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It took me forever to get to the after-party venue where I was meeting Luke, Nate, and Amanda. I managed to skip most of the post-event interviews, but I kept getting distracted by aspiring artists, agents and record company executives all wanting to chat. Although I was thrilled everyone in the industry appeared to be anticipating my next album, my thoughts kept drifting back to Luke and the promise of being alone with him again.
I finally found them chatting and laughing around a bar table at the after-party. Luke appeared so happy, my heart warmed at the sight, hoping I had something to do with it.
“Hi, guys,” I opened shyly, breaking their conversation. I couldn’t look Luke’s way without turning red, so I focused my attention on Amanda and Nate.
They all turned around at the same time. Amanda jumped from her stool first. “Natalie!” she cried, hugging me. “You’re finally here. You were so amazing.”
“Nice work, kiddo.” Nate smiled proudly, and patted me on the back.
“Thanks, but I did have a little help,” I said, meeting Luke’s knowing eyes with a timid smile.
Luke stood up, and wrapped me in his arms. “We make a pretty good team,” he whispered in my ear as he held me close.
I could sense the eyes of other guests watching our exchange, and I abruptly took a step back, sending a look of confusion across Luke’s face.
“Let’s get some drinks to celebrate,” I declared, desperate to deflect his attention.
Nate cheered and starting passing around champagne from the waitress who conveniently arrived at our table.
Many rounds of drinks later had our inhibitions faltering. Amanda and Nate were off mauling each other on the dance floor, which left Luke and I at the table, trying to keep our hands to ourselves.
Although everyone was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement, there were always photos or gossip leaked to the press. I couldn’t handle the thought of my relationship with Luke being put under a microscope. If the paparazzi got hold of any footage of us, it would be all over the tabloids in days. Even the most innocent photo would be misconstrued.
If I was going to try and make it work with Luke, we needed privacy—at least until we figured out what we were to each other.
Every little touch left me tingling. From our legs brushing up against each other under the table, to his hand gently sweeping a few stray hairs off my bare shoulder. We barely talked, but our tiny, precise actions spoke a million words. We wanted each other. Badly.
“Wanna dance?” Luke asked, mischievously.
“Is that a good idea?”
His heated gaze rippled through me. “I’ve got a better idea.”
“Okay, let’s dance.” I slapped my hands down onto the table and pushed myself up from my seat, breaking the moment that would surely send us back to our hotel room. I wasn’t sure how dancing was supposed to cool us down, but sitting there so close to him didn’t appear to be working either.
We moved to the dance floor to join Nate and Amanda. Their happiness was contagious and soon we were all dancing together and laughing at my brother’s terrible moves. The upbeat tunes enabled us to dance and let off steam, requiring minimal body contact. Just what we needed.
As the mood of the music shifted to a slower, more seductive pace, Amanda grabbed onto Nate and he sent her spinning into his arms. Luke turned to me with a shrug and a sweet dimpled smile, and pulled me in before I had a chance to retreat. I smiled nervously and lifted my arms around his neck.
“You’re afraid to be close to me,” Luke whispered in my ear as we swayed.
“It’s not that,” I protested, looking around at the crowd.
“What is it then? You act like you want to keep your distance, but your body is telling me something entirely different.”
I sighed. “Is it that obvious?”
I spotted a few phones pointed in our direction and began to pull away.
Luke pulled me back into him. “What? Am I bad for your image or something?”
“No. It’s not that…it’s all this.” I motioned to our surroundings.
Luke’s eyes remain focused on mine. “So, you don’t think I fit in here?”
I looked around the room and discovered quite a few girls lustfully staring at him, not even caring he was with me. “No, you actually fit in pretty damn well.”
