“Do you know what I see when I look out into the crowd?” she whispers in my ear. She lifts a silk and runs it over my throat. It’s soft and tickles, and it’s strangely erotic knowing those four men are out there watching me and her. Does this turn them on?
Seeing me with this beautiful creature?
I want to peel off my clothes and give them a show. “The light?”
“The desire.” She lifts my arm and holds it in a dancer’s pose, elongating my body. My sweater lifts to expose the skin above my jeans.
“You’re very beautiful,” I concede. I can feel their desire for her.
“Not for me. For you.” She draws the silk down my side. “These men want you. Their desire is palpable, but it’s only for you.”
A shiver rushes through me, but I’ve drunk enough that her words mesmerize me. Like she’s weaving a spell around me and I’m helpless to resist.
“Your brother worries about them and how much they want you.”
The fog of desire lifts from me.
“Tom?” I spin to face her and hold out my hands to steady myself. The room sways with the music, but this is important. “You know Tom?”
“Tom likes me. He always asks for me.” Her brown eyes sway before me, but I’m not sure she’s dancing still. “He talks about them.”
The whole floor shifts from under my feet and then the lights go dark.
Chapter 14
Volatility
Dante
I’m close enough I can hear everything the dancer says to Sara. Including that she knows Tom. I also realize the moment Sara starts to faint off the edge of the stage.
I catch her body as her knees give out.
“Lights!” Drew yells.
I hold Sara tight against my chest as I walk to the bed and lay her down on it. She’s pale, but her chest rises and falls. I shouldn’t have let her have that last drink.
“Wet towel?” I smooth my hand over her forehead, which feels normal and not hot. Good. My hand trembles as I draw it away. She could have been really hurt.
Drew sits on the other side of the bed and holds her wrist. “Her pulse is steady.”
Finn hands me a towel and I wipe the back of her neck with it. She doesn’t budge. I glance over and see Wyatt standing at the end of the bed. His hand is wrapped around the post so tight his knuckles are white.
“She just had too much to drink.” I hope. She’s always been a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. And she met her friends at a bar before this.
Maya sits on the edge of the stage, wrapped in a silk robe that must have been available in the room. I want to question her to see what she knows, but I’m not willing to leave Sara’s side until I know she’s okay.
Finn sits next to Drew on the bed and we all wait.
She lets out a little snore and rolls toward me, curling around my arm. I brush some strands of her hair that escaped her ponytail back out of her face.
Drew chuckles. “She’s fine.”
I don’t trust him yet. The instinct to pull her into my arms and away from him is strong, but I resist it. I put my hand on her shoulder and try to shake her awake.
“Five more minutes, Mom.” Sara rolls from me, grabs a pillow, and pulls it to her chest.
The tension leaves my shoulders, but I keep my hand on her as I meet Drew’s eyes.
