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  As I get into the cab beside him, I can see Dane looking at my hair. The raise to the corners of his lips makes me smile as well. “I’ve only seen your hair down when you performed. I like it like that.”

  “Thank you.”

  Though we’ve spoken on the phone a couple of times since last Saturday’s call, and for hours each time, I haven’t seen him in over a week, since he came to the studio.

  I was far from prepared for the impact of the man that is Dane.

  I feel consumed by his presence and I could literally get drunk off of his personal scent. It’s intoxicating, even with the gentle overtone of spicy-sweet cologne. Everything about him is intoxicating.

  And, of course, he looks incredible. I don’t think he could fail at that if he tried. His sapphire colored shirt looks plush. I want to touch it. Touch him. The fit is perfect for enhancing his physique and the top button is undone, showing the hollow of his collarbones. I want to put the tip of my tongue there. Taste him. Oh, I so desperately want to touch him, taste him. His black trousers look as good as his denims. As always, his well cared for locks are bound in a low ponytail. My fingers are itching to clasp one and play with it for the duration of our journey. With his arm outstretched along the back of the seat, I actually have to hold back from shifting over some more and nestling into the little alcove his position provides. I can’t wait to dance with him and get close in an innocent situation.

  With all the subtlety I can manage, I will be taking advantage.

  Bring it on!

  Fourteen: Dane

  In the club, we head straight for the coat check. I can already feel the body heat radiating from the dance floor, it’s sizzling out there. When Brooklyn takes her coat off, my own body temperature rockets – I cannot believe my eyes.

  She’s unaware of all the attention she’s demanding right now, including mine.

  Her long, toned legs are on full display thanks to the little red skirt ending bare inches below her butt. Damn, those legs really are fine. The black shirt molds so nicely to her upper body and it’s tucked into the waistband of her skirt and, holy shit, with the low cut of the back it’s clear to me there’s no bra underneath. The entire outfit embraces her sensual, toned curves, all wrapped in silky-soft olive skin.

  Brooklyn Scott is pure, potent seduction, and I can’t even make my lips move to compliment her.

  Tonight is going to take a lot of restraint on my part.

  As I pass the guy in the booth Brooklyn’s coat, I watch her take the ticket in exchange. Her crimson colored finger nails look erotic. All I can think of is feeling them press into the flesh of my back while I’m between her thighs with my cock buried deep inside her. Hell, there isn’t a single part of her that doesn’t scream sex. Even her straight, glossy hair ending below her ribs screams sex. I’d like to gather it in my fist and– damn, I have to stop the visions that are forming in my head.

  Being polite, I let her lead the way to the bar. Fuck, she has the hottest walk and the skirt bounces slightly as she strides. There’s no way we’ll dance together without me getting hard, I hope she’s prepared for that. I do not possess the level of control needed to stop it, I’m a full-blooded male and my body will respond to physical contact with her. I’ll make no apologies for that, either.

  When we stand at the bar, waiting for our drinks, I finally get my mouth to work and move closer, to speak in her ear. As I do, I take in the sweet scent of her perfume. She smells edible. “Brooklyn, you look amazing.” Up this close, every single inch of me is screaming to take her right now.

  I’ve never wanted a woman as much as this in my entire fucking life.

  Her gaze locks with mine, a smile gracing her lightly glossed lips. “Thank you.”

  I lean closer again, this time I place my hand against her lower back. She feels slighter than I expected. “Quite a contrast to that first day at the Purple Cafe.”

  She puts her mouth to my ear. “Absolutely,” is all she says, but I feel her warm breath against my lobe like an inviting sexual stroke.

  Fucking hell. I grit my teeth. Hard.

  Distracting myself, I drink some of my pineapple and white rum, but the sight of Brooklyn sipping her red wine steals my attention again.

  “Dance with me,” I request. I have to feel her near me.

  She smiles, totally game, and lowers her glass down onto the bar.

  I take her by the hand and head toward the music.

