“Her duties are over tonight.”
“Devon,” she whines begging with her eyes.
Bryce’s grip on my hip gets tighter and I throw my head back and laugh. “Quinn, you don’t need me. The guy in the navy sweater is practically panting.” I point to the guy at the bar staring at her.
She glances and then smiles back at me, winking. “Okay, see you two later.” She waves slightly and walks to the bar.
When she’s gone, I turn my attention back to Bryce. His intense stare sends a chill down my body.
“I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I couldn’t stay away. It was hard enough dropping you off at the airport with no definite plans to see you again. But when you started crying, it broke me. I made arrangements that day.”
“When did you get here?”
“Earlier today. I came to the game, although I can’t tell you anything about it. My eyes were on you the whole time.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“How’d you find me?”
“Babe, I’ll always find you. But this was easy. Your mom gave me your hotel information. Finding you in this bar was luck. I followed some of your friends I saw in the lobby. I tried to get to your room before you left, but didn’t make it in time. When I called you earlier, my cab was stuck in a traffic jam. Getting to you tonight was a little harder because of the line but the bouncer is former Navy. He let me in when I explained the situation.”
“How long are you here?”
“Two days, the same as you.”
“I can’t believe you did this.”
“I’d do anything for you. But we need to talk about that deflection strategy I mentioned before. Having other men ogle you is out of my control. But you need to figure out a way to deter them. Poor guy tonight looked like I pissed in his cheerios when I tapped on his shoulder and told him to move.”
“You’re very possessive.”
“When it comes to you, I’ll do what it takes.”
The sincerity in his voice causes my heart to swell and I lean in, soaking in his closeness. Our lips touch delicately at first, teasing each other. But as soon as I nip at his bottom lip, he groans and takes over. Our tongues dance in rhythm. His hands tangle in my hair, gripping my scalp tight, holding me close. I can feel his heartbeat against my chest, racing. In this moment, it is only us. The pumping of the music is silenced, the strobe lights disappear, vibrations from the dancing around us still.
The kiss consumes us, confirming what I already know. Bryce Randolph is still the man of my dreams. Heat pools at my core and I cross my legs tightly to try and control the pulsing need. My movement rubs me against his bulging erection, which sends a shock through my body. He stills but I continue squirming in his lap.
He pulls back slightly, pecking and nipping my swollen lips. “You have to stop.”
“Why?” I ask breathlessly.
“Because there are certain things a man prides himself on and you’re testing me.”
“How am I testing you?”
His eyes meet mine and they soften. “God I love your innocence. You’re testing me because it’s not cool to blow my load in my pants, which is what was going to happen if you kept grinding against me.”
A giggle escapes and I slowly rotate my hips on his lap one more time. “I’m not that innocent, Bryce.”
“He’s not going to make the loser list is he?” Quinn interrupts us smirking.
“Not tonight,” I answer her and try to hold a serious expression, but it’s useless. Bryce’s chest shakes against my back until he can’t hold it in, laughing out loud. We join until tears stream down my cheeks. The guy to Quinn’s right watches us with a grin on his face, clearly amused at our inside joke.
Once we compose ourselves, she introduces ‘Dean’ to us and we all shake hands. They join us as I pour everyone a glass of champagne. The conversation is light, and easy until the lights flash, indicating five minutes to midnight. We take our drinks and join the crowd at the edge of the dance floor, watching the celebration in Times Square on the large screens around the room. Once the countdown starts, Bryce pulls my back to him and nuzzles the sensitive spot below my ear. I lose concentration and forget to actually cheer as the clock strikes midnight and balloons and confetti fall from the ceiling. His hands twist my hips until we’re facing and he captures my mouth in a scorching kiss.