Now that he’d tasted her, he knew he didn’t have a prayer in hell of staying away.
58
Abbie swayed into Alexi. It would be so easy to go back to kissing him. Kissing as well as practically dry humping him on the bench. That was…new. What kind of idiot was she? It was one thing to want to be adventurous; it was another to get so caught up. It had to be the alcohol talking, because she did not do that.
She was no virgin, but hooking up wasn’t really her thing. And she wasn’t sure why, but it was really important to her for him to know that. “Combustible. Right. I just feel like I need to breathe for a minute. Catch my breath.” Get my brain working.
His smile was slow, but it reached his eyes. “I can live with that. How about we go dance?”
What? No. Dancing was far worse. Because with dancing she’d be pressed up against him and remember what he tasted like. Maybe if they just talked for a minute more she could get her bearings. “I was thinking we could stay up here a little longer. You know, talk a little more. Maybe you can tell me why you’re really hiding on the night of your birthday party.”
She tried to step around him, and he blocked her path. “Maybe we should grab coffee or something for that kind of chat. It's a very boring story. Besides, if we stay up here, I won’t be thinking about my life story. I’ll be thinking about how you taste. Anyway, I can’t really disappear too long from the party. It's only a matter of time until someone comes looking for us.”
She flushed. They could have totally been seen. The thought hadn’t even entered her mind. She'd been so consumed. Actually, no thought had entered her brain. She’d been entirely focused on getting as close to him as humanly possible.
She blinked up at Lex, the chasm between what she wanted to do and what she should do growing ever wider. “You're right. Lead the way to the dance floor. I wore these shoes for a reason. They should get used.”
“Ladies first, of course.”
As she preceded him down the stairs she wondered why him? Why this guy? The last thing she wanted to do was get caught up in a guy so hot she didn’t dare touch. Not to mention a spoiled rich kid. He might not be making it rain, but the air of wealth clung to him.
But Lex had a way about him. She could see herself so wrapped up in him that nothing else mattered. One kiss, and she already knew he would consume her life if she let him.
Lex followed Abbie into the din of the party. Jasper had switched from the dance tracks to Robin Thicke. The mellow and seductive sounds of Lost Without You filled the room, and couples gravitated toward each other, holding on tight, some nearly making love on the dance floor.
Lex knew it wasn’t a good idea. But he wanted to hold her again, just to feel her skin against his before he had to let her go and put the mask on again.
Her hips swayed with each graceful stride, and he had to work hard to keep his brain from wandering too far down a path he couldn’t go. Before she melded into the throngs of party guests, he snatched her hand.
Whirling to meet his gaze, she paused just on the edge of the crowd, hanging on the precipice between fantasy and reality. He pulled her in close before leaning in to whisper, “Can I have one dance before I let you go?”
She blinked up at him before a slow smile spread on her lips. “Which one of us is going to be in debt after this dance?”
He smirked. “I have a feeling it’ll be me, but it’s a debt I willingly take on.”
Lex’s brain wrestled with his libido for control of the situation. He didn’t kiss her again, but instead, held her to him so her head tucked neatly under his chin and the scent of her shampoo tickled his nose, making him think of somewhere tropical and secluded.
He brushed his fingertips over the soft skin at her lower back. The satin feel of her flesh teased and sent electrical pulses through his blood.
He glanced quickly around before drawing her further into the dimness where no one would see them. And in the darkened peripheries of his own party, he started to enjoy himself.
He tapped her lower spine in time with the music, wishing the moment could last. When his hands slid further up her back, she inhaled suddenly, and he drew his head back to look down at her. “Are you okay?”
The tip of Abbie’s tongue peeked out again, taunting him. “Yeah, uh, you sent a shiver down my spine.”
“Good shiver or bad shiver?”
Her lashes lowered. “Good.”
Thanks to the blood roaring in his head, he couldn’t think, couldn’t remember all the reasons he should let her go, the reasons he couldn’t hold her like this, the reasons to walk away. He repeated the shiver-inducing caress, and she whimpered.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Abbie.”
Her voice was soft. Barely discernable with the music. “Why not?”
“Because it makes me want to misbehave, and we've already misbehaved enough for one party.”
Her brows furrowed before she met his gaze again. “You’re trouble, you know that?”
“You wouldn’t be the first person to tell me that.” But she would be the first who mattered. What the hell was wrong with him? He barely knew her, but he was already risking too much just to spend a little more time in her presence. He needed to get a serious grip.
With the song fading in the distance, his brain exerted a final defensive maneuver and won the battle over his libido. Gently, he set her away from him. “Thank you for the dance, Abbie. I’m sorry about the kiss. It won’t happen again.”
Then he turned around and deliberately walked away.
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