“This is my car, right?”
He shrugs. “Yes.”
I place my hand in his lap, and he follows my movement with his gaze. “Aren’t you worried I’ll vanish without a trace? Or that I stole your card and bought ridiculous stuff with it?”
He shrugs again, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m not worried about anything.”
Yeah, this is a trap. And I’m not falling for it. Irvin knows exactly what he’s doing. If I decide to run, he’ll find me. I’m not stupid. I plaster a smile across my face.
I get up from the leather booth because I need some breathing room. The energy around us is intense. My emotions are all over the place with him. I’m supposed to be manipulating him, wrapping him around my finger—but I’m not. I’m stillthinking about the woman he had at the mansion last night and how I lost my temper. I’ve never been a jealous woman, but seeing Irvin with her pissed me off.
Warm arms wrap around me, and when I turn, Irvin’s hands are around my waist. Why don’t I push him away? What the hell am I doing?
He leads me to the dance floor, where other couples are slow dancing.
This is so wrong.
He smiles—it lights up the whole room and my heart. He spins me around.
This is my enemy.
I’m dancing with my enemy.
I get jealous of other women touching said enemy.
A lump forms in my throat. This is my last hope of manipulating Irvin. So far, it’s failed. It’s stirred emotions I didn’t know I had. He needs to believe I’m jealous of Judy—that I actually care about him. She could ruin everything.
“You’re not allowed to speak to Judy,” I snap.
His mouth curls into a smile. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
He slips his fingers through my hair. “Done. I won’t speak to her ever again.” He pauses. “I’ll never cheat on you, Lilac.”
“Good to know.”
We continue to slow dance, and for a second, it feels like we’re in our own bubble. My heart beats wildly and freely.
“I didn’t know you could slow dance,” I blurt out. It’s the only thing I can say.
“I took dance lessons as a kid. Didn’t really use them until now.” His words are like warm bourbon sliding down my throat.
See, when he shares things with me, it makes me want to open up—which I absolutely hate.
“I took ballet when I was a kid, and I was a cheerleader in high school. Captain.”
“I can see that,” he smirks. “I bet you were cute too, wearing those tight outfits. If we’d gone to the same high school, I would’ve gotten suspended if anyone dared to look at my girl.”
His words warm me, and my cheeks burn. Why am I turned on by that? He’s not supposed to make me feel special.
Someone taps me on the shoulder, and I turn. Lyrical beams at us. “I had no idea you’d be here. Do you guys want to sit with us?”
I glance around the diner and spot Raven in the corner booth. She waves, and I wave back. I look to Irvin.
“We can sit with you,” Irvin says, grabbing my hand and leading me to the booth.
I narrow my eyes at him. He’s never shown interest in my friends. This is… odd. He’s up to something, but I can’t pinpoint what. This time, I’m standing my ground.
