The thought that I’d be doing something so unexpected and weirdly aligned with my initial plan to challenge Callum and drive him mad makes me smile.
The hard liquor helps with shaping my view of things.
What would the world say if I pressed my lips to the mouth of a stranger?
Sylvia would pop a vessel. Giorgio would roll his eyes into eternity, and Callum?
Hmm… Callum.
My smile widens.
Callum would need to get used to it.
He can’t have it both ways.
Piercing me with his stare, almost bringing me to the point of having an orgasm, and then looking away like I didn’t even exist.
With that frivolous thought in mind, I take the man’s hand.
“Let’s dance. It’s my birthday, after all, and I need to have some fun.”
Laughing, I totter away, my hand locked with his.
The thing with wanting to forget is that it comes at a price––a deep sorrow, a horrible hangover, things that are irremediably destroyed––but I’m more than willing to give it a try.
A man like Paxton can ease my angst, if only for a second.
Both tipsy and stirred up, we move to the small area where people dance, and before long, his arms wrap around my body, and I feel the hard planes of his frame pressed into my softness.
Oh, man.
Just like that, my deprived body starts humming and churning out heat, and I’m instantly aware that I’m headed for a disaster.
15
LELANI
The more heholds me pressed to his chest, the warmer my skin gets, and the quicker the lines blur between a simple dance and foreplay.
I slide my eyes to the entrance of the house when I notice Sylvia.
Her stare floats over the crowd as she’s probably looking for me.
I let Paxton know that we might get interrupted at any moment now.
“Is it your family again?” he murmurs, unaffected.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Do they keep an eye on you at all times?”
He seems amused. I’m not.
“It looks like it.”
Just as I finish saying that, Sylvia heads our way.
“Let’s go our separate ways for now,” I say. “I don’t want her on my back because I’m dancing with you.”
