He laughs, a rich, infectious sound that cuts through the bitterness clogging my throat.
“Maybe. Or maybe I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. What do you think?”
I hesitate. Lauren, my best friend, is a sports therapist with the Blizzards. Why’s someone with that jacket showing up here in this L.A. nightclub? Coincidence? Providence?
I pause. I know what Lauren would say about this. She’d tell me to take his hand and make Jake eat his heart out.
And really, what do I have to lose? I steal a look back at Jake; his grin is wide as he dips the blonde.
It’s time to turn the tables.
I slide off the bar stool, my legs wobbling precariously. I grab the stranger’s hand, his unexpected warmth spreadinggoosebumps through my arm, around my neck and down my waistline.
“Dance with me.”
He raises an eyebrow, amusement glinting in his eyes. “Are you sure about that?”
A glance at Jake from the corner of my eye shows he’s stopped dancing. His face is white with shock and disbelief. Good. Let him burn.
I lean closer to my new dance partner, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration. “I’m damn sure.”
I hold the handsome stranger’s warm hand and tug him to the dance floor. His eyes focus on me, stirring a bubbling heat in my belly that matches the relentless drum in my ears.
“Let’s dance.”
He nods and his arm circles around me. My dance partner is a natural, moving with a fluid grace that's quickly attracting attention. His body is hard against mine, and I can feel the heat radiating from him.
Dance, Holly. Focus on the dance.
I press myself closer, body swaying to the rhythm of the music. One hand in the air, hair whipping around my face, and heels clicking against the hard floor as I dance my worries away.
There's a thrill in this, a reckless abandon that I haven't felt in a long time. I can feel Jake’s eyes boring into my back and picture the mask of disbelief on his face.
My partner’s hands are strong on my waist, pulling me closer. I can smell his aftershave, a mix of something woodsy and masculine that’s intoxicating. I let my head fall back, eyes close. For a brief moment, everything is perfect—this man makes me feel alive.
“You dance well,” his deep husky voice murmurs in my ear, washing like velvet against my skin.
I open my eyes and look up at him. “So do you,” I reply, my voice breathless.
He pulls me even closer, and I feel like his blue eyes are looking beyond my face and clothes, and catching a glimpse of something more.
Why do I feel like he’s stripping me in his head?
I blink twice, starting to feel a little lightheaded. The tequila is catching up with me.Serves you right, Holly.I look into those eyes again. The proximity of this man is doing strange things to my body. I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
“What’s your name?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
He hesitates for a moment, then replies, “I might tell you before the night is over.”
Why does that sound so sexy? Oh, God. I need to get my brain to wake up before I launch myself into a big embarrassment right here. That would be just the crowning jewel of a Holly disaster night.
I laugh. “You’re the mysterious type, huh?”
Instead of answering, he dips me. A surge of adrenaline dances up my spine as I look into those intense blue irises. There’s a spark of something dangerous in them that I can’t look away from.
I’m aware of people watching us—especially women. Their eyes follow our every move, many of them wishing they could snag this long-haired hunk from my arms. He’s got eyes for only me at this moment, and that makes me feel a rush of power.
A new song with a slower, more seductive rhythm starts to blast over the speakers.