He looked young and hot and completely fuckable, and once again I was blown away by the fact that he was here. With me. A very literal fantasy come true.

I felt the quick rhythm of his heartbeat and knew that he was real. I swayed against him, moving in time with the music—and then realized that Evan wasn’t doing the same. “Dance with me,” I pleaded, edging toward the dance floor.

His gaze raked slowly over me, leaving me feeling fully exposed and very needy. “I don’t dance.”

“Oh.” My chest tightened, and suddenly I was afraid that all this—whatever “this” was—was going away.

Then his mouth curved up into a slow, sensual grin and he slid his hands along my waist and over my hips, the friction making a flurry of sparks between us. “But I think you’re doing a good enough job for the both of us.”

“Yeah?”

“Dance for me, Angie.” His voice was low and firm, and the command I heard was undeniable.

I’d been doing exactly that, but now my moves seemed more sensual, more erotic.

I was aware of Evan’s eyes on me, the heat of his gaze burning through me, giving me confidence to flirt, to beg, to tease in time with the music. Never had I been more aware of my body—or of the effect I was having on a man.

Damn Jahn for what he’d wanted or feared or forbidden. Right then I didn’t care. There was no way in hell I was letting Evan Black get away from me tonight. I needed this. Hell, I needed him.

And if the way he was watching me was any indication, I was pretty sure he needed me, too.

I danced even closer, my breasts brushing his chest, one arm going around his neck. I eased myself up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his ear. “There are all sorts of ways to dance,” I murmured, as I cupped my free hand over his crotch and felt the hard steel of his erection straining against his jeans. “So tell me, Evan. Are you sure you don’t want to dance with me?”

six

His eyes went dark, and I was afraid that I’d pushed him too far. That he was going to blink, and then we’d suddenly be just two people on a dance floor in a sleazy bar without this heat, this tug, pulling us together.

Then his hands cupped the back of my neck and he pulled me in closer. I gasped, breathing in the scent of arousal, his and my own. He bent his head and a shudder cut through me as he nipped, just a little too hard, at my earlobe.

“I swear to god, Angie, you’re like Kryptonite—you fucking break me.” He pulled back, moving his hands to either side of my head, his fingers twining through my hair as he held me just a little too tight, keeping me completely locked in his grasp.

I was breathing hard, my body primed. My lips parted ever so slightly and I tried to lean in, drawn like a magnet to the energy of this man. He held me fast, though, and I knew in that moment that whatever edge I thought I held over Evan Black was a tenuous thing. He could turn the tables on me whenever he wanted to. Hell yes, he was dangerous. And right then, he was mine.

“I’ve done a lot of fucked up shit,” he said. “But this—right here, right now—this may be the worst.”

I tried to shake my head, but he still held firm. “I don’t believe that,” I said.

“I do.” He slid one hand around to cup the back of my head, keeping me steady as he moved his other hand so that his thumb could brush gently over my lower lip. Automatically, I opened my mouth, my breath coming in soft, shuddering gasps even as a shiver ran through my entire body. There was no hiding anything from him now, and I didn’t want to. The air between us was thick with heat and lust, and though I stood fully clothed in front of him, I’d never felt more exposed in my life than I did in that moment.

The edge of his thumb continued to torment my lip. He eased it inside my mouth, just barely, and though some tiny, rebellious part of me wanted to play it cool, there was no way that was going to happen. I closed my lips around him, my tongue tasting, my lips sucking.

I shut my eyes, hyperaware of the heaviness in my breasts and the demanding throbbing in my cunt. I moaned, not quite able to believe that I could be this turned on when the only physical contact between us was his thumb in my mouth and his hand in my hair.

“If you knew what I wanted to do with you right now, you’d run.” His voice was low and edgy and as sharp as a blade, and it cut right through me, leaving me wide open and vulnerable.

I tried to respond but couldn’t seem to make sounds. With supreme willpower, I tried again, and somehow managed to form words. “I’m not running.”

His eyes were dark. Stormy. And I could see the battle raging across his features. His face was cast in shadows, giving him an even more dangerous appearance, and for just a moment I wasn’t certain if I wanted him to win the battle, or lose it.

Then it didn’t matter, because his fingers tightened in my hair, pulling me roughly to him in the split second before his mouth captured mine. Around us, other dancers hooted and whistled, but I barely heard them over the rush of blood pounding in my ears.

I parted my lips, and his tongue swept into my mouth, claiming me. He tasted decadent, like the finest of chocolates, the headiest of liquors. I clutched tight to him, my fingers lost in the silky waves of his hair, my body pressed against him. I felt lighter than air, and it was a good thing he held me so tight, because if he had let go I would probably have floated all the way up to the ceiling.

Our kiss was hard and wild, nipping and teasing. I tasted blood and didn’t care. I wanted to feel everything, to give everything. To take everything. I felt frantic, as if I needed it all—every bit of his touch, his emotion, his being—because if I stopped or blinked or backed off, it might all go away. This might turn out to be a dream. A mistake. A fantasy.

I didn’t think that I could handle that. He was like a drug, and now that I’d tasted him, I knew that I could never give him up.

He pulled away from me then, his breath hard and shallow. I whimpered in protest, terrified that this was it. But my fear dissipated when I looked into his eyes. We weren’t stopping. Hell, if I went by the fire I saw burning in his eyes, I didn’t think we’d ever stop.

For a breathless eternity we just stared at each other, and I imagined getting drawn into him, lost in his eyes. Melding and merging and never doing without this feeling again. My heart was pounding so hard I was certain that everyone could see the movement of my dress in time with my pulse. I wanted to beg for him to touch me again, to kiss me again, but at the same time I didn’t want him to stop looking at me, because under Evan’s gaze I felt more alive and real and solid than I had in years.

I didn’t know if we stood like that for hours or seconds. I was deaf to the music, blind to the crowd. There was only Evan, watching me. Wanting me.

He broke first, taking my hand and tugging me impatiently across the dance floor. I went willingly, following him down a dark hallway to a propped open fire door. He kicked it all the way open, then tugged me outside into a dimly lit alley. Immediately, I was accosted by the stench of stale beer and french fries, but I really didn’t care. Alley or five-star hotel, it didn’t matter to me. All I wanted was this man. This moment. All I wanted was to surrender.

I remembered my frustration with Kevin, but that wasn’t a problem with Evan. He took what he wanted, giving what I needed. Power, control, intensity.