“Excuse the ruffian behind you, my dear. He’s one of our public servants.”
The way he said it told her he thought less of people who worked to keep him safe. Jackass. She wanted so badly to knee the idiot in his groin, but she kept herself from performing the task. Somehow Rome insinuated himself into the space beside her.
“I was wondering if the lady would like to dance?”
She turned toward him, and the impact was even more powerful than before. A blast of heat surged through her entire body. Her lips started to tingle as she remembered the way he had kissed her the night before.
“Sure,” she said without looking away from him. She shoved her glass at Ashton as Rome took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor.
Even though it was cool in the club, she felt her body start to warm being so close to him. Rome let off so much heat. He stopped and pulled her closer as a slow song started. Damn, she wasn’t prepared for the impact of having his entire body against hers.
He leaned down, his lips against her temple. “Got yourself quite a little harem there.”
She tried to adjust to the fact that she was this close to him again. The rumble of his chest as he spoke had her shivering. Maria knew he could probably feel her hardened nipples.
It took a second for the irritation in his voice to reach her. She pulled her head from his shoulder and looked up at him. He wasn’t looking at her. He was looking out over the crowd.
“That was the plan, wasn’t it?”
He grumbled something, and his chest rumbled against her again. With the music so loud, she couldn’t make out what he said.
Before she could ask, he said, “Ashton isn’t the killer.”
She blinked at the change in topic. “Shouldn’t we wait to talk about that? Maybe you should ask me my name? Or act like you want to be dancing with me? You’ve barely looked at me.”
He glanced down at her then back out at the crowd again. The hand on the small of her back pressed her closer. She could feel his erection then. Every thought in her brain seemed to fizzle away.
“If I look down at you, I might not be able to control myself.”
She scoffed at that. “Oh, yeah, Carino, why don’t you pull my other leg? I know your type, and you are all about control. Hell, you practice BDSM, so don’t think I don’t know a Dom like you is into control.”
His jaw flexed slightly. If she hadn’t been watching him, she would have missed it. It was definitely his one big tell.
“I can’t.”
For a second, she wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. “What?”
He sighed, aggravation filling the sound. Why was that sexy to her? She knew she was pushing him, pressing buttons. That thought made her wiggle her hips ever so slightly, causing her stomach to move against his erection more. He growled, and she smiled.
He slipped his hands down to her hips and tried to hold her still. “Stop that.”
“Whatcha gonna do?”
She was surprised by the teasing sound in her voice, but she couldn’t help it. He brought it out in her. He looked down at her, his hazel eyes dark with lust.
“Stop. Or maybe I can take you into one of the rooms and show you just how it feels to publically submit.”
Heat rushed through her at the image he brought up. She shifted slightly and felt the dampness of her panties. Lord, she was soaking wet. Need throbbed in her veins. The desire that threaded his voice had her body yearning to do just what he suggested. Maria knew she would never be able to do it, and that would go above and beyond the call of duty, but dammit, it sounded utterly delicious. She licked her lower lip.
“Jesus,” he muttered. He slipped his hand up her back to her head then he pressed it closer, forcing her to settle it against his shoulder. “We can’t leave right now. So stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
He sighed. This time his whole chest moved. She had the feeling he was trying to control his temper.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
She didn’t, but she figured that most women would. Okay, so she knew she was pushing some buttons, but just how did she look at him? Before she could figure out the answer to her question, the song ended.
Instead of leading her back to where she was, he led her over to the bar. Micah was there and smiled at her as they approached. In the exotic environment of his club, the Native American Dom looked even more beautiful.
“Evening, Maria,” Micah said, then he winked. “I do believe that is the first time I’ve seen Romeo out on the floor.”
“Fuck off, Micah,” Rome said as he sat down on a stool and pulled her against him. He did it with such force that she stumbled back. But soon her back was pressed against his chest. She glanced around and found everyone avidly watching them. She leaned back.