Leo's Chance(49)

"Oh really? What type of engineering?"

He tells me he’s a mechanical engineer and we talk for a few minutes about his job and what my company does.

After a few minutes, I hear a good song come on and I stand up, pulling Evie with me, and whisper, "I want you on the dance floor." I need to feel her against me. She looks hesitant but gives a little wave to the guys and starts following me.

When we make it to the middle of the dance floor, she puts her arms up around my neck and we start moving to the beat. The combination of our bodies moving against each other and the intense beat of the music is sexy as hell. I look down at her and her eyes are filled with the same thing I’m feeling.

"I should have known you'd be a good dancer," she whispers to me, and the feel of her breath at my ear sends a lightning bolt of arousal through my body. I press more closely into her.

Landon comes up behind Evie as the song changes and I take the opportunity to go to the restroom.

"Take care of her," I say to Landon as I hand Evie over.

When I return a few minutes later, I see a big, overly muscled meathead pulling Evie toward him as Landon tries to pull her in the other direction. A red haze comes over my vision and suddenly, I’m fourteen again and someone is pushing Evie around at school. Only now there’s a sexual element to the bully’s motives. It’s all I can do not to tackle the * and pummel his face into the bar floor. Instead, I grab the back collar of his shirt and haul him back toward me.

I get right up close to him, and say, "Hey *, you need to learn what no means." He sizes me up for a split second. He’s bigger, but I’m taller and my expression must tell him that I’m willing to push this because he says, "Whatever, man," and holds his hands up in mock surrender and pushes me back off him as he walks by me. Stupid meathead. I look over at Evie, and for a second our eyes lock and the rest of the club fades away as she tilts her head, looking dreamily at me. She knows. But just as quickly, she shakes her head very slightly and smiles brightly at me, crooking her finger to come to her. I do. When I reach her, she looks up at me and whispers, "My hero."

I look down into her slightly buzzed expression, shaking my head and smiling at her ability to disarm me. Sweet, beautiful lion tamer.

We dance next to the guys for another forty five minutes or so. Landon is funny as all hell and I can see why Evie likes him. Troublemaker by Olly Murs comes on and Landon starts doing these dance moves I swear I’ve never even seen before. We’re all laughing at his show as people start to stand back to watch and cheer him on. I look over at Evie and I can’t stop smiling, watching her as she laughs and has fun, living in the moment. Time seems to slow and the music fades out. There’s only her, and I think, this, this makes my soul feel full.

The music comes slamming back into my head, and time resumes as Landon pulls Jeff forward, and now everyone is clapping for the both of them. Jeff isn’t nearly the dancer Landon is, but he manages to hold his own. It’s entertaining, but I’m ready to get Evie home to bed. The adrenaline rush from tearing the big guy off of her, and all the sweaty dancing has me worked up. All I can think of is getting her beneath me in bed and sinking into her tight, wet warmth.

As the crowd fills back in and Landon dances over to us, I lean toward him and tell him I’m going to get Evie home. He nods, saying, "It was great to really meet you." I smile and nod to Jeff a few feet away, and Evie blows him a kiss and waves to Jeff as I lead her off the dance floor.

Evie heads off to use the restroom and as I wait for her, I do a double take as a woman walks straight toward me. Are you f*cking kidding me? A huge surge of adrenaline releases in my body. Lauren. She followed me here? I glance quickly toward the restrooms and walk straight to Lauren, grabbing her arm and turning her around so that she’s forced to walk with me toward the front of the bar. She leans into me, hugging me as I practically drag her forward. I shake her off. "I’m done. I swear to f*cking God, Lauren."

"Jake – stop! Wait, I’m in town to meet with the board tomorrow. You wouldn’t let me talk to you in San Diego! I went to your building to see you and your doorman told me you were headed here. I didn’t think you’d mind–"

"Yeah, I f*cking mind. What about any of my words or actions in the past five f*cking years gave you the idea that I wouldn’t mind? And what the f*ck are you meeting with the board about?" I’m gritting my teeth so hard that I’m barely moving my jaw as I’m spitting out each word to this crazed lunatic. She’s gotta be living in a fantasy world in her own head. It’s the only explanation.

I glance back toward the restroom, my heart hammering in my chest. Evie’s going to be coming out any second. There is no way in hell that I can let Lauren know I’m here with a woman. She will attempt to cause a major scene – I’m all too familiar with the way she treated girls I brought around her when I was still living at her house. Ugly. If I saw her try some of that shit with Evie, I might have to kill her. And just having gotten Evie back in my life, prison doesn’t sound all too appealing.

"I’ll tell you, Jake. Please, I–"

"Fine, call me this weekend and we’ll talk. If you leave now, I’ll answer your call and we’ll talk, alright? I’m with some friends here tonight and this is not the time or the place."