Page 50 of The Red-Hot Stakes

The music switched to an irresistible beat, a song I knew well. My shoulders started moving, my foot tapping even as I mouthed the words.

Avery laughed. “Liam, you better get her out there before she starts dancing on the table.”

“Can’t have her ruining all our leftovers.” Liam slid out of the booth, offering me a hand. “Care to dance?”

I practically bounced to a standing position. Derek and Avery followed us down the stairs to the huge dance floor. I stared in awe at the wide-open ceiling, lined with strings of lights that twinkled like stars.

The front of the bar glowed a bright neon blue, with a fleur de leis design scattered about. The floor itself lit up in multicolored panes that changed with the music. It was a lot, but somehow it added to the atmosphere instead of being too overwhelming. Everything else was muted and understated—the booths, the bar’s backdrop, the high-top tables lining the perimeter.

The area around the DJ used the same pulsing lights as the floor, making it easy to find. When we established our dancing space, Liam quickly caught the rhythm, moving his hips to the beat. His easy confidence had me raising my eyebrows in surprise.

The song I knew ended. I didn’t recognize the next one, but the heavy beat underlined the singer’s sultry voice. As I watched Liam, the familiar jolt of electricity flowed through us, startling me since we weren’t even touching yet. His smile dimmed, replaced with an intensity I felt right to my toes. Everyone else disappeared as we reached for each other.

I gripped his broad shoulder, as much to ground myself as to keep the same rhythm. His opposite hand rested firmly on my hip, pulling me close so I straddled one of his muscular thighs. I inhaled deeply, letting his heady scent fill me completely.

We swayed together, completely in sync. The pulsing beat echoed in our chests, our movements and our grinding. My every nerve was on high alert as desire pulsed low in me. He didn’t take his eyes off mine.

I’d danced with a lot of guys, and most couldn’t handle me, even when doing something as simple as this. They were usually awkward and off beat, or overly cocky to start but unable to do more than a basic shuffle. Liam’s innate rhythm was so hard to find. He not only matched my movements, he added to them, using his shoulders and hands to round out the dance.

I had never been more turned on in my life.

Another song came on, slower, almost a salsa, and I stepped off him, trailing my fingers down his abdomen. The ridges of his six pack rippled beneath his shirt. I teased my way along his hip then danced a circle around him, making sure my breasts brushed his taut back. I wanted to explore every single inch of him.

I felt his groan through my fingertips, unable to hear it over the music. As I came around the front of him, I backed against his torso, and he thrust his hard length against my ass, his fingers digging into my hips. His thumbs hit the bare skin of my back, heat searing directly to my core.

“I’m rock-hard right now,” he growled in my ear, sending another wave of arousal crashing through me.

As if I needed it. I tilted my head up and back so he had a perfect view of my chest, and my lips brushed his cheek. “My panties are completely drenched.”

I ran my fingers through his coarse cropped hair, and he shuddered—though I wasn’t sure if it was from my audacious words or my touch. The song ended. Silence reigned for a few beats as he stared at me.

“Come on.” He grabbed my wrist, pulling me after him.

I followed him through the crowd, not questioning where we were going. It was away from the noise, away from Derek and Avery. Hopefully somewhere we could steal a few minutes together, at least semi-alone.

A set of double doors gave way as he crashed through them onto a balcony behind the club. Lake Michigan sprawled beyond the railing, lit by the sliver of the moon that hung in the inky sky. Shadowy couples blended into the strategically placed columns staggered throughout the space. Liam led me around the side of an empty one, out of view of the doors. With a quick tug of my wrist, he pinned me against the column.

The smooth, cold marble hit my bare back, and I gasped at the change in temperature. His lips crashed into mine, swallowing the sound. I wrapped my legs around him, my hands gripping his shoulders. He was anything but gentle, all the friction between us that had been building for days, weeks—hell, the last year—coming to a head.

His warm hand slid under my shirt and when he groaned, his lips brushed mine. “This thing should be illegal. Held on by two little strings like that.”

“You’re one to talk.” I toyed with the open buttons of his dress shirt. “Such a tease. And those pants. I think I could make out the year on that quarter in your pocket.”

The air between us changed once more. The frantic pace slowed, still intense, but with a weight that settled on my chest as I touched him. He slowly thrust against me before unwrapping my legs and setting me down.

He kissed me again as he caressed my bare abdomen. He slid his fingers along my side, to the bottom of my breast then back again in a slow steady motion. I unbuttoned his shirt, desperately wishing to see the beautiful muscles I could only feel. My hips thrust of their own accord, seeking that friction I craved.

His chuckle rumbled through me. “So greedy.” He kissed me again, sucking on my bottom lip. “So impatient.”

He eased one hand down to cup my ass, giving it a squeeze before continuing to my bare thigh beneath my skirt. He lifted my leg, hooking it over his hip, then gave my other leg a nudge, making my skirt ride up. “Let’s see how wet you really are.”

I wasn’t normally one for public displays, but Liam’s skilled fingers pushing aside my underwear and sinking deep into my needy core quickly made me forget any hesitation. I clung to his shoulders, leaning my head back as I let out a loud moan.

“Oh, Red, you weren’t lying.”

His awe-filled voice brought me back to earth, and I had enough brain capacity to remember how hard he’d said he was. I reached for the front of his pants. He jerked at my touch, a groan escaping him, and I managed to undo his trousers, palming him through his boxers. The heat of his hard length practically burned my hand as he thrust against me.

I spread my legs for him, staring into his dark eyes as we panted for each other. All the pent-up lust and desire rushed between us, the first quivers of release already gripping my core. I held them off, loath for the connection to end.

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