Long strides fueled by the agitation vibrating from within, Ryan was on the move. He crossed the bar and nudged onto the dance floor with the insistence of a man on a mission. He tapped Caleb on the shoulder with his last bit of reserve and said, “This would be my dance.”
“Hey, man…” Caleb started to object, but the laughter on his lips faded, along with his objection, the instant he looked at Ryan. “Right. Your dance.”
“I asked Caleb to dance,” Sabrina argued.
Caleb was smart enough to ignore the objection, quickly removing his hands from Sabrina’s waist, as if he felt he might lose one of them if he did not. He was right.
Before Caleb had fully backed away, Ryan had hold of Sabrina, pulling her close, his hand around her waist. His legs twined with hers. A slow song fluttered in the air, and Ryan turned her into the crowd, pacing her slowly, controlling her with his hips.
“If you were trying to get a reaction,” he said, his hand sliding over her lower back, molding her to him, “it worked.” Their lips were close, breath mingling together. “Here I am. Now what are you going to do with me?”
“I wanted to dance,” she said, her hand flattening on his chest, applying pressure.
“With Caleb,” he challenged.
She hesitated, her lashes fluttering low, shielding her expression. “We’ve already danced,” she said. “It didn’t go so well.”
“Come on, Sabrina,” he said, her words steamrolling him, and he pressed his cheek to hers. “I left because I wasn’t going to be the jerk who’d taken advantage of you when you woke up the next morning.”
She glared up at him. Then he leaned forward to make sure he could hear her, as she said, “You left the minute I didn’t live up to your good-girl, senator’s-daughter fantasy.”
Instantly, Ryan stilled, his hand sliding behind her neck, pulling her mouth to his. “I left the minute you became the senator’s daughter, angry at her father and looking to use me as revenge.” Emotions rolled inside him, turbulent, dark. “You know what. You’re right. The last dance didn’t go well, and neither is this one.”
Ryan let her go and started walking, telling himself to go, not to look back. But he stopped, Sabrina’s words echoing in his head, You left me when I needed you. Damn it to hell. Ryan just stood there, knowing full well he was headed toward heartache.
He turned back to her, finding her staring after him, fraught with the same kind of twisting, turning, confusing emotions he was feeling. Ryan closed the distance and grabbed her, pulling her close.
Sabrina opened her mouth to speak, but the words faded into the steel guitar of a new song. The music was fast now, louder, people two-stepping and twirling around them. That left only one way to communicate.
“Screw discretion,” Ryan murmured and kissed her soundly on the lips, slanting his mouth over hers. She clung to him, no hesitation in her response. He damn near made love to her with his mouth right there on the dance floor.
The shift in the music was all that drew him up short. Ryan tore his mouth from hers, searched her face and found no regret, no anger or embarrassment. There was only desire and promise. “Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the door.
They were about to hit the exit when suddenly, Sabrina resisted. “Wait. Stop. No. I can’t.”
13
EVEN IN HER SENSUAL HAZE, Sabrina managed one piece of common sense. “My purse is at the table. I have to have my purse.”
Ryan’s tense features softened marginally. “Can’t you get it from Jennifer tomorrow?”
Oh, how she wished, but that wasn’t an option. She shook her head. “My keys are inside. And my cell phone. I’ll be right back.”
He took a step forward, to follow. “No. I’ll go.”
His face flickered with suspicion, and on a whim, she pushed to her toes and kissed him. “I don’t want to risk Jennifer giving us a hard time. I’ll hurry. I promise.”
Reluctantly, he nodded, and she darted away, wobbly enough that she could have used Ryan’s help. To her relief the table was empty, and Sabrina hurried to her chair. Her purse was gone. She searched high and low to no avail. Reality began to creep over the situation. How stupid she’d been.
Ryan appeared, looking concerned.
“It’s gone. I’m never letting loose again.” She walked over to him and dropped her head to his chest before looking up at him. “I can’t believe this is happening. They got my credit cards, my keys. God. Ryan, my ID has my address. And I am so fuzzy-headed, I can’t think what to do first. I’m never like this. Never.”
He kissed her forehead. It was the most tender, sweet thing a guy had ever done. “You can stay with me tonight,” he said. “Tomorrow I’ll change your locks for you. But right now we need to report this to the manager.”