Black

She shakes her head. “No. Really. I’m fine.” Her eyes flit between me and Liza, who is glaring at us. “I, I, uhhhh…”

She pulls back once more, and I decide to let her go. I can only imagine how this looks, and as much as I want to explain it to her, I first need to take care of Liza.

“I should go.”

This time she manages to make it out the door, and I can’t help but smile as she walks away because I know she won’t make it far. This is my club, after all.

I don’t chase women—it’s not who I am—but I’ll be damned if I don’t have plans to chase after her.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Rubbing my forehead, where I’m sure I have an impressive goose egg, I nudge my way through the line that’s formed outside the actual bathroom. Even though I still need to pee, I can hold it, because right now I need a strong drink.

Squeezing in at the bar, I flag down the bartender and order two shots of tequila, downing them almost instantly, and in a matter of minutes I’m back out on the dance floor with my friends, determined to forget what just happened—determined to forget the woman on her knees between Rex’s legs and the wave of embarrassment that washed over me when I realized what I’d interrupted.

How freaking embarrassing.

Just as I’d hoped, the alcohol seeps into my veins, lessening the sting of humiliation. Rhianna’s sultry voice floats through the room. JJ and Chelsie are grinding against each other a few feet away as Emma and Erin dance around me. Closing my eyes, I tip my head back and get lost in the music.

My body feels loose—free—and that’s a feeling I haven’t experienced in quite some time.

A feeling I’m not ready to let go of.

The minutes tick by. Rihanna turns into Sam Hunt who turns into Kanye and when the soulful voice of John Legend emerges from the speakers, a set of large hands settles on my hips.

Warm breath fans the back of my neck. “Dance with me.”

My eyes fly open and I whirl around, coming face to face with the chocolate eyes I’ve spent the last hour trying to forget.

For the first time, I get a chance to look at him, and I mean really look at him. Rex is positively gorgeous. Jet black hair that’s short on the sides and longer on top gives him a contemporary sort of hipster look. His crisp white shirt stretches tight from shoulder to shoulder. The sleeves are bunched around his elbows, revealing swirls of black ink that extend down his arms, stopping just above the wrists. Beyond that are thick, long fingers, which have curved possessively around my hips.

It’s nearly impossible, but I manage to drag my eyes back to his. His jaw clenches, and those brown eyes of his drop to my mouth. Something stirs deep inside of me, something I’ve never felt, and the air around us shifts, crackling with tension.

Ever so slowly, he slides the tips of his fingers up my arms and then down, creating a trail of goosebumps. My body shudders under his touch. Gripping my hand, Rex lifts my arm, guiding it around his neck, and then he hauls me in close.

And that’s right about the time my common sense kicks back in.

“I’m not sure your girlfriend is going to want you dancing with me.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”

“I know it looked bad, but she’s just a friend. Nothing was going to happen with Liza. If you’d walked in a minute later, you would’ve found me escorting her out of my office.”

His words shouldn’t make me happy, but they do. There are a million other questions I want to ask, but I decide against it. Who am I to judge him? If he wants to have a quickie in his office, he should.

I just wish it would’ve been me.

Wait. What?

“Is he your boyfriend?”

My body stills. “Boyfriend?”

“Yes.” Rex keeps moving, and I have no choice but to start dancing again. He glances over my shoulder, and I follow his gaze to JJ. “I watched you sit down next to that guy. He kissed you.”