The music shut off and a mixture of grumbles and cheers went up. We looked over to see Hammer taking over the music, the kid rubbing the back of his head as he stumbled out of the way. The dulcet tones of James Taylor spilled out.
I turned to Connor with a big smile as he grabbed me around the waist and clutched my hand with his pulling me close to sway along to ‘Fire and Rain.’ Seemed this one was a crowd pleaser as voices rang out singing along.
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I looked out at everyone laughing and dancing. For a moment I just breathed it all in with my eyes closed. I’d forgotten what it felt like to be a part of this.
Sure I had Declan and a few girls from the bar that we hung out with, I was spending a bit of time with the band too but there was no onethat was this close to me. Not the way I had been close with Connor, Warren, and Hudson.
I was surprised to see King take the hand of one of his officers wives and walk out with her as ‘All Out of Love’ by Air Supply came on. He held her in a traditional waltz hold and they stepped around the floor. There were loud hoots from the table he came from.
I didn’t realize Connor had danced me to the edge of the dance floor until he spun me around. I crashed right into Hudson who was in the process of getting up, likely to get the hell out of here.
“Dance with her,” he said, pushing us together out onto the floor.
I held my breath, thinking he was going to tell me to go to hell and storm off, but he surprised me by pulling me into him. I was tipsy enough not to freak the fuck out and run away myself.
We rocked, more than danced, not that this song called for anything other than holding someone close, he was careful not to step on my bare feet placing his outside of mine.
“Wow, this is ironic.”
“What?” he asked.
“The song. Could the lyrics be any more…”
“Subtle?” he smirked.
“Not quite what I was going for,” I couldn’t raise my head to meet his eyes, so I just stared at his chest, my hands resting carefully against his broad shoulders. This was some kind of torture. It was like Con had orchestrated it. I could see his tattoos through the white material of his t-shirt and, holy shit was that a piercing? Without thinking I flicked it. He flinched and looked down at me in shock.
“Sorry, I just…that’s new.”
“Not new,” he cleared his throat. “Had it a while.”
“Oh,” I lowered my head again and after a few beats dropped a hand to his chest. I felt his heart beating and how it sped up, thumping rapidly against my palm. My nipples pebbled through my bikini top and even poked through the shirt. I tried to lean a little further away, but he noticed and looked down at them, his nostrils flaring.
“How about you?” he said hoarsely, drawing his eyes from my breasts.
“Piercings? No. Got a couple of tattoos though.”
“Really? Where?” his voice was getting huskier, and I felt the warmth of his hands through the t-shirt, one pressed against my back, one trailing down to my hip.
“Sternum and hip,” I whispered.
He rubbed his lips together squeezing my right side where his hand rests. “This hip?”
I nodded, couldn’t find it within me to speak.
“You always said you wanted the four of us to get one together your first time.”
I nodded again like an idiot, but I couldn’t look at the intensity in his eyes. Us all getting a joint tattoo had been on my mind when I lay down on the tattooists table.
I’d chosen the figure of a woman with her legs drawn up and crossed at the ankle, her head bent and resting on her knees with leathery devil wings wrapping her up in a hug. It was as close to symbolizing the Devil’s as I wanted to get. If he had been around earlier, he would have seen my ink when I just wore my bikini.
I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. I shouldn’t be letting him get this close to me. We’d had too much to drink.
When the singer started to repeat the lyrics ‘what are you thinking of’ I tried hard not to think about pulling up that top and biting his nipple ring. Jesus Christ I needed to get away from him before my traitorous body took over logic and I did something stupid.
As the song faded out and moved on to something else, I stepped back from him but was caught in his eyes as he stared back at me. Fucking hell, I wanted to kiss him. I couldn’t. Memories of our past flashed before my eyes. What happened between us?
Declan. God Declan.
