“Dent, meet my girl, Ember. Ember, my friend, Denton.”
I go to reach out my hand to take the one Denton is offering in greeting, but jerk it back when I feel Nate growl low and deep. Denton’s head goes back, and he booms out a thundering laugh.
“Did you just growl like a dog?” I ask Nate in shock and turn to look up at his face.
He keeps his narrowed eyes on a still laughing Denton, not answering me.
“That’s a little much, don’t you think?” I continue.
Nate looks down at me like I’m the crazy one for even asking him that, and I ignore him by returning what I hope is a hard look of my own. He shrugs and pulls me through the door and into a dark hallway.
“It’s nice to formally meet you, Denton!” I call over my shoulder while still being pulled behind Nate. I hear another animalistic sound from him and just roll my eyes.
He’s crazy.
When we reach the end of the hallway, I can see that the club is just as packed as it was the last time I was here. I continue looking around while keeping up with Nate’s huge steps as he leads me to the stairs that I know will lead me to his office, only letting go of my hand long enough to wave me ahead of him.
I look down at my outfit, a short summer dress that I picked after an hour of throwing almost everything out of my closet, and wonder if I miscalculated when settling on this one. I hadn’t thought about the long climb up. He probably wants me ahead of him so I don’t flash anyone.
When I look back up at him and see the mischievous twinkle in his eyes, I know that I was wrong. He wants me ahead of him so that he can catch a flash of what is under my skirt.
Well, he’s in for a shock. I wink and laugh when I see him frown in confusion before moving around him and starting my climb. The hissed breath that I hear over the music at my back gives me a rush of power and confidence. I put a little extra swirl in my hips with each step, and by the time I’m halfway up, my lips are curled in a smile so wonky and big that it hurts my cheeks.
Just when his warm palm hits the inside of legs, I reach out and push the handle on his office, about to come out of my skin when the tip of his thumb touches my bare sex.
“Oh my God,” I gasp and stop just inside the door of his office.
He hits my back, and I hear the contents of my picnic basket shift. “What the hell?” he explodes behind me when he finally sees what stopped me in the first place.
Oh, how I wish it were just because of his hand.
The skirt of my dress had ridden up from the jerk of his arm when I stopped abruptly, and I hastily pull it down. Lord knows, one half-naked woman in his office is enough.
“Oops,” the sickly high voice says from his couch and she stands slowly. Her naked breasts sway as she bends to pick up the black corset top.
I look back at Nate and see him just barely keeping a leash on his anger. I know whatever we just walked in on isn’t something welcomed by him, even if I wasn’t here. He moves into the room and tenderly—despite his very raw anger—moves me out of the way so he can shut the door and silence the music that is pounding up from the club below.
“You want to tell me what the fuck you’re doing in my office, Julie? Without your top on, no less.”
He walks over to his desk, unfortunately placing him closer to her, and puts the basket down with utmost care. His hand runs across the top in an almost reverent caress, and I can’t even describe what seeing him do that does to me.
Even though she’s tainted our moment … whatever this is, he is still almost disbelieving that I’m here, with him. Well, he’s not the only one, and I’m not letting this woman ruin a moment I’ve only dreamed possible.