I looked down at the fabric, then looked back up at her. She was laughing, clearly humored by my reaction. It wasn’t like she’d stripped down bare. She had on sheer black leggings with black knickers beneath them. She was wearing more clothes than some of the outfits I’d seen her rehearse in, yet I felt like I was getting a peep show from the captain of the cheerleading team.
Kai did a slow and sexy walk toward me before extending her leg on a quick guitar beat. The way her leg extended, her body flexing as her upper half curled down to reach her toes, was erotic as fuck. And she’d only just started.
With each phrase, she delivered something different, something equally stimulating to my dick, which was fighting against my zipper. Her head would snap to the side, bringing her long hair with it. Her hips would roll, sending my focus straight to every dip and curve of her body. She’d pop her chest out just enough to give me a view of her cleavage.
Damn, Kai could move, but asking her to move for me had been a mistake. Now, all I could think about was her spread out above me, knees pushed into the cushion on either side, dancing on my cock as I pushed so deep inside her she’d combust.
* * *
WATCH: Dirty Diana
* * *
The moment the music began to transition into a Sam Smith song, I leapt to my feet and met her in the middle of the dance floor. I wrapped her skirt around her and snapped it back together, and then I swallowed her small hand with mine. I didn’t know what to expect, but she didn’t pull away. “Dance with me.”
She tilted her head with her eyes slit and a smile playing on her face. “Are you asking or telling?”
I quirked a brow at her challenge. “Definitely asking.”
She rolled her eyes and stepped toward me, closing the gap. “Like you would take no for an answer.”
Chuckling, I led her to the dance floor and pulled her to me with a smile that felt softer than I’d anticipated. “You already know me so well.”
It wasn’t just Kai who surprised me. I surprised myself when I was around her.
I spun her before bringing her back into my arms, feeling a twinge of envy at knowing another man got to dance with her like this on a daily basis—namely, Jake Locklear.
“You know, Kai.” I knew I should tread carefully, but when did I ever heed warnings? I lived off complete honesty. “Jake isn’t someone you should be hanging around with.”
Her eyes shone as they looked back up at mine. “And what about you? Should I really be hanging around the Bad Boy of Broadway?”
I shrugged. “Well, yeah.” My lip tugged up at the corner. “At least you know what you’re dealing with.”
She narrowed her eyes, but the playful look about her remained. “I’ll make up my own mind who I hang out with. And right now, I’m here.”
Something about the way her eyes lingered on mine caught me in the chest. I pulled her in a little more. “Guess I’ll just have to keep a close eye on you, then.”
She chuckled against my chest. “Careful there, Bash.” Her warning was soft, causing my chest to buzz with affection. “You wouldn’t want to start crossing any lines.”
I glared at the wall over her head, hating the reminder of the lengths I’d gone to in my desperation to get her to sign on. But nothing was going the way I’d hoped or planned. My heart and mind were clearly not communicating well.
“I won’t be the one to cross any lines, Kai. Not first, anyway. A promise is a promise.”
She looked up just as the final note in the song rang out. The challenge in her eyes said it all. She didn’t believe me, and she was daring me to try. But I wouldn’t. Despite the insane need to be around her all the time, I knew I couldn’t. I’d made a promise to her that I would stay away, but the promise I’d made to myself was the one I would never stray from.
A banging sound and a muddled “Hey” sounded from the hall. We looked up to see a security guard peering through the glass with a frown on his face.
“You can’t be in here!” he shouted.
“Right,” I said, pulling away from Kai and tugging her toward the second entrance. “Looks like our time is up.”
She laughed as she ran behind me through the exit, down the hall, toward the staircase, and then down two floors until we reached the fifth deck.
I pulled her down the hall toward a smaller theater used for movie showings. Someone must have been testing a reel in the booth above because the lights were out and a film was playing.
As the door shut quietly behind us, I raised a finger to my mouth and pulled her toward the back row of the theater, where the chance of anyone finding us in the shadows was slim.
Some rom-com was playing, with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, and Kai’s eyes fixated on the screen. A laugh came a second later, a real, deep one, where the corners of her eyes crinkled and her chest heaved a little. Her bronze skin was still glowing from our short jaunt from the disco. And her hair, though still loosely curled, was tangled around her head.
I’d never felt so enamored by someone’s presence or so relaxed just from watching someone laugh. But everything about Kai, though hard and full of sass on the exterior, was soft and vulnerable on the inside. She let out another laugh then turned, catching me in a stare. That was the moment I realized I hadn’t taken my eyes off her since we sat down.
Shit.
I turned, shifting in my seat as I placed a foot on the back of the chair in front of me. She laughed again at something on screen, but while I was staring at the same picture she was, I was focused on everything about the woman beside me: the way her soft arm accidentally brushed mine on occasion; the way her bubblegum scent wafted in the air after she’d so much as move her head; the way I felt comforted just by her nearness.
She was all-consuming, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ever let anyone get close to me like that, in a way that took hold of my senses and refused to let them go, and I wasn’t sure how to react. So I did nothing.
We finished the rest of the movie, credits included, before I dared another glance her way.
She looked positively radiant, like I’d given her just what she needed at just the right time. And something about that thought lit a spark in me I didn’t want to ever lose.
“Dare I ask what you think of this boat now?” I teased her with the word though I made sure my tone was delicate. I couldn’t imagine losing my parents at just eight years old, when she was left alone in this big ugly world.
“It’s…” Her eyes fell as she struggled to find the words. “Not as bad as I thought?” When her eyes found mine again, she smiled in a way that warmed my chest. Then she shrugged and played with the fabric of her long leopard-print skirt. “I’m glad I’m here.”
She looked up, trapping my gaze in hers. My hand took on a life of its own as it moved to cover hers then squeezed. “Me too.”
Chapter 17
Kai
We ended our little adventure well past midnight before heading back to our cabins, completely exhausted. The elevator door opened to someone already using it. When we stepped inside, we weren’t alone. A crew member I didn’t recognize was already there.