Page 63 of Rivals Next Door

My gaze dipped to the tempting swells over her top, then to the provocative sway of her hips. Her skirt was shorter than when we arrived, giving a nice view of her long, toned legs. Olivia was relaxed with her hair down… literally. The silky wavy tresses hung in a curtain around her shoulders.

She was stunning. I was sure she hadn’t set out to be seductive, but I was being seduced by each of her sultry movements. I was captivated… hypnotized. Pulling in a deep breath, I sat back on the leather bench because I just realized that I’d been inching forward as if tempted to get up and answer her siren’s call.

Hanging out with her as if we were no longer enemies was a bad idea. I still wanted to take her down business-wise, but the urge to take her down in bed was more potent at the moment… I gave her another slow assessment from head to toe as she danced. She was fucking temptation on legs, and it was getting harder to resist her with each passing second.

Just as she did a cute little twirl and turned back to face me, some guy appeared beside her. My entire body went taut as I watched him lean closer to her to say something. Olivia looked uncertain. Her gaze shifted to where I sat and I understood what was happening.

The guy was probably interested in dancing with her—which man in here wouldn’t want to? However, she wasn’t sure if she should because of me. I guess I could understand her hesitation. We did come here together, but we weren’t together. She could dance with whomever she wanted to.

My molars clamped together as our eyes locked, and I saw the question in hers. I shrugged, silently telling her to go for it while hoping I looked nonchalant enough. On the inside, my hackles rose, especially when the guy stepped behind her and palmed her hips. Looking away, I reminded myself that Olivia was a single woman… as I was a single man. It was about time I started looking for my own dance partner.

However, my attention kept going back to Olivia and that guy. My gaze narrowed on them because she was getting that uneasy air about her. I picked up on certain things about her too easily for someone who wasn’t with her, and it was annoying as fuck.

The longer I watched the duo, I understood why she was uncomfortable. She was facing the guy now and each time she reached back to pull his hands further up on her waist, he slid them right back down to the top of her ass. He did it one more time before I had enough and sprung from my seat.

As I marched over to them, I fought to keep the possessive Neanderthal waking up inside me at bay. She’s not my girlfriend anymore… I silently chanted that until I reached them.

“Mind if I cut in?” I asked politely. I mean, I couldn’t just deck the guy in the face for being so handsy, right?

The prick gave me an irritated glare and said, “Get your own chick to dance with.”

Chick? My polite smile turned into a feral snarl. Before Olivia could intervene—I saw her part her lips to say something—I knocked the hand he still had on her hips off and pulled her toward me.

“Get lost, buddy. She’s…” I almost blurted out she was mine but caught my tongue. “Here with me…” I finished instead.

The guy squared his shoulders but when I took a step toward him and growled, “You do not want to go there with me,” his eyes widened slightly and he backed off fast.

“Relax, man. We were just dancing.” He gave me one more scowl before scampering away.

When I turned to Olivia, she stared at me with raised eyebrows. “That was a little hostile.”

“Yeah, well, where I grew up I literally had to fight for everything. That hot head in me comes out sometimes, I guess.” Especially when protecting Olivia, it seemed…

A tiny smile curled her lips and to my surprise, she draped her hands around my shoulders. She started to sway slowly despite the faster rhythm of the song that just started, and I moved with her. I couldn’t stop my arms from circling her waist to pull her closer. It was like they had a mind of their own.

“I’m surprised you’d still fight for me… in that context,” she said.

My jaw tightened. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. You looked uncomfortable.”

“I was a little.” Her lashes lowered and her cheeks became tinged with pink. “Thanks for stepping in. I guess I’m not as good at handling those kinds of situations. I don’t find myself in them much.” The color in her cheeks intensified. “I mean, not that I don’t engage with plenty of men. I do, because like I said earlier, I have lots of fun. I date quite a lot…”

My smirk grew into a knowing grin. “Sure you do.” The little liar. A flustered Princess Olivia was just so damn adorable.

“I do,” she insisted, her tone infused with embarrassment.

My arms tightened around her as I relaxed in her hold. “Mhmm. Shut up and dance with me, Liv.”

My purred demand made her scoff and then chuckle.

“You’re insufferable,” she murmured as she practically melted against me. In her heels, her lips almost touched my ear, so I heard her perfectly.

“And you still like that about me,” I returned.

She didn’t deny it. We stayed intertwined with each other, swaying as the base reverberated through our bodies. Something other than natural body heat flared to life between and around us. Another time, I would have fought it, denied it even, but not tonight. It was impossible not to give in to it, especially when Olivia tilted her head back to gaze at me.

“This is nice,” she said.

I stared into her hazel pools and got lost in the mesmerizing swirl of green, brown, and gold. I swallowed hard. “Yeah.” Too fucking nice.…

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