Page 48 of Burn for You

“We’ll be over at the bar, okay?” Heath’s breath is warm against my neck as he speaks. I nod and follow Marina into the center of the action.

I turn to catch a glance of Isla, but her eyes are glued on the man she’s entwined with. I smile, knowing she’s finally found her person.

“Buttons” by The Pussycat Dolls comes on and I’m in my element. Marina and I laugh as we circle our hips, shedding any insecurities as we lose ourselves to the music. This is where I love to be, on the dance floor, where no worries can reach me.

It reminds me of our first night in Ruby Cove. It feels like so long ago now that Marina, Isla, and I danced until our feet were blistered at Hotel Dolce.

Marina spins me around, pressing her front to my back and we move our hips in unison to the beat, our hands up above us. I know we look like any guy's fantasy right now, and it makes me feel even better in my own skin.

“You’ve got eyes on you,” she says in my ear. I look ahead through a gap in the crowd to see a familiar pair of dark eyes glaring at me.

Rafael keeps his eyes locked on mine as if he physically can’t look away. I don’t know why I do it, but I let one of my hands slowly roam over the front of my body, his eyes follow along as I drag it up my stomach, they stare as I trail it over my tits, squeezing a little.

His eyes come back to mine; his gaze darker than night as he looks at me. I turn back around to face Marina. He’s never looked at me like that before. He doesn’t get to start now. “He can suck it.”

She laughs, shaking her head before we continue dancing as the music changes, our rhythm switching with every song. If Rafael is content to pretend like the other night never happened, then that’s what we’ll do.

It was a lapse of judgment from the both of us, driven by lust, not for each other, just general horniness when there was no one else around but each other.

Not that Rafael isn’t attractive, because that's undeniable. He’s gorgeous, he’s just an asshole. He doesn’t get to use those wicked eyes to claim me just because he’s seen me come.

A handsome man comes up behind Marina. “Ciao, dolcezza,” he says from beside her. “Will you treat me to a dance?”

She looks at me in question. “She sure will!” I yell, taking her hand and spinning her into his arms.

Marina smiles at me as she disappears into the crowd with him. I sway around by myself for a while, completely content to enjoy the music by myself before big hands grip my waist from behind me. My heart flutters before a chin rests on my shoulder.

“Are you alone, darling?” A British voice whispers in my ear. I shudder as goosebumps tingle down my body. A small part of me is disappointed that the voice didn’t have a grumpy Italian attached to it, but I shake my head, trying to rid myself of those destructive thoughts. I can’t avoid the feeling that’s growing in my gut with every single interaction I have with Rafael, but I need to. I need to stamp out the spark before it turns into a whole fire. The last time I felt anything like that spark, it ended in Isla waking up to the sound of my sobs coming from the bathroom floor.

“For now,” I finally respond. This is a better way than any to extinguish that heat between us.

“Shall we remedy that?” His accent is turning me on to no end, and so is his hand that’s firmly trailing down my waist. I nod and start walking through the crowd to where I see a doorway. Who knows where it leads, but anywhere works for me right about now. My lust is in the driver's seat.

His hand pulls me from my direction into a little alcove set into the wall. “What’s your name, gorgeous?”

“Lily,” I say. I’m not that stupid.

He hums in satisfaction, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “What do those sexy red lips do, Lily?”

He’s looking at me like he wants to eat me, and I think I might let him.

“They speak some absolute shit, that’s what they do.” Rafael’s voice sounds from behind the guy, whose name I didn’t bother to get. For fuck's sake, he’s made it his personal mission for me to not get laid. I’m going to strangle him when there’s not a six-foot male in between us. “But it seems like yours do too, Jack.”

“Rafael?” he asks, his voice all of a sudden less confident. “What are you doing here, lad?” He laughs nervously, clapping a hand on Rafael’s shoulder, but Rafael shakes it off. They know each other?

Rafael turns his attention to me. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“You seem to have trouble understanding this certain set of activities, don’t you?” I say, sick of this happening every damn time.

“Not the time,Lily.” He barely spares me a glance, all of his attention on Jack.

Jack takes a step in front of me and puts out an arm, trying to move me behind him, but I push it away. “Don’t speak to the lady that way.”

Rafael takes another step towards Jack. “The lady can look after herself, I can assure you.” Something warms inside of me that he thinks that, but I don’t dwell on it as he’s now toe-to-toe with Jack.

What is going on with these two?

“Not protecting the lady this time, Raf?” He spits his name.

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