Page 69 of Reclaimed

As if we’ve done it hundreds of times rather than only a handful, I lean over and kiss her. “Now you’re getting it, beautiful.”

Isla looks at me a little dazed, and I laugh. I run the pad of my thumb beneath her lower lip to fix her lip gloss. “Want to see your surprise?”

“You got me a surprise?”

I thread my fingers tight with hers. “Check this out.”

I tow her down the hall with Juniper on our heels. Chevy is taken hostage for the ride as my sister-in-law refuses to put him down. He’ll be meowing up a storm later once she leaves and he wants someone to hold him like a baby. With Isla now staying here, he’s going to be extra spoiled.

The first door to the right stands open. Evening light from the window filters into the hall. Fighting my smile is hard as I tug her inside.

“Oh my god, you didn’t!” Isla releases me to step further into the room and wrap her hand around the chrome pole. She walksin a circle with her arm outstretched, her black skirt swirling with the motion.

“You two are getting freaky.” Juniper gripes from the doorway. “Lee and I weren’t this bad, were we?”

I throw my chin to my shoulder and smirk. “You tell me where the two of you disappeared that day we played paintball with the family and I’ll tell you if you compare.”

The blush coloring her cheeks reveals I accurately hit my mark.

“That’s probably my cue to leave.” Juniper lowers Chevy to the ground with a final scratch underneath his chin. “I think the two of you need some time alone and Lee and Lincoln are waiting on me for dinner. We’re going out with Cortney and Oliver to celebrate him passing his drivers’ test.”

Ollie is my nephew and Lincoln’s best friend. Those boys have been inseparable since elementary school. We watched them grow up playing baseball together and the family knew Lincoln long before Juniper and Lee became a couple. Her brother is part of the reason she and Lee slot together so nicely. Lee coached Lincoln’s little league team before he hit high school and they were forced to see each other at games and practices. “I can’t believe they’re going to be driving.”

“Me neither. I told Sutton and Silas they better keep their eyes out for those boys.”

“They probably stand a better chance dealing with the Stones than dealing with you or Lee.”

“That’s exactly what I said.” Juniper grins. “Anyway, bye you guys. Will I see you this weekend?”

Another week, another dinner at Mom’s. Though having Isla by my side makes me less interested in ignoring the invitation. The overly sympathetic stares and remarks have practically ceased since we publicized this fake relationship.

The simple act of not having my existence constantly tied to that awful day has eased the darkness some. For the first time in months, I feel like I’m actually starting to move on.

I smile, and it’s genuine. “We’ll be there.”

Juniper beams at the two of us. “Great! I’ll let everyone know.”

“I’ll walk you out. I need to check the alarm.” Isla still isn’t used to setting it and sometimes she fully arms it rather than setting it in daytime mode. Juniper and I exchange a quick hug goodbye, and I wait until she’s safely on the road before moving back down the hall.

“Want to get takeout for dinn—” I slam to a halt in the middle of the hall. “I’m so sorry. I’ll go.”

“No!” Isla frantically beckons me closer, not a shy bone in her delectable body. “I want you to stay.”

My tongue feels swollen as I ease myself back into the room. In the few minutes I was gone, Isla dropped her flowy skirt and kicked it into the corner. She’s wearing nothing except a skintight white bodysuit that cuts high across the cheeks of her ass, biting just a little bit into the plump skin to reveal how soft she is. The top hem is edged in lace that showcases just enough cleavage to cross the line from sassy to sexy.

“I thought you’d like to see my debut run.” With a hand above her head gripping the pole, she walks sensually in a full circle. The tips of her toes are painted in a shimmering gold. Fuck, even her bare feet look sexy. Lifting her leg, she fits the pole in the crook of her knee and effortlessly picks herself off the ground. The pole slowly spins, twirling her in a full circle before she straightens her legs into another three-sixty.

This is nothing like the dozens of times I’ve watched her on stage. The intimate performance breaks through the barriers I kept in place while we were in public. Blood pumps intensely through me, a fair amount rushing south, tightening my jeans.

“Take a seat, lover.” She throws her arm out in the vicinity of the love seat shoved against the wall. Evening light streams into the otherwise dark room, casing Isla in her own personal spotlight as she dances.

I drop heavily, bracing an arm across the back. With an ankle crossed over the opposite knee, I rest my other arm on my thigh. My attention is riveted on the beauty in the center of the room.

Music pipes in from her cell phone on the floor. I’m so awestruck I failed to notice it. The white static in my ears recedes enough for me to hear the quiet strains of a moody pop song she rolls her hips to.

I wish I had a drink. I wish I had something to chase away the strong feelings flooding my system. No matter how hard I try to fight them, it’s clear how badly I want her. How I’d do just about anything to have her. She performs a well-practiced choreography from memory with an ease that reminds me this isn’t as special to her as it is to me.

I don’t even care about her career or the men who’ve sat in a room while she danced for them just like this. I’ll have her any way I can. That doesn’t stop me from hoping, if only for a moment, that this could be what it’s like between us. Something real only the two of us share.

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