Page 84 of When Hearts Awaken

He presses a light kiss at the tender spot where my ear meets my neck and I shiver, heat churning through my veins. “Only I can make you feel like this,” he whispers.

I want to lean into him, to touch him, kiss him, to say yes to taking off our masks and being naked with each other. Physically. Emotionally.

I also want to dry heave on to the floor and I wonder if this reclaiming my body and pleasure thing is too much for me. If I’m not ready.

I push him away. “Not. Interested.”

He steps closer into my space, our bodies inches away. My resolve weakens by the second. “You’re scared because you know what you’re feeling is real. Admit it,” he grits out.

“Is this man bothering you, Tammy?” Jan appears next to us, his brows furrowed.

Tearing my gaze away from Charles, I reply, “Yes, he is. Let’s dance.”

Slipping off my stool, I grab Jan’s hand and pull him to the dance floor, completely aware of Charles’s lasered focus on my back the entire time.

As I move to the music, with Jan dancing next to me, I can’t help myself but look back at the bar.

Charles stands there, his hands fisted at his sides, his eyes anguished. He looks completely gutted. He shakes his head and chugs down a drink before slamming the glass back on the table and storming off.

The hollow ache from earlier spreads inside me.What am I doing? Why am I sabotaging myself?

Jan grins, giving my arm a squeeze. “A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t be frowning. I’ll make it my mission to help you forget your troubles. Let’s dance your worries away.”

He pulls me against his chest, which feels completely different than the strong, muscular frame of the man I can’t forget, the man I want to run to this moment, the man I very much regret hurting.

I need to find Charles and tell him I’m sorry.

My feet move toward where Charles was standing moments ago, but Jan drags me back to him.

“Tammy, having fun?” His hands slide around my waist, gliding lower and lower.

And lower.

“Get your hands off me!” I shout, but the words are drowned out by the loud music.

Panic rises inside me as my heart pounds rapidly inside my chest. I shake my head, my hands trying to dislodge his from around my waist. He doesn’t back off, but pulls me flushed against him, and I feel a distinct bulge at my back.

He’s hard.

Horror churns through me.

Danger. Run.

I struggle, but Jan is stronger than he appears. His fingers dig into my hips.

“Come on, baby. You were enjoying yourself earlier. We were having fun, right? Don’t be shy.” His breath reeks of alcohol.

No, this can’t be happening. Not again.

Snippets of my nightmare barrel into my thoughts.

The charming dark-haired man in an expensive suit handing me, a sixteen-year-old who didn’t know any better, a flute of champagne.

“This is a secret between us, okay?” He winked.

My skin warmed, and I shyly took the drink from him, even as a small pinch of guilt settled inside me for thinking this man was hot, even though I had a great boyfriend in Camden.

But hey, that’s just a normal biological reaction, right? Just because I’m happily taken doesn’t mean I’m blind.

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