She needed Alex to be her anchor, to tell her everything was perfectly normal.
Nothing unusual here, Dana. This is just how I spend all my days. Stick around. Mick Jagger is due to arrive any minute now with a bevy of European princesses.
Within seconds, she’d spotted him.
As the others kept walking, she hung back for a moment, taking him in. Her pulse tripped to the same beat as the music.
Or was that just her heartbeat pounding in her head?
Alex lounged behind one of the glass partitions on one of those expensive leather couches. He was surrounded by a bevy of attractive men and women, all of whom seemed to be clamoring for his attention.
One of the women asked him to join her in a selfie. He shook his head and frowned, mouthing the words, “Not tonight.”
What struck Dana most was the look on his face. Although he appeared to be following the conversation on the couch, there was a certain detachment in his eyes, as if he’d had that conversation one too many times. Tuned out, he rested his chin in his hand, and his gaze flitted around the room.
He had all of the approachability of a bored Bourbon king on his throne.
Was it possible Alex was blasé about his own party?
When his gaze landed on Dana, his posture changed. He sat up and his eyes narrowed with predatory focus. A twitch of his lips made his pleasure known. The brunette sitting next to him was in the middle of saying something but Alex excused himself and stood. As he walked over, everyone near him watched.
Dana’s belly fluttered. An honest-to-goodness belly flutter.
When was the last time she’d had one of those?
Maybe it was just all those Hollywood types walking around. They made her nervous.
Alex walked out from behind the glass partition and smiled.
Sweet Mother of Jesus.
Dana had never seen him smile in any of their other interactions. Now she understood why he’d kept it under wraps.
It was too magnificent.
When his lips curled upward, it was like Zeus unleashing his untamed glory upon mere mortals. There was something sly and wanton in the curve of his mouth. It made him look like a lion about to go in for the kill. Heat washed over her. Everything in the party room seemed doused, the lights, the shiny fixtures, the mere mortals who flocked around him. They all faded into the background like sad, grey shadows.
He might not smile a lot, or at least not at her, but when he did it made an impact. Sort of the way an asteroid left a gaping crater behind.
Alex’s smile had the power to decimate lesser creatures.
All of a sudden, her clothing scratched and she fought the urge to drop her drawers.
He was probably accustomed to women having that reaction.Relax, Dana. Women strip around me all the time.
“Dana.” He closed the distance between them. “You came.”
“I, uh, yeah. Thanks.”Smooth, girl. Real smooth. He’s gonna be putty in your hands if you keep talking like that.
“I’m glad.” He leaned in and kissed her on both cheeks.
“Oh.” Her breath caught. “Like a European.”
He smelled good. Really good. He wore some other cologne that sparked her senses. With citrusy undertones, it had an outdoorsy appeal. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear he’d been traipsing through an orange grove.
Maybe this club had an orange grove too.
The absurdity of the image made her want to cackle, but she managed to contain it.
