Page 59 of A Forbidden Arrangement

Damon’s eyes darken, his whole body shifting. The air changes around him, heavier, charged. “I dare you to try.”

For a second, I forget to breathe. He’s terrifying. Every muscle in his body looks ready to snap forward.

Misty doesn’t flinch. “I guess you’ll just have to claim them all yourself.”

She grabs his tie, pulling him down for a kiss on the cheek. The dangerous man melts into something soft and lovesick right in front of me.

I can’t help but stare. Misty’s tiny, but she’s clearly the one in charge.

They disappear into the crowd before I can process any of it.

Xander’s standing beside me, hands in his pockets, watching me with that look that says he knows exactly what I’m thinking. “You’ll get used to it.”

I lift a brow at him, unconvinced.

His mouth twitches as he rocks back on his heels, fighting a smile. For a second, he looks way too much like his brother.

Then he reaches out, brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and holds out his other hand.

I take it without thinking.

“Dance with me,” he says, voice dropping low enough to make my skin tingle.

Maybe Misty rubbed off on me because I suddenly want to push him a little. “I don’t know. There are plenty of good-looking men here. Maybe one of them will come save me.”

Taunting the devil himself isn’t my smartest move.

Xander growls low in his throat, pulls me hard against him, and before I can blink, I’m lifted clean off the ground. My stomach lands over his shoulder as he strides toward the door.

“Xander!”

His hand presses against the back of my thigh to steady me, completely unbothered by the eyes on us.

“I’ll dance with you,” I gasp. “I’ll dance. Just let me down.”

“Ask nicely.”

Oh, I really want to kill this man.

He’s completely immune to the wave of mortification taking over every nerve in my body.

My fingers twitch with the urge to dig into his ear and rip it off. I weigh the idea for a second before deciding that ending my humiliation matters more. I’ll just murder him in his sleep.

“Please…please put me down.” My mouth tastes sour, but I get the words out.

Xander lowers me slowly, dragging every inch of himself along me. By the time my feet hit the floor, my breath comes out in hot, uneven pants.

The relief doesn’t last long. I remember exactly where we are. I bury my face in his chest and groan, tugging at his collar until I can hide under it.

I stay there, frozen. Every muscle locks tight until I start to shake.

“Shit.” His palm moves up and down my back in steady strokes. “Lift your head, pretty girl.”

I shake it. No. I burrow deeper, wishing I could disappear right here on the spot.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“No.” The word snaps out before I can stop it, so full of disdain I almost stomp my foot.