He takes my hand and cups my palm to his face. The gesture is intimate, and all thoughts about vanity, jagged blades, and scars fall away like a tumble of dominoes as I stare at the sexiest man I’ve seen and been near in a long time.
With how intensely I’m staring back, the corners of his mouth quirk upward. He blinks, and long dark lashes fan his skin. He inhales, and a low moan escapes his lips. Goose bumps rise on my skin. Points to Arie for her great taste in perfume—lilac with a hint of honey. I dabbed some on my inner wrists.
Unable to stop the desire overcoming me, I strum my thumb across his cheek. He leans into my touch with a heated gaze.
The noise and crowd fade away. There’s only him. Us. This stranger is intoxicatingly sexy, and I’m drowning in his heat. I’ve never felt this way before, this instant lust and attraction, even with Carlos.
There’s nowhere else I want to be but with him, which is crazy.
5
EVER
“Do you like what you see?” the stranger asks in a low, throaty voice that could make any woman’s sex weep with longing.
I nod, unable to look away from the twinkle in his gorgeous eyes.
“Hi there.” I hope my voice is steady. My heartbeat sure isn’t. It’s been so long since a guy’s affected me so quickly. Like love at first sight. I ignore Carlos’s voice in my head, said with his signature flirtatious smirk.
“Hi there, yourself.” He slides his hand beneath my hair, clasps the back of my neck, and pulls me close. The heat between our bodies grows, and awareness is like a spotlight on my body—hot and intense.
The boys on campus have never looked at me the way this stranger does—with hunger in his eyes and possession in the grip he has on my nape.
His head dips close to my ear, and I catch a hint of his virile, masculine musk tinged with citrus. A burst of need consumes me from head to toe, and I’m suddenly lightheaded and weak in the knees.
“What’s your name?” His breath is warm on the shell of my ear.
My heart beats out of control, and my mouth dries. I wet my lips and answer in a breathy whisper back, “You first.” Good God, what is going on with my libido? It’s suddenly in overdrive.
Ty and his crew accuse me of being too reckless, but I am never this reckless.
“Why’s that?” With his hand tight but gentle on my nape, he peers down at me. My, he’s tall.
“You came on to me first.” I lift a shoulder.
His closed-mouth laughter reverberates against my chest, and I am lost to the sparkle in his eyes.
“That’s fair. Name’s Bobby.”
“Ever.”
His eyes widen, and he loosens his hold. “Come again?”
His reaction isn’t surprising. People do a double take, like they’ve never heard the name before. “Ever. That’s my name.”
“Like in happily ever after?”
“I guess so?”
“You don’t know the origin of your name?”
“Oh, I know, but if I tell, I’ll never hear the last of it.”
“I’m interested. Tell me more.” He tips his head to an empty booth in the crowded club. “Have a drink with me?”
I nod, and he takes my hand, expertly weaving us through the crowd until we’re in front of a booth. He gestures for me to slide in first. I do, and he follows. The dim lighting affords us privacy while the location gives us a view of the dance floor and the entrance.
“Come here often?” He catches a server’s attention and waves her over.
