Part 17 (1/2)

I turned to look up at the man beside me. ”And how about you, Damien Heathman?” I asked, slowly taking a step backward toward the commotion. ”Are you the type of man to sit back in the chair and watch?” I briefly bit my lip, wondering where that line had come from. I blamed it solely on the alcohol coursing through my veins and then continued on with my preposterous bravery, ”Or are you the kind of guy who's going to swoop me off my feet?”

He didn't look like a dancer. He was too...reserved and quiet, almost uptight.

But I planned to loosen him up.

His eyes gradually ran up and down the length of my body, as if undressing me by incinerating my dress to ashes. By the time his grays returned to my greens, they were smoking hot with a naked desire. ”I'd definitely prefer to see that body of yours move from afar. That way, I won't miss a thing.”

As tempting as that sounded coming from his mouth, I had other intentions, so I shook my head. ”That doesn't work for me. I want to feel your hands on me as I sway my hips to the beat.”

”Oh, you'll feel them,” he stated confidently. ”Later.”

I wanted to win this battle, so I countered, ”Not if you don't dance with me, so I suggest you come and find me.” I spun on my heels and sashayed my hips with purpose and sa.s.s just so he'd know what he was missing out on if he denied me.

I went to join my friends on the dance floor where I immediately turned my mind over to the music pouring out of the speakers. I listened to the sound of the tempo more than the lyrics as I found my rhythm.

Tim came into my line of view, and I noticed he was coming my way, so I swiftly rotated and gave him my back. I knew Damien would be perusing me from a distance, and I wasn't foolish enough to mess with his possessive streak. I had no interest in Tim, but he was my friend, and I didn't want to see him with two black eyes.

I saw Joshua twirl Iris under his arm, and I smiled when she laughed. They seemed genuinely attracted to one another, and I was happy for her. It had been a long time since she dated a man. And after meeting him, I hoped he intended to stick around.

A ping of disappointment fell over me when I realized Damien wouldn't be joining me. It was okay though. I understood it wasn't who he was. He'd let me in by allowing me to lie on his bare chest, even if it was just that once in his bedroom, and he'd taken me on his boat where I'd witnessed him in his natural element. I couldn't blame him for being more reserved in public. Normally, without the power of alcohol under my belt, I was, too.

The DJ skipped the record and flawlessly s.h.i.+fted into another song. I changed my rhythm to match the new beat, as it was more flirty and sensual.

A couple accidentally b.u.mped into me, so I pivoted out of their way. The people slightly parted in front of me, and my breath caught in my lungs. My movements came to a stop as Damien slowly stalked toward me with a deliberate purpose, stealing the show.

He stepped to the left and rocked those d.a.m.n hips of his in perfect synchronization to the music, and then he glided to the right and rolled that waist of his again. All the while, his eyes were on me, only me, and each time he came a little closer, my heart beat a little faster. I was utterly hypnotized by him.

Oh. f.u.c.king. My.

The man could move. This domineering s.e.xy man was giving me a private dance while owning the floor.

My blood pressure spiked feverishly, yet my eyes blurred with unshed tears. I threw my hand over my mouth to hold back my urge to cry at his gesture while smiling like crazy.

He'd come out here for me, no one else but me.

When Damien finally reached me, he rocked his hips into me with a wickedly sensual b.u.mp and grind of his pelvis. His smoldering grin was one to behold, and I feared for the safety of my heart.

I launched my arms over his shoulders, suddenly feeling unsteady. ”You dance?” I asked in pure disbelief that this was real, that he was here, standing in front of me.

”Only for you, Raelyn.” He bent down to kiss my lips. ”Only for you,” he murmured with a tender smile. ”Now, dance with me, gorgeous girl.”

”Thank you,” I returned his expression, feeling a tear slip down my cheek.

Overcome with my emotions, I let my head fall against his chest. He began to sway back and forth with me in his arms, leading me. Our motions were slower than the people around us, but I didn't care. Damien was holding me, so I was perfectly content.

We stayed the same for three more songs until the DJ changed the music to a more upbeat song. Once again, Damien shocked me by guiding me around on the dance floor. He even twirled me beneath his arm. There was not a single second that I wasn't beaming from ear to ear.

By the time we were done, my arms were limp, and my legs were shaky. I felt completely famished.

He led me back to the table and pulled out my stool for me to sit down. Iris, Joshua, Kate, Noah, and Tim were already seated. I noticed the bar was even more packed with people now that it was getting later into the night.

Damien peered down at me and asked, ”Would you like another amaretto sour or a gla.s.s of water?”

”A water, please.”

”Okay, I'll be right back,” he said before heading off to the bar.

”He dances?” Iris asked in that teasing tone of hers. Then, she winked at me.

”It would seem so.” I laughed, still stunned myself.

As my friends started to converse with one another, my body temperature seemed to rise at an alarming rate. I inhaled deeply through my nose and released it, trying to calm myself.

It didn't work.

In fact, I was getting hotter by the second, and now, my stomach was beginning to spasm. It seemed that I definitely couldn't hold my liquor, and the loud music was making it worse.

A few seconds ticked by, and a sharp pain slashed through my temples. I gripped the bottom edge of the table to steady myself as Iris told Kate something about her ultrasound cla.s.s, but I couldn't clearly make out her words. They were fuzzy in my mind.

My palms went clammy, and a thin sheen of sweat pooled at my nape. I was going to be sick.

Not wanting my friends to see me in such a sour state, I forced myself to slowly rise from the table and turned away from them before saying, ”I need to use the ladies'-”

”Want me to come?” Iris cut in.

I held up my hand behind me as I advanced forward, not facing her. ”No, no. I'm good. Be right back,” I told her, surprisingly maintaining an even voice.

I hoped she believed me, but I didn't stick around to find out. I went straight into the crowd and weaved my way to the restroom. The strobe lights acted as stars brightly flickering before my eyes. It made it difficult to walk without staggering.

This isn't good.

Choosing the last stall on the end, I threw myself down on my knees and gagged into the porcelain. ”Gosh, I hate you,” I groaned, well aware I was talking to a toilet. I'd seen enough of them during my chemo to last me more than a lifetime.

I closed my eyes as my belly muscles churned. Now, it hurt so badly that I did want to puke, but my body rebelled against me, denying me any signs of relief.

I sighed in defeat. I hadn't drunk that much to make me feel this dizzy, but I was never going to mix taking shots with amaretto sour again. It must have been a horrible combination of the two drinks or something.

A vicious tremor raked through me, causing me to grip the toilet seat so that I wouldn't fall on the gross restroom floor.

I made my mind focus on something good while I silently counted to ten. I wasn't surprised when Damien was the first thing that came to me-that handsome face of his, that smile he seemed to reserve only for me, and those moves of his tonight. Hot d.a.m.n. He was never going to get out of dancing with me again.

After a minute or several, my nausea finally seemed to pa.s.s. I needed to get back to Damien, so he could take me home. I spread my fingers wide to balance myself and stood to my feet to turn.

I heard the restroom door close as I came out of the stall. My eyes broadened when I saw Sage breezing into the room, looking fresh and delighted. I felt as though my eyes were playing tricks on me, but they weren't. It was definitely Sage, Cale's ex.

”Sage!” I smiled, distracted from my physical state at the sight of her. ”It's so good to see you!”

”Oh my gosh, Raelyn!” She beamed and quickly came toward me to embrace me. ”It's been so long.”

I held my breath at the tight pressure she was inflicting on me, too thrilled to see her, and my lungs deflated when we pulled apart.