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Blaze and his band signed with Maxwell’s label about ten years ago before it became Sin Records. I think he was like eighteen or nineteen at the time. Because of that, I’ve been around him a few times over the years, but I don’t remember him being so mercurial. Then again, we never had an honest conversation either. Now that I think about it, I remember a certain overprotective older stepbrother always stepping in before we said more than hello.
“Do any of you want to dance?” He looks directly at me, and my natural response is to say no, but before I can, another face appears.
“Did I hear dance?” Thad appears with a mug of beer in his hand, flashing his megawatt grin.
“You’re late,” Lily scolds.
“Fashionably so.” He winks at his friend, then tosses Ashleigh and me a flirty smile.
“I thought it was girls’ night,” I pout. I like Thad. He’s funny and entertaining to be around, but I’m a little put out. Why did I get dragged here—or blackmailed—if it wasn’t really going to be girls’ night?
“I tucked everything away,” he teases. “Tonight, I have a vagina. Unless you girls see a hottie coming my way, then I need you to scram.”
“Who talks like that?” Lily’s nose scrunches and her lips curl with disgust.
“I do, obviously.”
“I’m down for dancing.” Ashleigh slides from the booth and then looks at the two men with a pointed glare. “But keep your hands to yourself unless you want bloody stubs.”
“Same on all accounts.” Lily slides out next, leaving me the last one sitting.
The four pairs of eyes stare at me, waiting expectantly. I want to crawl under the table. I hate the feeling of being pressured. Yes, I love to dance, but notthiskind of dancing. A long arm wrapped in expensive fabric—because Thad is a worse label whore than Lily—extends, fingers wiggling in my direction. “Come on, tiny dancer. Won’t be fun without you.”
I scoff, toss back two shots, grab my Cosmo, then take his hand as he guides me out. When I stand, I hit above his chin. “I’m anything but tiny.”
“Just because you’re tall doesn’t mean you aren’t still tiny. I’m worried the wind will carry you away.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes. “Let’s go.”
My steps falter when I spot Graham and Elise again, making Thad bump into me. “Something wrong?”
I sigh and shake my head. “Nope. Not a thing.”
We push our way through the crowd to the middle of the dancefloor, hips swaying the entire way. My drink threatens to slosh over the edge of my glass as my arms wave loosely in the air to the beat. I enjoy dancing with Thad. He’s remarkably light on his feet, but Lily said his mom owns a dance studio in California and forced him to learn when he was a kid.
After a few dances, there’s a tap on my shoulder. “Mind if I cut in?” Blaze’s eyes rake me up and down, waiting for an answer. It’s a strange request because none of us are dancingtogether. I glance at Thad, not understanding the wariness in his eyes. Does he know why everyone seems to dislike him? He leans in as if to kiss my cheek but instead whispers, “Don’t trust him.”
Okay. Weird.But I’m feeling good for the first time since I got here. The alcohol is buzzing nicely through my veins, making me feel relaxed—warm and tingly. So I shrug and nod, accepting Blaze’s offer. I continue to lose myself in the music. My eyes shut, and my hips create small figure eights. I lift my arms, allowing them to drape over my head as I move.
Two hands grip my hips, moving in sync with the rolls of my body as his husky voice growls in my ear. “Damn, babe, you can move.”
My nose crinkles at thebabething. I hate being called babe. It’s just so… ick. But it’s quickly forgotten in the haze of alcohol and music. “I hope so,” I hum, “or a lifetime of lessons would have been wasted.” We continue to move together as the songs roll into each other, and the alcohol really takes effect. My lashes flutter as he grinds against me. “You’ve got a few good moves yourself,” I tell him over my shoulder.
“Hmm. You have no idea.” If I weren’t already sweaty from dancing, my body would be one massive blushing blotch from the suggestive tone.
When my eyes open, I spot a pair of near-onyx ones glaring at me, swirling with heated emotions I can’t quite decipher. For a moment, my steps falter. Then I remember I’m not supposed to care about him or his opinions. He can get pissed all he wants. I’ll just pretend it’s jealousy I see in those scalding depths. Imagine the searing rage is because he cannot stand the thought of another man’s hands on my body.
The liquid courage flowing through my veins emboldens me as I continue to indulge in my fantasy, not caring that it’s the last thing I should be doing. My right arm swings up, wrapping around Blaze’s neck, my left drops, caressing his outer thigh. I know I’m not sexy. Even with all the vodka and tequila, I don’t feel it. But I am feeling brave. So, with my back to his front, I slowly lower myself, dragging one down his chest while the other trail over his thigh, then repeat on the return up. Blaze’s fingertips dig into my flesh as I grind my ass into him. Staring directly into Graham’s eyes, picturing him as hard as Blaze is behind me, I bite my lip, leaning my head against Blaze’s shoulder.
My lips pull into a satisfied smile when I see Graham’s jaw clench. If I truly believed he was jealous—that it wasn’t just his protective big-brother nature causing the anger to ripple from him—I would understand why Lily used this tactic on my dad a time or two.
“Well, aren’t you full of surprises?” Blaze mumbles against my ear, making me shiver.
I hum, feeling good. So, so good.
I’m still faintly aware the feeling is manufactured, but I never allow myself to let loose. I never drink over two drinks, always afraid of making a fool out of myself. If I’d known it would feel like this, I would’ve indulged more often. It seems Graham’s appearance did me a favor.
“I’m going to take a piss and get another drink,” Blaze tells me. “Do you want something?”
