Page 46 of Payback
Allie sighs and presses her head against my chest. “You’ll come to find that I say and do the wrong thing a lot.”
“Am I a wrong thing you did?” I ask, gazing down at her with a sombre look, my gut twisting at the idea that, that is how she sees me. “Is that why you’re trying to stay away from me? Because you regret that night we had together and don’t want me to be a constant reminder?”
“No!” she exclaims, popping her head up to look at me. “I mean, it’s true that night isn’t something I normally do, but I don’t regret it. I actually can’t stop thinking about it.”
“Good,” I retort, a rush of relief washing over me. I turn her under my arm again, pulling her back into my embrace with my confidence restored. “Then stop using your family and your job as an excuse. None of them care about us being together.”
Just as the words leave my mouth, I catch a glimpse of Gareth, who’s pulling Sloan out onto the dance floor. Instead of focusing on her, he’s watching Allie and me. I tilt my head in amusement just as Sloan grabs his chin and turns his attention to her.
Allie lets out a long breath, obviously not noticing the vibes that I’m getting from Gareth. “I’m just scared you don’t know enough about me to know that you really want to be with me.”
“Let me ask you this,” I state, staring down at her to gauge her reaction. “Are you over your ex?”
She looks up at me with a confused look in her eyes. “What?”
“Are you over the guy who drove you into my arms two years ago?”
She whips her head from side to side in shock as she shrieks, “God, yes, I’m over him! I have no clue why I ever stayed with him as long as I did.”
Her answer pleases me. It pleases me greatly. “Maybe it was all to lead you to me, mooi.” With a deep breath, I release her from my hold and wrap my hands around her waist, hoisting her up in the air in a ballroom lift that my mom had me do with all the females in her class one time. When I slowly lower her back down, our bodies are completely flush, every inch pressing against one another. When she’s back on her feet, I murmur into her ear, “Just give in already. You know you want to.”
She pulls back and has a dreamy smile on her face. I can’t help but offer up a silent “thank you” to my mom for teaching me how to dance. When the song draws to a close, I twirl her once more and end the move with a dip that has her long hair dangling to the floor. As I lean over her, our mouths only a couple of inches apart, I add, “This could be our wedding song for all you know.”
Good-god, there is not enough alcohol in the world to douse the attraction I have to Roan DeWalt. After our couples dance lesson, the group of us head downstairs to the dance club where the instructors encouraged us to test our skills. At first it is only us girls out on the floor flailing about, but the guys eventually join in. And when I see the heated look in Roan’s eyes, I retreat to the safety of the bar where Freya is also currently parked.
I smile at her as I sip my drink. “It’s hot out there!”
She nods and sips her fruity cocktail. “Hotter than the wedding night onOutlander.”
I giggle at her response. “Oh my God, Jamie Fraser is so sexy in season one!”
“He’s sexy in all of them, but you’re right. Season one was his prime. And that episode had the best foreplay in cinematic history.”
My thighs clench together. “So true. What is it about delayed gratification that’s so—”
“Fucking hot?” Freya finishes. “It must be something special because I’ve been delaying my gratification for twenty-eight years.”
“Twenty-eight years?” I groan and spread my hands out wide on the sticky bar. “Fuck!”
“Fuck is right!” she says, fanning her face.
“Well, you should go back out there with me. Let’s go dance and keep the sexy Jamie Fraser foreplay going!” I state in solidarity, thinking perhaps my new friend needs a shove from me like I need a shove from alcohol.
She shakes her head. “I can’t. My bloody feet have blisters from these damn heels!”
I glance down at her feet and cringe. “They are really cute shoes, though.”
She nods. “I’m just waiting for my medical escort to show up.”
“Your what?” I ask, my face puzzling in confusion.
Suddenly, Mac appears beside us.
“Ready to go, lass?” he bellows, his eyes scanning Freya’s curvy body like she’s some sort of patient in a hospital.
“Ready,” she replies with a curt nod and holds her hands out to him. “Now don’t you make a big fuss when you carry me. You’re Scottish and a footballer, so you should be able to handle my immense size.”
He rolls his eyes and squats down so she can hop up on his back. “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”
