“Nah, he’s cool.” Mark laughs when Jax glances at Caleb and looks him up and down.
“You might not be safe from me,” Jax says.
“By all means, dance with my wife,” Caleb replies and shakes his head. “You guys in?”
“Sure,” I say and grin up at Mark. “I haven’t danced with you in years.”
“I’m not very good.”
“I’ll help. I do that for a living, you know.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
We break into groups, Sam and Leo leaving to meet his band, Nat and Jules giggling as their men follow them out to catch their Cirque du Soleil show and the rest of us taking the escalators up to the fourth floor of the Cosmopolitan here in Vegas to wreck havoc on the dance club.
We’ve been in Vegas for all of six hours, and I have never had so much fun. I have a feeling things are just getting started.
We find two tables and push them together, then sit back and watch the few couples on the dance floor as we wait for our drinks.
“Are we ordering food?” Matt asks and surveys the menu. “At least some appetizers to soak up all the alcohol you’re all consuming.”
“Good idea,” Caleb says. “Let’s just order two of everything.”
“Three orders of potato skins,” Stacy says. “This music is great, but the dancers are lame. Not fun to watch at all.”
“Yeah,” Brynna agrees and winks at her. “It’s really boring.”
“I think they’re hinting at something,” Dominic adds. “They’re so subtle.”
“They need someone to show them how it’s done,” Nic says and smiles smugly at me. “You and Jax should go show off.”
“Subtle as a heart attack,” Matt agrees and brushes his hand down the back of Nic’s head. “But beautiful.”
“Just Dance” by Lady Gaga begins to play and Jax laughs as he looks over at me and raises a brow. “That feels a little too coincidental.”
“Go have fun, baby,” Mark urges. “But watch yourself. That dress is short.” His eyes finish his sentence. And you’re not wearing underwear.
“Go dance!” Brynna says and claps her hands.
Jax takes my hand and leads me out onto the floor.
“I’m in heels with no underwear, so no horizontal lifts, okay?”
“Got it, marshmallow.”
And off we go, Jax leading us around the floor. He spins me out and in and within five steps, it’s just me and Jax, feeling the music and dancing the way we always do.
I love it when he improvises. He’s just genius, and he challenges me. He’s mindful of my heels, and does lift me, but keeps his arm on my thighs, holding my skirt down.
When I land on my feet, he rolls his hips and backs away, singing to me, making me laugh. The girls at the table are cat calling, egging him on.
Everyone in the room applauds when the song ends and we return to the table and collapse in our seats, drinking the water that was delivered while we were dancing.
“You guys are fantastic,” Stacy says. “I never could move like that. My hips don’t do that.”
“Your hips do just fine, baby,” Isaac says and winks at her, making her blush.
“My turn!” Brynna exclaims and pulls Jax from his chair. “I want to dance.”
“I had no idea she liked to dance so much,” Isaac says as he watches Brynna and Jax walk to the dance floor.
“She always loved to dance in college,” Stacy says and laughs when Brynna starts to move her hips, mirroring Jax. “You should go out there and surprise her,” she says to Caleb.
“I’ll dance with her in a bit. She’s having fun with him.”
“You’re not usually so willing to share,” Matt says mildly and sips his water. His hand has stayed on Nic’s neck the whole time they’ve been sitting here.
“He’s no threat,” Caleb says with a grin. “You and I both know that.”
“He’s charming, and the girls like him,” Dominic adds.
“Plus, he’s fun,” I say and watch my friend with the pretty brunette. They’re laughing together as he shows her some more intricate steps.
I uncross and recross my legs. Mark lays his hand high on my thigh.
“Don’t do that,” he whispers in my ear.
“No one can see anything,” I reply and turn back to watch the show on the floor. Mark loops his arm around me and gently caresses my shoulder, my neck, my naked back, thanks to this barely-there dress, with his fingertips. My breath catches and goose bumps break out on my skin when he drags his nails down my spine.
“Look at me,” he whispers.
His eyes are on fire as he stares down at me for a long minute, then he stands and without a word, tugs me to my feet and leads me past the dance floor and out the front door. Instead of walking toward the escalator, he turns the other way where the buffet is. It’s closed now, and the hallway is dark. He pulls me into a secluded doorway, away from anyone’s line of vision.
“What’s wrong with you?” I ask with a laugh. He pins me against the wall and leans his forehead against mine.
“Nothing at all is wrong,” he says and kisses my nose then drags those magical lips down my cheek to my ear. “You’ve been turning me on all night.”
“I haven’t done anything.” I brace my hands on his shoulders as he kisses his way down my neck, making my center clench and immediately go damp.