Page 48 of What Happened on Roslyn Street?
His hands are surprisingly gentle when they find my waist. His gaze searches mine for an answer, curious but intense. I respond with my body—arms moving around his neck, pushing myself closer.
This is safe. I won’t become one of the people with fangs in their neck, but for now—this is fine. I’vedone this before.
His body moves in time with the music, and I try to follow suit, my hips swaying.
Graceful hands slide down to my hips, using the touch to guide my movements. The crowd jostles us closer until our chests are flush.
Caldwell is a breath away, his lips parted, staring like I’ve hypnotized him.
But in the red light of the club, I’m the one losing myself. The light flashes in his eyes, and I can’t look away. My body moves of its own accord. I grind against him. I’m locked in on him, infatuated with the way his tongue darts out to wet his lips.
He squeezes me tighter, his fingers pressing into my hips. His thigh slots between my legs in a way that leaves me gasping for air. A similar sound escapes his mouth, grunting as I rock myself into him.
For the first time in days, my worried thoughts fade. Pleasure pools in my core. The people in the crowd are distracted, and I am, too.
The only thing on my mind is the pulsing between my thighs.
He leans down, his breath tickling my ear as he speaks.
“Do you like that?” he asks.
My fingers trail down his shoulders, grazing against the fabric covering his chest.
“Yes,” I whisper. The answer comes easily.
In the next breath, he spins me around, pulling me against him. I find myself relishing in the feeling of his strong figure behind me, swaying as if the music has hypnotized me.
It hasn’t. Nothing has—aside from a desperate need to let loose after the most harrowing time of my life.
I shouldn’t be letting loose withhim, but he’s here. Caldwell is warm—surprisingly so, nothing like Margaux’scool skin. Heat radiates from the friction between our bodies. His hands are graceful and delicate, yet there’s a strength I can’t deny.
I lift my head to meet his gaze, only to find his eyes locked on me. He’s straining in his pants. His hard bulge presses against my ass, and I push back. My lips part in surprise.
He bends lower, close enough for me to hear. “That’s what you do to me.”
“I want to do so much more to you.” It’s surprisingly easy to tease him. I press myself harder against him, a giggle escaping my lips.
“Don’t tempt me,” he mutters.
His fingers graze lower. They slip under the fabric of my dress.
He teases my thighs. Caldwell’s breath on my skin sends shivers up my spine. We’re close enough to kiss. My lids flutter shut, arching to press my ass against him, when?—
The spell breaks and I’m the one to break it. Poppy’s face enters my mind. I blanch, pulling away from him. Without the heat between us, I’m frozen, snapping back to reality—back to who I am.
I’m Tobey. I’m here to take Poppy’s killer down. I don’t get to let loose and have fun—I definitely don’t get to dothis!
There’s no resistance as I tug away, turning to face him, smoothing my short-cropped hair. These are probably the same seduction techniques Poppy’s killer used on her, and—God, I could be sick.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
I read the movement of his lips more than I hear the words.
“Nothing!” I say, letting out a nervouslaugh. Anything to diffuse the situation. “It’s a little… just a little hot in here, no?”
He smiles tentatively. “A little.”
“I’m going to use the restroom.” I let out a shaky breath. “I’ll meet you by the bar?”
