Page 54 of The Boys Next Door

But suddenly, that education looked just out of reach. Her legs refused to move. Leaving her glasses in the car had been a mistake. The dance floor was one big blur. The club was crowded, thick with people.

After everything she’d done the past two weeks, this should be easy, right? But she was frozen, rooted to the spot.

“Air,” she whispered. Two sets of hazel eyes looked at her — one pair inviting, the other challenging. They hadn’t heard. “I need some air,” she yelled over the music. Her heart was hammering now, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Dammit, she hadn’t really changed, had she? Still so fucking shy. “I need to go outside.”

The door was five feet away. She had to get out, now.

“Di.” Brendan’s hand dropped on her shoulder. “No ins and outs under 21.”

“That’s fine. There’s not going to be any in. Just out. And I—“

She broke off, because Brendan was giving Ian a significant look over her head and Ian was nodding.

“Back in a sec,” Brendan said in her ear. He gave her shoulders a firm squeeze and kissed her cheek. His steady touch calmed her — a little. She gripped Ian’s hand, grateful for his tight hold on her palm. “Ian’s going to take care of you. Just trust us, okay, Di?”

She managed one nod. Panic sloshed through her stomach, mixed with embarrassment. Normal people came to places like this to have fun. What the hell was wrong with her?

Ian grasped both her arms, walking her rapidly over to a quieter spot against the wall, pushing her firmly against the black-painted concrete and holding her there.

She gulped for breath. The wall felt so good against her back. Solid. She felt Ian squeeze her shoulders, heard him order her to breathe. She just wanted to relax into his touch, but she was one tight knot from head to toe.

“I’m a freak,” she said despairingly.

“Damn straight you are.” Ian gave her a wry grin. “You’re really weird. See what happens when you study all the time, and never hang out with your friends, and ignore your nice next-door neighbors, and pretend you’re scared of boys when you really want them to fuck you into next week—“

“You wish.” Her face flamed.

His grin widened. “That’s better. Remember your graduation speech?”

“I wrote it for you too,” she blurted.

A pause. Ian cupped the back of her neck, his hand warm against her skin. Diana could barely hear his answer over the floor-shaking bass, but she was pretty sure he said, “Thought so.”

She managed a smile. “There’s a nice library down the block. Too bad they’re closed.”

Ian’s appalled expression was everything she could have hoped for. She started to laugh.

“Ten minutes, Diana.” He leaned close, his voice warm against her ear. Urgent. “Ten minutes here, and if you want to leave after that, we leave. Okay? We go home or get ice cream or go to the fucking library or whatever you want.”

“And Brendan drives?”

Ian shook his head. “Fine. Brendan drives. You’re in charge, baby.”

What a joke. She wasn’t even close to being in charge. But as Ian massaged her neck, tugging her hair lightly, she began to relax. There was no mistaking the concern on his face. But his eyes also traveled the slope of her shoulders and collarbone to the creamy roundness of her cleavage, swelling from her tight red dress. Heat spread out from his gaze.

Her stomach unknotted. When she pressed her forehead against Ian’s shoulder, a finger slipped under the strap of her dress, teasing her smooth skin. His touch sent sudden arousal straight between her legs, and now she just wanted him to slide the strap off her shoulder, pull her dress down to expose her full breasts, and—

“Okay.” She nodded quickly. “Ten minutes.”

Swiftly, Ian clapped a hand on her back and maneuvered her through the crowd. He was moving too fast for her to get overwhelmed by the flickering lights and the fuzz of bodies as he pushed through all the people, propelling her to the very center of the dance floor.

“Ten minutes to do whatever me and Brendan say.” That reckless grin was back on his face.

“Hey,” Diana protested. “That wasn’t part of the—“

But muscled arms wrapped around her now. Palms ran up and down her back, catching on the clinging material of her dress. Her head swam.

Ian was touching her in public, in a way no one would ever mistake for big-brotherly, and the openness of it sent shudders down her body. People were in motion all around them, jostling. A large hand cupped her ass, squeezing the roundness and pulling her closer.

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