Page 24 of Fight Or Flight

Objectively gorgeous.

His brain immediately pulled up the image of her rich brown hair, cool stare, and full soft lips, then he shook it off. “Yes. She’s beautiful. But she’s also heartless, short-tempered, impatient, sarcastic—”

The heavy door entering the ballroom slammed shut, breaking Ethan from his thoughts. His gaze snapped to the door, along with the other hundred people in the room, and there she was, standing in front of the gigantic double doors. She had pulled her long hair back behind one ear, and she was wearing a short black dress that was fitted at the top and flared out at her waist.When she noticed people looking at her, she looked down and started moving.

Ethan elbowed Adam. “That’s her,” he whispered. “Natalie Alvarez.”

She scanned the room, then her eyes zeroed in on a target, and she marched with precision forward, her black dress swishing around the middle of her thighs with each click of her heels on the wood floor. When she passed by them and turned, Ethan saw that her dress was almost completely backless, save for the two impossibly thin, criss-crossing straps that formed anXacross her naked back.

“Good God,” Adam muttered. “She doesn’t look homeless. Is she married?”

Ethan hadn’t even considered that. Maybe that’s why she wanted to leave town so badly. Did she have a Mr. Alvarez to be homeless with? He didn’t even know how that worked. “I don’t know.”

“What’s she doing here?”

“No clue.”

“Argh . . . I need answers.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Where’s Mrs. P.?”

Adam gave him an annoyed look. “It’sMs.P. And she saw a student she wanted to say hi to.”

Ethan snorted a laugh and shook his head. He kept watching as Natalie walked across the dance floor, directly to Amy and Jaclyn. She tapped on Amy’s shoulder, and when Amy turned around, she clapped a little, then pulled Natalie into a tight hug. He watched with his jaw nearly to the floor, but the real shocker came when Natalie warmly returned the hug.

After a few seconds, Amy seemed to introduce Natalie to Jaclyn before turning and heading directly toward him. Presumably, to the bar behind him. Before they could pass by,Adam cleared his throat. It was a noise loud enough to stop traffic.

“Hey, Amy!”

She stopped, and her eyebrows drew together. “What?”

“Introduce us.”

Natalie’s eyes narrowed at Adam. Amy took Natalie by the arm and walked to them. When Natalie’s eyes met Ethan’s, her step slowed, but she said nothing. He was expecting to be skewered by her, as he was at Speeler’s.

“Natalie,” Amy said, drawing her attention away. “This is Adam. He’s ridiculous.”

Adam shot Amy a look. “Thank you for that,” he said under his breath, then extended a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Natalie.”

Natalie took his hand but only nodded. Then her sharp gaze snapped from Adam back to Ethan, and she stared directly into his eyes.

“And this,” Amy said, gesturing to him, “is my brother, Ethan.”

Ethan knew the exact moment the recognition came. Natalie’s eyes widened before narrowing once more. She let her gaze slowly scan down his body and back up to his eyes. He resisted the urge to turn and run.

“Snake charmer. This is a good look for you.”

Ethan couldn’t help the smile. He looked down at the slim navy suit Jaclyn had chosen, completed with a crisp white shirt and silver-sage tie. “Thanks.”

“Snake charmer?” Adam said.

“You two know each other?” Amy asked.

Natalie turned to Amy. “We met at the waterfall. He tried to take my stick.”

“She was using the stick to beat the snakes.”

Natalie nodded, as if this were an admirable thing to do. Quick thinking on her part.

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