  Fifteen: Brooklyn

  Oh. My. Gosh. Physical contact with Dane! Anyone would think I’m a virgin – this alone is raising my excitement to ridiculous levels, it’s as though I’ve never been touched by a man before. How are we actually going to dance together if I feel this way already? All he’s doing is holding the tips of my fingers with the tips of his.

  But it is the sexiest hand holding ever.

  Keeping a few steps behind him, I admire Dane’s broad, defined shoulders and narrow waist. And his firm arse. He is insanely arousing. I’m not the only woman noticing him; many female gazes are trained on Dane right now. A few men are checking him out as well.

  As we approach the dance floor, lust and the Latin beat pulse through me from the crown of my head all the way down to my toes, an exhilarating fusion of passion and uncurling desire. The band performing grabbed me from the moment I walked into this place. I can hear and feel the soul within the music, and I know hearts are the driving force behind the rapid stroking of the Congo drums and the strumming of the guitars. The male and female vocals are reaching into me, claiming me; they’re out of this world. The red and green glow from the stage is the only source of light and surrounds me dimly, pulling me deeper into the vibrancy of the rhythms.

  Dane leads me in among the swaying crowd, the body heat consuming me all the more the farther we go. I’m glad I have little clothing on.

  Standing face-to-face, he grasps my hips with both hands and draws me nearer, stopping when my body molds to his. Yes, yes, yes. My high heels bring my nose level with his lips, and we’re so close I swear I can feel them. I want to, but my reliable self-control encourages a few millimeters to remain between us. His breath teases my skin, and I can smell him among the scents of everyone around us. With my palms against his firm shoulder blades, I slip my left leg between both of his. My pubic bone presses against the very top of his thigh, taught with well developed muscles.

  Our bodies seem to concur and we start moving in perfect time with each other, hips swaying sensuously from side-to-side. I close my eyes; partly so that I can get lost in the feel of our dance, partly because I can’t look at Dane. He moves his cheek to my temple. This I can handle and I appreciate him keeping his lips to himself, no matter how much I want them caressing mine. He feels hard and strong, just as I expected, but the way he moves is fluid and well coordinated. He’s a good dancer with natural rhythm. It doesn’t even seem like he’s trying to impress me, he feels the music.

  The band flows into the next song, and I’m so immersed that nothing beyond us and the music exists now. Dane’s aroused. I experienced the moments of his cock thickening and lengthening and now I can feel him solid against my hip and lower abdomen. It feels magnificent. I did wonder if he’d get hard. I’d be offended if he wasn’t.

  I’m thankful my reaction to him is hidden. My nipples are slightly turgid, from the friction of our upper bodies. It’s only a tiny giveaway. The ultimate offender, the wetness between my legs, is safely bound within my knickers. Truth is, right now, I’m horny as hell.

  I know I’m holding him tighter than when we started, just as he is me, but I can feel his restraint. It’s in the slight tension of his shoulders. Somehow he knows not to push this, and I’m grateful because the temptation is already close to unbearable.

  Someone dancing behind me bumps me, pushing me into Dane, though there’s no gap between us. He holds me in a way that feels more protective than sexual, his arms crossing over my back to shield me. With a small shift to the side, he moves us and
creates a little extra space behind me. Now he keeps me in a clutch that’s demanding, no longer restrained. We’re in a snug embrace, our bodies perfectly aligned. My arms are curled tightly around his shoulders, beneath the ponytail of locks, and his arms are solid around my midsection.

  We’ve been dancing for a while now. We haven’t spoken. We haven’t needed to. My skin is slick with perspiration, and the heat of Dane’s flesh is penetrating his soft, cotton shirt. My hair is damp at the roots and probably looks like shit, but I don’t care. Even though there’s additional space around us now, our hold on each other is unbreakable.

  With my eyes still closed, I rest my chin on his shoulder. When Dane pulls gently on my left arm, I let him move it. He repositions my hand at the base of his spine, and I revel at the feel of this unexplored location of his body. Fingers thread through my hair at the base of my skull, and I submit when he fists my strands and lightly tugs, easing my head back. Cooler air soothes my exposed throat.

