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Easier said than done.
“So, that makes you available?” Kyle asked with his engaging grin.
Okay, Dane had been right.
I said, “I’m basically committed to my career, so—”
“Getting together for a beer wouldn’t be out of the question, though?”
I had to give Kyle credit for even making the suggestion when Dane had been so visibly agitated at seeing us together.
“I’m not one to date,” I said, clearing the air. “But I’d meet up with you, Meghan, and Sean for a couple of drinks. As friends,” I added with a placating look.
“Well,” he said, appearing mildly disappointed, “I suppose that’s a start. It could always lead to dinner.”
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sp; I laughed at his persistence. Then launched into less-risky conversation as Meghan and Sean came over. Fifteen or twenty minutes later, I caught sight of Dane out of the corner of my eye. I decided irritated was much too mild a word for him, despite the fact that I wasn’t alone with Kyle. He wasn’t monopolizing me. Though I supposed just standing in close proximity to me was bad enough in Dane’s eyes.
“I have some business to take care of,” I said before leaving the group. I met Dane halfway across the terrace. “It’s not what you think.” That wasn’t entirely true, but why make a scene?
He said, “I’ve accomplished what I needed to, so let’s get out of here before I have to convince him to stay away from you.”
“Just friends,” I repeated. “I made the distinction very clear.”
“And I can see he’s totally on board with that. Especially when you’re so nice to him.”
“Am I supposed to be a jerk?”
“No, that’s my job if he keeps hitting on you.”
How had he known?
“Let’s go,” Dane insisted. He didn’t take me by the hand or arm, for which I was grateful, but his tone certainly left no room for opposition. My God, he really was annoyed that I’d spent time with Kyle. And coming from Dane, it was the sexiest damn thing. A little alarming, too, in a thrilling way. This level of intensity wasn’t something I was used to, nothing I’d ever encountered. That it was all because of me was deeply arousing.
I said my good-byes—with Kyle eyeing me suspiciously—and Dane and I left the party. The limo pulled around and the valet held the door open for us. They must have loaded Dane’s bags in the trunk when the driver had picked him up at the airport.
I slid in first and felt a modicum of nervous energy with Dane sitting so close to me. I crossed my legs and gripped my clutch in my lap.
He’d removed his jacket before getting in and tossed it onto the seat across from us. Then he loosened his tie. His hand rested on my leg, at the hem of my short skirt.
“I’m not having sex in a limo,” I diligently informed him, my gaze flitting to the raised partition. I didn’t have a specific aversion to the prospect. I was stalling, especially after his power play inside and how his dominance turned me on. I needed to get a grip on the situation before it spiraled out of control.
Unfortunately, I suspected it was too late for that.
He gave me his half-assed grin. “I had a foot massage in mind. These shoes must be killing your feet when you’re not used to wearing them.”
I’d told him they weren’t my style before. It was kind of sweet that he’d remembered.
His fingers trailed over my skin, making me tremble. They swept around to the underside of my knee. Slowly, they grazed downward, over my calf to my ankle. Such a simple touch, as though he were acclimating me to it, and yet so electric.
He slipped off the high heel, then started rubbing, with just the right amount of pressure, not tickling my sensitive soles. Caressing perfectly. A sigh fell from my parted lips. He grinned again.
Only Dane Bax could make a foot massage so amazingly sensual. It felt heavenly but also highly arousing. The thrumming inside me was a demanding cry for another release. A demanding cry for him.
My hands remained curled around my purse when they wanted to be buried in Dane’s lush-looking hair. His cologne and heat teased my senses. His nearness taunted me. His head dipped and his warm lips brushed over my bare thigh. Tempting me.
Nerve endings sizzled. My nipples puckered against the shelf bra in my dress.
