Triple Diamonds (Mystic Nights #2)(15)
Placing his nearly finished drink on the bar, he looked at each sister closely. He gave them a smirk, which had Eve laughing and Dawn looking at him quizzically. “Well, since you’ve got me all figured out you might as well give me a hand.”
“What do you need us to do?” Eve laughed while elbowing her sister.
Glad that they were willing to help, and trying not to think about what they would tell his mother, he gave them their directions. “Dawn, you get the one on the right. Eve take the girl on the left. The purple number is mine.” And without giving them time to back out, he stalked to the dance floor to claim his evening’s prize, his sisters flanking him on either side.
He heard them both giggle behind him, but they were there. And that was all he needed. An in. A distraction for Linda and Dinah so he could get Jewel to himself. If they could distract the other two woman long enough for him to make a getaway with Jewel, well, he would owe them for that big time. He got behind Jewel on the dance floor and she still hadn’t noticed as his sisters quickly maneuvered in front of him. They each took one of the other girls’ hands, and parted the threesome flawlessly. Jewel didn’t even know what hit her.
*
Jewel was enjoying herself immensely. It had been months since she’d gone out dancing and let her hair down. When her brothers had texted her saying they were crashing at a friend’s after track practice, she had accepted her friend’s invitation to go dancing. They had even decided to rent a room at the hotel so none of them had to drive afterwards. That was one of the perks of being an employee. The discount.
She was also a little bit tipsy. Normally not one to dance so provocatively, she felt the loss of heat immediately when her friends parted from her. But she continued to move to the beat, feeling Linda come back up behind her. When she pushed her backside back into her friend to the pulse of the music, she was shocked when she felt something rock hard behind her. That was definitely not Linda! Whirling around, she hit a brick wall—solid, massive, and unmoving. Her eyes gazed upwards and soon discovered the wall was none other than the very finely chiseled specimen that was Joseph Sassacus. Immediately her mouth became dry. In a tight t-shirt and dark jeans he looked every ounce of the perfect male specimen that he was. In his suit, he looked magnificent. But now she could more clearly see his definition. The man had an amazing body. Her body was engulfed in flames at the thought of what he must look like naked.
She instantaneously took a step backwards, but his hands came up quickly, and grasping her shoulders he reeled her back in, moving in time to the music. Her breathing became erratic, and her heart hammered in her chest at the realization that she had been set up. She was dancing with Joseph, the man who had been hitting on her that very afternoon. He suggested they go out sometime. He had made that sometime happen without her awareness.
Jewel glanced around quickly to see how this had happened, and saw both her friends being steered off the dance floor by Joseph’s sisters, Dawn and Eve. They were all laughing as they climbed up onto bar stools. She felt the sting of the possibility of being set up. But Joseph’s hands distracted her as he ran them up and down her arms provocatively to get her attention focused upon him once more. Turning, she looked up into those coppery eyes, and she saw desire flare in them. The man was too gorgeous for words. His face, his body, and that smile, were all . . . just . . . perfect.
“You look beautiful, Jewel,” he stated as he whirled her back around so that she was pressed up against him, her backside against his front. Flames of heat began to curl in her core. The attraction she felt for this man aided by her lower inhibitions due to the alcohol was making her lose all control, all sensibility. She couldn’t see his face any longer. She could only feel him there, moving against her. And she couldn’t deny it. It felt good. Damn good! She was speechless and couldn’t think, couldn’t form a single word. Only feel.
Glancing back at the bar, she saw her two friends, and they were smiling at her. Encouraging her with their eyes. Yes, it had to be a total set up, she mused, turning back around to face the man that was wreaking havoc on her body. Her head began to clear a bit, but just a bit. She had consumed three cocktails already this evening, and was beginning to regret it despite the delicious sensations this man was causing within her. It had to be the alcohol, but she felt incredibly alive pressed up against him like that.
Yet, her instinct was to flee. It was all consuming. She knew it was just a dance, but no one had ever made her feel like that. So she stayed and continued to move letting him lead her. Dancing in this man’s arms was like nothing she had ever felt before. He was built like the Warriors her people once were. All muscle and sinew. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to run her hands along his body, feel his muscles jump under his skin as she caressed him. She shook her head to clear it. Her thoughts had a mind of their own. Whether it was the powerful attraction she felt for him from their first moment of meeting, the way he moved, the amount she had imbibed, or her friends’ encouraging looks, but she felt completely lost in the moment. Mesmerized. That was what she was.
Joseph took her arms and placed them over his shoulders as the music changed. She had to reach up to keep them there and step closer. The man was incredibly tall, and she felt the power he possessed just below the surface. He was at least six feet to her five six. “Yes, you do look beautiful tonight,” he repeated as he gazed down upon her, taking in the ample cleavage revealed by the sagging neckline of her dress.