inside me. Never again. It was a promise I made to myself around the same time I made my pledge against drinking too much.
I take a step back, releasing my hold on Maggie. It might be wishful hoping, but I swear her eyes flicker with disappointment as she slides her gaze from me to Justin.
“Sure,” she says with ease.
Just like that, I’ve been replaced. I swallow before turning around and walking back to the bar. I lean my back against it, desperately trying to keep my eyes from Maggie and Justin. I could pick some other girl to dance with, someone who wouldn’t move on to someone else so easily, but as my eyes float around the perimeter of the dance floor in a lazy search, a pair of caramel ones catch on mine.
She’s dancing with him, but she’s looking at me.
My heart is drumming against my rib cage. I should have never let her out of my hold. I should have stayed by her side. I should have fought to keep her in my arms. And that’s a lesson I only need to learn once.
My feet start to carry me back to the center of the dance floor where I left her before my mind can think logically about my next step. All I know is that the music is transitioning into a slower one, and Justin is creeping in closer to my girl. My girl. Maggie may not belong to anyone, but to me, she’s mine, even if just on this dance floor.
I tap Justin’s back the way he tapped on mine, and he stalls in midstep just like he forced me to do. When he turns around, his eyes widen in surprise, but just as quickly, they settle into understanding. Bro code. And I just delivered it. I ignore him, taking a card from his playing deck, and pin Maggie with my stare. “Would you honor me with another dance, Maggie Stevens?” I’m laying it on a little thick, but her grin is so wide that I know it was worth it.
She turns to Justin with a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, Justin. I’m going to dance with Desmond now.”
Justin nods, making it no secret that he’s disappointed. Then he turns to me with a friendly fist bump before he walks away. And then Maggie is right back where she belongs, in my arms.
This time, I’m not letting her go, not ever.
29
Without Even Trying
Maggie
Everything I’ve been suppressing in my heart, mind, and soul when it comes to Desmond Blake sparks to life the moment he takes me back in his hold. That’s how it feels, and I can’t even try to deny it now, not with how swelled my heart grows in my chest as he holds my gaze. A combustible energy sizzles between us that neither of us have a chance at stopping. It’s similar to that feeling that swallowed me whole the night of the concert, but something about this feels different.
He’s closer now, mentally and physically. Resisting him all week has done nothing to ease the growing sexual tension between us. It might have even made it all worse because I’ve already experienced the danger of Desmond’s touch and the sinful kisses that found their way to my neck, my lips, and my breasts. As much as I know I shouldn’t, I want a repeat of that performance but, this time, without interruption. I want to know how we fit together physically, because mentally, in some strange crazy way, like the most complicated puzzle, our pieces absolutely fit.
While my heart is racing, I manage to keep up with Desmond’s natural ability to move around a dance floor. Not that there’s much room to move, but he carries the beat like it was born in him. His gentle grip on the small of my back palms me in a way that feels gentle yet all-consuming. With his chest pressed to mine, his gaze caressing me without a shred of indecency, and with his feet timed so perfectly to mine, we might as well be tied together. Anyone around us might think we’ve been dancing this way for years.
Desmond leans forward slowly and presses a kiss to my cheek. Then his lips travel to my ear. “I meant what I said earlier. You look beautiful, Maggie. Tonight, tomorrow, yesterday. I’ve never thought anything different. And…” He pulls back so he’s looking at me. I feel naked beneath his all-consuming gaze. “I’m desperate to ask you not to