Page 23 of With a Broken Wing
“She’s not my girl.”
“Well, in that case…” He went to take a step forward. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“Stay away from her, Black. She’s not my girl, but she’s not on the market either. She’s too young for you. Keep your hands to yourself.”
He smirked at my warning and walked away, making his way around the crowd. Andy giggled while Cheyenne introduced her to a couple of people. I stared at the way she stood out amongst the crowd, the bright yellow dress she wore a stark contrast to the darker suits around her.
I talked to a couple of people while a small crowd started to buzz around Andy. In that crowd was Jacob, Cheyenne, and several other older men in suits. Andy tilted her head back with a laugh when a man with dark, curly hair leaned in to say something in her ear. He trailed his hand down her back, getting less professional the lower it sat until it came to a rest at the curve of her ass.
The room around me blurred as I closed the distance between us. Before I could care that there were several people watching, I wrapped my fingers around her arm. Her gasp was quiet, and her eyes landed on the way my fingers overlapped my thumb around her thin bicep. She swallowed.
“Sorry to interrupt,” I said when I realized the eyes of everyone around us were also looking at my grip before turning my attention to only her. “A word?”
A mischievous glint crossed her eyes before she nodded, stepping towards me so her body was almost pressed against mine. I turned and led her to the grand hall outside the ballroom, finding a quiet corner to pull her into.
The instantwe were out of the ballroom and around the corner, I was surrounded by his arms and the way Demetri smelled. I wanted to lick the mint and oak scent from his neck. The expensive red wine I was sipping was starting to numb my judgement, and for a moment, it looked like he was aroused and not just angry. I considered revisiting the way he’d kissed me the other night.
“What happened to being nervous?” he asked through gritted teeth. His voice was husky and still angry.
I fluttered my eyelids and looked up at him from under my lashes. “I guess you were right. I shouldn’t be.”
When he leaned in and dropped his voice to a near whisper against my ear, chills ran down my spine. “As much as I enjoy being told I’m right, if you keep letting these men touch you, I willgiveyou a reason to be nervous.”
I gasped, my jaw dropping. It took me a second for the shock of his words to settle before I could close my mouth, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. He darted his dark eyes from mine to my mouth and back.
You’re the damn sun.
Steeling my spine, I stepped onto my toes until I was face-to-face with him, and I hovered my mouth over his. “Or maybeyou’renervous, hmm?”
His slow, deep inhale could be felt against my lips, but even though I wanted to grab his head and press my mouth to his, I turned my head and stepped to the side. A deep, quiet growl rolled from him as I moved back towards the party. Taking another step, I turned back to him.
“You should relax. It’s a party,” I said. With a wink, I walked the rest of the way into the other room before he had a chance to respond. I could feel him walking in behind me, though, so I kept my back straight as I moved towards the bar.
When I got there, I leaned against the counter. My knees were shaking, and I was sure my legs would give out from under me.Who the fuck are you?The bartender stopped in front of me, and I ordered another glass of wine before Demetri made it to my side.
“You’re something, you know that?” He said it with a sense of annoyance, kind of like a parent who had been asked too many sarcastic questions by a teenager.
I flipped my hair over my shoulder and turned to face him. “Is that a compliment,sir?”
He narrowed his eyes, and a warmth rushed to my core. If I wasn’t careful, I would quickly cross the threshold from flirting to giving in to temptation. I took a long gulp of wine from the glass the bartender set down in front of me, waiting while Demetri ordered some kind of whiskey.
As we walked across the room with our glasses in hand, eyes turned in our direction. I painted on my most convincing smile and locked eyes with Jacob. Demetri stiffened next to me as we moved in his direction, but he didn’t redirect us.
“Are you having a good time?” Jacob asked, meeting us near the center of the room at a round, bar-height table.
“I’m having agreattime,” I answered, catching the way Demetri’s mouth twitched and he narrowed his eyes when I said it. Jacob looked pleased with my response before turning to see Demetri nod. “Thank you so much for having us.”
“Well, it has been a pleasure havingyouhere. Not so much this guy, though.” Jacob nudged Demetri with a laugh, receiving a scowl in return.
“A joy as always, Black.” Demetri rolled his eyes, taking the last gulp of his drink and turning his annoyed gaze in my direction. “We have an early morning tomorrow, so we should get going if you’re ready.”
I nodded, familiar nerves settling in my stomach. In a matter of moments, I would no longer be surrounded by the hum of the crowd that fed me confidence. A cold sweat settled on my spine when Demetri gestured toward the door, and I took a feeble step in that direction.
In the back of the car, I kept my attention on the window, watching downtown Atlanta go by. People walked in groups or sat at restaurants laughing, and they all looked carefree—something I’ve longed to feel my whole life. Suddenly the tension in the car made the air feel warm.
My skin tingled with the feeling of being watched, and when I turned my head enough to see him out of the corner of my eye, Demetri was staring. He was intently focused on me, moving his eyes between my face, body, and hands.
“What are you looking at?” My voice shook, and every ounce of brave Andy was gone.
