Page 34 of Crazy for You

She grinned. “I’m messing with you.”

He exhaled, casting his eyes toward the ceiling as he shook his head. “I have no idea what to do with you, Emma Rush.”

“That makes two of us.” She spun her barstool toward him, and her thigh brushed his. “If you want the truth, Cal is a great guy, but he said he won’t take me out again until I’ve resolved things with you.”

Ryan froze with his beer halfway to his mouth. He set it back on the counter with a heavy clunk and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Fuck.”

“Pretty much my thoughts exactly.”

He looked at her then, his expression heavy with regret. “I have no idea how we got here.”

“Me either,” she said, deciding to play it casual. “But I’m going to keep dating. This year is all about experimenting and trying new things for me. I want to have fun.”

“I’d say you’re doing it,” he said, polishing off his beer.

“I’m off to a decent start anyway.” She chugged the rest of her own beer and grabbed his hand. “Come on, let’s get back out there before Trent’s hour is up.”

She led the way to the dance floor, where she found Gabby and Ethan still dancing not far from where she’d left them. She fell back into the groove, moving to the beat.

Gabby grabbed her hand and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Where did you and Ryan go?”

“To the bar.”

“Oh.” Her friend looked disappointed. “I was hoping you guys were off making out somewhere or something.”

I wish. “Nope, not happening.”

“Hey, any word from the University of Georgia yet?” Gabby asked.

Emma shook her head. “I think it’s still early, but I’ve been refreshing my email like crazy.” Now that she’d finally taken the plunge and applied, she could hardly wait to find out for sure. She got all jittery with excitement every time she received an email.

“Well, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.”

“Thanks,” Emma said.

She and Gabby danced together until Trent came back down from the DJ booth. They all lavished him with praise, and Emma noted with a smile that Ryan looked particularly proud. The teen blushed and got adorably awkward while they congratulated him, but he was puffed up like a peacock by the time he made it over to his group of friends still dancing in back.

Not long after, Gabby and Ethan said their good-byes. Emma was too buzzed to drive herself home right now, and besides, she was having fun, so she kept dancing. Ryan stayed, too, probably more out of protectiveness than a desire to keep dancing.

“This isn’t going to be like the night you hung out at the bar until closing, is it?” he asked, leaning in.

She shook her head. “I don’t think it would be wise to get on your bike in this dress.”

His gaze dropped to her skirt, and his eyes darkened. “Definitely not advisable.”

“Besides, I drove myself tonight. I just need to dance off that last beer.”

Somehow his hands were on her hips again, and she was about to lose her mind from that simple contact. She kept moving to the beat, resting her hands on his shoulders as they danced. Had the music gotten louder, or was it just her pulse pounding in her ears?

All around them college-age kids were bumping and grinding. Couples were making out. The lights had gotten dimmer, and the music was definitely louder now that the time had ticked past eleven o’clock. She twirled in Ryan’s arms, and their hips bumped. His fingers bunched in the fabric of her skirt, hauling her up against him. She let out a startled gasp, looking up just in time to see his lips slam into hers.

Oh. She closed her eyes, her lips parting beneath his. Ryan’s kiss was hot and explosive and electrifying. His tongue thrust against hers, drawing a needy whimper from her throat. They were still swaying to the beat of the music, his hands fisted in her skirt. The lights above the dance floor dazzled her eyes when she peeked up at him, blurring her vision.

Each stroke of his tongue lit flames inside her, blazing straight to the fire burning low in her belly, an aching need that grew until it threatened to burn her up. Holy shit. Ryan’s kiss was like him: big and powerful and just a little bit rough.

And she never wanted it to end.

Someone jostled her from behind, and she stumbled against Ryan’s chest. She slid her arms around his neck, anchoring herself more securely against him. Someone else slammed into them, knocking them sideways.

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