“That would be a shame.” She almost purred the words, and my dick twitched, more than a bit interested in what other sorts of sounds she could make.
I put my hand out and let the mood settle a bit. “It would. I’d really love to dance with you, Lumen.”
Her eyes met mine and held them, the moment between us drawing out as she searched for something I couldn’t name. I wasn’t sure what she wanted to find, but I let her see what I did have to offer. A sincere desire to dance with her and an attraction that I was confident was mutual.
Then she blinked, and the spell was broken. She winked and downed the rest of her drink with what looked like resolve. The glass went on a passing waiter’s tray and then she was moving. Rather than take my hand, she walked past me, her shoulder brushing against mine and sending a ribbon of electricity down my arm. I watched her walk away, captivated by this woman who appeared to be nothing like the blushing massage therapist I’d accidentally propositioned. She didn’t go far, though, stopping less than two feet away before turning to dance back toward me.
Easy, sensual movements that were all the more erotic for how subtle they were. Unlike most of the other women here, she wasn’t screaming out her sex appeal. She looked sexy, no doubt about that, but she was less the yowling she-cat in heat and more the seductive–
She stopped in front of me, a puzzled expression on her face, and I realized that my admiration had turned me into a statue in the middle of a moving sea.
“Lost in my thoughts for a moment there, lass,” I said, bending my head closer to hers to ensure she could hear me.
When she smiled, I knew all was forgiven. I put a hand on the small of her back and let my body fall into sync with hers, barely holding back my grin. The scent of her vanilla perfume filled every breath I took, and the feel of her wavy hair swishing across my skin gave me goosebumps despite the nearly overwhelming heat.
I’d never had a woman’s touch affect me so much, and the fact that she wasn’t even trying made it all the more attractive.
Her arms came up, wrists resting lightly on my shoulders, and I took the opportunity to settle both of my hands on her waist, keeping them right above her hips. As much as I liked this less-inhibited Lumen, I wasn’t going to assume too much. Something in my gut told me that if I wanted to get to know her better, I needed to make her feel safe. Groping on a dance floor was definitelynotthe move to make.
Talking, however, was something I could do. I put my mouth next to her ear. “You’re just as skilled on your feet as you are with your hands, aren’t you now?”
The flush in her cheeks deepened, and she ducked her face to let her hair swing down in a curtain across her face. She didn’t say anything in response to my compliment, but she did sway a little closer, the front of her body brushing against mine and sending a jolt of arousal straight down to my already-interested cock. When I responded to the friction by pulling her closer and grinding subtly into her, her head shot up, eyes wide and irises darkened to a color much like the sea as seen from Calton Hill.
A wave of longing for home swept over me, but before it could take hold, Lumen’s hands slid down to my chest, bringing with them a trail of fire. For a moment, I feared she would push me away, but her hands remained in place. Her fingers flexed, applying light pressure as they shifted slightly, but as a serious expression settled on her face, I understood that she was simply doing a bit of her own exploring.
She was strong enough that I had no doubt she could make her displeasure known if she decided I had taken too many liberties. I had to trust that she would let me know if I read her wrong.
I rested my cheek on the top of her head, thankful for the heeled shoes that cut the difference in our heights enough for the gesture to not be awkward. Without access to bare skin, I was left to wonder just how soft it was, but as I let my hands fall a little lower, I admitted to myself that this wasn’t bad either. I wasn’t quite palming her ass, but my fingers had curled enough around her hips to be outside of the completely platonic zone. Our bodies still held an inch or so between us, but I didn’t think anyone would mistake us for a pair of friends.
“Is this Scottish dancing?” she breathed the question against my neck.
“It beats Riverdance, doesn’t it though?” I had my mouth against her ear, my lips brushing against the cool metal of her bee earring. “But I can think of another sort of dance I’d like to be doing with you.”
She fisted her hands in my shirt as a shudder ran through her.
“Steady, now.” I tightened my grip on her hips and let my lips brush the shell of her ear.
This time, shedidpush me away, her lips parted in a gasp as her cheeks took on a fetching red hue. But she didn’t let go of my shirt, and she didn’t tell me to fuck off. It was surprise I saw written on her face, not disgust or annoyance, so I took a chance and tugged her back to me. She came, her eyes never leaving mine. At any point, if she wanted me to let go, all she needed to do was say the word, but for now, I planned to push forward until she asked me to stop.
Right now, the thing I wanted the most was her mouth. I wanted to taste her, learn how she liked to be kissed, hear all the sounds I was sure she’d make.
I took one hand off her hip and placed it on the side of her neck, letting my thumb brush back and forth across her jaw. Her skin was as soft as I’d imagined it to be. I took my time, letting her grow accustomed to my touch. In the back of my mind, I was aware that we were in public and that she had friends nearby, but nothing else seemed important.
Her eyelids fluttered, and that was when I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger, my grip tight enough to leave no doubt about my intentions. I went slow, savoring the anticipation while at the same time giving her the chance to stop me if she didn’t want it. Instead, her breath caught in a shuddering little gasp and her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip.
Fuck.
I ignored the way my dick throbbed in its cotton confines and focused instead on the moment our mouths touched. A simple, near-chaste touch of lips to lips that sent desire coursing through my veins. It was all I could do to rein in my sudden and almost overwhelming need to thoroughly possess her. To explore every inch of her mouth and her body. The sheerwantingmade me dizzy, and my fingers dug into her hips as I struggled to ground myself. If this was what a single kiss was like, I couldn’t imagine how the world would explode when we had sex.
I parted my lips, ready to deepen the kiss, but hers remained closed. That was fine too. I wouldn’t push her. Still, I couldn’t resist tracing her bottom lip with the tip of my tongue, just to get a hint of what she tasted like. My hand returned to her throat, then slid around to the back of her neck, tipping her head back so I could kiss her chin. Nothing too scandalous.
Except she pulled back, cheeks bright red. “We…we shouldn’t.”
I didn’t get the impression she wasn’t enjoying herself, so I asked, “Don’t you want to?”
“Too many people,” she mumbled.
That made sense. She might’ve been enjoying the wayIlooked at her, but she wasn’t the sort of person who enjoyed general attention. I could take care of that though. “My car is out back.”
