I point to the door that the other two members dragged Nick through. “One more outburst like that and I’ll have you all removed. I already have back-up entertainment in place in case this doesn’t go well.”
“I understand, Miss Dawson.”
He turns and walks out the same door the other three disappeared into and Lucas turns to me, rubbing his hands up and down my arms.
“You okay?”
I scoff. “Why don’t you ask me again at the end of this night?”
Chapter Fourteen
Quinn
Lucas pulls me into his arms and begins to sway back and forth as the band plays an instrumental version of Perfect by Ed Sheeran and I melt into him, relieved that this night is almost over. The band thankfully got their shit together just before the guests arrived and we managed to raise a ton of money for the children’s hospital without any more drama. And, as an added bonus, I had several people come up to me tonight and ask for business cards because they were so impressed with my work.
“You ready to call it a night?” Lucas asks as he holds my hand to his chest and I shake my head.
“Not quite yet. Dance with me a little while longer.”
He smiles. “I think I can do that. By the way, you killed it tonight, babe. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, a blush creeping up my cheeks and a deep sense of satisfaction settling into my chest knowing that he’s impressed with all my hard work. Who would have thought, three weeks ago, that his opinion would mean more to me than anything else. “And thanks for getting all dressed up and accompanying me.”
“And miss seeing you in this dress? Not a chance in hell.”
I lean back and our eyes meet. “You trying to butter me up, Smith?”
“Why?” He laughs. “Is it working?”
“A lady never tells.”
“Quinn,” Willa calls as she approaches us and I turn to her with a smile.
“Hey, girl. What ever happened to your date?”
She shakes her head with a sigh. “He bailed on me ten minutes before the event started.”
“What a tool,” Lucas tells her and I nod in agreement.
“Oh, don’t you worry about it. You, sir, have renewed my faith in the opposite sex.”
Lucas laughs, pulling me closer and I can’t help but smile. “Well, glad I could help.”
“And you,” she says, pointing to me. “We have lots to talk about on Monday.”
“I’m really looking forward to that,” I quip, my tone dry and she laughs. No doubt she’ll spend the rest of the weekend thinking of questions to grill me with.
“Me, too. I’m going to take off and I’ll be back in the morning to get all this broken down.”
I nod and step out of Lucas’s arms to give her a hug. “Thank you. Text me when you get home so I know you made it safe and I’ll be around tomorrow if you run into any problems.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle it,” she says before flashing me a grin. “So you two have a fun weekend.”
“Subtle,” I murmur and she laughs.
“That word is not in my vocabulary.” She pulls away and takes a step back, waving as Lucas pulls me back into his body. “Bye, y’all.”
When she’s gone, I turn back to Lucas and yawn as I lay my head on his shoulder. We sway back and forth to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. There are a few couples out on the dance floor and a few groups of people still milling around but the party is definitely winding down and although I’m exhausted, I’m incredibly proud of myself for throwing this together.
“Let’s get you upstairs, gorgeous,” Lucas whispers in my ear and I nod as I yawn again.
“Okay.”
He grabs my hand and laces our fingers as we start slowly wandering out of the ballroom. “Is it time for my surprise now?”
“You’re like a kid on Christmas,” I tease with a laugh.
“Come on, baby. Just tell me what it is. I’ve been thinking about it all night.”
I grab his arm and cuddle into his side as we stop in front of the elevator. “I think you can wait a few more minutes.”
“Fine,” he grumbles, looking more like a little boy than the man I’ve gotten to know over the past month and I giggle as the elevator doors open.
“So impatient.”
We step into the elevator and as soon as the doors slide closed, he pushes my back up against the wall and runs his nose down the length of mine. “You know what else I’ve been waiting all night for?”
“What?”
He leans in and gently presses his lips to mine, letting them linger just long enough to make me want more before he pulls away. “That.”
“Do it again.”
“Look at you,” he muses, leaning one hand against the wall by my head as he traces over my bottom lip with his finger. “Getting all demanding and shit.”
“Kiss me, Lucas.”
He shakes his head and drops his hand from my face. “I don’t know, Darlin’. I kind of like hearing you beg like this.”
“Don’t press your luck,” I murmur, arching my back and pressing my hips into his. He sucks in a breath and a satisfied smile stretches across my face.
“What if I do?”
“Then I’ll be sleeping alone tonight.”
The door slides open and I arch a brow as I shove him off me and leave him standing in the elevator with a shocked look on his face. I peek over my shoulder as I dig the key out of my clutch and he follows after me, his gaze locked on my ass, and I turn back to the door with a grin on my face.
“The back of this fucking dress,” he growls, stepping up behind me and gripping the fabric at the waist. “Is killing me.”
“I would say I’m sorry…”
He shakes his head and presses his lips to my neck. “No, don’t. I love it.”
“Well,” I muse as I slip the key into the lock and twist it. The door opens and I step inside before reaching out and pulling him along with me. As soon as the door closes, I feel bolder than I have all night and I press him up against the wall. “I think it’s time for your surprise.”
His eyes light up. “Yeah? What is it?”
Leaning in, I lay my hand flat against his chest and kiss his neck, lingering for a second before moving on to the next spot. A groan rumbles in his chest and his grip on my hips tightens.
“Darlin’,” he rasps, his voice full of gravel. It sends shivers down my spine and my belly flips as moisture pools between my thighs. “If you keep kissing me like that…”
“Shut up, Lucas. No more warnings. No more holding back. No more rules. In the past month, you’ve proven to me countless times that you are the kind of man that I can trust with not only my body but my heart. My feelings for you are wild and overwhelming sometimes, given that we’ve only known each other for a short time but I told you I was ready for more and that’s your surprise tonight.”
His brows furrow. “What do you mean?”
“I guess I’ll have to show you,” I whisper, reaching under my arm and unhooking the top of the dress as our eyes lock. My heart thunders in my chest as I slowly lower the zipper and when I reach the bottom, I slip the dress off my shoulders. Lucas’s gaze falls to my chest and he swallows hard as I let go of the dress and it glides down my body before pooling in a puddle at my feet.