  Lips skim along my jaw, to my chin, and down my neck to the hollow of my collarbones. The contact was so light, I could question whether it really happened, but I felt it throughout me as powerfully as the pulsating rhythm of the music still owning me. Dane swirls the tip of his tongue against me. I grasp the back of his neck with one hand and gently press into his lower back with the other when he sucks the same area. I can still feel his erection, more antagonistic than before. My upper inner-thighs are slick with sweat and arousal, I’m dripping with both. This is dirty, sexy and deliciously messy. The atmosphere is blazing, the dance floor is still heaving and it’s full of temptation and sex. I’m sure I can smell it.

  So caught up in the orgy of horniness and emotions, I’m wondering when it was that Dane took such a firm hold of my bottom. His middle fingers are almost invading the valley between my cheeks, the only prevention being my little skirt and black lace French knickers. He’s pinning my pelvis to his.

  The action occurs before I even consider doing it; I raise my right leg and hook it over his hip. Dane repositions himself to stand between my thighs, his hand now under my bottom, supporting me. His erection presses directly against my center, he’s pushing harder. We’re grinding into each other, riding the beat of the music, literally fucking with our clothes on. Heaven knows how we look to others, even in the dim lights, but I won’t open my eyes to find out if anybody’s noticed.

  The very rebellious angel turned bad that’s now sitting on my right shoulder is encouraging me to be the slut of all sluts and beg him to shove his huge, angry cock into me right here and now. The way Dane’s holding me, and moving with me, he wouldn’t take much persuading. Angel gone bad is still encouraging, poking, practically begging. Kisses have covered my entire neck and jaw line, everyone hungrier than the last.

  I want to taste him.

  I lift my head. Dane’s lips meet mine. The contact detonates our passion, no spark – a sudden explosion of frantic want, and he sucks my tongue fiercely into the cave of his mouth.

  Expert, ardent strokes around my tongue.

  The saltiness of me. The sweetness of pineapple and white rum. Man. Dane.

  He is fucking delicious.

  With his grip on my hair and his support now under my thigh, Dane isn’t allowing a single part of me to be unconnected from him. The strength of his cologne has lessened, making way for his musky, testosterone filled pheromones. The sweaty aroma between the two of us isn’t even repulsive. Combined, we smell of voracious desire.

  I am abso-fucking-lutely certain that sex between us would be phenomenal.

  Moving my hand from his neck to his chest, my fingers are itching to unbutton his shirt and touch what lies beneath. Angel gone bad is cheering this to the fullest. I ease my upper body back just enough to slip the second button free. And the next one down. And the next one. It’s enough to slide in and feel his searing, slick skin.

  Smooth, hair free. So firm. So perfect.

  I want.

  My thumb tip passes over his nipple, it hardens. I want to lick it, suck it. His hold on my hair becomes more demanding and he pushes his stiff cock harder against me. I press my nails into his chest. The vibration that travels from his throat, into our kiss, only encourages me to moan as well.

  I want to pull my mouth away from his, stop the luscious way his tongue is caressing mine, but I can’t. This is without a doubt the sexiest, most erotic kiss of my life and I want to keep it. It’s deep, passionate and hungry, yet somehow it’s also affectionate and thorough.

  The foot I have still remaining on the floor loses contact with it, and I’m floating backwards. I can’t be distracted with why, but I know the answer when I feel the wall at my back. The coolness of it is a shock to my heated, sticky flesh, but my movement to resist it is prevented by the immovable man in front of me.

  I’m pinned to the wall, and Dane’s grinding against me.

  I wonder if he knows how close I am to coming.

  Right now.

  Sensations are gathering, starting to spike. His thick erection continues its work. My breathing picks up, I’m moaning into his mouth. Pulsating, tingling heat building, building … my fingers press harder into him, my grip on the back of his shirt tightens. Ah, shit. Yes. No. Yes. Oh, fuck. I want this, I really do.

  But I can’t.

  I have to have some level of control and if I allow this to go too far, I have nothing.

