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“Were you going to tell me that you’d rather have one of them touching you?” he asked, not slowing his dancing. “You’re going to have to try harder than that to piss me off, Kat.”
The crowd around us began getting loud again as River danced. His hands were still on the armrests, his face inches from mine. My heart was hammering against my chest as my body reacted to his movements. He wasn’t being shy about what he was doing, and each time he brushed my lower stomach, the heated tension coiling within me escalated.
“I don’t know.” I shot him a devilish grin. “After seeing what West can do with his fingers, I think I’d definitely be interested in seeing his dance moves.”
His smile widened without the smallest flicker that my words bothered him. “So, if my dance moves impress you, then do I get to prove how good I am with my fingers?”
“No,” I snapped loudly as the crowd started cheering again.
“Give me your answer after.”
With those words, he reached down and grabbed the liquor from the floor before straightening back up. Still straddling my hips, he looked around and raised the bottles as he danced on me. Once the music changed to another club song, River began moving in ways I’d never seen before.
I was used to his moves on a basketball court, but as he grinded his body on me, it became clear he could dance too. I raised an eyebrow when he handed me the bottles to hold before pulling his hoodie off. The squeals and yells mostly consisted of women’s voices when he threw the hoodie to the side. My gaze trailed away from his face as he took the alcohol back from me.
He was wearing jeans and a black tank top. Tattoos covered the part of his chest I could see, and I wondered how many more were under his shirt. When I’d seen him five years ago, he’d only had a couple. That had obviously changed. Just like the rest of him. He wasn’t the lanky boy I’d grown up with. His body was toned and hard in all the right places. My eyes widened when he pressed against my stomach as he moved. Right now, he was hard in all the places.
He caught sight of my reaction, and his lopsided smile made my blood run cold. He was the perfect imitation of the boy next door. That smile made anyone feel like they could trust him with anything. A hint of that grin caused stomachs to flip and hearts to race. And he quickly learned how to use it to his advantage. Playing on people’s emotions to get what he needed was something he’d been doing since we were kids. I used to think I was special. That he would never manipulate me the way he did others.
It was a painful lesson when I’d learned how fucking wrong I was about that.
“Open up, Kat.” He raised the bottle above my mouth. It had a spout on it to make the alcohol come out slower. I played along and opened my mouth, hoping he didn’t spill it all over me. The rush of memories had my anger rising, and I was ready for this to be over. He wanted to act like the past hadn’t happened.
The liquor hit my tongue, and he raised the bottle higher as he poured it into my mouth. After a couple of seconds, he lifted the other bottle and tilted it until the sweet taste of that one blended with the bitter one I was already swallowing. A few drops landed on my lips before he pulled the bottles away and handed them back to the bartender.
Grabbing my hands, he pulled me with him as he backed up until we were both standing. Before I could move away, he wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me closer.
“It’s done.” His grip tightened as I spoke. “I let you do the shot like you wanted. Keep my name to yourself.”
“One more thing,” he murmured. “Were you impressed with my dancing?”
“Have you spent the last five years on a pole?” I raised an eyebrow.
He chuckled. “No. But I’ve learned a few things.”
“Obviously.”
With his free hand, he brushed hair out of my face. “Let me show you. If you aren’t blushing or screaming by the time I finish, then I’ll admit defeat and leave you alone.”
The fact that he thought sex could fix the past had my blood boiling. He’d severed that trust, and I had no intention of ever building it up again. Glancing around, I noticed curious stares were still pointed our way. I didn’t want to make a scene with so many eyes on me.
River froze in surprise when I pressed myself against him. Dancing along to the music, I ran my hand down his ribs until I reached his jeans. His eyes were glued to mine as I rubbed against him.
And it distracted him enough for me to slip his phone out of his jeans pocket without him noticing. Keeping his phone in my grip, I stretched on my tiptoes so I could whisper in his ear.
“River, go find someone else who hasn’t fallen for your shit already.” My harsh words had him jerking back to look at me.
Without waiting for a response, I pushed him away from me. His eyes darkened as a frown took over his face. With a shake of his head, he spun around and stalked away from the bar. I watched as he moved toward the bathrooms before I focused my attention behind me. West and Eli were both staring at me.
My nerves were still jumbled from dealing with River, and talking to them would only make the night worse. I glanced near the back of the bar, not seeing River anywhere. Ignoring West and Eli, I rushed back to my table, where Bri and Abigail were waiting, nearly bursting with excitement.
“Do you know him?” Abigail asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“No,” I muttered. “Just some guy wanting to make a scene.”
“A ridiculously hot guy,” Bri piped up. “And I hear he’s amazing on the basketball court.”
“If you’re interested, go for it.” I grabbed my purse from the chair. “I want nothing to do with anyone on that team this year.”
