“Nervous?” he asks.
“Nah. Ready to get it over with,” I tell him, forcing a smile.
Dinner drags on for an eternity. When they clear the plates and announce a cocktail hour before the speeches begin, I’m out of my seat. Mila asks where I’m going.
“I’ll be back,” I mutter, not waiting for her response.
I position myself near the bar, where I can watch Kendall’s table, nursing a whiskey I don’t taste. Jameson is talking to one of the other coaches now, his attention off her for five fucking seconds. Kendall leans in and says something to him, touches his arm briefly, then heads toward the back hallway.
I wait thirty seconds before I follow.
She’s halfway down the corridor when I catch up to her, my hand closing around her elbow and spinning her toward me. Before she can protest, I’m pulling her through the nearest door, which turns out to be the back of the coat check room, filled with fur and cashmere and the lingering scent of expensive perfume.
“What the hell are you doing?” she whispers as I lock the door behind us.
“I should be asking you that.” I back her against the wall, caging her in with my arms. “You brought my brother. Fucking rude, Ken Doll.”
“You brought Mila.” Her chin lifts in defiance. “Something going on between you two?”
“Are you scared of losing me?” I lean in close enough that my lips brush her ear. “Because you’re close to that, especially after he’s been touching you all night. I’ve had to watch my brother’s hands on your back, your shoulder, and your waist. Do you have any idea what that’s been doing to me?”
“Good.” Her voice wavers. “You think it’s easy for me to see you with countless women? It’s not.”
“Mila means nothing.”
“And Jameson means nothing to me.” She meets my eyes, and I search for the lie, but I can’t find one. “I needed a date. That’s it.”
“Yeah, but he wants you back.”
“I don’t care what he wants.” She holds my stare. “You’ve been on my mind all night. Watching you with her, imagining all the ways that should be us.” Her fingers curl into my lapels. “I’m losing control, and I want you to lose yours too.”
“You’re cruel.”
“I learned from the best.” She pulls me closer until our mouths are almost touching. “But you want to know a secret, Pattycakes? When I walked away from Jameson, I hoped you’d follow me. I’ve been wet, contemplating sneaking off with you instead of pretending I give a shit about anything he’s saying.”
My control snaps.
I grab her jaw, tilting her face up until she can’t look anywhere but at me. “Give it to me without the fluff.”
“The only person in that room I want is you.” Her voice drops to something raw and needy. “I’ve wanted you all fucking night.”
“I don’t share. Not with anyone and especially not with him.”
“Then stop talking and take what’s yours.”
I kiss her so hard that our teeth clash. My hand finds the slit in her dress and slides up her thigh until I reach the edge of her thong. She’s soaked, the fabric drenched against my fingers, and I groan into her mouth.
“Fuck, Ken Doll.”
“I told you.” She rocks against my hand, and I remove her panties. “All night, I’ve fantasized about this. About you bending me over and fucking me until I can’t think straight.”
“You’re mine.”
“I know.” She bites my bottom lip hard enough to sting. “Remind me why I can’t get you off my mind.”
I turn her around, pressing her palms flat against the wall. She arches her back like she’s been waiting for this command all night.
I hike her dress up around her waist and take a moment to appreciate the view, running my hand over the curve of her ass.
