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He did as I asked, and before I knew it, I was in the front of the dance floor. Cami moved next to me, and the two of us danced our hearts out. When I glanced up, Collin was no longer near his dance partner. Instead, he was leaning against the bar, staring at me.
Chapter 13
Collin
Wildflowers. That was the scent I wanted wafting around me. Not Valencia’s harsh spicy one that made my eyes water. Maybe pre-Charlie, I didn’t mind it, but right now, I wanted her away from me. Seeing that man’s hand on Charlie’s hip had mine clenching into fists. It wasn’t as though I planned on knocking the guy out, but he needed to stop moving his hand down toward her ass. Now, he stood behind her staring at it.
“Come on, Collin. Dance with me,” Valencia pleaded.
“No, I’m done.”
“Why?” Her whiny high-pitched voice felt like nails on a chalkboard.
“I’m no longer in the mood.”
Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she grumbled something unintelligible, spun on her heel, and stomped away. The band launched into another song, dancers regrouped, and a different guy was now talking to Charlie. She went to move off the dance floor, but that same guy wrapped his hand around her forearm. My blood pressure spiked. I went to make my move toward her, but before I could do anything, his arm was behind his back. Charlie said something, and he moved off the floor with his proverbial tail between his legs.
Cami whispered in her ear, and they both laughed, but I didn’t find anything remotely funny about that situation. A bit more determined, I strode toward the dance floor, ignoring a few people calling out my name. Charlie must have heard it, because our gazes met. Rather than look away, I did my best to keep them tethered.
Finally, in front of her, I placed my hands just below her waist. And as much as I hated to admit it, I liked touching her. Even through the fabric of her top, her skin was warm from dancing, her body felt good beneath my palm, and a sudden urge to hold her washed over me.
“What are you doing?”
“Dancing with you. I thought it was obvious.”
Her cute nose crinkled. “Why? Because of that guy? I took care of it.”
“No, because I want to. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure. As long as you’re okay with people taking our picture. Because your friend with the red fingernails just did that.”
“Dammit.” I shifted my right hand from her hip and laced her fingers with mine. “Come on.”
She scurried behind me as I pulled her through the small crowd that had gathered. Usually no one bothered the players who came here. Same with the Tavern. Except, as I told Charlie, this place was a meat market, and little did anyone know that one of their prime cuts, me, was no longer interested in what the night had to offer. That thought almost stopped me dead in my tracks, but I kept moving toward the back door.
“Where are we going?” Charlie shouted into my back.
“Home.”
Once we got to the rear entrance, I nodded toward the security guard and pushed the door open. Finally able to breathe, I stopped and did just that.
“Wait. Why? What about Sophie and Cami?”
“I’ll tell Soph that we’re leaving.”
Without hesitation, I plucked my phone out of my pocket, pulled up Sophie’s contact, and sent her a text message. I had a feeling she wouldn’t be too pleased, but at that very moment, I didn’t care. Hearing Charlie say that pictures were being taken opened a pit in my stomach.
I remembered that when Reese and Trent met, an unflattering picture had been turned into a meme that went viral. The last thing I needed was for that to happen with us before the season started. Theirs was funny, whereas ours looked… well, I wouldn’t know how ours would look. What I did know was some people would love to use it to their advantage. DiNardo for one. I could already hear him saying that Charlie was a distraction or that it was bad for morale… blah, blah, blah.
Me:Hey. Taking Charlie home. All is OK. Don’t worry. Tell Mack for me.
Sophie:OK. You’re lucky I love you or I’d have other words for you.
Me:I’m the luckiest. Tell Cami too.
Sophie:Tell Charlie I’ll call her tomorrow.
Me:Will do. Thanks, Soph.
