Jesus. Save me, someone. Now. Please.
And so Lincoln and I danced for what was, strangely enough, the first time since I’d attempted to throw myself on him the night of my seventeenth birthday.
And of all the things I’ve dreamed about, it would have to have been on the top of my list. Almost. But in my fantasies, well, hell – even the most vivid imagination couldn’t have conjured this.
Lincoln had once alluded to the fact that he knew his way around a dance floor, but this was …
He leaned in when I shot him a curious look. ‘My mother loved dancing. All disciplines. For years I was her reluctant dance partner.’
Without another word he led me around the dance floor with purpose – pulling me, pushing me, controlling me, always one step ahead ready to catch me. He was fast and smooth and it wasn’t just salsa. He mixed Latin with swing and threw in a good dose of plain old dirty dancing. If I hadn’t been so damn well caught up in the whole thing, I would have paused to blush.
No. Definitely not like dancing with Gray.
It was close contact.
His hand on my lower back, fingers spread, pressing just so.
Hips jammed tightly together.
Knees bent.
Strong arms pulling me so tightly they arched my back.
Breathless.
Our bodies moulded together like they were designed for that very purpose.
My soul ached but my heart powered to life and for a moment, just an agonising split second, the coldness receded and I was … me.
Somehow my body melded even closer with his and Lincoln tucked the hair away from my eyes, tilting my head up to his. ‘There you are,’ he murmured.
Where only you could find me.
When the song finished, Lincoln cast his eyes to one side and it was clear he couldn’t look at me. Slowly his hand slid from my waist and, chest heaving like mine, he started to walk towards his table. I wasn’t sure if he realised his other hand still firmly gripped mine, but he didn’t appear to be letting it go and for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to pull away, so he dragged me along with him.
Gray was grinning from ear to ear when we approached Lincoln’s corner booth, where he’d made himself at home beside Mia.
‘Well, well,’ he said. ‘If it isn’t my ex dancing partner. Can’t say I’m sorry the partnership is over. Especially since now I can see all your naughty intentions.’
Mia chuckled and I took the opportunity to glare at her for a completely different reason.
Gray noticed Mia’s giggle too. ‘You, on the other hand,’ he said, leaning towards her. ‘I’d be more than happy to try some of those moves with you.’ He smirked.
Mia glanced briefly at Lincoln, who had now let go of my hand and seemed unhappy in general. She rolled her eyes at him and then stood up, taking Gray’s hand. ‘A dance right now sounds like a great idea,’ she said.
Lincoln and I watched as the two of them disappeared onto the dance floor. I felt embarrassed that Gray was hitting on Lincoln’s—
‘I’m sorry,’ we said simultaneously.
I did a double-take, confused by his apology. I went on. ‘Gray’s a flirt. Actually, he’s a sleaze. You might want to get Mia away from him at some stage tonight, otherwise he might think she’s fair game.’
‘Okay,’ he said, his brow furrowed.
I couldn’t bring myself to keep talking about Mia with Lincoln in this way, so I started to walk away.
‘Violet,’ he called out suddenly, but his voice was strained.
I turned back to him.
He swallowed, looking briefly out to the dance floor. ‘I know we just danced, but aren’t you upset that your … that your boyfriend is dancing with another girl?’
I looked from Lincoln to the dance floor then back to Lincoln, feeling entirely confused. Without thinking, I blurted, ‘That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard! Gray isn’t my, my … Hell, he’s barely qualified to be a friend.’
Lincoln nodded, his look decidedly dubious. ‘A friend with whom you dance like that.’
I put my hands on my waist, struggling to see past the red. The fact that Gray was easy on the eye and drew his fair share of female attention was one thing but for Lincoln to honestly think I could register any kind of attraction to another person … I took a deep breath, considering that it might be better to just let him think that, but for some reason I just couldn’t stand any more lies. There had already been too many to count.
‘I bribed him,’ I confessed.
‘Sorry?’
‘He’d made a mess of a hunt and I saved his ass. And, considering by the time I did he was butt naked and hanging upside down, let’s just say he owed me big time for both his life and his pride.’ I shrugged. ‘I forced him to go to dance classes with me twice a week from then on. He hates it with a passion but not as much as he hates the idea of the other Rogues knowing how close he came to a naked death.’