Page 49 of Chasing Caine
“I warn you.” I inched closer, bringing my mouth close enough to her ear I could lower my voice. “You won’t win.”
She chuckled low in her throat. “That kinda means I win anyway, doesn’t it, Dr. Ferraro?”
I pulled back from her and shook my head. “Touché, Ms. Caine.”
As we walked past other couches and seats, down the steps to the dance floor, she grabbed my ass more than once. That stopped when I snatched her hands in mine. There was not enough room for a formal position, but plenty of space to hold her next to me and feel the thudding bass together. Our bodies locked tight, legs bracketing each other, and I rolled my hips to the rhythm, while she echoed every movement.
I snaked my left hand across the small of her back, all the way to her side, and held her tight against me. As her arms rose above her head, my other hand slid up her neck and into her hair. The heat was as all-consuming as when we’d snuck behind the building in Pompeii.
Her arms fell slowly around my neck, and she moved even closer to talk into my ear. “Not many couples dancing together.”
“Would you like to stop?” I took advantage of being so close and sucked her earlobe into my mouth.
“Not a chance.” She pulled away enough for a kiss, her hips continuing to grind against me. Perhaps she would be the one to win, and who was I to complain?
The combination of shots tasted wonderful on her tongue, despite the sweetness and spiciness. I broke from the kiss and returned to her ear. “Should we just go back to the villa?”
She shook her head, long hair swaying around her face, and pressed against me harder. “You surrender so easily?”
“Not a chance!” I spun her slowly, then let go, so I could watch her dance on her own. She closed her eyes, hands exploring her exquisite body, as she circled her hips and bit her bottom lip. How did tough-as-nails-Samantha, the rock climber and adrenaline junkie, move like this? Like a serpent unleashed by a charmer. And how was this woman all mine?
Perhaps five shots and two glasses of wine was the magic number.
But then I noticed the eyes on her. At least five pairs with as much lust in them as mine surely had. I snatched her hand and spun her to me, so she danced with her back against my chest. The eyes had followed her, some frowning, others appearing to think they could still approach her. As she writhed to the music, I glared at each of them until they left her alone.
She pivoted to face me and pulled my ear to her mouth. “What’s with you, Mr. Serious?”
I held her close to me and scanned the crowd.
Then I saw the worst one. The one who was there for me.
My cousin Cristian—dressed in black suit pants and shirt, with the same dark hair and olive skin as me—stood at the edge of the dance floor and beckoned me with a finger, but I shook my head. I neither wanted to speak to him nor leave her alone in this crowd of alcohol-fueled predators. He pointed to the rear doors, then walked out, confident I’d follow. He wouldn’t leave until I spoke with him, otherwise he wouldn’t have tracked me down here.
The thrill of having my girlfriend’s body against mine faded faster than I would have thought possible. “Sorry, bella, but I need a moment.”
“So do I.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed it.
Regrettably, I broke her grip. “There’s someone I must speak with. You can sit with Mario until I’m done.”
“No way! I’m enjoying this game!” She shimmied her hips at me, working very hard to keep me there.
“Would you be happier if Mario dances with you?” I couldn’t leave her alone in the throng. “I’ll be ten minutes at the most. I promise.”
She stopped moving and pouted. Too-much-alcohol-Samantha was an even larger handful than normal Samantha. Perhaps shy-about-her-body-Samantha would have been a better date for the club. But seeing her in that dress—the way it hugged her subtle curves and draped low across her chest—it was no wonder so many men were looking at her.
“This is only a pause. I’ll return to claim my victory soon.”
“In your dreams, Ferraro.” Her body resumed its movement, causing every cell in my being to protest my choice. All the same, I took her hand and we returned to the couch.
Mario was still engaged in conversation with the pretty woman from the line and paid no attention to us when we arrived.
I leaned down to talk in the ear she was not occupying. “I need you to dance with Samantha.”
“No!” He gestured to the woman.
Samantha dropped my hand and started swaying her hips next to me. For a woman who never went to clubs, she was enjoying this one too much.
“Mario, did you see him?”