Page 18 of The Riskiest Move

Griffin and Thor suddenly appear, reclaiming their places at the table. Their drinks are full, so I’m guessing they already enjoyed one or two at the bar.

Autumn snickers. “Thor, you have lipstick on your cheek.”

He wipes it away and takes a sip from his glass.

“I bet that’s not his only body part with lipstick,” Griffin mutters loud enough for us all to hear.

Scarlett scrunches her nose. “Eww.”

Thor lowers his glass, smiling. “I enjoyed it.” Autumn makes a gagging sound, and Thor laughs. “That’s what she said.”

“Men are pigs,” Autumn states, slapping her hand on her leg.

“I’m not,” Rogan says, defending himself.

“You’re still in recovery,” Griffin says, laughing.

“You were as bad as these two before we got together,” Autumn says.

“Wasbeing the operative word,” Scarlett reminds her friend.

Rogan takes hold of Autumn’s hand. “With every day that passes, I’m proving I no longer want to be with anyone but you.”

Autumn smiles at him. “You are.”

Watching those two makes me wonder what it would be like to be in a relationship. It must be amazing to have someone you can always count on, someone who’s there for whatever you need. I’ve never had that with anyone aside from my family. Someday I’ll venture into the unknown territory of being in a relationship, but for now I’ll remain single and keep my focus solely on my career.

Scarlett leans in close, her lips brushing my ear. “Dance with me?” she asks softly.

I nod, taking her hand as we excuse ourselves from the table. As we make our way to the dance floor, I feel the gazes of our friends following us, no doubt analyzing our every move.

The band is playing a slow, romantic melody as I pull Scarlett into my arms. We sway side to side, her body fitting perfectly against mine. I can’t help but notice how right and comfortable it feels to hold her like this. Glancing around the room, I see she’s gained the attention of most of the men here and I inwardly smile. Right about now they’d give their left nut to be in my position.

CHAPTER 5

SCARLETT

My hands slide over his broad shoulders and down to his upper back. His trapezius muscles flex under my fingers as we move about the dance floor. With my heels on, he’s only three or four inches taller than me, placing my temple level with his mouth. His soft exhale whispers over my skin, causing goose bumps on my flesh. I suppress a shiver, reminding myself this is all for show. Angling my head back, I stare at him. “I just remembered you told me you couldn’t dance.”

“I did?” he asks, and I can’t tell if he’s serious.

“At the restaurant… when we spoke about your lack of an end zone dance.”

His grin is mischievous. “Oh yeah.”

I roll my eyes. “You knew what I was talking about.”

He chuckles softly. “I did.”

“You’re actually a good dancer,” I tell him.

“Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“My mom forced me to take dance lessons until I was twelve.”

“Well, they paid off,” he says, his hand splaying wider on my lower back.

We fall silent, swaying to the music, enjoying the singer’s beautiful voice. My face burns as I sense eyes on us from all directions around the room. No doubt they’re wondering who I am and how Cooper and I met. A small part of me wants to put on a show and really sell this charade. But a larger part of me is enjoying the quiet intimacy of our dance too much to break the spell.

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