Page 4 of Devil on Skates
I wish this night would never end.
I’ve done the math a hundred times. Even with my job at the library, it’d take me years to pay my dad back. He’s been controlling every step I take my whole life, so meeting Keith tomorrow is just another thing on the endless list. After that, it’ll probably all be brunches, charity events, and polite conversations I’m expected to have while wearing fancy dresses.
I open my eyes and try to soak in the chaos around me, because I came here to feelsomethingbefore I start playing the part of the perfect daughter again.
Someone bumps hard into my shoulder. I turn, ready to glare at them.
Oh wow.
He’s tall and ridiculously good-looking, with the kind of confidence that says he doesn’t have to try hard to get attention because he just has it. His intense blue eyes are locked on mine as if I’m the most interesting thing in the room. His dark brown hair is just the perfect amount of messy.
“Sorry,” he says, but he doesn’t sound sorry at all.
“It’s fine.” I try not to stare, but I’m failing.
He doesn’t walk away, just leans against the wall next to me, as if we’re already in the middle of a conversation. “You don’t look like you’re having much fun.”
“I’m observing.”
He grins. “Most people come to parties to party, and not to lurk in dark corners.”
“Maybe I’m multitasking.”
“Observing and hiding?”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Who says I’m hiding?”
He gestures around us with his cup. “You’re in a spot where no one can see you. I think that counts.”
I chuckle. “Fine. Maybe both.”
He studies me as if he’s trying to figure me out. And strangely... I don’t mind it.
“Sometimes you need to escape without going anywhere. Dance with me?” he asks, his hand out, his eyes daring me.
I hesitate. “I’m not really a dancer.”
“One song,” he says, his smile widening. “You can go back to your corner later. I promise.”
It’s such a low-stakes offer, so why does it feel like a decision that matters?
I put my cup on the nearby table where he just left his. “One dance.”
He takes my hand and leads me into the crowd. Our movements are awkward at first, but then we find a rhythm. His eyes are constantly trained on me, and it should unnerve me.
But honestly? It feels good, because it’s just me and a stranger moving together like the world won’t close in on me tomorrow.
“You’re full of surprises,” he says, leaning in so I can hear him. “For someone who didn’t want to dance, you’re kind of killing it.”
“Maybe I just needed the right partner.”
Our gazes meet, and suddenly the air between us shifts.
“You up for some real fun tonight?” he asks, his voice low and dangerous.
A few months ago? I’d have declined.
But tonight? Tonight’s about sayingyes.
