Page 119 of Disarming Caine

“No,” she said playfully. “You brought me here to dance, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

The music shifted from slow to fast. Romantic to energetic. She held tight to me, a wicked grin creasing her face. “This makes me think of the music at La Fiamma. Probably shouldn’t dance like we did there.”

I bit down on my lip, swaying my hips against hers. “Probably not. We might get kicked out.”

The glint in her eye told me one more glass of wine and she’d likely do it anyway. I pulled away from her, maintaining a hold on her hands, and we switched to an easy hustle with a few turns and separations, so I didn’t stress my shoulder or her balance.

“Spoil sport,” she said with a laugh when I pulled her close before pushing her away again.

The crowd grew thicker the longer the music played, and several people interrupted our dance to say hello. Men I worked with, women I volunteered with, attendees at my parties. They came and went, hugs and cheek kisses. Everyone was gracious, and a few even remembered meeting Samantha at the charity gala.

After an hour, Samantha leaned to my ear. “My feet are sore and I want dessert.”

I nodded and led her from the dance floor, heading toward the buffet.

On our way, a server with bright green eyes and thick glasses crossed our path. He balanced a large silver tray on one hand with a single glass of champagne he offered to Samantha. She took it while I grabbed one from another server with a full tray.

She shriveled her nose at the first sip. “It’s kind of bitter.”

More likely, she’d had too much wine and her taste buds needed help. I gestured to the dessert buffet, with its display of chocolate-covered strawberries. “I know exactly what can fix that.”

“Good idea!”

I offered her a small plate with one strawberry to test.

She bit into it, then took her champagne. “Yeah, much better.”

Chapter 41

Samantha

Idrainedthelastof my champagne flute. That, plus the two—or three?—glasses of wine were hitting me hard. It had been a long week and a half with Antonio. Stress, joy, love, and nowhere near enough sleep.

Good thing I had a couple weeks of leave scheduled. There would be some serious recovery time needed once he left.

Antonio laughed at something Ty said, and I turned to look at them. Too fast. The room kept turning, although I was sure I’d stopped moving. I should have paid more attention to what I was drinking, rather than using it to avoid any conversation between my boyfriend and my ex-husband.

My stomach churned before the room settled.

I tapped Antonio’s arm and he leaned his ear to me. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.”

He kissed my cheek and smiled.

I collected my clutch and stood slowly, bracing my hands on the back of my chair. The heels of my shoes were way too high.

“You’re cut off, bella,” chuckled Antonio.

“No kidding.” I covered my mouth to hold a giggle inside, then leaned closer to keep my voice down. “Any more and you may have to wait until tomorrow.”

He whispered, “Are there any private bathrooms?”

“We have a room upstairs.” The giggle erupted. Heat would have flushed up my cheeks, but they were already warm from the alcohol. “I’m not having sex with you in a bathroom again.”

“Your loss.” He winked and I just shook my head, making my way through the party.

My reflexes were slow, and I nearly collided with a few people as I walked. The reflection of the mirror balls had been beautiful when we arrived, but they were too bright now. Too many colors and they moved too fast. The music was too loud. There were too many people.

An itch started at the back of my neck. I had to get out of the space. My heart was screaming, beating fast from a casual walk. This wasn’t right. I needed a cool washcloth on my forehead or something.

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