Beneath the Stars (Falling Stars 4)

She smiled a coy smile from over Van’s shoulder, and shit, she knew exactly what she was doing to me.

Van tossed his gaze my direction when he realized Maggie was no longer paying him any attention. A glower dented his forehead.

“Excuse me for a minute, man.”

I slipped between them without giving him a chance to respond, jostling the asshole aside.

Maggie bit that lip and tried to hide her giggle.

“Wow, dude,” Van objected.

“Royce’s orders,” I clipped. Not that I needed Royce’s input, but I figured mentioning his name would be a sure-fire way to get rid of the prick without making a scene.

And I was about zero-point-five seconds from making a damn scene.

Dude was cool and all until he’d turned his sights on my girl.

My girl.

She grinned up at me after I’d twirled her and hauled her up close, trying to play the embrace off like we were just friends.

Think that idea had been bullshit since the moment we’d claimed it all those months ago.

Her nearness filled my senses with her sweetness.

Jasmine and vanilla and a touch of that spice.

That mouth nothin’ but wry and overwhelming temptation.

Playful and genuine.

My chest clutched.

“Someone’s jealous,” she sang over the roar, her words a tiny bit slurred.

I grunted at her while a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

“You got a problem with that, little miss drunkey drunk?”

Her giggle deepened, and a flush splashed her cheeks, and heat lifted in the bare space between us.

One touch from this girl and I caught fire.

“And how do you think I felt with all those women flocking around you?”

My eyebrow arched. “What women?”

Scoffing a soft sound, Maggie shook her head and tried to keep her voice light like it didn’t bother her all that much. “Are you serious right now? There was a whole herd over there salivating at the mouth to get a taste of you.”

“Didn’t notice.”

She frowned like I was full of it.

“Mean it.” It was a low rumble. A promise. An oath.

Getting gutsy, I reached out and ran my thumb along the curve of her top lip. “How could I notice anyone else when the only one I see is you?”

“Rhys.” She whispered it as her fingers curled into my shirt.

“Goddess Girl.”

There wasn’t a thing I could do but wrap her up, sliding an arm around her waist and bringing her flush. The other went way up high on her back, fingers tangling a bit in that hair.

Her heart beat manic against mine.

Drawing mine closer.

Closer and closer.

Right up to that edge where I could feel myself slipping off the side.

“Maggie.” My mouth was at her temple, and my stomach was in these fucked-up, twisted knots.

No longer sure exactly where my heart belonged.

We danced like that for what seemed like hours, me spinning her then bringing her in to sway, our bodies and minds and spirits in sync. She’d smile, and I’d do the same, and I’d murmur the words to the Carolina George cover the band played.

She’d laugh and her fingers would tease, and the night moved on in a magical sort of way.

Like we’d been given a reprieve. A moment for us. Couple by couple, our friends left for the night, while we danced and pretended like we weren’t so wrapped up in each other that not a soul noticed.

Like Lyrik had said, I was completely fucked.

So entirely fucked when Maggie got gutsy, too, and she let those hands wander.

Gliding up my chest and down my back and spreading over my ass.

I rubbed my hard dick against her belly.

Maggie moaned and clutched me tighter.

Two of us dancing in the flames.

Greed and gluttony.

Then I dipped her low, and she laughed, and her fingers drove into my hair.

I hauled her back up, and we swayed again, and she whispered, “My Stallion,” as she peered up at me with those eyes. “Ask me what I want right now.”

Need filled her voice.

Every cell in my body fisted.

My palm spread across her cheek. “What do you want, Sweet Thing?”

She swallowed hard. “You. I want you, Rhys.”

“Well, since it is your birthday, darlin’, what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t give you what you wanted?” I let the tease wind into the words, but there was no keeping the tenderness out.

Her eyes flashed with softness and affection and everything I’d been fighting.

Energy sparked.

A crack in the air.

That pull that whipped and whirred.

A low hum that drowned out everything except for that call that shouted between us.

And I realized we were just standing still in the middle of the crush. Nothin’ else existing but the two of us. One hot flaming second from devouring this girl in front of her brother’s band.

“Need to get you out of here. Right now.” It was a growl of desperation.

She nodded hard, and I peeled myself away so I could grab her by the hand, and I was marching through the crowd with the girl fumbling and giggling behind me as we made a beeline for the door.