Page 51 of Tainted Romance

This little unneeded conversation brought our bodies closer, and I hated myself for liking it. I was pressing myself against him, on my tippy toes trying to speak to him, while he was making the most of the moment, and slinging an arm around my waist, keeping me in place.

“I think I need to stop drinking,” I yelled in his ear.

The deep thud of the bass really wasn’t helping the moment. It was the type of music that just made you want to let go, and be loose.

He chuckled, and threw back his shot before leaning forward, and lowering his mouth to my ear. “The night’s just beginning, didn’t take you as a lightweight.”

“Please! Have you seen me?!” Grinning, I pulled my head back to look him in the eye.

“Oh, I’ve seen you alright.” He licked his bottom lip, and I watched fire spread through his eyes. “You going to drink that?”

I looked at the shot and shrugged my shoulders. His arm was now firmly around me, and I was pinned against his chest. I was stepping on his toes and had one arm wrapped around his neck.

Finally, I shook my head. “No, I really shouldn’t.”

“Give it to me then.”

He took the glass from my hand; our fingers brushing. Skin on skin really was something we should avoid if we didn’t want this to get too heated. I knew that instantly when my stomach twisted into a tight knot by the simple touch.

Zane threw the shot back and put the empty glass on the bar.

The one side effect of alcohol is you don’t really think before you act. So, when I ran my finger across his bottom lip, I really wasn’t thinking. Nor was I thinking when I licked the remaining alcohol off my finger.

I might be nearly drunk, but there was nothing wrong with my eyesight, and I watched Zane’s face twist with desire; desire I could feel running over his skin.

His hand moved, running up my back. It wasn’t gentle; it was raw and firm, making me press into him. He wanted me against him, I could see it in his eyes.

“We should leave,” I said, breathless.

“You’re right.” His words hid a different reason for leaving.

When our bodies separated, I felt like I got my better judgment back. Such an intense feeling consumed me when I touched him; when I was near him.

It wasn’t fair, and it certainly wasn’t healthy.

The noise of the traffic and drunken chatter filled the air once we stepped outside.

Zane reached for my hand, and I didn’t pull away from it. Instead, I let his hand engulf mine, and I knew I was going to regret this in the morning.

‘You ok?’Zane’s voice floated through my mind.

If he was trying to get my reaction to our, um, whatever that was; he wasn’t going to find answers in my mind.

‘Yeah, just…well…yeah.’I looked up at him, my jumble of words making no sense.

He gave me a nod of understanding. “It’s strong, the pull.” I saw his eyes drift down to our tangled hands. “I can’t keep my hands off you.”

I laughed and looked up at him. “Well, apparently neither can I.”

“Remember at the start of this whole mess, we were going to try and just be friends?”

I nodded my head while my mind flowed back to that dinner.

“Well, I think we should try.” He stared down at the ground while we kept walking hand in hand. “We never really gave it a go last time.”

Zane and I were only good at one thing, and that was fighting. “How about…” I came to a stop, pulling on his hand. His eyes met mine. “How about we see how we feel in the morning? Then we can decide.”

He frowned but nodded. “That way you can make an informed decision.”

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