  Abruptly, I pull my lips away from his, sucking in the moist air as I prop my forehead on his shoulder. Dane instantly becomes motionless, but doesn’t move away. As I lower my leg from his hip, he corrects my skirt with the hand he had under my thigh and then rests it on my waist. I don’t want to let go of him, and my body is screaming for me to continue the journey to sexual bliss. Angel gone bad is seriously pissed off.

  Though I’m trying to, I can’t bring myself to look at him, and the last thing I want to see is those around us. I feel the brush of Dane’s mouth at my ear. “Are you okay?” The fingers still buried in my hair start lightly massaging my scalp. Gosh, that’s so good.

  I’m aching to hold him tight against me, but I can’t. Resisting Dane is close to impossible, this is taking all the self control I have.

  Slowly, and guided through touch alone, I button up his shirt.

  Now I find the will to raise my head and look into his eyes, which don’t look quite so hazel under these low, colorful lights. They’re darker, probably partly with desire, but they’re no less alluring. His gaze is soft, thoughtful. Understanding. Beautiful.

  “Do you want me to take you home?” he asks, stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers.

  I don’t want to go, but I don’t see how we can stay and dance again after what just happened. Or stay and talk and act like we didn’t just dance like we were fucking. Or stay and talk and act like he didn’t just almost make me come.

  Going home isn’t my preferred choice, but it’s for the best.

  Lust is a dangerous and very hungry place, and I need my head to be clear.

  As I walk into my apartment, all I want to do is collapse on my bed and blissfully go to sleep. Quietly, I make for my room along the unlit hallway. Suddenly, as I’m about to pass it, Kayla’s bedroom door swings open and she jumps out into my path.

  I freeze with my heart pounding, my breath catching in my lungs. “What the fuck, Kayla?” I squeeze out in a whisper.

  It’s barely possible to see in this dark, narrow space, but the mysterious silhouette with what looks like wild curly hair is definitely her. “Did you fuck him? That’s all I wanna know.”

  I think she’s pointing at me, but I’m not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I’m not getting by her until I’ve answered. Last time I checked I was twenty-eight and no longer living with my mum. Yes, that’s correct. But I know Kayla has my best interest at heart. And she’s still waiting for my reply. “No,” I say, rapidly shaking my head.

  I won’t tell her that he almost made me come on the dance floor to sexy Latin music
. That info can wait.

  I just make out the nod of her head. She turns to walk into her room. “Details in the morning, missy.”

  “Babe, for future reference, jumping out on me in the dark like that’s a bit …” As I search for the appropriate words, her arms suddenly go tightly around me in a hug.

  “God, I’m sorry. I won’t do that again.”

  I chuckle quietly to add a lighter touch as I cuddle her back. “You’re already prepping for the role of mother and you’re practicing on me tonight.” She’s so adorable. I squeeze tighter to show her I’m grateful for her care.

  ****

  After brushing my teeth and hair, I go to the kitchen for my caffeine fix. I’m so glad its Sunday and I don’t have work. I slept well, but I want an easy day.

  Kayla walks into the room as I take out my mug from the cupboard. “Coffee?”

  “Tea, please,” she answers, taking a seat at the table.

  “Tea for me, too, please,” Leona says, walking in bright and wide awake, and dressed in the same dark blue skinny jeans and jade green satin camisole she was wearing when I left the theater last night.

  “You dirty stop out,” I tease.

  Her responding grin bares no shame.

  With our mugs in hand, I sit down with Kayla and Leona.

  “Spill,” Kayla orders, as she stirs her hot beverage.

  “We want to know everything from the moment you left us,” Leona adds.

  This is the same treatment they both got from me after their dates with Xavier and Chase, so I can hardly be evasive. I launch into the details and tell them every single happening.

  After our naughty dance floor antics, Dane escorted me home in a cab. He held me for the short journey, walked me to the main door of my apartment block, and kissed me once on the lips. We parted on good terms. I was concerned that things might be awkward when we first left the club. Really, I hoped he didn’t think I led him on. Thankfully that wasn’t the case, and now that we’ve text this morning, I’m certain we’re fine.