And then she felt him smooth a hand up her silken thigh. As it eased beneath her short dress and inched its way to her waist, she moaned deep within her throat. The sensations his touch invoked overwhelmed her and instinctively she arched closer to him.
Slowly he released her mouth, raised his head and met her gaze, and she knew he saw the longing that was there in the dark depths of her eyes, mirroring what she saw in his. He reached up and skimmed a fingertip across her lips and she moaned against his finger. Heat shot down to the area between her legs.
“I want to leave here and take you somewhere to be alone with you, Kylie.”
She knew what he was asking. She knew what he was saying. He might not love her but he wanted her. And at that moment it was all that mattered to her. What he’d tried telling her all along suddenly made perfect sense. They were adults and they could do whatever they wanted to do within reason. Would it be so awful to take what he was offering? A chance for the two of them to be alone? She had lived the past fifteen years without a man in her life, she didn’t need promises of forever.
Right now the only thing she needed was him, the man she knew she loved. And for the first time in a very long time, she would be led by her heart and not her mind. Regrets, if there were any, could come later.
“I want to be alone with you, too, Chance.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he whispered, smiling. “I think we should go back inside, mingle, dance a couple more times and then leave. What do you think of that?”
She smiled up at him. The thought of being alone with him later made her heart beat in an erratic rhythm, and the pure male desire shimmering in his eyes wasn’t helping matters. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
The moment they stepped back into the ballroom a woman called out to Chance, claiming his attention. They turned and watched two beautiful, and gorgeously dressed women head their way. Chance’s hand on Kylie’s arm tightened and when she glanced up at him she could detect a frown that he was trying to hide behind a forced smile.
“Chance, I’ve been looking for you.”
“Hello, Cassandra. I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Kylie Hagan.”
Cassandra barely spared Kylie a glance, until she noticed Chance’s hand possessively on her arm. Then, after a swift appraisal, she extended her hand. “Oh, hello. Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so,” Kylie said, noticing the woman’s immediate dislike of her. The feeling was reciprocal.
Cassandra then turned her attention back to Chance and to the woman at her side. “This is my cousin, Jamie, the one I told you about who’s visiting from Washington, D.C.”
“Hello, Jamie. Welcome to Charlotte,” Chance said politely. He then turned to Kylie. “And, Jamie, I’d like you to meet Kylie Hagan, a good friend.”
After introductions were made Cassandra didn’t waste time. “Chance, I think you and Jamie should spend time together while she’s in town,” she said, disregarding Kylie and Chance’s hold on her arm.
“Really? And why would you think that?”
“Because her father is Senator Hollis.”
Chance’s expression became barely tolerant. It appeared he didn’t appreciate Cassandra’s lack of manners. “Sorry, but is that supposed to mean something to me?”
Cassandra tilted her head back to look at him. The glint in her eyes said she was annoyed. “Well, I thought it would since you’re a businessman interested in world trade and he’s on the Fair Trade Commission in Washington.”
“Well, that’s all rather nice,” Chance said, irritation evident in his tone. “But I don’t think I need Jamie to arrange a meeting with her father if I ever need to discuss business with him. After all, he is a paid politician representing all the people, right?”
Cassandra’s hazel eyes narrowed. “Right.”
“Okay, then.” In an attempt to save face, he changed the subject. “The committee did a wonderful job with the ball tonight, Cassandra. Kylie and I were headed over to the buffet table.”