Page 49 of An Indecent Longing

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the woman as she settled into the booth, her attention on the stage. By the time the man slid in next to her, Ian’s full attention was focused on them.

Even in the dark, the only light the soft glow coming from the stage, Ian knew Ben. And after last night, he swore he had an extra sense that was directly connected to Dorrie. If she was anywhere in his vicinity, every hair on his body stood on end.

And his dick throbbed with anticipation.

Idiot.

He could call himself every name in the book and it wouldn’t matter. He still wanted her.

Last night…

Shit. Last night had been a clusterfuck of his own making. Getting into bed with her had been the worst fucking thing he could’ve done.

He’d spent most of the day trying to put it and her out of his mind.

But when Ben had left for his date, Ian had prowled the house like a caged animal for an hour. He’d considered going to the gym, finding someone to pummel—or to pummel him. He’d decided against it. In his mood, he could’ve hurt someone. Or let himself be damaged too severely.

So he’d decided to have a few drinks and try to regain his composure somewhere he knew he wouldn’t get into trouble. He’d wound up here at Haven Hotel, sitting in a booth at Frank’s Bar where he’d proceeded to drown a crushing sense of resentment before the start of the first set.

He didn’t even know what the hell he resented. He just knew he couldn’t shake the feeling coiling in his chest.

After the first few drinks had gone down way too easy, he’d switched to seltzer because… Well, because he wasn’t going to fall into old habits. So, he’d enjoy the music then maybe go for a run and wear himself out before he went home and hopefully passed out from exhaustion.

I should just get the hell out of here now.

Before he did something stupid, like join them at their table because he couldn’t get what Ben had said out of his head.

“Come with us…”

Is that really what Ben wanted?

His gaze arrowed back to Dorrie again, her attention glued to the stage. He knew she liked music. They’d talked about it during the brief time they’d spent together.

Before he’d cut off all contact.

He’d had a good reason for that. Still had a good reason.

So why are you still obsessing over her like a teenager with a crush?

Because his desire for her increased every time he looked at her. And he couldn’t stop himself from looking.

But he could stop himself from being led around by his dick. That always ended in disaster.

Christ, he needed to stop staring before Dorrie picked up on the intensity of his interest in her. She hadn’t noticed him yet, but he knew Ben would have as soon as they’d walked through the door. He hoped Ben had the common sense to take her back to her place if he wanted to—

Better not go there.

Flexing his fingers, he released the glass he’d been holding before he smashed the damn thing.

He should leave. But now that he was looking at her, he couldn’t look away. Her profile made him want to run a finger along the straight slope of her nose and along the swell of her lower lip. Just to feel the softness of her skin.

The smooth sounds of saxophone-driven music wrapped around him, erasing everything that wasn’t Dorrie.

She looked beautiful tonight. Not that she hadn’t last night, but tonight there was something about her that made her…softer. And he had to wonder if it was Ben.

She looked happy. Especially when she turned to smile at his cousin. He remembered that smile. Remembered when she’d smiled at him like that. In the few hours they’d spent together, he’d become addicted to that smile.

Right before he’d cut her out of his life like a cancer and disappeared.

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