Page 16 of The Beat of My Heart
“Shockingly, I do.”
“I know,” he tells me, chuckling.
Motherfucking inner dialogue.
His arm that was resting on the back of the booth wraps securely around my shoulders. From this angle, I have no options but to lean into him as they deliver the charcuterie board.
“Tell me, Angel, what does your one-night stand look like?” he asks.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“I mean, tell me how you envision your first one-night stand to go?” he whispers into my ear.
A nervous giggle escapes me, “Oh, I hadn’t really thought about that, I guess.”
Tucking my hair behind my ear, he says, “I don’t believe you. So, tell me, would it start with him running his finger along your collarbone and down your arm? Would he watch the goosebumps that fall into place as he slides along your body?”
I gulp as he does everything he is saying. I can only nod as my eyes get lost in his. “Your eyes are the most unique color I’ve ever seen.”I guess I can speak after all. “They’re like-whiskey and,”
“Fireflies,” he adds.
Shocked, I say, “Yes, how did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“I don’t know, Angel, I just do. Dance with me.”
It isn’t a question, and I don’t have time to give an answer. Before I can speak, he has slid us out of the booth and is walking us toward a makeshift dance floor that has filled up as the ominous beat of The Chainsmokers,It Won’t Kill Yabegins to play.
Chapter 7
-Give Me Strength, Snow Patrol
Trevor
What the hell am I doing?Standing from the table, I intentionally leave my phone, hoping my shadow will use that time to make his move.
Marching through the hotel bar that has become crowded, I have to slow my gait, realizing Angel’s little legs are no match for my 6’3 frame. I usually hate to dance, but I had to think of something quickly. I was losing control with her sitting in my lap, and I can’t do that tonight. I wonder briefly if I’m putting her in danger by spending time with her, but push that thought aside as quickly as it came. I won’t see her again after tonight. I can’t.
Standing above her, I finally get a feel for her tiny frame. Even in her four-inch heels, I tower over her. If I was a dick, I would feel powerful, but instead, it makes me want to protect her. I want to dominate her, I realize, in the most carnal of ways.
“Charlie, I-I’m not really a dancer…” she starts, but I cut her off.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I haul her into me. The way we are standing, bodies pressed together, I work my thigh between her legs, and we start to move. She is so short, I don’t think she can even hook her arms around my neck. Instead, she hangs on tightly to my biceps as I sway. The bass pumping so loudly I feel it through her body.
“Just dance with me,mon amour. It won’t kill you,” I sing into her ear.
“This is like the scene in Dirty Dancing. I’m not sure if that makes me Baby or Penny…” she says, but again, I interrupt her.
“Will your one-night stand move you like this, Angel?” My hands find her hips and I move her against my thigh in time with the music.
Every inch of our bodies are touching, and I’m growing harder by the second.
“Oh, I…” Angel’s eyes go cartoonish again.
“Yes, mon amour, I want you, but I can’t have you, so dance with me.” I see the confusion in her eyes. Possibly the hurt, but I look away. I’m a selfish prick because I should walk away, but the thought of her with anyone but me has my gut raging. Instead, I pull her closer again.
“Would your one-night stand nip your neck, Angel? Would he throw you over his shoulder and carry you to his room?” I pause, looking down at her. The fire in her eyes is almost my undoing.Fuck me hard. “Would he grab the hem of your dress and rip it up the center to see that fucking sexy as hell pink bra I know you have on? Would you let him? Would he lick and nip and suck from your ear to your navel? Ghost his fingers over your stiff peaks, Angel? Would he be as hard for you as I am right now? Hard as fucking steel and about to come in my pants in a room full of strangers?”
Her breathing is ragged, and her face is flushed. Her lips part when I pull away slightly to look at her, and all my will power goes out the window. Just as I’m about to kiss her, the song changes and she tries to break free.Not yet, please, not yet.I hear a song by Dave Matthews start, and I wonder who the fuck the DJ is. I recognize the song, Say Goodbye,how fucking fitting. In true Dave Matthews fashion, the first minute and a half of the song is un-danceable.
