Page 54 of First Chance

And, when I shift to adjust my seat against his firm quad, he pulls me a fraction of an inch closer, his hand drifting the same distance down my dress towards the exposed skin of my thigh.

He probably doesn’t even realize he did it, and I’m overanalyzing every single point of contact. My knuckles have turned white clutching the small handbag in my lap.

The person speaking on stage finishes, and the next speaker replaces them, but I have no idea what’s being said.

My fingers twitch, the tips barely brushing against the skin above his shirt collar before returning to the safety of his shirt, and at that exact moment, his fingertips graze the hem of my maroon dress, barely touching my skin.

Did he do that on purpose?

I’m a woman in STEM… I value you a good experiment of cause and effect…

I force my fingers to inch towards his neck again, fighting against my nerves to prove my theory by dragging my nails along the edge of his collar.

My knuckles glide across his skin, and I don’t breathe, waiting for his reaction. It’s only a moment before his hand inches further down my lap and the pads of his fingers dig into my skin.

The pounding in my ears is deafening as I flatten my palm against the back of his neck, cupping his warm skin.

The veins on the back of his hand flex as he covers thespace of my exposed thigh entirely with his hand.

My heart threatens to burst from my chest as my gaze shifts to his face, but his unfocused eyes are still lost across the banquet hall.

His stone-cold expression stays averted as I squeeze the back of his neck, but I know he’s with me because, without hesitation, his fingers dig into my thigh, gripping it with desperation.

Everyone else in the room disappears until all I can see is him.

Someone tries to get my attention, but I can’t stop looking at him.

His hooded eyes turn to me, finding my lips first before moving gradually upward. From an outward perspective, it would appear that he just turned his attention to me, but I know he’s been focused on me this entire time.

He’s as consumed by this as I am.

He doesn’t say a word as he raises two fingers, signaling something to someone out of my line of sight.

I’m afraid that if I look away from him, he’ll disappear, and so will this moment.

The endorphins coursing through my veins are making me high. I’ve never been high, but I imagine this is what it feels like. I’m floating on a cloud of ecstasy, embraced in a warm hug as my skin tingles from my scalp to the tips of my toes.

The fire deep in my belly is burning me from the inside out.

You can probably see the flush of my cheeks through my makeup, but I don’t care. I don’t care what anyone in this room says about me. I could be getting cross looks from every direction, but for the first time in my life, I couldn’tcare less what anyone else thinks.

Only what he thinks.

Something is set down on the table beside us, and I hear the crack of a can opening before he lifts it to my bottom lip.

“Drink,” he orders, watching my mouth as he waits for me to obey.

My lips part a fraction, and the icy aluminum meets my mouth in a kiss, making my eyes flutter closed when he tips it into my mouth. The crisp liquid coats my tongue as the cold beer travels down the back of my throat and into my stomach.

When my eyes blink open, the can is gone, but his mouth is directly in front of me.

A shiver zips down my spine, and his arm hugs me tighter.

“Cold, darlin’?” He rumbles, sending warmth to my very core.

“No.”

His hand twitches against my thigh again, gripping me harder, and I become overly aware of how damp my panties are.

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