Charlie and Denise were both staring at me.
“What?” I asked, feeling the burn in my throat.
“Give it up already,” Denise said. “How the hell are your thighs still closed?”
Charlie chuckled at her crass comment.
I rolled my eyes and brought my drink to my lips. My eyes shifted to the bar so I could admire him, seeing the way his shoulders and arms stretched his t-shirt, see the way his brown eyes looked bright from all the way across the room.
He stood at the bar, ordered his drink with his one arm resting on the surface, and then a sexy little thang came over to talk to him.
Not gonna happen, biotch.
But Dax turned to her, smiled, and gave her a hug. Then he stayed at the bar and talked to her. She was a small brunette with long curled hair, and her deep blue dress was nice against her skin tone.
“Ooh…she’s trying to take your man.” Matt appeared at my side.
“No, she’s not,” I said. “They obviously know each other.” I turned away so I wouldn’t continue to stare.
Matt kept his eyes on the drama. “The only women Dax knows are women he’s slept with.”
Now my heart dropped into my stomach, so I took a drink from my glass.
Charlie stared at me, standing closer to Denise than he should. “Look at her, she’s losing her mind.”
“I am not,” I said calmly.
“You’re totally jealous,” Charlie said. “Your face is getting all red, you’re flustered…”
“I don’t get jealous,” I snapped. “Did you see the way he just kissed me and grabbed my ass?”
“And he’s probably done the same to her,” Matt said, his eyes still on Dax. “They’re still talking…”
I turned to him, getting a little angry. “Why are you trying to get a rise out of me?”
“I’m not,” Matt said. “I just think he’s hot, so I like to stare, and he happens to be talking to an equally hot woman… That’s all.”
Charlie set his beer down. “You’re jealous. Just admit it.”
“I’m not,” I said calmly. “You guys are just trying to make this into a dramatic situation.” I drank from my lemon drop again, making it empty.
“I’ve never seen you drink a lemon drop that quickly,” Denise said. “So—”
“He’s coming back,” Matt said.
“Everyone just shut up and don’t say anything,” I said. “I’m not going to be one of those obnoxious people who gets jealous every time her man is talking to a woman. I’m too secure for that. Too classy for that.”
“Whatever you say.” Charlie drank from his beer.
Dax came back to the table, a glass of scotch in hand.
We were all quiet…suspiciously quiet.
His arm moved around my waist, and he took a drink.
My temper flared out of nowhere. “Did you grab her ass?”
He almost had to spit it out because the question caught him off guard. He wiped the drops from his lips with the back of his forearm then he looked down at me, his eyes filled with surprise.
Matt rested his forehead on the table and laughed uncontrollably, trying to mute it against the wood.
Charlie grinned. “Smooth…”
Denise covered her mouth and tried not to laugh too hard.
“Grab whose ass?” Dax set down his glass and turned to me.
“That woman you were talking to.” I couldn’t think rationally at all, because I kept picturing him kissing her and grabbing her ass the way he grabbed mine every time he saw me.
“No…I didn’t grab her ass.” He glanced at everyone at the table, seeing them all laughing. “Am I missing something here?”
“I don’t mean right now,” I snapped. “But when you were together.”
“Why do you assume we were together?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Because she’s hot.” I looked into his face, the jealousy running rampant like a wild animal that had just escaped a cage.
Once Dax understood the situation, that arrogant smile started to stretch over his lips, like this was absolutely hilarious. He leaned his elbow on the table and looked at me, his eyes more playful than they’d ever been. “Damn…you’re so fucking hot when you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous—”
“You’re seriously going to look me in the eye and say that?” His sexy grin was obnoxious right now because he was enjoying this far too much. “Sweetheart, it looks like your head is about to explode.”
I turned away to storm off.
He grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me back. “Nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s hot… I love it.” His arms circled me and held me close to his body.
“You never answered my question.”
“What?”
“Did you grab her ass?”
He released me, still smiling. “I’m sorry, this is a weird question. Can I have some backstory?”
Charlie stuck himself in the conversation. “At first, she tried to pretend she wasn’t jealous, even though she clearly was. But she also said there was nothing to be jealous about because of the way you’d just kissed her and groped her ass.”
Dax kept his eyes on me and gave a slight nod in agreement.
“But then Matt said you’ve probably grabbed her ass too,” Charlie said. “I think that’s what made her snap.”
Dax’s eyes darkened as his hand went to my cheek. “Now I get it, sweetheart. I knew you loved it when I grabbed your ass, but I had no idea how much.” His fingers slid to my neck, and he brought me close, held me like we were lovers when he hadn’t been between my legs in months. “No is my answer. Is that better?” His thumb slid across my jawline, his eyes looking at my lips. “Hmm?”
“A bit…”
“Would it also help to know your ass is the only ass I want to squeeze…ever.”
Charlie and Denise both made an aww noise.
Matt straightened and grinned. “Smooth, man.”
“How’s that?” he whispered.
I gave a slight nod before I turned my lips into his palm and kissed his hand.
His gaze intensified.
I moved into his chest and rested my forehead against his chest.
His arms circled around me, and he placed a kiss to my forehead. “I can’t wait to make love to you.”
I closed my eyes and held him close, never wanting to let him go, never wanting to share. Once I opened my heart, he infected me, entered every part of my body until he had complete control over me. I was emotional, delirious…even crazy. I had fallen so deeply, fallen so hard, that it made me wonder if I’d ever loved Evan…because I’d never felt this way. “Me too.”
Kat walked inside and headed to our table.
“Hey, girl.” I tried to be overly bubbly for her, to make this night go as smoothly as possible. “Damn, you look hot.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks…” Her eyes shifted to Charlie and Denise.
They were so absorbed in their conversation, the music so loud, that they didn’t even notice Kat approach. And Charlie was staring at Denise with that look…the kind of look that Dax gave to me.