bite-sized treats on the tray and followed him without question. There was some of that food with my name on it, and I wasn’t letting it out of my sight.
Dane led me to the edge of the rooftop on the opposite side to where the bar and dance floor had been set up. There were some cocktail tables here, but they were mostly empty. He set the tray down on one of them, leaning with his back against the railing once his hands were free again.
I plucked a piece of something cheesy from the tray, moaning at the explosion of creaminess that filled my mouth when I bit into it. When I looked up at Dane, he sighed and cursed under his breath.
“Don’t say I didn’t try, but feeding you might have to wait. It seems your other admirers have found our secret hideout.”
My heart fell. All I’d wanted was a moment to myself with Dane, but it looked like it just wasn’t meant to be.
I didn’t let my disappoint show, though. Swallowing whatever the cheesy bringer of mouthgasms had been, I glued a smile to my lips and turned to face whoever it was who wanted to steal me away from him this time.
Chapter 22
DANE
“All these French men are taking up all her time and energy,” I grumbled with my glass against my lips, taking a long drink of my scotch as I cursed each and every one of these supposedly dashing foreign guys.
I’d had Leah to myself for all of five minutes before one of them had materialized out of thin fucking air and asked her to dance again. They were enamored with her, and while I couldn’t blame them, I could stand on the sidelines and scowl about it.
Katie came to stand next to me, amusement in her eyes as they flitted from my face to the dance floor and back again. “See something you like out there?”
“Nope.”
“Hmmm.” She leaned with her back against the same table I was, looking out over the party. “Are you sure? You’re standing here like a bodyguard.”
“I’m just making sure no one gets too handsy,” I said.
She chuckled. “I didn’t say a word about Leah.”
“Neither did I.” Shit, busted.
“Oh, so you’re just like a chaperone at a high school dance making sure no one gets too handsy with anyone then?” She cocked a brow at me. “How very kind of you. I’m sure all the grownups around here really appreciate you having their backs.”
“They should.” I inclined my head toward a couple damn near having sex on the dance floor. “You don’t want to be dancing with someone and end up like that, do you?”
She shrugged, her gaze lingering on some of the men standing around the cocktail tables on the other side of the floor. “I wouldn’t mind. You wouldn’t either. As long as you were dancing with the one girl none of them seem to be able to keep their eyes off of tonight.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I scoffed, but her laughter drowned out the sound.
“Yes, you do. Don’t play dumb, Mr. Oliver. It doesn’t suit you,” she teased. “I’ve seen the way you look at her and you can’t pretend you’re standing over here guarding everyone else. You’re watching her.”
“So?” I tried to sound nonchalant about it. “I didn’t even know you guys were coming. It’s my job to make sure she’s safe.”
“Not really,” she said, giving each of the actual security guards stationed around the rooftop a pointed look. “They’re keeping us safe from whatever threat may present itself. You’re simply keeping an eye on your girl because you’re jealous as hell she’s not dancing with you.”
“She’s not my girl,” I said, though I really didn’t like having to admit it. “She can dance with whoever she wants.”
Katie flipped a lock of her hair over her shoulder, turning to face me as she propped an elbow on the table. “She’s not your girl, but you want her to be. I see what’s happening between the two of you.”
“Yeah? What’s that?” I looked down into her eyes, not wavering or shying away from the challenge in hers.
“You’re falling for her,” she said as if it was the most natural, most obvious conclusion in the world to have drawn. “You, Mr. Dane Ashton Oliver, are falling head over heels for your best friend’s little sister. It’s a tale as old as time. You don’t need to be ashamed of it.”
“I’m not ashamed of anything,” I