Page 47 of Like You Want It

And yes, it’s hot watching her writhe around on the dance floor, and I can only imagine how amazing it would be to have her twist like that beneath me.

But Carly isn’t a one and done.

She isn’t a woman I can take home and then never see again.

She’s the person who befriends your sister. The woman who wins over your friends. The girlfriend you take to meet your parents. The person who mothers your children.

My stomach twists.

I made a decision a long time ago that a relationship that was aimed to go anywhere was going in the wrong direction for me. And I can’t let anyone change that.

So now, it’s just the fun stuff. The girls that know what they’re getting into. That just want a good time and like the game.

Because I’ve already learned my lesson. Getting involved with anything serious is a mistake. Acting like you want a relationship leads to nothing but trouble.

And that’s exactly what it would be.

Acting.

So instead of walking up to Carly and placing my hands on her hips like I want to, I clench my fists and stay where I am, for as long as I can.

I spent years in the military, some of them torturous. This should be nothing.

Twenty minutes goes by where I watch them act like fools on the floor. I know because there’s a massive hand clock on the wall above the bar that I can see from where I’m sitting.

I finish my water.

I remain in my seat.

Eventually, Susie and Dina head off to the bathroom, picking up their clutches from the table I’m seated at and wandering off, leaving Carly alone to giggle and keep dancing by herself.

If there was ever a moment to give in to my baser instincts, it would be now. But I grit my teeth. Try to reason with myself.

There is nothing she can give you that you actually want.

Relationships aren’t for you, and Carly is a relationship kind of girl.

I’m trying to think of anything else to convince myself to stay seated when a handful of drunk guys make their way onto the floor, heading in Carly’s direction, intruding on where she is clearly happily dancing alone.

I sit up straight in my chair, my feet shuffling a bit on the floor beneath me.

One guy in particular has his sights on Carly, gives her a smile, gets close and tries to dance. She shakes her head, smiles and moves away. But he’s not easily dismissed, and comes up behind her, grabbing her hips, pulling her into him with force.

I can tell from Carly’s face that she is not a fan.

To be honest, I’m not either.

If she’d been with the other girls, they would have done that girl thing where they smile and spin each other away, and maybe that would have worked.

Maybe that would have been enough for me to keep my head and my place in my seat.

But Susie and Dina aren’t there with her. And even though Carly seems like a feisty little thing who can handle herself, I’d feel a whole lot better if I made sure she was okay.

And popped this guy in the fucking face.

I’m moving towards them before I even realize that I’ve pushed out of my chair and on to the dance floor. The last thing I want to do is leave someone I care about to fend for themselves.

I nearly trip over myself at those words.