Page 6 of You Are Enough

Here he was, on the floor, kneeling in front of Leila. Her blush now matched the red of her dress, making her even more endearing. This wouldn’t be bad at all as long as his heart slowed down a bit. He gave her a large, toothy smile. “Well, so much for getting out of here.” He brushed his knuckles against her shin sending a chill up his arm. He cleared his throat. “Want to give them a show?”

She huffed out a breath and stared at the ceiling. “Just get it over with.”

He held up his hands. “I can’t do anything until the music starts.” The music started. He wiggled his brow and turned to the crowd, putting up his hands and letting out a holler. He was going to enjoy this.

“Good grief, just get on with it,” said Leila as she shot daggers at him with her eyes.

The music was sexy with a hard beat. He touched her shin again and brushed his hands up her leg, causing his heart to skip.Damn. It’s not the first time you’ve touched a woman, Warfield.He took a deep breath, then slipped the garter around her foot and slid it up slowly.

Yeah, this was nice. Her skin was soft and smooth. He dragged his hand slowly up her calf to her knee and a shiver moved through her body. His pulse picked up speed even more. He was tempted to kiss her knee and finally taste her soft skin that had been tempting him all through their dance, but instead he placed his palm on her inner thigh as the garter traveled past her knee. He breathed in, and his eyes caught hers. She looked shocked. And something else. Maybe she was enjoying this more than she let on. He sure was. He swallowed hard and his eyes slowly trailed up her leg. God, he was wrong before. She was sexy and hot.

He brushed her thigh with his knuckles and continued creeping the garter up higher until his hands finally dipped beneath her dress. His heart thumped quick and hard, pumping blood to all parts of his body and causing the crotch of his pants to become a little snug. He gripped her thigh as he moved to adjust the tightness.

Leila took in a sharp breath, and his focus snapped to her face. Her hazel green eyes sucked him in like they were an endless hole.

His breath caught, and she bit her lower lip, causing his attention to go straight there. He had an immediate need to place his mouth on hers. To finally taste what he had been desiring all night.

The voices and cat calls all around increased.

He cleared his throat. “It’s all a show, beauty,” he said, his voice thick. This shouldn’t be turning him on, but it totally was. Just touching her soft skin sent electricity running through him, not a feeling he was used to. He suddenly realized he was caressing her skin when her legs closed hard on his hand.

“Party’s over, Casanova.” Leila’s eyes were smoldering as if they could burn him up from the inside out. “You’ve put on your show. Now it’s time to remove your hands.”

Yeah, she might be over it, but she had to have felt something. There was no denying the unmistakable connection between them.Pull yourself together.He winked. “You’ve got it. I’ll remove my hands—for now.” He threw his hands in the air, surrendering to her.

She wrenched her leg from his touch, breaking their connection. “Whatever,” she said as he stood, raising his hands over his head in victory.

He pulled her up and held her hands in the air while the hoots and hollers continued until the dance music started and everyone filled the floor. The electricity that was unmistakable between them was gone, but his heart was still going mad.

Adler held on to her hand, not ready to fully let her free. “Come on. Stay and dance.” Their faces were close. He could smell her perfume, flowers and something which he couldn’t pinpoint but wouldn’t soon forget.

“Like I said, I’ve gotta go.” She pulled away from his grasp.

His hand was suddenly empty and cold. He made a fist, willing the warmth of her touch to remain.What the hell are you doing? Pull yourself together.“Well, thanks for letting me put my hands up your dress. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.” Adler chuckled uncomfortably, trying to make light of the situation, but his pulse was still racing, and the heat that had seeped through his fingers when he touched her skin had traveled throughout his body. Yeah, this was so good for him.

“Oh, you have no idea.” She tipped her head, and for the second time that night, she left him standing alone on the floor.

He raised a brow while he watched her retreat and had to resist running after her and begging her to stay. He’d relished the feeling of holding her in his arms and feeling her skin against his fingertips. Soft and right. She was beautiful, but when she smiled and relaxed, that beauty tripled and took his breath away. What was going on with him?

She had a different kind of spunk. She didn’t give in to his flirting. Usually when he said that about his name, with that smile, the girls fell at his feet. Leila didn’t. He liked that, and he liked her, but she might just be a challenge.

His smile filled his face. Oh yeah, she might be, and he never backed away from a challenge.

Chapter 3

“I’m exhausted.” Desiree kicked off her shoes as she fell hard on the plush couch in Adler’s spacious living room.

Adler stood at the kitchen bar watching her. There was no doubt the woman was gorgeous. Any other night, he’d be by her side, waiting impatiently for Tristan and Stacey to get to bed so he could have fun with Desiree, but ever since Leila left him on the dance floor, he had a heaviness in his chest and an ache in his heart which wouldn’t go away, and he didn’t understand.

Stacey sat across from Desiree. “I know. I’m exhausted too, and I didn’t do any of the work you did. I just danced.” She accepted the glass of wine Tristan gave her as he sat next to her, and she snuggled close to his side. “The wedding was perfect. I know y’all didn’t know Elizabeth’s father, but he was the sweetest man and absolutely adored her. Elizabeth and her mom really struggled for a while emotionally after his heart attack last year. The dedication they did at the end was so sweet.”

Tristan placed his hand on the back of Stacey’s neck and gave her a massage. “It was. It’s hard when you have important moments in your life and someone you love isn’t around anymore to witness it with you.”

The look that passed between Stacey and Tristan wasn’t missed by Adler, and his heart went out to them. They’d both lost their parents earlier than anyone should. Stacey’s was more recent, Tristan’s much longer, but from what Tristan had always said, the pain never really goes away. It just gets easier to deal with. Adler finally sat next to Desiree. She had a glazed expression in her eyes also, like she was lost in thought as well.

Damn. Too many deep feelings in this room. It was getting dreary. “Okay, enough of this. Y’all are killing the party vibes. Who wants to continue the fun and take a midnight swim? Suits optional?” Adler stood and offered his hand to Desiree. Maybe if he did what usually interested him, he’d start feeling a little better.

She pulled herself up. “I’m game. Grab another bottle of wine. The bakery’s closed tomorrow. I need to unwind.”

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