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I glanced at the face of the club—the same place where we’d danced a couple of weeks ago while the Vigil had been meeting up with contacts trying to track down my stolen car. Thumping bass emanated through the wall, making me want to sway on my feet. I remembered far too clearly my jolt of embarrassment last time when I’d ordered a cocktail and then realized the rest of the guys were sticking to soft drinks in solidarity with Logan, who wasn’t supposed to drink given his transplanted liver and the medication he was on.
They automatically avoided excluding each other—that was real friendship. Slade hadn’t hesitated for a second about inviting the other guys to join us here, even though he could have had me all to himself and I’d just admitted that something might be sparking between me and Logan.
Maybe playing the field didn’t have to be so hard after all. I just wouldn’t look ahead to the point when I might have to choose between the various guys who’d appealed to my heart.
“Let’s dance,” I said. “My nerves are still jumping. I need to burn off some of that energy.”
“Dancing it is!”
He practically dragged me through the door with an enthusiasm that had me laughing. Slade grinned back at me and swept me onto the dance floor amid the many other patrons who’d poured into the club this late in the evening. He spun me around and then pulled me to him, still holding my hand while he set his other on my waist. When he kept the steps to a simple shuffle, I had no trouble at all keeping up.
We moved with the beat, Slade turning us here and tossing me into a little dip there, because of course he couldn’t resist showing off. The brief bursts of exhilaration kept the smile on my lips and washed away the worst of my inner turmoil over the discovery we’d made tonight.
Whatever had happened to Dad, it’d happened twelve years ago. Taking a moment to let the new knowledge sink in wasn’t going to hurt anything. It was a relief to let go and just have fun with Slade, knowing that nothing too intense could happen here in the middle of a crowded dance floor. There was no pressure, no expectations other than that we enjoy ourselves.
Slade’s dark eyes glinted slyly as he spun me around again. He brought me back to his chest in time with the music and slid his hand down to my hip to guide my movements to match his. We swayed together, closer than before, but before the heat kindling between us could overwhelm me, he stepped wide and showed off a more complicated series of footwork.
I hesitated, afraid of tripping over my own feet. “I don’t think I can keep up with that.”
Slade leaned closer and murmured in my ear. “Sure you can, Piccolina. Just follow my lead. I’ll make sure you don’t stumble too badly.”
I wished he could make that promise carry all the way through the rest of my life. But I wasn’t letting myself think about that right now. I just nodded and matched his moves as well as I could.
He slowed down a little so I could see exactly how he was setting his feet and swiveling his hips. As I caught on to the pattern and settled into the rhythm, he gradually picked up the pace again. When I wobbled, he covered for me with a sudden dip or flourish, one time whirling both of us around until I was giggling breathlessly.
When we fell back into the regular steps and he shot me a broad smile, a rush of affection filled my chest. He was doing everything he could to help me through this crazy situation, even if there wasn’t anything more in it for him than a dance. There was so much more to him than the flirty jokester he presented himself as. How could he have thought I’d throw what we’d found together away just because Logan had decided to stop being such an asshole?
I squeezed his hand, letting myself sway closer to him for a moment. “Thank you for suggesting this. It was exactly what I needed.”
Something softened in his eyes, showing so much fondness that my heart skipped a beat. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”
He teased his hand up and down my side, and suddenly I thought we might get up to a little more than just dancing, crowded club or not. But then his gaze jerked away from my face, looking at someone behind me just as fingers tapped on my shoulder.
I felt Logan’s looming presence before I turned to see him, a wisp of his scent washing over me. “Mind if I cut in?” he asked, his gaze fixed on me.
I glanced back at Slade, not sure how he’d respond to his friend stealing me away, but the other guy just leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “It wouldn’t be any fair if I invited him along and didn’t share you,” he said in a teasing tone, and twirled me toward Logan.
My stepbrother caught me with both hands on my waist. I couldn’t find anywhere to put my own hands that didn’t feel totally awkward other than resting them on his shoulders. My chest brushed against the solid planes of muscle in front of me, and all at once I didn’t know where to look either.
Logan peered down at me as we fell into a basic two-step in time with the beat, his expression unreadable. “How are you doing?”
I grimaced, knowing he was referring to the discovery at the seafood market. “No shop talk here at the club. Ask me tomorrow.”
“I guess I can hang up my detective cap for one night, just for you.” He turned us in a slow circle, much less flamboyant than Slade’s preferred style but no less seductive. One hand eased down to my hip, tugging me a little closer, and I had to resist the urge to melt right into his brawny frame. “We don’t need to talk at all.”
His thumb moved in rhythmic circles over my hip as his fingers trailed down to my thigh. His other hand slipped around me to hold me by the small of my back. His head bowed next to mine, hot breath spilling down the side of my neck. A giddy shiver rippled through my body.
I couldn’t help thinking back to the only other night we’d gotten as close as this—and closer still. To how good it’d felt being wrapped in his embrace, consumed by his passion. A pulsing ache woke up low in my belly, urging me toward him.
As if he sensed my growing desire, Logan nudged me even closer up against him. He eased one leg between mine so we were interlocked as we swayed and shuffled together on the dance floor. His hand stroked right over my ass, and I had to swallow a gasp. His head dipped lower, his lips brushing the crook of my jaw.
Oh, God, I was going to unravel right here in the middle of all these strangers. I was practically a puddle of longing already. My body was outright throbbing to press right into him, to rub up against him in the dirtiest of dances. There were other couples around us doing the same thing. We wouldn’t even stand out.
But was I really ready for where that kind of dance would lead next? I’d only just started accepting Logan back into my life as someone I could count on. The last thing I wanted was to rush headlong into another hookup.
At least, that was the last thing my brain wanted. The rest of me was undeniably on board. Even the smallest caresses of his fingers electrified me, making my breath catch. I glanced up at him and was pinned by his eyes, searing with intensity. My skin crackled with the heat.
My lungs clenched up. This wasn’t what I’d come here for. I’d wanted a momentary escape, not to feel trapped by urges I could hardly contain. I didn’t totally like how out of control I felt after just a couple of songs in Logan’s arms.
