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Emma turns to me, her body presses further into mine and my chest expands with the closeness of her.
“I just want to have fun tonight. Can we do that?” she asks.
“Yeah.” I nod, vowing to stick by Emma’s side tonight and make sure she gets back to her hotel room safely. “We can do that.”
CHAPTER5
Emma
My arms whirl around my body, attempting to move to the music but the fast pop beat is a runaway train, impossible for me to catch. I watch Mike across from me, trying to mimic his smooth moves. He makes it look so easy.
I’m not the best dancer, but when alcohol is involved, I swear I’m Beyoncé, minus the outstanding choreography. Okay, I’m more like a contestant cast-off ofSo You Think You Can Dance?The one they put on between the superior dancers during auditions so the audience can gain some perspective. And have a good laugh.
Maybe that’s why watching Griffin dance tonight was so thrilling. I mean all of the guys were excellent dancers, but my attention stayed on Griffin the entire time he was on stage. There’s no way in a million years I could make my body move like that. I’m graceful in a walking in a straight line kind of way. My body doesn’t tend to operate in multiple planes of movement at once.
My elbow knocks into a man close by and I wince my apologies.
“Are you having fun?” Jess yells in my ear even though we’re only inches apart. The music in the club is deafening.
“Yeah!” I yell back. I am having fun but I could argue I’d be having more fun if Griffin were out here with us.
My eyes move to the last place I spotted Griffin, fifteen seconds ago when I was glancing in his direction for the millionth time. He’s still sitting on a stool at the end of the high-top table the group has occupied talking to a few of the guys from the revue. His black t-shirt sleeves are taut against the muscles of his upper arms as he lifts a beer bottle to his lips.
Backstage at the revue, I could tell there was tension between Griffin and Dallas. The way Dallas spoke to Griffin, joking yet with an edge of hostility. And Griffin’s hard stare aimed at Dallas whenever he talked to me. They work together, but it’s clear they’re not friends.
Dallas is more of an over-the-top kind of flirt, letting his interest be known with suggestive compliments and playful eye contact, while Griffin had simply put a possessive arm around my waist. The moment his fingers curved around my hip, I felt my body melt into him.
When we arrived at the club, it was clear there was a stand-off between Griffin and Dallas for my attention. While flattering, I don’t want to be in the middle of two guys.
My eyes scan a few feet to the right where Dallas now has a leggy redhead sitting on his lap. Seeing them together does nothing to me. In fact, I’m glad he’s found someone else to put his charming efforts into.
I’ll admit, Dallas is attractive. He’s got surfer guy vibes with shaggy blonde hair, and deeply tanned skin. His muscular arms are bulky, a sign he’s done some serious weightlifting, with a large tattoo encircling his bicep. Earlier he was pointing out scars and telling me the dare devil stories behind each one. I’m seventy-five percent sure that the ‘shark bite’ on his leg is really from a lawn mower accident. He also seems very into himself. He kept looking over my shoulder, and I finally realized he was glancing in the mirror behind the bar…at himself.
As if on cue, Dallas briefly takes his attention off the redhead’s breasts to look in the mirror behind her and run a hand through his hair.
I have to laugh. I have no interest in Dallas. He’s not why I’m here. But it seems with Dallas’s shift in attention, so went Griffin’s.
While I was certain that there had been a connection between me and Griffin earlier, on the rooftop, during the dance he gave me, and even when we first arrived at the club, since I’ve been dancing with Jess and Mike, he’s kept his distance.
“I need a break.” Jess fans herself.
“Agree.” Mike’s tank top is drenched with sweat.
I nod in agreement and follow them back to the table where a waitress stops by to drop off a fresh round of drinks.
I shouldn’t be intimidated to approach Griffin. After tonight, I won’t see him again. I’ve got nothing to lose, but I feel out of practice. When I think about my past interactions with men, relationships or casual dates, I’ve never been the one to initiate anything. I’ve always waited for the guy to call, to text, to ask me out or move the relationship forward.
Just like I had been waiting for Alec to propose. And now he’s engaged to someone else.
But that’s not what tonight is about. If I want to make things happen, I’ll have to put myself out there.
I take a sip of my champagne, trying to cool off when I see that a woman in a tight black dress has approached Griffin. Her blonde hair is styled in perfect waves, her skin is golden, her face flawless and when she leans into him, I’m immediately jealous of the abundance of cleavage she has to offer. I watch them, my stomach twisting anxiously while she whispers something into his ear. Clearly, she is willing to go after what she wants.
I can’t see his face, but he shakes his head and with an annoyed twitch of her lips, she retreats.
I’m watching her leave when Griffin turns and catches me staring. The impact of his gaze has me nearly knocking my glass over. I recover quickly only to find his green eyes still taking me in, dropping from my face to my body, before turning away to take another drink of his beer.
If I was feeling uncertain before, with what seemed to be a rejection of a gorgeous blonde, now I’m shaking with nerves. From my side, Jess nudges me with her elbow, then tilts her head in Griffin’s direction. ‘Go,’ I read the word on her lips more than I hear it. She’s right. I need to put on my big girl panties and make a move. I’m single, it’s my birthday and we’re in Vegas.
