Page 89 of The Dare

“You still owe me a dance,” Eric reminds Sasha as she puts an arm around me to stop me from running away.

“Taylor loves to dance.”

I’m going to kill her in her sleep.

“Dance with me?” Danny. Sweet, shy Danny. He holds his arm out like they do in the movies and I know he means well. And since I can either go willingly or have Sasha make a scene, I accept his invitation.

The four of us make our way onto the dance floor. It’s an up-tempo song, thankfully, so Danny doesn’t feel compelledto hang on to me. We start out in a loose foursome until it becomes apparent that Eric and Sasha have been looking for an excuse to get all up on each other all night and then I’m left with the awkward moves of a skyscraper who can’t judge his own foot size. To be fair, I’m not giving him much to work with.

“Dance with him,” Sasha leans in to hiss at me, only halfway pulling herself from Eric’s grasp.

“I am,” I snap back.

She shoves me at him, which forces him to catch me. Danny’s smile says he thinks it’s my coy way of saying,please, hold me closer, to which he obliges. I tense up but he doesn’t seem to notice. Sasha meets my eyes again with an insistent look that saysTRY, DAMMIT!

But I can’t. My head’s stuck on wondering what’s happening with Conor and Kai. Has he made the drop? Is he safe? Not that I think Conor can’t handle himself, but what if something went wrong? Ten grand is a lot of money to be carrying around. He could’ve gotten stopped by police, or worse. There are a hundred ways tonight might have gone wrong for him, and I can’t even find out if he’s okay. He’d just ignore my call and then I’m right back where I started—worrying about him, afraid for him.

It occurs to me I could have done more. I should’ve told his roommates or Hunter to stop him. Or to watch his back at least. Damn it, why didn’t I do that?

If something happens to Conor, I’d never forgive myself.

I’ve just decided I have to make a call when I hear a low growl of warning and Danny and I are suddenly yanked apart.

33

TAYLOR

“WHAT THE HELL, MAN?”DANNY SHOOTS FORWARD TOconfront the intruder, while I stand there blinking in confusion.

What the hell indeed. What is Conordoinghere?

“You’re done here,” a tuxedo-clad Conor answers, his tone cool and efficient.

“I’m sorry, what?” Danny frowns. Takes another step. Although he stands a few inches taller, his build is slight compared to Conor’s more muscular frame.

“You heard me.” Tension pours off of him, and there’s a barely contained fury in his eyes as they burn through mine. “Thanks very much, but you can go now.”

“Hey.” Eric steps beside his teammate. “I don’t know who you are, but you can’t be—”

“I’m her boyfriend,” Conor snaps, but his intense stare remains fixed on me.

“Taylor?” Danny prompts. “He your boyfriend?”

I glance at Danny, then back at Conor, and I’m momentarily startled. Conor standing there under the flashing lightsin a tailored black tuxedo, his hair combed back from his face…it’s like meeting him again for the first time.

I’m struck by the pure sexual magnetism of this man. For the last week I’d been so busy being mad at him that I’d forgotten how hot he is. Enough to turn the heads of nearly every female in the room. Even a few alumni are peeking over their shoulders, while their middle-aged husbands take a turn at feeling inadequate after leering at twenty-year-olds all night.

“What are you doing here?” I finally ask, ignoring Danny’s question.

Sasha grabs my hand and squeezes it. I don’t know if it’s for moral support or she’s thinking of making a run for it with me, but I squeeze back even though I can’t rip my eyes from Conor’s.

“You invited me,” he says thickly.

“And then you dumped me.” The anger returns without warning, and I cling tighter to my best friend’s hand. “Consider that your invitation revoked. It also means you don’t get a say in who I dance with.”

“The hell I don’t,” he growls. He takes my other hand and pulls me forward. Like a fool I allow my grasp to slip from Sasha’s.

“What are you doing?” I demand with bitterness searing on my tongue.

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