“Yes, it’s as if they never were apart,” Roxie said.
Juliana was laughing with joy as Lily climbed a giant slide and bounced her way down. There were at least a dozen children playing, ranging in ages from two to what appeared about ten. The tweens were mostly in a group over at a set of picnic tables, and the teens were dancing. All the children seemed to be paired off.
“I hate that she missed out on so much time, but I’m glad they’ve connected now,” Kian said as he watched his mother and Lily.
“I’m just grateful Lily has so many people who love her,” Roxie said. There was a part of her that feared Lily being taken from her, but she pushed it down. It wasn’t about her, it was about her niece.
“Me too,” he said. He rested his hand on her shoulder, and the touch reached all the way into her soul. She was bound to this man in ways she had no understanding of, but they were tied together. If she could figure out what that meant, she might be a happier person.
“What are you two doing standing off by yourselves?” Evan asked as he approached with a pink drink in his hand.
“What are you drinking there, girlie man?” Kian quickly replied.
Evan laughed. “I have no idea. Someone handed it to me, and I have to admit it might look girlie, but it’s damn good,” he said as he took a deep swallow.
Roxie laughed, grateful for the distraction. She truly did enjoy Evan’s company.
“I think I’ll stick with the beer,” Kian told him.
“Maybe ’cause you have to prove your manliness. I have nothing to prove, so I can drink pink drinks all night long,” Evan taunted him.
Kian glared at the man as he took a step closer to Roxie. She rolled her eyes. Macho posturing never had been a turn-on for her.
“Do you want to dance, beautiful?” Evan asked.
Roxie felt Kian tense beside her, and she was about to accept the invite when Kian spoke for her.
“No, she’s dancing with me,” he said.
Evan wasn’t at all offended. He just laughed as he moved away.
“That was rude, Kian,” she told him.
“I don’t care. You don’t need to be dancing with Evan,” Kian said.
Then he took her hand and began pulling her to the dance floor. She refused to cause a scene, so she reluctantly allowed him to drag her there. Right as they reached the edges, the tune changed to a slow song, and the overhanging lights above dimmed.
Roxie wondered if Evan had something to do with that. It seemed everyone she knew was trying to push her and Kian together. They didn’t know all the baggage standing between the two of them.
And if Roxie allowed herself to fall for this man again, would she end up losing everything? That was her greatest fear. She’d not only lose herself again, but now she would lose Lily as well. Her heart squeezed at the thought.
“Relax and enjoy this,” Kian said. They were at the edge of the dance floor, and she was practically shaking.
“This isn’t a good idea,” she told him. They could still turn away, and no one would notice a thing.
“Dance with me,” he said in a seductive drawl that went straight to her core. By the expression in his eyes, he knew exactly what his voice was doing to her, and she hated the power he held over her.
She didn’t know what else she could say to him. She didn’t have the will to fight him, and there were people all around, so even if she wanted to, she couldn’t deny him. She was sure it would be the talk of the town if she ran off screaming. Then again, it might be the talk of the town if she did fall into his arms.
“I wouldn’t mind dragging you over my shoulder,” he said with a wicked smile that sent flutters to her stomach. She wouldn’t mind being locked in his arms. Dang it, she truly was losing her mind.
Roxie didn’t give him a confirmation, but she allowed him to bring her the rest of the way onto the floor. The second he pulled her in close and she felt her body pressed to his, the feel of his hand resting in the curve of her back and his thigh brushing between her thighs, she lost all sense of doubt. This was where she always belonged, where she always felt the safest.
It was so turbulent with Kian, but at the same time, it felt as if she were in the eye of the storm, that he was her anchor, her safety net. How could she think he was the cause of her problems, and then, on the other hand, believe he was the only one who could fix them? She had problems—real problems.
“Look at me,” Kian told her in a throaty whisper.
She couldn’t refuse him and looked up, their gazes locking together, their warm breaths mingling. He pulled her even closer, and she was trapped, trapped in his embrace, in his eyes, in his very existence. She found she didn’t want to escape. At least she didn’t in this moment.
She forgot about the people surrounding them, forgot they had unresolved issues. She couldn’t think of anything other than how it felt to be in this man’s arms. He had once been everything to her, and it seemed like he might be that man again. Whether she wanted him to be or not, she’d let him consume her again.
The soft pulse of the music seemed to wash right through her, and she felt like the two of them were floating on clouds. No matter how she tried telling herself it was just a dance, she knew it was so much more than that. It was a seduction.
Her hand drifted from his shoulder and rested against his heart, which was beating strong and steady. She felt comfort in his strength, in his very presence. He truly was her haven in the storm.
She couldn’t look away from his gaze, from the heat in his eyes, the softness of his lips or the pulse in his neck. His gaze caressed her face, and she could feel it all the way through her body. His eyes rested on her lips, and they tingled with the need to connect to his. She licked them, and a low moan escaped his mouth, the sound shooting straight to her core.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he murmured, pulling her even closer. There was no mistaking the bulge pressing against her. It didn’t matter how many times they made love, she’d never have enough of him. His desire for her was beyond arousing.
He leaned lower and caressed her ear with his lips. “Actually, beautiful is too mellow a word to describe how you look,” he said, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. She was going to melt in front of every person in this room.
Roxie tried to push him away, but he wasn’t letting her go.
“People are watching us,” she warned.
“Let them. I’m sure every man in this room wants to be me right now,” he told her.
His hand slid over the curve of her ass before coming back up, and though she knew this was wrong, so very wrong, she couldn’t seem to stop it from happening. It felt too good.
She shut down the doubts in her mind and simply enjoyed the moment with this man. She wasn’t sure how many more times like this she would allow herself, so she had to take it all in, because, if she wasn’t brave enough, she would walk away from this man again, and memories would be all she’d have left.
She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his chest, the beating of his heart mellowing her even more. He tucked her against him, and it was only him and her. No one else existed; no one else could come between them, not in this perfect moment.
“I hope you’re all having a good time!”