Page 9

I wasn’t sure where I got the gumption to flirt with this man earlier, but I definitely didn’t expect him to hunt me down outside the ladies’ room.

My heart slammed against my ribs. As I stared into his dark, glittering eyes.

The pulse of the bass from the music seemed to reverberate through my body, but it felt distant, as if the beat belonged to someone else.

All the sounds of the party— the chatter, the clinking of ice cubes in crystal glasses, the laughter that filled the air —faded into a fuzzy sort of hush.

It was as if the world around us had blurred, leaving only the two of us in focus.

His gaze was steady, unyielding. It was as if he could see straight through me, into every thought I was trying so desperately to hide.

I swallowed hard, but my throat felt dry, and the words I should’ve said seemed to slip further away with each passing second.

My hands fisted, tightening at my sides. It was doing nothing to ease the heat creeping up my neck.

Unspoken tension hung between us, thick enough to touch. My body felt feverish, swollen, and I ached in places I’d ignored for way too long.

I couldn’t look away.

Christ, he was handsome.

And so damn intense.

Tall and built.

Decked out in a navy suit tailored to fit his frame. A dark shirt molded to his chest beneath his jacket, and he wore no tie.

But the splash of color from his shoes gave him an edge I liked.

A lot.

“You ready to go?” Connor asked.

“Go?”

“Yeah. For that drink, Darlin’,” he said, tipping his head towards the front door.

Was this a good idea?

I couldn’t be sure, but my pulse was racing as I stood there. There was something so intriguing about this man and the way his gaze never seemed to leave mine.

“Let me get my coat,” I whispered, deciding then and there I was going to do this.

If life had taught me anything, it was that opportunities could arise at any time, and it was better not to squander them.

Maybe I was getting in over my head. But sometimes that was exactly what a girl like me needed.

Like when I was a kid who refused to get in the pool because I couldn’t swim, and Mom tossed me into the deep end.

Sure, I was scared at first.

“Come on, Clemmy mine, move those arms and legs,” she said.

I was frightened, but I listened to her soft commands. And eventually I did it. I found my rhythm. I learned to swim.

Maybe dating was like that. I just had to jump in and find my rhythm.

“Good, I’ll get the car,” he murmured, bringing me back to the present.

Connor remained standing in front of me for another ten seconds, head canted as he watched me. The rough timber of his voice, the glitter in his eyes, all of it seemed to hold a promise inside them.

A secret, maybe.

Like the one I had about how much I wanted him.

I bit my lip and nodded, dying to see it revealed, to this insane attraction come to fruition.

“Okay,” I replied, agreeing to far more than a drink.

“I’ll be out in a minute.”