“Nice to meet you, Claire. This is Chase, Taylor, and Ian.”
“Lovely to meet you all.” Her gaze turns back to me. This woman is trouble, I can feel it. I should steer clear of her, but that appeal is also what is pulling me in, and she knows it, too. I don’t want anything to jeopardize anything with Regan, either. I’m trying to get back on her good side, not give her a reason to hate me more.
“I was going to go get a drink. Care to join me, Dean?” She reaches out, and before I know it, she has her arm looped around my elbow, leading me toward the bar. The guys do nothing to save me.
She leads me to the bar and orders herself a drink. Luckily, I’m still sipping on the one I got earlier, so hopefully, just waiting for her to get her drink won’t take too long.
“So, how are you enjoying the gala?” she asks.
“It’s fine. Not used to being at fancy events like this,” I admit. Though it would have been better if Regan was on my arm and not Claire.
The background music dies down, and I use this as my out as Ramon and Bryan are now on the stage at the front of the ballroom with a microphone.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight, all looking your absolute best. In the front of the room there are items up for auction. All proceeds will go to the local children’s hospital to ensure that families have access to the quality care they deserve. Bidding starts now, and we will announce the winners at the end of the event,” Ramon says.
The crowd gives an applause as Ramon and Bryan leave the stage. Hordes of people head over to the auction table tosee what they want to bid on. I walk around the tables, pretending like I’m interested in bidding on the items, but really I’m looking for Regan. She’s leaning over a table, reading about an item.
“Spa day, huh?” I ask, coming up behind her, making her jump.
“Jesus Christ, Dixon. You scared the shit out of me,” she says, clutching her chest.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” She places her hands on her hips and looks like she’s about to tear me a new one, when the DJ starts to play music and crowds of people start to flood the dance floor. I extend my hand out to her, pleading with her to take it, to give me another chance.
Rolling her eyes, she takes it, and sparks fly all the way up my arm and through my entire body, straight down to my cock. This woman is going to be the death of me, I fucking swear.
We get to the dance floor, and she stands like she doesn’t know what to do. I grab onto her hips and pull her into me. Her breath hitches and her arms go around my neck as we start to sway to the fast beats of the music.
She finally starts to relax as I spin her out and back into me. Regan raises her brows in shock, and I dare to say she seems slightly impressed.
“You didn’t think I could dance?”
“No, I didn’t,” she admits.
We continue to dance, holding each other’s hands. She spins so that her back is to my front, and I grab hold of her waist. Her body sways to the music, her ass grinding into my crotch. One hand slides down to the top of her slit, so I can touch the skin of her exposed thigh. I dig my fingers into her flesh, and I swear she lets out a small moan.
I just want to stay here, in this moment. Having Regan in my arms is where I need to be, where I want to be. I can’tbelieve that I screwed it up with just one text. But it seems like I’m on my way to making things better.
The song switches to something slower. The people around us pull their partners to the floor, and Regan turns to look at me, silently asking me if she should leave the floor or not. She starts to walk off the floor, but I gently pull her wrist, pulling her back to me. Luckily, she doesn’t fight it and allows me to keep dancing with her.
“I did mean it before, you know. You look absolutely incredible tonight,” I muse.
“Thanks. You clean up well, Dixon.” Her tone is teasing, flirty, making blood rush south again. Her fingers start to play with the stands of hair at the base of my neck, sending a shiver through me, reminding me of when she pulled my hair as she came on my face that night. That thought is making my cock even harder; I’m sure she can feel it. If she does, she doesn’t let on.
“That’s all I get for the effort I put in? Come on, Brady. You should give me more credit than that.”
“Fine. You look nice, too. Happy?”
“With you, I’m always happy.”
The corners of her mouth tip up, though I can tell she’s trying not to let it happen. I know she’s still mad at me, and I don’t blame her. We just need to be able to move past this.
“I’m sorry,” I say. Looking down at her, I need her to understand that what I feel is real and that night at Richmond wasn’t just sex. It was everything. I’ve never felt this way about anyone I’ve been with.
“It’s fine. I should’ve known better than to think anything else. I shouldn’t have put that on you.”
“That’s not how I feel. What I said isn’t what I meant. I just…need to be near you.”
“You need to be near me? What does that even mean, Dean?”
