Page 33 of One Good Crash
I blinked. "What?"
"The champagne thing," he said. "It just happened."
I stared stupidly up at him. "Huh?"
I was still in his arms, and around us, people were still dancing. And right here in the middle, Jax and I stood, utterly motionless in the crowd. If he was embarrassed, he didn't show it.
Oddly enough, I didn't feel it. In truth, I felt shockingly at home.
He shrugged. "Eh, what are you gonna do? These things happen."
I should've been horrified. And yet, I wasn't. "You mean the champagne thing?" I almost wanted to snicker. Was I being awful? Probably. "You made that happen, didn't you?"
"Me?" He gave me a look of mock innocence. "Nah. I've got better things to do."
"Like what?"
"Like this." And with that, he pulled me closer in his arms and began moving in time with the music. As he did, I felt my worries drift away like rainclouds after a storm.
His arms felt strong, and his movements felt sure and steady. I leaned my face against his chest and let my eyes drift, getting lost in the music and the feel of his body moving against mine.
It was like a dream, and for once, I let myself get lost in it. The music changed, drifting from one song to the next. But he didn't pull away, and neither did I.
I swear, we might've stayed like that forever if a stranger hadn't broken the spell.
Chapter 14
The stranger was a big, broad-shouldered man in a dark business suit. He was telling Jax, "I'm sorry, but you said to let you know."
Around us, plenty of people were still dancing, and I tried not to look as awkward as I felt. Jax and I would still be dancing, too, if only the stranger hadn't just tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something too low for me to make out.
So now, here we were, the three of us, standing motionless among the crowd. In a low voice, Jax told the guy, "Tell him to get the car. I'll meet him out front."
With a tight nod, the guy turned and strode away. I watched in silence as he made his way through the crowd and disappeared into the neighboring room. More confused than ever, I turned to Jax.
His posture was stiff, and yet, he gave me a smile. "Sorry, but there's something I've gotta handle."
Obviously.
Pushing aside my disappointment, I forced a smile, too. "Sure, I understand. And um, thanks for the dance." Stupidly, I wondered if I should've thanked him for thedances, as in plural, because we'd been out here for quite some time.
Reaching for my hand, Jax started guiding us toward the neighboring room. As he moved, he snagged another glass of champagne and handed it to me, saying, "Here. A replacement."
I knew what he meant. It was a replacement for the glass I'd abandoned earlier. I took a tiny sip as we moved closer to the front entrance.
When we reached the door, he turned to face me. "Listen, don't go anywhere, okay?"
I glanced around. The party was in full-swing and showed no signs of ending any time soon. Still, I dreaded the thought of staying on my own, even if had nowhere else to go.
I gave the door a nervous glance.Maybe I could catch a cab?
But to where?
And with what?
Jax said, "You can't leave. You know that, right?"
I was still thinking. "I can't? Why not?"
