hers. “Cheers.”
He tilted his head back slightly as he took his shot, keeping his eyes on her as she tossed her head back and drained the glass. She immediately whipped her head back up, her eyes wide as she placed the empty glass back on the table and brought her other hand to her mouth. Chase laughed as she squeezed her eyes shut before she finally swallowed.
“Oh my God,” she said, her voice muffled before she dropped her hand from her lips. “Was that straight vodka?”
“Well, lemon flavored, but yeah.”
“How exactly is that girly?” she asked, still horrified.
“Because now you get this,” he said, handing her the lemon wedge covered in sugar.
She grabbed it like it was a lifeline, taking it between her lips as her cheeks hollowed out with the force of her sucking, and Chase couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Lesson learned,” she said, tossing the expended lemon rind on the table. “That’s the last time I trust you.”
“Aw, come on,” he said, taking her empty shot glass and stacking it on top of his. “It wasn’t that bad. You can admit it.”
She licked her lips, removing the last remaining granules of sugar. “Fine. The sugared lemon part wasn’t that bad. I could have done without the vodka before.”
Chase watched the shiver ripple through her shoulders as she added, “Even though I kind of like the warm feeling I have right now.”
He grinned at her as the music changed around them, the opening notes to some ballad filling the room.
The words fell from Chase’s lips with surprising ease. “Will you dance with me?”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise before she dropped her gaze, clearing her throat awkwardly. After what seemed like forever, he heard her soft voice. “Um…yeah, okay.”
Chase stood immediately, wanting to do whatever he could to remove the awkwardness that was starting to reappear between them. “After you,” he said, sweeping his hand in front of them, and Andie smiled up at him tentatively as she stood and made her way to the dance floor.
Just as she reached the edge, Chase grabbed her hand and put his other on her hip, giving her a tiny push and spinning her away from him. She laughed loudly as her twirling came to a stop, her arm extended toward his and their hands still clasped. She cupped her hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter.
“See?” she said, dropping her hand from her mouth and fanning herself. “It’s already hitting me.”
“Lightweight,” he said with a smile, using his grip on her hand to pull her back to him. As soon as their bodies made contact, they both froze, and Chase felt Andie go rigid against him. He didn’t move, loosening his grip on her hand and giving her the freedom to pull away if she wanted to.
And then suddenly he felt the tension leave her body, first from her shoulders, then her arms, and then her torso, so that she literally melted into him. He swallowed hard as he placed his free hand on her lower back, and he was taken aback when she started to move first, setting the pace and swaying gently to the music.
It only took him a second to follow her lead, and when he felt her hand slide up his back and come to rest just below the nape of his neck, he inhaled a shaky breath, hoping she couldn’t feel his heart slamming against his ribs.
This was a bad idea. What the hell was he thinking?
He had no idea what song was playing. He didn’t even know if he was moving in time to the beat. The only thing he was aware of was her body against his, the softness of her breasts pressing just below his chest, her arm around his back, tightening infinitesimally as the dance continued so that she kept pulling his body closer to hers. He didn’t know if she was doing it intentionally or if it was the result of the vodka coursing its way through her system, but he allowed her to do it, trying with all his might not to focus on the way her hips were moving.
She turned her head, resting it against his chest, and he was assaulted with the scent of her hair. Instinctively, he turned toward it, completely overwhelmed with the desire to press his lips to the crown of her head.
She continued dancing, her movements fluid and simple but provocative nonetheless, and he could imagine what it would be like to hold her