Power Drilled (Roommates, #8)(23)

How my brother had found this goddess and instantly incorporated her into our lives was beyond me. Jackson didn’t usually have that kind of luck. Neither did Reid. I was the only one with game.

And moves.

“Want to dance again?” I asked after I drained the whiskey. The resulting fire in my throat made me even thirstier, though not for booze.

Just for Penny.

Which was a damn shame, because she was far too focused on her family. Still, I’d managed to get one glass of wine in her, and it helped a little. Before that, she’d been so quiet I had no shot at hearing her.

“Sure.” She scanned the room, probably figuring out who she wanted to avoid. I hadn’t officially met her ex and her shitty cousin, but she’d pointed them out to me from a distance.

I set my glass down on the table hard, and then led Penny onto the dance floor. When we found a spot that wasn’t dominated by elderly aunts and uncles who danced like they were trying to swat flies, I took her hand and twirled her around, grabbing her hips before she could crash into me.

Her dark hair swirled around her bare shoulders as she gasped. I liked how I didn’t have to look down too far to see her. She was a bit taller than the average woman, plus she was wearing heels. Together, those two things somehow meant her body fit against mine perfectly when we danced. My cock twitched as I thought about how well we’d fit together doing other things.

Being in a hotel surrounded by family probably dampened her desire, but not mine. This resort was fucking huge, which meant there were a couple hundred king-size beds around us. It was pretty tempting.

She was pretty tempting.

I stepped forward, my knee pressing against her thighs. She brought her wrists up to encircle my neck, and her legs parted slightly when she stepped backwards.

That was a good sign.

Pulling her close to me, I kept my grip on her slim hips as we moved together. I desperately wanted to curl my fingers around and cup that sweet ass, but Jackson would kill me. He thought Penny was delicate.

And hell, maybe she was, but the woman in my arms was showing passion, too. Her eyes widened as she looked into mine. Her fingers tightened behind my head. And the way she tossed her hair made me think she was enjoying this dance as much as I was.

The music sucked, and there were far too many witnesses, but I didn’t give a fuck. Dancing was all about your partner, and I’d found a good one. Or Jackson had.

It had been strange, waking up this morning and knowing she was just one room away. Stranger still because we had to share a bathroom, since the other one was torn up. I would’ve killed to be able to share a shower with her, but even I knew that one wrong move would send her running for the hills.

Then again, she didn’t seem too upset about my moves on the dance floor.

I twirled her around and enjoyed the way her breasts bounced as she snapped back into my arms. She was fucking gorgeous. And I would’ve bet a billion dollars that she didn’t even realize it.

That was a rare quality among beautiful women.

When the song stopped, the lead singer announced this would be their last number. After that, no more live music—if you could call it that when half the band looked like they’d been born two centuries ago. But I made the most of it, pushing my hips into Penny’s and guiding her around the dance floor.

She kept up with me just fine. The only time she missed a step was when she pressed herself against me and whispered in my ear that she wanted to head a different way to avoid her parents. She’d introduced them to me before, but I guessed she didn’t want to see them while we were grinding up against each other like this.

That was fine by me.

Then the music stopped, and Penny was instantly accosted by some old friends from high school. Apparently, she and the bride-to-be had gone to the same school, so they knew a lot of the same people. Penny introduced me—using Reid’s name—and I put my arm around her shoulders, listening to her and her friends talk.

I knew my role in all this—to support her and to look hot. The latter one came more naturally to me, but I did okay with both. Whenever I was tempted to say the wrong thing, I’d just imagine what Reid would do. Then I’d add some bland fact to the conversation and go back to listening.

Since I had a woman on my arm who was both sinfully hot and the designated driver, I helped myself to a bottle of beer as we left the ballroom.

Penny’s cheeks were flushed, as was the skin of her chest above the deep vee of her dress. Her dark eyes flashed with excitement, and I could tell she’d liked dancing with me. It was going to be a hell of a letdown for her when it came time for Jackson or Reid to dance with her. Maybe I could make sure I was the one to take her to the reception.

“Do you want to wait here while I go get my things?” she asked when we reached the front lounge.

“I’ll come with you.” Yeah, I had a one-track mind, but I wasn’t about to let a young woman venture out in a dark parking lot by herself. Besides, she probably needed me to help her carry all her dresses and girlie shit.

I was still up when she and Jackson returned from her apartment last night, and it immediately became clear there was no place to hang her clothes. We’d already knocked down the poorly constructed shelves and clothing rods in all the closets because a crew would be coming to install custom shelving tomorrow.

Then Penny remembered that she had a room here for the week, so it would be much easier for her to keep her stuff here. Plus, she could change and do her makeup in a room with an actual mirror. We’d already taken those down in the bathrooms, too.