Page 83 of Fostering Chemistry
No, she was laughing.
“What?”
Her body shook as she kept laughing. “It’s just, there were so many people out there, and I was so grateful when you led me away, and we came to this room where there are dozens of dozens of people. Or at least it looks like there are.”
I smiled as I held her. “I only see one beautiful woman, and one incredibly lucky man.” I studied her, noted the way she wouldn't quite meet my eyes, and had an idea. Maybe if she could see what I saw when I looked at her...
Gently, I tucked the loose tendrils of hair behind her ears, revealing her heart-shaped face. Then I placed my hands on her hips, nudging her toward the large mirror in the corner. “Look at that goddess,” I whispered. “Do you see how gorgeous she is?”
A blush spread across her cheeks, but she didn't move away. I could feel the soft heat of her skin where my lips almost touched her neck, could smell the subtle floral scent of her perfume. I wanted to spin her around and?—
The door flew open.
My cousin Dan stumbled in with some woman I didn't recognize, both of them laughing and kissing and fumbling at each other's clothes like they were the only people in the world. Mia and I froze, caught like deer in headlights.
We were too far from the door to slip out unnoticed—Dan and his date were practically blocking the exit, too caught up in each other to notice us yet. But they would any second, and then this would become the most awkward family story that would get retold at every gathering for the next fifty years.
Mia's eyes went wide with panic as she looked around desperately for an escape route. Then her gaze landed on the corner mirror that we’d just been looking in. It didn't sit quite flush against the wall, leaving a narrow triangular space behind it.
Before I could process what was happening, she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward it. She slipped into the space first, vanishing completely behind the angled mirror. I followed without thinking, which turned out to be a mistake.
I had to turn sideways to squeeze into the gap, and for one mortifying second, my hips got completely stuck.
"I think I just crushed something vital," I whispered with strained urgency, trying not to grunt with the effort of forcing myself into a space clearly not designed for someone my size.
I heard Mia bite back a laugh, and then she was grabbing my shirt and pulling me tight against her to hide the tail of my tux that was sticking out from behind the mirror.
Suddenly we were pressed together, her back wedged into the corner, my chest against hers. I had to brace my arms on either side of her to keep from crushing her completely, but there was still no space between us. We were completely entangled, every line of her body flush against mine.
And in this awkward position, we could hear everything. Dan and his date were going at it with the enthusiasm of teenagers and the volume to match.
Mia turnedbright red and pressed her hands over her ears. I lowered my forehead to hers, trying to offer some kind of comfort in our ridiculous situation. I knew she must beembarrassed by all of this, but I didn’t regret the way her gorgeous body pressed against me.
After a moment, she removed her hands from her ears and wrapped her arms around me instead. I held her tightly, and we leaned against each other, pretending not to hear what was happening a few feet away.
But having Mia pressed up against me, feeling every curve of her body through that thin silk dress, was having a very predictable effect. I tried desperately to think about anything else—baseball statistics, an upcoming exam, my grandmother's bridge club—but it was no use.
Mia shifted slightly, trying to make more room in our cramped hiding space. Her hips brushed mine, and she flinched.
Fuck. She’d felt my erection.
Her breath caught, and she stilled. Would she pretend she didn’t know? Then she stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear. "Is hearing them really that much of a turn-on?"
The question shocked me so much I almost forgot to keep my voice down. "What? No, god no," I whispered back urgently. "It's because I’m this close to you."
Her jaw dropped, and she looked away. After that, she tried to give me some space, twisting and turning in our tiny hiding spot, but every movement just made things worse.
"All that wiggling?” My voice was strained. “Not helping."
"I thought maybe if I just twist a little, I could give you some space," she whispered back, sounding flustered.
But there was no space. Our bodies were crushed together with the hard bulge in between them.
“Shit, this is embarrassing.” I felt like a teen, unable to control himself.
Mia caught my hand in hers and tugged on it, sliding it up between our bodies.
‘What are you doing?” I whispered, shocked.
