Page 76 of The Winning Ticket

I catch a glimpse of my reflection in a window as I pass, and I’m pretty confident that Jake will have trouble keeping his hands off me in this dress. As I’ve put a little more weight on, I’d had to go shopping for a new dress, and have discovered my boobs have also gone up a cup size, so when I found the little black dress with the plunging neckline, I’d been excited to be able to fill it out properly. It’s low in the back as well, covering just my lower back, which means I’ve had to go bra-less. Basically, this dress left little up to the imagination, and I was looking forward to his reaction when he saw me.

We reach the line to get in, and the bouncer waves us through once Annelisa has a word in his ear. She is on a first-name basis with the owner, who is apparently a big fan, and it means we don’t need to line up with the rest of the crowd waiting to get in.

I grab Kylie’s hand before we can all get separated once we get inside. “Go and see if you guys can find a table or the guys, and we’ll get a drink tab started.”

She nods and takes Morgan’s hand again before heading off into the crowd. Annelisa and I go to the bar, and she tries to flag down a bartender.

I feel a hand slide across my lower back before resting on my hip, and I tense briefly but relax when I recognise the smell of Jake’s cologne.

“That dress should be illegal, Little B,” he says in my ear, pressing up behind me, and I shiver at the sensation of his breath on my neck.

I glance over at Annelisa and am relieved to see she’s distracted by Will. He has wrapped his arms around her from behind and is swaying with her in time to the music while she tries to get the attention of someone behind the bar.

“And why’s that, JJ?” I ask, leaning back into him slightly.

“Because no one should be allowed to look this hot,” he replies, sliding his hand slowly up under my hair that is hanging loose down to my lower back.

His hand pauses where my bra would typically be. “It’s going to be difficult keeping my hands off you, knowing you’re just walking around without a bra on.”

I turn to smile at him over my shoulder. “Oh yeah? Is this turning you on, Mr Boyd? You like a woman in a little black dress?”

He glances over at Will and Annelisa before answering. “You turn me on, Bri. I’d want you, even if you were wearing a paper bag.”

His words shouldn’t affect me the way that they do. I shouldn’t be this excited to know he would want me even without the fancy clothes, but I can’t hide the smile that spreads across my face.

Jake steps to my side when Annelisa finally gets the bartender’s attention. She sets up a tab for our group, and Jake does the same for the guys. Once we get our drinks, the guys lead us through the crowd to the VIP area they’ve booked. The rest of the women have already found them, and we explain the process with the bar tab before officially clocking off from bridesmaid duties. Now that both groups are together and Morgan has found Chris, it’s time for us to let our hair down.

After two hours, I don’t trust myself to be near Jake anymore, who keeps shooting me heated gazes from where he’s sitting at the table, so I grab Kylie and Tara and drag them out to the dance floor.

We dance together for several songs, and Kylie smiles suggestively at a guy moving slowly closer. I shake my head with a laugh when she presses her back to his chest and practically purrs when he runs his hands down her sides before gripping both her hips, and they grind together in time with the music. Within seconds, his friends arrive and circle Tara and I. Tara shoots me a wide-eyed look. She’s never been a fan of this type of thing, and I’m not feeling particularly comfortable either. I take her hand, and we continue dancing together, hoping they will get the hint that we’re not interested, but they press in closer.

Suddenly, a hand tightens around my wrist, pulling me out of there, and Jake wraps his arms around me while he holds me to his chest. I see Will doing the same for Tara and breathe a sigh of relief when she follows him off the dance floor. I look at Kylie, but she smiles and continues dancing with Mr Handsy while his friends move off to find someone else.

“Thank you,” I say, looking up at Jake.

“It wasn’t entirely noble. I couldn’t handle seeing those guys that close to you.” His expression is unreadable, but I can feel the tension rolling through him, even as he moves us in time with the music. As a musician, he’s always had a pretty good sense of rhythm, and I move with him easily.

“Jealous?” I ask.

He slides his hands down to my hips, gripping them tight and pulling me closer. “Insanely,” he growls in my ear.

I raise my hands and tangle my fingers in the hair at the back of his neck. “Someone is going to see us,” I mutter in his ear, and I shiver when he runs his nose lightly down my throat.

“I don’t care,” he replies.

Despite my concerns, I grind against him.

“Fuck, Bri," he says roughly. He raises his hand to my chest, running his thumb over my right nipple, which is on high alert through the fabric of my dress. “You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I do,” I say, holding his gaze while I slowly run my tongue over my lower lip.

I feel him harden against my abdomen, and his eyes darken. He looks over my shoulder briefly, grips me by the wrist and leads me through the crowd, further away from our friends.

Once we’re out of sight, he turns and pulls me towards him, crushing his mouth to mine. I kiss him back, rising further onto my tiptoes and pushing my chest into his. He moans against my lips while our hips grind together, and he runs his tongue along my lips. When I allow him access, he kisses me hungrily while holding me firmly in place, one hand gripping the back of my head and the other pressing against my lower back. My hands are splayed across his back, and I have to fight the urge to bring my leg around him, having only a small amount of awareness of the crowd around us.

“I want you so much right now,” he says, kissing my neck.

It takes all my self-control not to let him take me right here on the dance floor. “How much longer do we need to stay?” I ask, rubbing myself against him.

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