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Since Evan pointed her out when she walked in, I couldn’t stop watching her. To say she was beautiful was an understatement. She was captivating. The green dress hugged her curves and dark curls spilled across her shoulders.
At first, I doubted I ever knew her. Certainly we didn't have someone like this in our year. I didn't see how anyone could forget those beautiful, dark eyes or the small smile that seemed to never leave her full, red lips.
But then someone reminded me of her name: Amy Palmer. And I remembered her vividly. She had done her best to go unnoticed back then. More often than not, she allowed herself to be walked all over. She was what you would call a people pleaser, a pushover, and that had made me instinctively dislike her.
I hadn’t been able to take another minute of Noah and Bentley’s group, so I came out here where no one would notice me. I wasn’t looking for a fight tonight. That was the old me. The high school boy with a load of trauma and daddy issues. I wasn’t going to let my anger and temper rule me again.
It was peaceful out here until she came. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her and I could see the resemblance to the girl from high school. She had seemed so confident and poised making the rounds and talking to our classmates, but here, I could feel the edgy energy and now looking at her, I saw a hint of anxiety in her eyes that said she’d rather be anywhere else on the planet.
All night, she was laughing and smiling, but it seemed like maybe it was forced. And after all these years, she apparently hadn’t outgrown her desire to please everyone here. She seemed more comfortable out here, which made me think she was used to slinking away.
All of these were traits I disliked in people. But I couldn’t stop myself from being drawn to her. From wanting to know her. From wanting to force her to drop the smile and actually show me how she felt. I wanted to see that anger, the fire and the passion, because it was clearly inside her.
She lifted her chin defiantly, seemingly unintimidated by our height difference. Her lips curved in a mocking smile.
“So what? You just wait for women to move out here into this dark corner and then you harass them?”
Her eyes looked almost black in this light with a fringe of thick lashes. She was probably the only woman in the world who could make a sneer look pretty.
I barely noticed taking a step closer. It was like I was being pulled to her. My brain said this was, perhaps, a bad idea. She was goading me, challenging me. The smart move would have been to walk away. But I couldn’t. The soft scent of her perfume floated around me, something floral and citrus.
“I see the timid little bird has grown some talons over the years.”
“Yep.” The way she popped that "p" drew my attention to her lips. They looked so soft and smooth, painted that deep and luscious red. I longed to know how they felt brushing against mine, trailing down my skin, around my…
Wait. What the hell? I barely knew this woman anymore. I had no business imagining these things about her. No, I was only attracted to her on a surface level. She was incredibly sexy. My dick was all too eager to agree with that assessment as she stared at me. I could almost feel the daggers piercing my skin.
“It's something you get from having to survive by yourself. Not that you would know, rich kid.” She sneeringly spit out the last two words.
I shifted my weight on my feet. She clearly didn’t know me either, but her words still stung.
“You’d be surprised.” I grinned conspiratorially and her lips pursed, clearly annoyed.
In that instant, I realized Amy wasn’t a high school girl looking to fit in with the crowd. She was a woman with something to prove. Everything she was doing was intentional and planned, but not in a timid way. No, she was driven, and she was getting what she wanted. Maybe she was using her reputation as the shy girl to seem less threatening to our peers. But she was working for something.
And god dammit if that realization didn’t make my dick stir even more in this empty hallway.
She rolled her eyes and started to turn away.
“Go find some other girl to harass,” she said.
I quickly moved, standing in front of her, blocking her exit. I realized the move was aggressive, and I didn’t think I even meant to do it. I was just totally lost with her. Suddenly, I never wanted a woman more than I wanted Amy Palmer.
“I don’t harass women, they come to me,” I said, surprised by the growl in my own voice. Why was I saying this? What did I have to prove?
“Oh, really?” Amy lifted a dark brow. “Why would any woman in her right senses come to you?”
I was desperate to know how one of her curls would feel, so I reached out and twirled one between my fingers. Her mouth made a sexy little “o” in surprise before she schooled her expression back to neutral.
“Hmm, I really don’t know how to tell you, Amy. I think I’d have toshowyou.” Lust had caused my voice to drop a few notches lower, and I couldn’t stop the smile on my face when her body swayed toward mine. Clearly, she was as affected as I was right now. I hoped.
“How?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but still challenging. This was my chance, and I was going to take it. I’d probably never see Amy again, anyway. How often would our worlds really cross?
So I put my hand on her hip and pulled her body into mine. She was rigid under my touch for just a second before she leaned into me, likely completely unaware of how she had just conceded to me. I felt proud that I had cut through all of her sass and convinced her to surrender.
I thought about those lips calling my name, face flushed, head thrown back. The look in her dark eyes said she totally felt the tightening happening rapidly in my pants.
I leaned down, lips almost skimming her ear lobe. I heard her breath catch in her throat as she felt the warmth from my lips.
