Page 6 of The Art of You

Chills scraped over my skin, goose bumps forming there.

“Something wrong?” Hudson asked as the curtains on the fourth floor swooshed closed.

“No.”

I’d barely squeezed the word out between my teeth before he helped me inside. Hand on the roof of the car while holding the door open, he stared down at me. “You sure you’re okay?”

Eyes on the road ahead so I wouldn’t lie straight to his face, I whispered, “Absolutely.”

Chapter 2

Hudson

Scarsdale, New York

I’d been dreadingthis assignment ever since my father made the request for help two days ago. I not only hated attending political events, but willingly bringing Bella into the lion’s den, armed with only a tie and fake-as-fuck smile, didn’t sit well with me.

What made it worse was that I had to watch Bella bite her tongue at every turn, knowing she could school every one of these political types who tried to educate her on matters of world affairs. As much as I wanted to let her unleash that gorgeous mouth and roast them like the pigs some of these men were, we were there for an operation. So, if she could nod, politely smile, and behave, then I’d find a way to do the same.

But if our target didn’t arrive soon, I had a feeling I was one conversation away from losing my self-control. If another asshole spoke to Bella like she was just my arm candy with a box of rocks for brains, he’d be eating his teeth instead of caviar.

Bella tugged on the sleeve of my suit jacket, and I loweredmy gaze to my arm in mild amusement. “Yes?” A smile cut across my face, probably the first legitimate one of the evening.

“What if we dance? Maybe it’ll keep the piranhas away,” she offered softly, pointing her big brown eyes at me.

I glanced around the room, deliberating the benefits of putting ourselves out there as the third couple to get lost in the music. If dancing would keep me from decking a guy until our target arrived, it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Without waiting for my answer, Bella let go of my sleeve and began moving from side to side. Swaying her hips. Dragging her hand sexily along the line of her collarbone as she closed her eyes. I’d known her for a long time, and she’d dance to anything, never giving a damn what people thought, even if she didn’t have the best rhythm.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her, a woman who fit the phrase “born to stand out” to a T.

Putting my hands on her, especially in public, was the last thing I should’ve been doing, but it was also the only thing I wanted to do.

Selling myself on the idea that if I let her go it alone I’d look like an asshole, I stepped forward and hauled her into my arms. A bit too abruptly, because based on her eyes startling open and her hands flying to my chest, I’d caught her off guard.

Holding her hips, I rasped, “Is this what you wanted?”

She nodded as if in a trance. Made two of us.

My hands went to the small of her back in an entirely too possessive way, drawing her closer.

She leaned into me, lifting her chin to maintain eye contact. Neither of us were dancing, just coasting through the moment as if we were alone. Everyone and everything were now background noise.

The desire to drag my knuckles up the column of her throatand along her jawline, encourage her mouth to open for me, had me locking my hand into a fist at her back.

The seconds added up as we stayed in this position, and it was only when the band changed songs that she pointed out in a whisper, “We’re just standing here.”

Right, the dancing thing still needed to happen.Notthe eye-fucking that was going on now. Behavior I’d worked so hard not to do in her bedroom earlier.

And shit, once Constantine hacked the security cameras, he’d have eyes on us. I didn’t need to catch hell from him tonight. Not that he’d lectured or warned me in her bedroom. He said nothing about his sister at all. Honestly, he and I both knew he didn’t need to. It was what he didn’t have to say that I still heard loud and fucking clear. His sister was off-limits.

I didn’t need Constantine to remind me I was bad for Bella. I was well aware of that.

“You’ve got this. Just step side to side. And maybe act like you don’t hate being this close to me.” She smiled.

“Not sure if I’m that great of an actor,” I teased back, finally moving with her.

Her hands were still on my chest, and she circled one around my tie and gave it a little tug. “You’re downright horrible.”

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