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I didn’t respond. For just a moment, I’d forgotten that Mr. Halifax was watching.

“Do your worst,” my mystery man repeated.

The music had changed to a faster song. I let my hips roll into him. I felt the heat of his body behind me. His hardness pressing against my lower back.

I’d danced like this a hundred times. But I’d never felt like this. Like my whole body was on fire. I was desperate for him to touch me anywhere. Everywhere. I reached up behind me, wrapping my hand around the back of his neck.

He groaned in my ear as I moved against him. His lips fell to the exposed skin on my neck and he lightly sucked.

God. I tilted my head back even more, giving him full access. He was marking me, just the way I’d imagined Mr. Halifax doing it.

I looked up at Mr. Halifax as I was grinding against the mystery man.

He was holding the bottle of beer in his hand tightly. And he looked so pissed.

I’d never been so turned on in my life. I lifted my hand into the stranger’s hair. It was surprisingly soft. I wanted to know what color it was. I wanted to know everything. But he wouldn’t let me turn my head.

The stranger dropped one of his hands to the hem of my dress. He traced circles on the inside of my upper thigh, like he was trying to busy his fingers, scared he’d try to move them higher. Right in the middle of the dance floor.

And the longer we danced, the more I wanted him to do it. I wanted everything he’d give me.

His fingers slid slightly higher and I moaned. He was so painfully close. It was almost too much. But somehow all I wanted was more.

He sucked on the side of my neck even harder, making me writhe against him. Everything around me started to blur, all my attention on the stranger’s fingers. On his sinful mouth.

But movement from the balcony made the haze fade away. Mr. Halifax abruptly stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair as he stared down at me.

I stared back.

He slammed his beer down on the table and made his way over to the staircase.

The stranger sighed against my skin. Like he knew his time was limited. The guy I’d come here for was finally going to make his move. My heart was pounding so fast it almost hurt.

But I didn’t get a chance to find out if Mr. Halifax was really coming over to me or not. Because Scarlett’s mom and dad stepped in front of me.

Oh no.

“Girls,” Uncle James said.

I’d never seen him look so stern before.

“Axel.” He glared at him. “We’re leaving. Now.”

“I take it this is your ride,” my mystery man whispered in my ear. “Do me a favor?”

I was completely frozen.

“Don’t make that mistake we talked about, Aphrodite.” His hands fell from my body.

As soon as I could, I turned my head. But all I saw was the back of my mystery man. His shaggy hair was mussed up from me running my fingers through it. He disappeared as quickly as he’d come, back into the crowd.

“Dad...” Scarlett started.

“It was my fault,” I said. “I was coming with or without them and they tagged along to make sure I was safe.”

Uncle James’ frown softened. “I’m going to have to call your father about this.”

“I know,” I said. But I also knew he wouldn’t be mad. Uncle James and my father may have been brothers, but they couldn’t be more different.