Tessa, the only Halston daughter, the girl who is no longer a girl, moves in between Beck and my dance partner. She gently pushes Quinn to the side and peers at her brother. “Can you get it together?” she shouts. “I really don’t feel like bailing you out of jail tonight!”
I chuckle.
Beck glares at me while talking to his sister. “Do you know who she's dancing with?”
“I honestly don’t care who she’s dancing with!” Tessa snaps. “And you shouldn’t either!”
Beck glowers. “Rome fucking Pierce.”
A sick smile slides onto my face because, truly, I just can’t help myself.
A decades-long rivalry between our families has embedded this behavior into my very bones, and although I’m part of the Vanstone crew now—something I’m beginning to think they’re unaware of—it’s hard to ignore.
“What?” Tessa turns around hastily, and we lock gazes.
Shock moves over her features, little worry lines digging into her forehead. She sucks in a sharp breath through her slightlyparted, pink lips. Those big brown eyes of hers widen, and she blinks several times like she can’t believe I'm standing in front of her.
She recovers quickly and moves into full-on manager mode.
“Quinn, take Beck outside and wait for Graham. He’s on the way.” She turns and looks at me. “Youstay here with me.”
“I’m not going anywh–” Beck’s words fade with Quinn pulling on his arm toward the door.
With their departure, Tessa snaps at me. “Let’s go.”
She flings her hair out of her face and turns, expecting me to follow her.
That would just be too easy, so I keep my feet planted. “Where we goin’, Tess?”
Her steps falter.
I get a quick glimpse of the side of her soft cheek as she glares at me over her shoulder.
“Donotcall me Tess.”
I lift my lip. “Why not? I thought you liked that nickname?”
She angrily faces me, and a rush of hot excitement fills my veins.
“Friends and family call me that…” Her finger pokes my chest, and it takes everything in me not to grab a hold of her small wrist.
“And you areneither,” she finishes.
I roll my lips and hum. “What about co-workers?”
A line of confusion works its way in between those perfectly shaped brows. “What?”
The music in the club shifts to some sort of techno song, and the lights sync up with the beat. She stares at me, the shadows playing with the delicate features of her face. Her cheeks fill with air, and then she lets out an annoyed sigh. Her warm fingers wrap around my arm, and I let her tug me through the gyrating crowd.
We get to the hallway lined with mostly women who need to use the restroom and pass by each and every one of them. They look at me first, and then they move to Tessa’s hand wrapped around my bicep. They share looks of envy and praise.
I chuckle to myself.
They think Tessa is leading me to a secluded spot to have her way with me.
How twisted would that be on Monday morning when I show up to work alongside her?
She’d probably strangle me with a tire gun hose, and depending on how good the hookup was, I might let her.
