Page 49 of Taken By the Ex-Boyfriend

Soon the band starts playing and Brian seems determined that we get the most out of this trip. He takes my hand, and with a sexy smile leads me to the dance floor as a slow ballad starts.

I hook my hands around his neck, and he rests his on the small of my back with enough pressure to keep us glued together. I can feel every inch of his body, his broad warm chest, his chiseled arms, even the faint throbbing of his cock. Brian sighs as I rub my hips against him, toying with him once more as discreetly as I can, this time for my own pleasure. The songs change but we keep the same rhythm, moving against each other in a delightful daze—that is until Morgan stops right in front of us. Apparently, another song has ended.

“May I have this dance?” he asks and holds out his hand. His smile is calculated but his tense jawline betrays how angry he is.

Brian presses me against himself even harder, determined to show Morgan that I’m no longer his, but I know this is yet another thing I need closure on. “It’s okay,” I whisper in his ear and carefully pull away. His eyes widen and I feel his pain and anger, but this time it’s not my intention to hurt him.

I take Morgan’s hand and he leads me away while a stunned Brian watches.

“I’m glad you took my advice about the dress.” Morgan tries to pull me closer, but I brace both hands on his shoulders to keep some distance between us.

“You really think this dress appeared out of thin air?” I raise my eyebrow at his stubborn expression.

“I didn’t believe anything you said this morning. I get it though. You were hurt by my comments, and I have to admit I was out of line. But?—” He slowly spins me around and pulls me closer, one arm on my back and the other holding mine at shoulder height, leaving me almost no space to breathe.

“No buts, Morgan. Yes, your words did sting a bit, but I meant what I said. Something was missing and that’s what tore us apart. Kudos to you for seeing it first.”

He shakes his head. “You’re still mad.”

I am mad but not with him anymore; just with myself for allowing my need for stability to blind me. “Why are you even doing this?” I ask.

That’s the only thing that irritates me about his whole attitude. He chose to come to my sister’s wedding so soon after our breakup with a friend of ours as a date. No matter how much I try to imagine that he just happened to be dating her and had to accompany her here, his actions still rub me the wrong way.

“I missed you,” he blurts out and it’s perhaps the most genuine thing he’s said since he arrived. He fixes his eyes on mine, waiting for a response, or at least some sort of reaction, but the words have no effect on me.

We stop moving and when I pull away this time, he makes no effort to stop me. He just nods and leaves. Even that fails to trigger any emotion.

I search the crowd for Brian and he’s still standing where I left him. Slowly, I make my way through the dancing couples and almost crash into his chest.

“What was that?—”

“Just tying up some loose ends. I told you already.”

He’s not satisfied with my answer but doesn’t press any further. “Is there something I can do?” he asks at last.

Act madly in love, I want to say, but he’s nailing that role already. So, I just press my head on his chest, and we start dancing again. This time he moves closer to the exit until we are out of the restaurant. “I think we can use some fresh air,” he explains as I try to protest.

He twines his fingers with mine and starts moving toward the beach. It’s later evening already and the moon is bright and full in the center of the sky, providing ample light. I glance back at the restaurant. Will they notice if we don’t come back? By now everyone’s finished their meals, and given the amount of alcohol that’s been consumed so far, I highly doubt anyone will remember we were even there.

I’d much rather stay here. The sea looks calm, but the sound of the crashing waves reveals the underlying turbulence. I take off my heels and grind my feet into the sand, enjoying the warmth. Determined to stay here, Brian takes off his jacket and lays it down for us to sit on.

“You do realize you just ruined it?” I tell him.

Brian shrugs and moves closer, pressing open-mouthed kisses on my shoulder and back. I grab his face and sink my nails deep into his skin, biting my lower lip until it hurts as much as I do. Brian doesn’t flinch or move away; he just waits for me to make up my mind.

And I do. I want this too much and by keeping him at arm’s length, I’m hurting both of us.

I lean in and give him a chaste kiss that hardly satisfies him. He’s done playing games but so am I. He groans and shakes his head as he pushes me down and hovers over top of me. I grin at his fading patience, but he catches on to that and stops.

“How are we doing this, Love?” His breath is raspy and his tone uncertain, probably thinking this is just another teasing session.

The beach is empty, but no matter how thrilling the thought of having sex here is, I don’t think I could live with the embarrassment if someone stumbled across us. “Better get back to our room,” I say with a light push.

He stands up and helps me to my feet. I quickly grab my heels again and swing his jacket over my elbow, extending my other hand to him, but Brian has a better idea. He sweeps me off my feet again and only lets me down when we’ve reached our bed. There’s a sense of déjà vu from the previous night or maybe even further back.

I grab the knot at the nape of my neck and undo it, letting the dress fall onto the floor. My nipples are already hard when he reaches out to touch my breasts. His hot fingers brush against my skin, making small circles around them as my own hands work their way through his shirt. “It’s not fair,” I snap. “You’ve already had an eyeful multiple times.”

“And whose fault is that?”

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