Her Surrender (Irresistibly Bound 2)

“Vicki?” April asked. “Are you okay?”

Vicki snapped out of her trance. “I’m fine. Those two know exactly how to get under my skin, that’s all.” Her brows furrowed. “Are you all right? I can’t believe he said those things about you.”

?

?I’m fine.” April’s heart had finally slowed down to normal. “It helps that I had you to defend my honor. It was kind of sweet.”

“Well, you did the same for me.” Vicki smiled, her relaxed demeanor returning. “I had no idea you thought so highly of me.”

April flushed. “Don’t let it go to your head.” She readjusted her mask and glanced around the hall. “I should go check on things.”

“All right,” Vicki said. “Before you go, I want you to look me in the eyes and admit something.”

April’s breath caught in her throat. “Admit what?”

“That you enjoyed this.”

“You mean cozying up to your snobby friends, then getting in a yelling match with your homophobic father?” April asked.

“Not that part. The rest of it. Drinking champagne, wandering around in this beautiful ballroom together. You had fun, didn’t you?”

April looked up at Vicki. Her eyes sparkled under the glittering lights, and her cheeks were faintly flushed with pink. In the tightly packed crowd, the two of them were forced to stand close together, and April could feel the warmth radiating from Vicki’s skin.

“Yes,” she said. “I enjoyed this.”

“See? What did I tell you?”

Vicki reached out and placed a hand on April’s arm. Before April knew what she was doing, her hands were on Vicki’s shoulders. Then Vicki’s hands were at April’s waist and their bodies were only inches apart.

April let out a breath. This was stupid. Reckless. The two of them should not be seen together like this. But everyone else was so wrapped up in their own worlds that she and Vicki might as well have been invisible.

And April wanted to pretend.

She slid her hands up and wrapped her arms around Vicki’s neck, drawing her down close.

At once, Vicki’s lips were on April’s, and her hands were at April’s hips, holding her so tightly that she wondered how either of them could breathe. April closed her eyes and let her world shrink down until it was just her, and Vicki, alone in the ballroom, melding into each other’s skin. April’s body begged for so much more than just a kiss.

But she was supposed to be working. And she’d been off with Vicki for much too long.

April broke away. “I really have to go.”

“Okay, Cinderella,” Vicki said.

April drew back, her hands still clasping Vicki’s, not wanting to let go.

“April?”

“Yes?”

“I enjoyed this, too,” she said.

Smiling, April released Vicki’s hands and walked away.

As she wandered through the crowd, she brought her fingers up to her lips, touching them where Vicki’s lips had just been.

Chapter Eighteen

The following Tuesday afternoon, April was sitting alone in her office, lost in her head. The library campaign was starting to slow down now, but donations were still trickling in. Between that, and Oasis’ willingness to help the library, April was hopeful that everything could actually work out.