Forbidden (Playing With Fire)
And then when he’d made up her face, oh my. Having him so close, the constant touching, the gentle grazing of his fingers on her skin had nearly been her undoing. His warm breath had wafted across her face, minty fresh and making her tingle, anxious.
Needy.
She glanced up, watched Austin approach with Trevor, another friend and coworkers, walking at his side. Austin’s smile grew when his gaze lit upon her, and she allowed herself to admire him unabashedly.
He wore skintight black jeans that emphas
ized his long muscular legs, heck, every glorious part of him, and a vintage gray Bowie T-shirt covered with gray and white rhinestones. His black hair was spiked in the back and swept across the side of his face. Black eyeliner rimmed his eyes, smudged heavily, and it emphasized the sparkling beautiful blue. He was completely not her type yet she looked at him and her entire body yearned to get closer.
She noted she wasn’t the only one checking him out. Appreciative glances were cast his way from both men and women as he walked past the line of hopeful club goers, and Trevor was certainly nothing to sneeze at either. Two gorgeous, well-dressed males were bound to attract a lot of attention on a Friday night.
Great. It was pointless to think she even had a chance when he strutted around looking like that, good enough to eat and lick and suck…
Well, forget it.
Michaela returned his smile as he came closer, taking a deep breath in hopes of calming her nerves, easing her restless mind. He reached for her, his hand cupping her bare shoulder, sending currents of electricity throughout her body.
“Come on, we can get right in,” Austin said, leading Michaela out of line as he shot a smile in Scarlett’s direction. “Drake’s working the door tonight.”
“Ooh, Drake.” Scarlett batted her eyelashes, and Trevor laughed. “I wonder if I could get him to buy me a drink too.”
“You’ve been chasing him for months, Scarlett,” Trevor pointed out as they all got out of the line and started toward the door.
“I know. He’s just playing hard to get. I’ll land him. Eventually.” The assured smile on Scarlett’s face made Michaela jealous.
Really, so stupid but she couldn’t help herself. She wished she had that sort of confidence, to go for what she wanted and damn the consequences. She’d never been so full of doubt about her choices, the way she went about her life. Preston’s dumping her had put her off center, made her question herself, and she didn’t like it.
Lusting for Austin didn’t help either. Wanting a man who didn’t want her was self-defeating. She could read all she wanted into the suggestive glances and sweet words but in the end, he preferred dick.
Yeah, blunt but she needed to think that way. Be hard on herself so she’d give up these hopeless thoughts. It was for the best.
It didn’t help that he still touched her, his hand sliding down to press at the small of her back. He walked beside her, his stride even with hers as if they were some sort of couple and she had to force herself not to think that way, not to think there was something behind his almost possessive touch.
They entered the club without a problem, Drake guiding their way with the flick of a hand. Immediately they were immersed in darkness and smoke and flashing multicolored lights. The music was loud, a heavy throbbing beat that made her insides pulse in time. She glanced around quickly, drinking in the atmosphere before they went and checked their purses, Trevor checking his leather jacket before they headed deeper inside.
The place was packed, filled with all sorts of pretty people, many of them edgy in appearance, pushing the envelope. Most of the women were dressed in revealing clothes, their flesh proudly bared, decorated with body glitter that reflected in the spinning lights. The men were just as pretty, their clothes dark, many attired similarly to Austin. Some stood around in small groups, posing with a drink clutched in their hand as they checked out those who passed by.
Almost everyone was on the dance floor where a popular tune played, the crowd yelling their encouragement with their hands in the air. It was hot, the air stifling, and already Michaela felt faintly sticky with sweat, her hair heavy against her neck.
“Drink first and then dance?” Austin tilted his head toward her, his mouth awfully close to her ear.
“I don’t know if I’m going to dance,” she started but he shook his head, his brows raised.
“Hell yes, you are. Let’s go now. We’ll get drinks later. Come on, Scarlett,” he called to his friend. All three of them headed to the dance floor, Trevor hanging back to talk with someone.
They pushed themselves onto the crowded dance floor, Austin leading them, Scarlett grabbing hold of Michaela’s hand so she wouldn’t get lost. Michaela thought she would be uncomfortable, awkward in her dance movements since she really was terrible at it, but she wasn’t allowed to even think, let alone worry.
Austin grabbed her hand and yanked her close, their bodies meshing together, Scarlett right behind her, pushing her even closer to him, and they began to dance, the three of them all in sync.
She copied Austin’s movements, impressed with his ability, the way he thrust his hips and moved his body as if he was totally comfortable, in his element. And he was. He danced with a natural grace that most men didn’t have, and she wondered at his prowess in bed.
Her cheeks heated at the thought, especially with the suggestive manner of their dancing, and she stumbled, thankful when he caught her, his hands gripping the crook of her arms and hauling her even closer, if that was possible.
“Just let go,” he murmured, so close his lips brushed her ear, and she shivered, nearly jumping in surprise when she felt Scarlett smack her on the butt with an open hand.
She glanced back to see Scarlett laughing, her eyes sparkling, her hair a wild mass of curls about her head. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Your ass is awfully cute in that dress.”
Michaela turned back to find Austin smiling at her. “She’s harmless,” he yelled above the throbbing music. “And she’s right. Your ass is cute in that dress.”