Page 37 of Unmasked Rivalry
I think about it for a second. “Yeah, I actually am,” I say, and it’s not even a lie.
She nods. “Thought so. You don’t suck at having fun as much as you think you do.”
“That a compliment?”
Nia flashes a smile. “Take it or leave it,” and then they both lean out and start screaming at the world below.
I sneak another sip of tequila. From here, I can see the dance floor, sawdust, hay bales, loops of light strung overhead, and a bunch of people who definitely do not dance for a living. I can also see Knox, leaning against a fence post, talking to Wolfe. His head tilts, and I swear to god, he looks right at me. My heart does the thing where it basically jumps out of my chest and runs away to join the circus.
We’re let down. Nia gives me a hug and Lily hands me a giant pink marshmallow. Then, they go running to the next ride and I stand there, alone once more. But then he comes into my vision, Knox. He walks towards me, two drinks in his hand, looking less pissed than he was earlier.
He holds out a beer. “Thought you’d want this.”
“You’re not wrong,” I say, and grab it. My fingers brush his for a second, and the shock of it zings up my arm, into my chest.
He jerks his chin toward the dance area. “Let’s give them a show.”
I nearly snort beer through my nose. “Oh. No way. Hell no.”
“I had to do your race, now you’ll play my game.”
He doesn’t give me the chance to answer, he curls his fingers around my wrist and pulls me through the crowd. The second we are on the dance floor, and have put our beer safely down,he spins me into him. It’s clumsy at first. His hands are on my waist, but then he slips one hand up, fingers splaying against my bare back, and I swear to god I forget how to breathe.
The music slows and he pulls me closer, his breath is at my temple, soft and ragged. His chest is hard, and under the flannel, I feel him tense with every beat of the song. I let myself fall into it, into him. His body is so close, my ribs have no choice but to line up with his, and when he breathes, my heart stutters to match. I can’t focus, can’t even remember how to move my feet, and it doesn’t matter because his hands have me so secure, like I’m not going anywhere.
For a lost minute, I wonder if Ralston is watching. If Wolfe and the guys are taking odds on how long until Knox destroys me. But here, with the light and the music and the absolutely inappropriate way our thighs are pressed together, it feels like nobody else exists.
He leans down, and his lips are almost in my hair. “You’re not making this easy,” he murmurs.
His words shock me.
I look up. “Making what easy?”
“To...pretend...” His voice is low and my breath hitches.
“You don’t even like me,” I whisper.
“Half the time, I can’t fuckin’ stand you,” he murmurs, reaching up and running a finger down my cheek, “but the other half...”
My knees want to collapse. “Don’t say shit like that.”
He brushes my hair behind my ear with a tenderness that splits me open. “Why?”
“Just don’t...”
I look away, but his fingers are on my chin, forcing me to look back at him. “For once in your life, stop with the fuckin’ sarcasm and have a real conversation.”
Oh he wants real.
Well fine.
I’m half drunk, half high on him, and if I was sober, I probably wouldn’t say this. “You make me want things I shouldn’t want.”
He draws back, just enough. “And what do you want, Callie?”
The song is almost over, the lights fading, and for a second, I forget entirely about Ralston, about my brother, about anything except the heat between us and the way his gaze pins me. “Right now, I want you to kiss me.”
He pulls me in so hard my breath is crushed out of me, and his mouth is on mine before I even know what’s happening. It’s brutal, desperate, and somehow impossibly tender. His hand is curled around the back of my head, holding me in place as his lips claim every last secret I have.
