Page 24 of Walk on the Wilde Side
Her hands are still on my chest. Something she doesn't notice until I look pointedly down at them. She pulls them away like she's touched a hot stove. "God you're such an ass. Please, just leave me alone. I'm making a rule. No conversations with Dane about me. None. I'm off limits in the topic list. Got it?" She points at me as she speaks.
I can't help myself. I take hold of her wrist and pretend to bite her finger. That's where the teasing ends. Suddenly, her slim wrist is snug in my grasp, and her fingertip is against my mouth. I take the finger into my mouth, erotically, and run my tongue against it. I suck gently on it.
Nev's expression changes. Her hazel eyes turn a soft gray-gold, and her bottom lip peels away from the top lip. Her breath, warm and short, brushes against me. We're both taken back to that one moment in time, when the circumstances pushed both of us to lower our guards, guards that always seemed to be wedged between us.
"Zander." Her voice cracks, and she takes a deep breath as I draw her finger out of my mouth.
"Nev, sweetheart," Dane's grating tone shirks us both out of the moment. I'm really learning to hate the guy. And the feeling is mutual. His dark brows are so perfect, I could swear he paints them on. Now, they're turned inwardly with anger as he marches to the small phone alcove. "What the fuck, Wilde? What are you doing?"
I've already let go of Nev's wrist, but there's no doubt he saw me holding it.
"Just having a casual chat with my old friend, Nevvie." I make sure to use my personal nickname because he's apparently tried it, and she wasn't happy about it. That makes me stupidly happy to hear. I look at Nev. "I'll let you get back to the pee line."
Nev finally pulls her gaze from mine and it's as if having her look away is something I can feel physically.
"I'm just going to the bathroom, then I'll be out."
Hoffman blocks her. "No, hold on. Just how well do you two know each other? I think I have a right to know." He chuckles. "I mean there's no way the two of you?—"
"We're friends," Nev says sharply. "And that's all you need to know. Now, if you don't let me pass, I may pee my pants." Nev stomps past him.
I cross my arms and stare at Hoffman. Jameson will rip me a new one if I lose this contract, but this fucker is standing on my last nerve.
"Just friends, eh?" he asks again.
"Nev and I go way back," I say cryptically. "And I'm very protective of her, so treat her right or?—"
"Or what?" he asks bravely and then backs up a few steps as I move forward.
"Let's hope you never find out. Just treat her right."
"I plan to. Look, Wilde, I'll be honest. Your company was the only excavation company in the area with a good reputation, otherwise I'd be looking for someone else right now."
"And?"
"Let's just keep it civil. I need my foundations and roads dug, and I'm sure this contract is lucrative for your company, so seems like a win-win for both of us to just stay out of each other's way."
"Sounds good to me."
He turns to leave but looks back. "Oh, and stay out of Nev's way, too. I don't want to run into one of these little scenes again."
"Yeah, that's not going to happen. I need a beer, so if we're through here?—"
He hesitates, then seems to think better of blocking me. We walk past each other, and I'm sorely tempted to clash shoulders hard with the guy. Nev is just stepping into the bathroom as I turn the corner. Our gazes crash and hold, then she disappears inside.
twelve
Nev
Dane is growing grumpier by the second, and he can't keep his eyes from scouring the crowd for Zander. I find myself doing the same. Zander is always easy to spot in a crowd. He stands tall, like a menacing dark tower, over everyone else. I have no idea how to interpret, analyze or even decide what the hell happened in that dark recessed area of the hallway. I'm still trying to convince myself I wasn't aroused by Zander's gesture, but I know, my pussy knows, that's complete bullshit. At that moment, all I could think was why the hell doesn't this man push me up against the wall and put me out of my misery.
"Think it's time to go. This band sucks anyway. The singer is a talentless hack who just happens to look good behind a microphone." Dane's tone is cold. We haven't discussed the scene in the hallway. He didn't bring it up, and I sure as heck wasn't going to do it.
"You're wrong about Nate, but I'm happy to leave. It's too hot and crowded in here."
We're ready to leave when Dane spots Zander. He's standing with Ronan and a few women in the back corner of the bar. I saw Jameson and Indi walk out earlier, and Kinsley texted me while I was in the bathroom to say that the line was too long, and she and her work friends were going to the diner for waffles. She also sent a sad face emoji about having wasted a five-hundred-plus-likes outfit on a night at the diner.
Zander looks our direction. His gaze lands on me for just a second, but he manages to leave a lasting blast of heat as if he pointed a laser at me, then he turns back to his group.
