Page 47 of Isolated
Iris tensed, her expression turning hopeful. I took a moment to consider her reaction, and it hit me that she probably thought I was suggesting I kiss her. And while there was little more that I wanted than to do just that, I didn’t want to do it here. Not with the crowd and the noise.
But seeing that look in her eyes, it was difficult not to follow through and steal a kiss anyway. I should have expected nothing less. It wasn’t as though Iris had made anything easy on me from the start.
I grabbed hold of her hand, leaned toward the bar, and asked the bartender, “Do you have a pen?”
He held it out to me, and I quickly grabbed a napkin. After scribbling down my number, I handed the napkin to Iris.
“What’s this?”
“My number.”
Realization dawned, and she whispered with a smile on her face, “Oh, that’s such a good idea. Now my sisters shouldn’t have any trouble believing there’re good guys out there for us.”
Laughing, I brought my hands to her hips again and squeezed. “I’m glad I could give all three of you that by simply showing up to dance with the girl I’ve known and crushed on for months now.”
She tipped her chin down, still smiling, before sheshifted her attention to the side. I glanced in that direction and noted just how astounded her sisters looked, like they couldn’t believe that Iris had someone who’d been willing to spend the night dancing with her.
“You better head out of here before they have to pick their jaws up off the floor.”
Giggling, she curled her fingers around my arm. “I think you’re right.”
We moved closer to her sisters, where Iris made introductions. “Eleni, Flora, this is Landen. Landen, these are my sisters.”
I dipped my chin. “It’s nice to meet you. I apologize for monopolizing your sister’s time tonight.”
Flora shook her head and vehemently insisted, “Oh, don’t worry about it. As long as she had a good time, that’s all that matters.”
Eleni shifted her focus to Iris. “Did you have a good time?”
There was an edge of disbelief and doubt in Eleni’s tone, and I wondered if I was making it up in my head, because Iris didn’t seem to pick up on it. She merely flicked her attention to me and smiled knowingly at our secret before returning her gaze to Eleni. “I had a fantastic time.”
“That’s wonderful,” Flora declared.
“We should head out,” Iris suggested. “Thank you, again, for such a fun night, Landen.”
“You’re welcome.”
There was a moment of awkwardness before she turned to walk away. She took two steps toward the exit when I reached for her wrist and tugged. Iris stopped and looked back at me.
That’s when I leaned down and brought my mouth to her ear, where I whispered, “Enjoy the rest of your weekend with your sisters. I’ll look forward to seeing you on Monday morning.”
She shivered against me, and it took every ounce of self-restraint not to nibble on her earlobe.
I pulled back, looked her in the eyes, and hoped the look in my own communicated the promise of something good ahead for her. Offering a wink, I said, “Goodnight, Iris.” My eyes slid to her sisters. “Ladies.”
All of them were too stunned to speak.
I gave Iris one last look and walked out. If she had been here alone, I’d have walked her there myself. But I didn’t want to be too overbearing in this situation. When I made it to my car, I did what I always did at the gym, though. I waited until Iris had made it to her car and had pulled out of the lot before I drove off.
And the whole way there, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
After years of watching my coworkers and friends find their happy endings, maybe it wasfinallymy turn.
FIFTEEN
Iris
Good things come to those who wait.
