CRYSTAL SAW BEAR’S walls go up the minute he started talking about his family. She knew his brothers and Dixie well, but she only knew his parents in passing. She was a little worried now that she knew his father’s true feelings about a woman’s place in the world. She wasn’t exactly good at biting her tongue.
“Let’s get out of here.” She pushed to her feet and carried the pizza box and her plate into the kitchen to wrap up the leftovers. Bear followed her in.
“Where to, gorgeous?”
She wound her arms around his waist and said, “Whispers.”
Whispers was one of the busiest nightclubs in Peaceful Harbor. They’d been dealing with such heavy emotions the last few days, she hoped Whispers would be just the distraction they needed to get out of their heads for a little while.
He groaned, kissed the kitten’s head, and set her down beside her food dish. “How about Whiskey Bro’s instead?”
“If we go to Whiskey’s, you’ll stay in that place in your head that’s got your face pinched tight.” She slid a finger into the waist of his jeans. “I want to dance in your arms with no thoughts of anything other than you. And maybe that incredible feeling you gave me earlier.”
His eyes darkened, and he grabbed her butt.
She guided his hands up to her waist. “Take me dancing, biker boy.”
“You’re not sitting on my bike in that skirt unless you want to witness me killing every man who takes an eyeful.”
“Seriously? All my goodies will be pressed up against you. Nobody can see anything. But I’ll change to calm your jealousy. Give me a sec.”
She headed for her bedroom, feeling the heat of his stare on her back and loving it. She changed into a pair of black leather shorts she knew he’d love and took an extra minute to fix her hair and makeup and brush her teeth.
She strutted into the living room anticipating a hungry look in his eyes, but nothing could have prepared her for the naughty thoughts running through her mind when she found him standing with his back to her. His dark jeans clung to his powerful hips and stretched across muscular hamstrings. He’d tucked in his shirt, accentuating his broad shoulders and trim waist. She licked her lips as she approached and wrapped her arms around his middle, loving the way she was able to embrace those feelings.
He turned, a sinful grin lifting his lips, and her mind went straight to the gutter, racing through a maze of mattress dances. Their earlier make-out session had opened some sort of vortex to her inner vixen. Images of Bear in her bed flew through her mind at breakneck speed. Gulp. She wasn’t ready for that yet. Was she?
She wanted to be.
She forced herself to take a step back and gain control of her runaway hormones. Motioning toward her shorts, she said, “Better?”
“Jesus, baby. You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
He leaned in for another kiss.
“Dancing,” she said, a little dazed, and handed him her keys. “Pocket?”
He chuckled and pocketed her keys as they headed for the door.
The wind whipped over Crystal’s thighs, and Bear’s abs flexed beneath her hands as they rode down to Whispers. She felt liberated, like so many of the tethers that had bound her to her past had been severed. If she could only figure out how to handle the one tie that was becoming more strained the longer she held on to her secret. Telling Gemma.
Chapter Nine
IT HAD BEEN a long time since Bear had been in a trendy nightclub like Whispers, where sexual tension ran as freely as beer through a tap. He tightened his hold on Crystal, searching the face of every man as they weaved through the crowd and wondering if they were the asshole who had attacked her. He knew he had to let it go, but he could be anywhere. How had she moved past it when he fought the urge to find the fucker and kill him every minute?
Her fingers pressed into his side, bringing him back to the moment.
Women wearing too much makeup slithered against testosterone-laden men, bumping and grinding, groping and open-mouth kissing. Crystal pushed out from beneath his arm and turned to face him. Taking his hand, she walked backward, pulling him deeper into the crowd with a predatory stare that could get an impotent man hard. Her shoulders swayed to the beat as the sea of people parted for her, making Bear wonder if she frequented the club regularly. Jealousy clawed up his spine. She was sexy as sin in those tight shorts, which had nearly made him cream his pants, and the thought of her dancing with any other guy made his blood boil.
She stopped in the center of the dance floor, purple lights misting over her gorgeous face as she pulled him closer. Thigh to thigh, chest to chin, she moved with the fluidity of an asp and the sensual prowess of a panther in heat. Her hands slid beneath his vest, up his chest, and then over her head in a sensual dance. Her long, graceful fingers flexed with the beat as her hips rocked against him. Heat slicked down his torso, bringing the animal in his pants to the gate.
Holy hell. He scanned the crowd, catching several guys watching her erotic show, and gave them a back-off glare.
Bear wasn’t a dancer, and at six three, with his leather vest and tattoos, he stood out among the upscale crowd. He’d be damned if he would be outdone by some nitwit in a button-down shirt. Focusing on Crystal, he matched her rhythm. His hands moved possessively around her, drawn in to her seductive dance. She shifted, bringing his thigh between her legs, heightening the sexual tension that had been simmering between them all evening. She wound her arms around his neck, and he lowered his mouth to hers, sinking into the kiss, devouring her sweetness.
They danced to every song, kissing and groping, the stress of their confessions pushed away. A dusky backdrop to their desires drumming with a beat all their own. Time passed in a blur of deep, sensual kisses, the oppressive heat, making their dirty dancing feel even more libidinous. He turned her in his arms, grinding against her ass, his hands moving down her ribs, over her hips, and coming to rest over her belly as he kissed her neck. Her skin was slick, salty. Delicious. She ground against his erection, her hands gripping the backs of his thighs. She turned her face, capturing his mouth with hers over her shoulder and driving him out of his fucking mind. He spun her in his arms, crushing her soft body against his hard frame.