“You never said you were coming.”
“I never said I wasn’t, either.”
“She got you there, Derek,” Kenz added, her voice reminding me she was there.
Usually I wasn’t that bad of a friend. I hated those girls who ditched their friends the moment a guy glanced in their direction Those girls who found themselves with a boyfriend, suddenly forgetting about the women who picked them up after the last asshole left them in a pile, crying on the kitchen floor. There was something about Derek though, he made me forget myself.
“She sure did,” he replied, his intense stare never breaking with mine.
I don’t know if it was a minute, an hour, or a day that I stood there, my back pressed against the bar, my knees locked so I didn’t fall, lost in Derek’s presence. It was somewhere in that moment that I figured it out. It hit me like a freight train slamming into the side of my head. I wanted everything with him. Everything I’d been avoiding. Everything I’d been running from for so long. I realized I didn’t want to run anymore. For the first time in a long time, I just wanted to stand still. And I wanted to stand still with him.
Dropping my gaze, I needed to break the connection. The truth was, I needed a moment to get myself together. Just a moment in time to take a breath. Squeezing my eyes shut, I sucked in as much air as I could and held the breath. When I exhaled, I let myself look up and noticed a concerned look on Derek’s face. I watched as he reached out and wrapped his huge hand around my wrist, his thumb rubbing back and forth.
“Don’t you have to work?” It came out in a rush, and I felt my cheeks burn with humiliation. I wish I’d had more to drink, then at least I could blame the booze for my embarrassment rather than just his presence alone.
He quirked his lip. I hated that he was laughing at me, even if it was only on the inside. “I am working. Funny thing about my job, most people think it’s all about standing at the door looking scary and throwing drunks out. The part no one really understands, and probably the most important part, is making sure the patrons are having a good time. So, when I see two gorgeous women at the bar, I’m obliged to stop by and make sure they have everything they need to have a great night.”
Then the shit head winked.
I turned to look at Kenz, who couldn’t contain her amusement. Giggles burst from her lips as she flagged down the bartender and ordered more drinks. Thank fuck. If Derek was going to be looking like that, and be saying things like that, then I was going to need another shot. Or maybe more than one.
“We do now.” Kenz laughed as she pressed another shot into my hand.
This time I didn’t hesitate and I didn’t spill a drop. I tossed my head back and downed the shot, righting myself and wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.
“You’re trouble,” Derek warned.
“Maybe.”
“Look, I’ve got to keep moving, but if you need anything, just flag down one of the guys and they’ll get me straight away.”
Derek’s words wrapped around me like a warm hug, then so did his arms. Without warning or a chance to protest, I was crushed against his chest, and the scent I’d spent the last week wrapped in, the scent that was fading from my pillows and his jacket, which I may have worn whenever I was alone, was everywhere. “Have a good time, Tinkerbell. But remember, I’ll be watching.”
His words boiled my blood and sent my body into overdrive. The only thing stopping me from climbing him like a monkey up a tree was the fact he was working. Glancing up at him through half closed eyes, I spotted the lust reflected there. Without another word, he placed a chaste kiss against my temple before vanishing around the corner into the sea of bodies writhing back and forth on the dance floor.
“Fuck me! I think I need a cold shower,” Kenz exaggerated when I turned back to her.
“What are you talking about?”
“Mia, I’ve known you a long time, and I know you’re not that stupid. That was fucking hot. Even my panties are a little damp just from the look on his face, so if yours aren’t, then we need to get you to a doctor.”
“A doctor? Why?”
“’Cause if you’re not all hot and bothered by that man, then there is something most certainly wrong with you.”
I shook my head at Kenz’s crassness. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but for some reason I was. “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.” The words tasted like bile as they tumbled from my mouth. It was bullshit. I knew it. Kenz knew it. But Derek and I had been on one date. We’d chatted and flirted, but no promises had been made. Not even a second date committed to.
“Fine then. You won’t mind if I make a move?” she asked as she pushed off the bar and headed in the same direction Derek had gone.
“NO!”
It was one of those moments that usually you only saw in movies. The pause between songs, when silence filled the bar. My protest came out embarrassingly loud and aggressive, causing everyone to spin in my direction to see what was going on.
“Friends, my ass!” Kenz snickered before grabbing my hand. “Let’s dance.”
