spinning from more than just the dance. It took her a second to clear her head of the dizzy spell. And when she looked over her shoulder, trying to locate Donovan again, needing to say something, to make him understand, he was gone.
The booth was empty, the spot melting back into the darkness without the energy of his presence to light it.
Donovan had left.
He’d believed the act. And he’d left her to it.
Left her to Lane.
Lane had challenged Donovan to make a play for her.
Donovan had decided she wasn’t worth the trouble.
Game over.
24
Marin asked Lane for a break after Donovan disappeared, disappointment a heavy rock in her gut. She shouldn’t let it get to her. What would she have done if she’d shown up somewhere and saw Donovan dancing like that with some woman? She wouldn’t have stuck around to watch either. She’d talk to him about it tomorrow. For now, she’d finish up her night with Lane and get home.
Lane had ordered bottles of water and she’d downed hers, parched after all the dancing. But now her bladder was begging for a break. A different band had taken the stage, and Lane was listening, his arm draped across the back of Marin’s chair. She hadn’t told him she’d seen Donovan. But she’d told Lane to stop after the kisses to her neck. He hadn’t questioned her or seemed bothered.
She leaned over to him. “I’ll be right back. Need me to grab anything else from the bar on the way back?”
“Nah, I’m fine. We can head out in a little while if you want.”
“Sounds good.” She got up from the table and headed toward the back of the club. The line to the ladies’ room was impossibly long and she squirmed at the sight. No way was she going to make it that long. The sign for the men’s room pointed left at the end of the hall. She hustled that way and turned the corner into another hallway. The men’s room was located near the back door. No line. Thank God for men being efficient urinaters. With a quick peek inside the door, she made sure no one was at a urinal and then hurried inside to slip into a stall.
She thought she was home free with her commandeering of the men’s room. But after she finished up and headed toward the sinks, two guys wa
lked in. They halted when they saw her there. But she quickly washed and dried her hands and then sent them an awkward flick of the wrist. “Uh, sorry. Just leaving. Carry on.”
She strolled past them like she had every right to be there and rushed out the door. She let out a breath when she hit the dark hallway. Victory.
But before she could head back up the hallway toward the club, an arm banded around her from behind and dragged her against a hard body. She let out a yelp, but a hand clamped over her mouth before the sound could fully escape. Fear crashed through her and she tried to jerk away.
“Easy, Rush,” the familiar voice said against her ear.
Donovan.
She closed her eyes, her heartbeat thumping wildly and adrenaline making her wobble on her heels.
“You thought I’d forgotten about you, huh?” he said, his voice low and dangerous against her ear. He moved his hand away from her mouth. “You thought I’d watch him put his hands and mouth on you and just walk away.”
