AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ah.” He waved his hand. “Maybe the old Tanner Brooks didn’t have to play games. This pathetic excuse for a man you’ve turned into—you’ve lost your touch. I can’t even remember the last time you bagged a girl.” He tipped his beer bottle in Chase’s direction. “Even your brother’s gone soft, man!”
I controlled the urge to punch my best friend in his dumb mouth and averted my attention to my brother as he talked to Merritt Adams across the room. He had been in love with her since kindergarten. I was glad to see them together. If she hadn’t woken up from the coma after her accident, Chase would have been devastated.
“Incoming. Here comes your girl.”
Charlotte wore a yellow halter top and the tiniest pair of white shorts. Girls knew exactly what they were doing when they put on white shorts—they knew it drove men wild. She looked less plain than usual, and that excited me. She was dressed for me. My mouth spread into a wide grin as her eyes locked on mine.
Mallory whispered something in her ear, and Charlotte bit her lip to keep from laughing. I would have to ask her about that later. She didn’t smile much, and I wanted to learn how to make it happen more often.
I wrapped my arms around her in a bear hug. Anything to touch her. “You came.”
“I told you I would talk to Mallory.”
Mallory smirked. “You’re welcome.”
I held out my closed hand and fist-bumped her. “Mal, have you met my single friend, Derek?” I patted Derek’s arm. I didn’t know if he was interested in Mallory, but I didn’t give a shit. He needed to be my wingman. Mal was fiercely protective over her friend, and I wanted Charlotte to myself tonight.
Charlotte pushed Mallory closer to Derek. “This is my single friend, Mallory.”
Mallory took his hand with a confident smile and led him to the dance floor without saying a word. Apparently, she was a designated wingman, too.
I held out my hand to Charlotte. “Ready to dance?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Seriously? “Do you not like dancing?”
“I do. I just can’t dance with you.”
“Why the fuck not?”
She crinkled her nose and closed her eyes as if it hurt her to say the words. “If I dance with you, I will owe Mallory twenty bucks.”
My eyebrows could not have lifted any higher. “You bet her that you wouldn’t dance with me tonight?”
“I did.”
Fuck that. I set my beer on the windowsill and dug into my back pocket, pulling out my wallet. I leaned in just inches from her face. “Don’t ever bet against me, baby.” I took her hand and pulled her through the crowd. Tapping Mallory on the shoulder, I handed her a folded twenty-dollar bill.
She took it with a knowing smile and winked before returning her attention to Derek.
I drew Charlotte in close, and we began to dance. She felt rigid at first—hesitant. I wanted her to relax. I placed her hand on the back of my neck and carefully sandwiched her casted arm in between us.
“Is your wrist okay?”
She nodded, looking everywhere except at me.
My hands traveled to her waist, and I brushed my fingertips against her slightly bare midriff. Behave. You don’t want to scare her away. Our bodies moved in rhythm with the music, and Charlotte relaxed against me a little more with each passing song. She even turned around at one point and pressed her ass onto my dick. Let’s hope she takes the stiffness as a compliment.
As much as I enjoyed being behind her, I twirled her around and pulled her close against my body. My chest was pressed against hers. I had the perfect view down into her cleavage, but that wasn’t where I wanted to look. I needed her to look at me.
As if she heard my thoughts, her eyes flicked up at me. Blue eyes always seemed cold. They lacked depth. But not hers. Charlotte’s were a limitless ocean, and I was sinking under. When she looked at me, I was on top of the world. I was invincible. All the pain inside me dissipated.
“You look incredible,” I spoke into her ear, resisting the insatiable desire to nibble it.
“So do you.”
With her arms draped around my neck, her fingers ever so gently stroked the hair on the back of my head. It calmed me and tortured me at the same time. I imagined her gripping handfuls of my hair with her legs wrapped around my waist. I kept my hands planted firmly on her hips, but I could feel them twitching, dying to roam all over her body.
