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Matt saw red when the man placed his hands on Liza’s hips, as if to correct the way they were swaying. She’d been nailing the routine, so the move was a ploy, a weak attempt at getting closer to an attractive woman.
Liza looked over her shoulder at the man, laughing at something he said, and Matt’s eyes narrowed.
“Clench that jaw much harder and you’ll break your teeth.”
Matt glanced up at Arnold, who’d made his way from the bar to Matt’s table. If Matt had been in the proper frame of mind, he would have turned his attention away from the dance floor and made pleasant small talk.
He wasn’t in the proper frame.
“Who’s the wannabe hula instructor?” Matt asked.
“One of Johnnie’s countless nephews,” Arnold replied. “Did I ever mention that Johnnie has five sisters? All married with at least twelve kids apiece.”
Arnold was going for levity, trying to calm him down. Matt might have appreciated the effort if the nephew’s hands hadn’t just slipped upward from Liza’s hips, gripping her waist in a way that was way too fucking familiar.
“Is the nephew a nice guy?” Matt growled. He’d told Liza this thing between them was just sex, so he could hardly get in the way of her flirting with someone else. They’d made no commitment to each other, and he had gone out of his way to make sure she knew it.
Because he was a goddamn idiot.
Arnold shook his head, studying the couple. “No. That particular nephew is a huge prick.”
Matt took his eyes off Liza to see if Arnold was being serious or pulling his leg. “He is?”
“His wife is at home in San Francisco. She just had their second baby two weeks ago.”
“You’re kidding?” Matt said hotly.
Arnold raised a hand and pointed to his soon-to-be husband. “Johnnie’s clenching his teeth harder than you. He noticed earlier that the asshole wasn’t wearing his ring.”
The nephew brushed Liza’s hair over her shoulder, whispering something in her ear that had her blushing.
“Excuse me,” Matt said, storming onto the dance floor.
Liza jerked with surprise when Matt grabbed her hand and tugged her against his chest.
“Matt? What are you doing?” She tried to pull her hand from his. Wisely, the married nephew took one look at the murderous expression on his face and moved away—fast.
Matt used his free hand to cup the back of Liza’s neck, pulling her closer until his lips were next to her ear. “What’s the rule about wiggling those hips, bad girl?”
Liza stopped trying to pull away, her body going soft as she leaned closer to him. “There’s a rule?” she whispered, her breath hot against his cheek.
He shifted back just far enough that he could look her in the eye. “You only wiggle them for me.”
Liza’s eyes narrowed, half desire, half anger. Only she could pull off a look like that.
“Careful, Matt,” she warned. “You’re treading very close to a line you don’t want to cross. Only is a dangerous word.”
His jealousy replied before he could talk it down. “Only,” he repeated darkly.
Matt tightened his grip on the back of her neck. It was a possessive hold, one he’d never used in his life before her, but the stake he needed to claim on Liza was too big for anything as subtle as holding her hand or placing his own on her lower back. If he’d gotten any sense it made her uncomfortable, he would have released her, but every time he touched her this way, he felt her shoulders relax, and his inner caveman beat his chest as she gave herself over to him.
He tried to use the grip to guide her off the floor, but Liza resisted. Not that he could blame her.
He’d been a regular Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde since they’d landed on the island. Too much more of this bullshit, and they’d both wind up with a wicked case of whiplash.
Regardless, Liza had unwittingly lit a fire fueled by jealousy when she responded to the nephew’s flirting.
“Walk out on your own steam, Ms. Moretti, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder.”
