Page 10 of One Night With the Devil Next Door

He takes my hand in his as he leads me to the center of the dance floor. His blue eyes darken as he gazes into mine. His hands find my hips, and he pulls me closer to him. My arms wrap around his neck while my chest presses against his. Then our hips start swaying side to side, matching the rhythm of the music.

“I thought you were a player earlier when I noticed you watching me,” I confess.

He runs the tip of his nose along my ear. “I’m not,” he whispers.

“You were right. I do think we have a connection.” The butterflies in my stomach are coming alive. Maybe it’s because he and I are getting to know one another better. Maybe it’s the alcohol. Or maybe it’s the way he’s holding me against him. Either way, I’m trying to remember why I didn’t want to leave with him.

“That’s because we have a connection. I can feel it.” He falls back a step so he can look into my eyes. “My heart jumped to life when our eyes met across the club. The first time I touched you, it felt like my blood had been set on fire. And now that I’m holding you against me, feeling your heat and smelling the scent of your shampoo, every muscle is tense as I try to hold myself back. I don’t want to come on too strong, but I haven’t felt this way about someone in a very long time.” His hand moves up to cup my jaw. With our eyes glued to one another’s, he leans in and presses his mouth to mine.

His lips are plump, soft and smooth, gentle but firm and I can tell he’s testing the waters because for a moment, they still before beginning to move. His tongue brushes against my lips, begging for entrance. I part my lips, allowing him to slide in, and the moment his tongue touches mine, my resolve breaks. I melt into him, kissing him harder, faster, enjoying the way my heart is racing and the buzz he’s creating within me. I’ve never felt anything like it before. Well…maybe my first ever kiss but that was long ago. I’d forgotten how exhilarating this is.

I lace my fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer. He slides his hands slide down my body. No longer cupping my cheeks, he wraps his hands around my lower back and pulls me forward until I’m fully pressed against him. His hand moves to my ass, squeezing slightly and making my stomach tighten. The connection I couldn’t see earlier is now screaming at me so loud, it can’t be ignored.

I pull back, interrupting our kiss. His eyes open, dark and hooded. His lips are swollen and sparkling from our kiss and his chest is heaving. I can tell by the look in his eyes that he wants me just as badly as I now need him.

“Let’s go.”

He nods, his jaw flexing.

He waits for me by the bar while I run back to the table and grab my purse. I tell Anna where I’m going and I give her access to track my phone for safety measures. She hugs me goodnight and then I meet Linc at the bar. Taking my hand in his, he leads me toward the door and out onto the sidewalk. There’s still a long line of people trying to get into the club and even though the two of us just came out, the bouncer isn’t letting anyone inside.

Linc looks down at his phone. “The Uber will be here in a minute.”

“Where are we going?”

“There’s a hotel not far from here.” He glances up at the headlights approaching. “This is us.”

* * *

“This room is nice,” I say, walking to the floor-to-ceiling windows and looking out into the night at the city lights.

“Can I get you a drink?” Linc asks, stepping behind the small bar.

I look at him from over my shoulder. I smile and shake my head. “No, I’m not really a big drinker. I’ve already had enough for the night. I’ll take a water though.” I turn to face him.

He pulls a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, placing it on the bar.

I walk over, standing across the bar from him as he mixes himself a drink. I uncap the bottle and take a sip. Now that we’re alone, the nerves are creeping through every inch of my body. My hands are shaking slightly and my heart is racing.

“Nervous?” he asks, raising his glass to his lips.

I pull my eyes from his feeling my cheeks blush. “A little.”

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You know that, right?”

His words are comforting. I smile and nod. “Thank you for saying that. It’s sweet of you.”

He shrugs, like it’s normal for him.

“And it’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just…It’s like first day jitters. Does that make sense?”

He nods. “It makes perfect sense. I told you I haven’t been with anyone in a while. That wasn’t a lie or a pickup line. It’s the truth.”

“How long has it been?”

“A couple of years,” he confesses, with a nervous grimace.

“Wow.”

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