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His stance is one of leisure, almost as if he was leaning back and admiring me. I am drawn to his full lips when he slowly, sensually bites it. All of my movement has ceased, completely immobilized by his gaze. It’s almost as if the world went on pause the minute our eyes locked. Normally I would begin to feel self-conscious, to fidget or pull at whatever I am wearing but not with this man. Our souls are caught in a net, neither one fighting to get out. Like we want to be snared together.
My trance is suddenly broken when Mel blocks my entire line of sight. She leans in and screams into my ear, the only way that I would be able to hear her over the blaring noise of the club dance floor. “You ok?” I quickly nod, trying to peer around her to get another look at the mystery man. She instead, links her arm through mine and leans in again to speak. “Let’s go sit for a minute.”
We make our way over to a small, white leather booth to the side of the dance floor, Mel practically dragging me as I continue to glance around looking for the man who made the world stop.
The dance floor is sectioned off with walls of glass, making the seating area a bit quieter. People are sitting and mingling throughout the club, but it doesn’t appear to be as crowded as it was when we first arrived hours ago. The once-crowded bar area is now just a steady trickle of customers ordering their drinks.
Mel signals for a waitress and orders bottled water for both of us. She knows I won’t push past my limits and doesn’t try to force more alcohol on me. Instead, we sit and allow our overheated bodies to cool off. Now that I think of it, my feet are starting to hurt.
Mel reaches down the top of her skimpy red dress and pulls out her phone. We might be opposites in many ways, but we were both blessed with large boobs, which are convenient on nights out. The light from the screen brightens up her face as she scrolls through her messages. She reads a particularly exciting one and a wicked grin slides up her face.
“Kyle is back in town. He’s been gone for a week for a business trip to Florida. He’s only here for the night before he leaves tomorrow morning for Christmas.” Her face falls when she realizes that she won’t be able to see him until next week.
I hate to be the reason that she can’t spend this little time with him. I pull out my phone and see that it is almost midnight. “You should go." I lean in and nudge her shoulder. “Go spend time with your boyfriend. I know you want to.” I waggle my eyebrows at her, earning me a snort and eye roll.
Her face twists in obvious regret. “No, I came here with you. I don’t get to see you often enough as it is.”
Trying to dissuade her, I say, “It’s alright. I’m getting tired anyway. You know crowds drain me. Plus I spent an hour in the car today and could use a good night's sleep.” I try to show her that I can take care of myself. I don’t mind if she goes to see her boyfriend. I’ll be spending the holidays with her anyway, leaving plenty of time for us to spend together.
She looks like she’s about to jump off her seat and sprint out the door before her face falls. “Kyle lives in the city. I drove us here.” I shake my head, ready to argue.
“I’ll grab an uber. You know I hate driving at night and an uber would make me feel better. No big deal.” I shove at her, chucking. “Go.”
She gives me a big hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before standing, ready to leave. “You message me the moment you get home.”
It’s something we have always done, even back in high school. If we knew the other was going to be out and getting home late, we text each other when we are home safe. I still tend to send her a ‘home safe’ message even though we live in different parts of the state.
“Always do.”
I watch her walk away, pulling her small cross-body gold-plated clutch to her chest as she pushes through the exit, already searching for her car keys.
I pull up the Uber app on my phone and put in my destination, waiting for a notification that my ride has been picked up by a driver. I start to get distracted when the tingly feeling from earlier returns. My head snaps up, quickly turning to scan the room for HIM. I don’t have to look for long.
He is making his way over to me, never once breaking eye contact. A full-body shiver travels up and down my spine, and I can feel myself getting turned on. He stops directly in front of me, making me tilt my head up to meet his gaze.
At this moment, I say possibly the dumbest thing I have ever said. A breathy “hi” escapes my lips. Hi? Did I say hi? I am dying inside. Why couldn’t I have come up with something sexier to say? The visual image of me banging my forehead against a wall is playing on a loop in my imagination as we stare at each other.
Chapter 3
Everly
He is even more stunning close-up. His gorgeous blue/gray eyes peer down at me with a smirk across his face. A dark, sexy chuckle escapes his lips. I almost want to close my eyes and drown in that sound. It feels like an eternity has passed since my terrible opening line, but it’s only been seconds.
“Having fun tonight?” Oh my god, that voice. His voice is deep and comforting, like hot chocolate on a winter day. It takes a moment to register that he spoke to me.
“Oh, it’s been more fun than I had hoped.” I allow myself to relax back into my seat, willing my insides to relax as well. My body is a livewire with him this close.
He stretches out his bronze hand, offering it to me. “Holden Cooper.”
“Everly,” I state as I offer my hand in introduction.
His large hand encompasses mine. I wouldn’t typically say that I have small, feminine hands, but in his, they feel tiny and dainty. Holden gently squeezes my hand before releasing it and pointing to the seat beside me. “May I join you?”
“Um, yes. Absolutely.” I smile at him as he takes his seat, turning towards him. Only inches separate his dark-clad thigh from my exposed knee.
“So, what brings you to Climax?”
My mouth drops open. What the hell did he just ask me? A gasping sound spills out of my open jaw. “Excuse me?”
