Page 46 of Lie for a Lie

Seth seems to forget I am standing beside him entirely before he heads towards her. I turn back towards the bar, attempting to process whatever just happened. As I order another round of drinks, a hand lays cash down before I can pull more money out of my wallet.

“Can you make that a double?” Graham asks, looking over to me in question.

I smile, almost relieved, and nod before putting my cash back in my pocket. Graham leans onto the bar beside me, glances at Katherine and Seth, and leans closer.

“Happy birthday.”

I smile softly, trying not to linger on how intoxicating his cologne is, and he nods toward Seth.

“They knew each other when they were kids. They get like this sometimes.”

I just let it process that Graham is sharing this information with me, not Seth.

“Ah,” I say, not wanting to seem annoyed, taking the final sip of my first drink.

I frown slightly until my next drink appears in front of me. The music is pulsing through me, and I use it to reenter myself. Graham doesn’t seem to mind as I enjoy my drink and the music. It’s several songs later when I finish my second drink, and Seth hasn’t returned to my side. I let my eyes wander around the space and towards my sister and Chris on the dance floor, not pretending to hide how pissed I am.

“Want to dance?” Graham says, leaning over my shoulder.

Surprised, I look back at him as butterflies begin to flutter in my gut.

“You dance?”

He smiles and puts his empty glass down on the bar.

“I may have been a bit of a club rat in college. And we raved a bit in high school.”

He then takes my hand, and I let him lead me towards the dance floor. He moves his feet with his hips while guiding me through the crowd, creating a space for us.

I feel my anger towards Seth slowly reside as the next song melts over the current beat. It was a slower song and, one of my favorites by Miguel, “Sure Thing,”. My hips roll, and Graham notices almost immediately.

His body responds, dancing at my same tempo, hips rolling in unison. My breath becomes heavy in my chest, and I can’t help but lean into him. Feeling his chest rise and fall on my back as one of his arms wraps around my waist. His free hand gently caresses my cheek before the rest of my curves. Causing my head to fall back onto his shoulder. Our eyes lock, and it takes everything in me not to reach into his hair and pull his face down onto mine.

The air is so thick between us that I must pull myself away, hoping something more up-tempo will play. Graham only refuses a moment, and I can tell it is taking every ounce of restraint in him not to bring me back towards him.

Bre then pops up as I notice an arm around Graham’s waist, putting space between us. Bre has the softest smile, and Chris appears next to watch her pull Graham towards her to dance. Chris then looks at me apologetically and pulls me towards him.

I know they are running interference, and I am so grateful for it. It must have looked as intense as it felt between us. I keep stealing glances at Graham and am having difficulty focusing on Chris. I keep feeling that primal pull to Graham, and with each passing interaction and glance, it is getting harder to ignore.

“May I cut in?” Seth says in my ear, startling me before I manage to smile.

Chris pulls away from me, and I can see Katherine has managed to push Bre out of the way and is with Graham. Turning towards Seth, I don’t hide my annoyance.

“I thought you didn’t dance.”

Seth doesn’t back down and smiles before leaning towards my ear.

“Happy Birthday, gorgeous.”

I smile and let Seth pull me close. He focuses on touching as much of my body as I allow him to, working his hips with mine. He is a little unsure about his feet, but it feels like he genuinely wants to dance with me. I linger in it, wrapping my arms around his neck and letting my hands play with his hair.

A song later, the DJ comes over the loudspeaker and asks everyone to trade partners, ladies’ choice. I look towards Seth, who looks slightly disappointed. Bre wastes no time snatching Seth to the other side of the dance floor, leaving me alone.

I am thankful for the break, and I look around the dancefloor for anyone who seems partnerless before I feel Graham’s arm wrap around my waist and pull me firmly against him. I close my eyes and let out a small sigh of relief.

Graham takes the lead and slowly begins to move our bodies in unison. Taking one of his hands, he lightly traces his fingers down my curves before taking my hand. He lifts it towards his lips and gently kisses my palm before resting his cheek in my hand.

I bite my lip and turn towards his chest, letting my hands drop to his arms resting on my hips. The moment his lips brush across my forehead, “Breathe Again” by Toni Braxton blares through the even more crowded dance floor.

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