the music and forget about this ugly
conversation we were having about your recent ex-bastard of a boyfriend.”
His words sent a warm thrill shooting through her body, but Nadia was still up
in the air about it. Apparently he could sense her hesitation.
“Nadia…come.” He gestured with his hand.
“Oh hell,” Nadia whispered, but didn’t question anything in her mind. She shut
off all cognitive function and stood up beside him, shaking in her boots the
entire time.
“That sounded extremely convincing,” he muttered to her, but when she glanced
up at him, he was smiling that crooked grin of his, and Nadia’s heart almost
exploded from pure excitement. How had he heard her whisper?
They neared the dance area where a huge parquet wood floor had been laid and
more than a few couples were dancing. The band was local and the song they were
playing was just ending when Nadia and Drake walked up. Immediately they
started a slow song. The strains of a recent Brad Paisley tune hit the air with
a sweet melody as Nadia stopped by Drake’s side.
She was eye-height with his breastbone when he turned. Almost instantly, he
grabbed one hand with his larger one, and the other settled at her hip, burning
her through the denim. Her mouth dried and her stomach caved. This was one
thing she had dreamed about since she’d been old enough to enjoy dancing. The
hard musculature of his body was inches, mere inches from her own, as he began
to move in time to the music.
Excitement was too dull a word; not even “enthusiasm” could cover how she felt
at this moment. Sheer pleasure bloomed deep inside her body. Every fingertip
tingled with anticipation while her booted steps kept in time with his. He
wasn’t holding her too close, but she was closer than most of the other women
were to their partners. The soft, sensual, woodsy smell of his cologne tickled
her nose whenever his big body moved. Her eyes caught on the neck of his tee
shirt. Even his neck was roped with muscle and tendons. She was sure if she
looked close enough, she would be able to see his pulse beating there too.
Shivering slightly at the thought of just how close she was to him, Nadia
immediately stopped as she realized her nipples were hard.
Shit.
“You okay?” His voice was deep, gravelly, and so damn sexy that she almost fainted
right there at his feet when he leaned down to whisper in her ear.
Oh, kill me now. “I’m fine,” she said and continued to move, hoping like
hell he wouldn’t realize that her nipples were hard enough to cut glass, and
they were probably poking holes in his shirt right at this moment. Damn.
When seconds passed and he hadn’t made any jokes, Nadia relaxed a bit, until
his fingers tightened, bringing her even closer to that hard, hot body of his.
Now Nadia’s hips were moving daringly close to the front of his jeans. Hell,
she could practically feel the denim rubbing against her own. He maneuvered her
slightly, until their legs were opposite of each other, and every time she
moved her feet, her thigh rubbed the inside of his.
Her body erupted in heat. Never before had she felt this hot, this keyed up.
With every sway of his hips, and movement of their legs, her body was pulsing
in time to the music and their actions. Nadia couldn’t get enough of it, and it
was becoming harder to control her breathing when her body was zinging in all
the right places. Even the denim of her jeans was causing her sensitized skin
to quiver.
Oh, he feels so good. I knew he would. I have known it all along. All those
gorgeous muscles, moving like liquid fire against me, sliding those long
fingers over and around my hip with every
C. J. Cherryh
Learning to Kill: Stories
John O'Riley
Brenda Sinclair
Christopher George
Stephen Lloyd Jones
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Celya Bowers
Jill Gregory
Aria Cunningham