wait to judge which of you is the hottest Carsen male. I might even put together a panel of judges. I’m sure Dani, Mia, and Amy would all jump on board.”
Wanting—no, needing—to shut her up before she says anything else, I hook my hand around her neck and tug her close, crashing my lips hard on hers until she sags into me, her fingers gripping my jacket tight as she holds on for dear life.
When I finally let her up for air, she stares at me for a moment, her eyes glazed over. “What was that for?”
I shrug and grin. “Just felt like it.”
“Feel free to feel like it more often then.”
“Will you dance with me?” I murmur in Abi’s ear. We’ve been here for three hours and already Thomas has taken Zoe, Callie, and Abi for a whirl on the dancefloor. Now that the night is winding down, I’m not leaving without getting a turn.
Taking a quick scan of the room, I see Noah and Zoe swaying together to a Michael Bublé song, and Thomas chatting to my father and his cronies at a table across the room.
Abi takes a sip of her wine as if to mull over my question, and damn she looks sexy while she does it. A playful smile tugs at her lips as she puts her glass down on the table and turns her body towards mine, placing her hand on my upper thigh and squeezing gently. “I thought you’d never ask, Dr. Carsen.”
Pushing my chair back, I stand and hold my arm out, grasping hold of her fingers the moment she puts her hand in mine and leading her through the tables and onto the dance floor. Wrapping my arms around her, I lift our joined arms up and run my other hand around to the small of her back, resting my splayed fingers there. I hold her close, and we start moving side to side, my body aching to draw her in close and feel her body against mine. I watch her, our eyes locked together, as I let the music score through me.
“I’ve had a good time tonight, Cade,” she says softly.
“It’s been a hell of a lot more enjoyable having you here.”
“They’re not that bad . . .”
“Wait until I get a phone call tomorrow once they’ve run a background check and found out you don’t have high-society family roots.”
“You’re kidding?” She gasps, her body tensing.
I drop my mouth to the apex of her neck and shoulder and place a gentle kiss on the bare skin there, flexing my fingers on her back. “Maybe, but I don’t give a fuck about any of that.”
At my words and the touch of my lips, her body melts into mine. Fucking brilliant.
“Your sister is awesome. She’s down to earth, just like you.” The last bit of tension I was holding in my shoulders ebbs out of me when she says that. I didn’t want my parents and their ‘scene’ to sway Abi’s opinion of me. “Even your mom finding out about me was entertaining. I’m glad you invited me.”
“I’m glad you came,” I murmur against the side of her head, my mouth now resting against her temple as the song changes to one by Norah Jones.
“You’re an enigma, Cade Carsen.”
“A good one I hope.”
“You’re definitely not a product of the environment you were created in.”
“Told you that.”
“I like it.” Fuck that feels good to hear from her. “Although I’m not sure how good I am at mother-buffering. I didn’t even see the sneak attack coming.”
I bark out a laugh and draw the attention of others dancing around us including Noah, who smirks at me before spinning Zoe away in another direction.
“That’s okay. We can test out your ability to ward off my sneak attacks later on.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she says and unable to stop myself, I cup her cheek in one hand and gently brush my lips against hers, briefly engaging my tongue and relishing in the whimper that escapes her mouth when I deepen the kiss. Decorum be damned.
The night has been far more enjoyable than it would’ve been without her here. She may have been doing me a favor by coming along as my date tonight but the more time I spend with her—and not just while having out-of-this-world sex—the more I’m finding out about her. After tonight, Thomas’s words from last week ring around my head more than ever.
It might not be about the amount of time you