Again, probably not the healthiest thing to be chasing a man who doesn’t have the time of day for me, but I’m looking for breadcrumbs here. Something. Anything.
I don’t know why … okay, I have a fairly good idea why, but rejection only makes me want to do better, fight harder, and change that no into a yes. It’s why I did so well in law school.
“Wanna dance?” I ask him.
He side-eyes me.
“The way I figure it, your brother and my best friend are now shacking up. We’re gonna be seeing each other a lot, so I figure … friends?”
“Do you ask to grind against all your friends?”
“What can I say, I’m a really friendly guy.”
Anders glances out at the dance floor again, and I try to be subtle as I check him out. It really is unfair how good-looking the Steele brothers are. Anders’ dark hair is longer now than when I met him, and his beard is thicker. It looks as if he hasn’t had the time to get to a barber or he’s growing it out and it’s in the messy middle stages between neat and long.
The barbell sitting through his eyebrow glints off the flashing lights in the club, and it makes me wonder if the piercing means something, because he can’t be wearing it for aesthetic reasons. It’s not 1999.
Then again, as I stare down at his acid-wash jeans that are fraying at the heel and his plain black T-shirt, I’m guessing following trends is not on Anders’ list of priorities.
I’m thankful Law shaved off his beard. When he stands next to Anders, even with that massive difference, it’s hard to tell them apart. Reed knew from the beginning, somehow. Maybe Law’s dick is magical and cast a spell on Reed’s eyesight, because it’s uncanny and kinda creeps me out sometimes how much they look alike. Even their mannerisms.
I’m sure a therapist would love to get a hold of me and dissect why I’ve been chasing after a guy whose identical twin is with my ex-boyfriend, but I’m not going to dwell on that now. Or ever. Yup, never sounds like a great time to assess my mentality when it comes to Reed.
I feel someone staring, and when my gaze moves from Anders’ jeans to his face, he bites his lip and looks as if he wants to say something. Or do something.
“Fine. We’ll dance.” He stalks off, and I freeze because I can’t help wondering if I heard him right.
Still, not gonna say no to that. I down the rest of my drink and follow Anders out onto the dance floor.
Someone cuts us off, but I don’t have time to pull myself up. I collide with Anders and grip onto his hips to steady us. When I don’t remove my hands right away, Anders cranes his neck and cocks his head at me.
My hands go up like a busted perp, but I don’t move away from him. I’m pressed against his back, loving the feel of his toned body against mine. “Not my fault.”
“If you’re gonna get handsy, deal’s off.”
“How do you propose we dance without touching?”
I’m not sure if it’s from him or me, but whosever heart is beating erratically between us, it’s going way too fast. It’s very possible it could be mine, because my cock is more than interested in how close we are, so I’m assuming my heart might be all in too.
“If you need to ask that, I worry about your dancing skills.”
“Oh, I have skills,” I murmur in his ear.
Anders lets out a shuddery breath and breaks away from me, moving farther into the throng of guys on the dance floor.
He finds us a spot, wedged in between sweaty bodies, and he moves to the beat. It’s obvious he knows how to use his long and lean frame to get attention as his hips dip and roll. Anders’ tight muscles are hypnotic as he moves, and as he lifts his arms, his shirt rises. I get a view of a sliver of abs, and it makes me want more.
Even though he’s toned and tall, he’s never come across like the dancing type. He gives off more of a hipster vibe—the type who’d stand along the edge of the dance floor claiming to be too cool for it.
I inch closer to the sexy way he moves his body. A confidence I’ve never seen in Anders comes alive, and it takes all my strength to make sure to keep a few feet of distance between us.
Anders’ body heat licks over my skin, though we’re not touching. One small step would bring us flush against each other.
A smallish guy squeezes his way into the gap between Anders and me, and at first I think he’s trying to make his way through the crowd, but his intention becomes super clear when he stays where he is, grinding against both of us. He comes out of nowhere like a dancing ninja. He’s facing me, has his back against Anders, and the look in his eyes is pure hopefulness.