As he passed women, they placed hands on his chest, trying to get him to dance with them.
“Sorry, ladies, I’m taken.” It felt good to say the words.
Liam whispered in Claire’s ear and twirled her around. Her eyes opened wide, and then her entire face lit up with a smile.
“You don’t dance,” she said.
“Tonight, I’m going to try.” Shane suddenly appeared behind her. He reached out and grabbed her hips, bringing her closer. Shane forgot about the people surrounding them. This wasn’t their moment. Claire deserved to have some fun. “But I like to dance close.” He brought her close to his body. One of her hands circled the back of his neck.
The tempo of the music changed, the funky music slowing down to the pulse of sex. The lights dimmed. No one else mattered but him, Liam, and Claire.
She didn’t take her eyes off him. Liam moved in behind her, their hands on her body moving her this way and that. Shane pressed his thigh between her legs, the most public display of want.
Claire danced with them, and Shane felt the heat through to his heart. The fire felt good, and he wanted the moment to last.
Chapter Nine
Claire laughed as she sat on Gary Walker’s lap. Shane and Liam had led her off the dance floor and back to the four brothers. The gorgeous redhead was still on the floor with the sheriff. Every now and again, she saw each brother glaring in that direction.
Shane went to get another round of drinks, and Liam was in a deep conversation with the youngest brother.
“Why don’t you go and talk to her? Cut in and force her to dance or something?” she suggested as she caught Gary staring toward her.
“Forcing her to do something is what caused her to go with the good old sheriff there.” His hands rested on her leg.
“You know, using another woman isn’t going to help your cause,” she pointed out.
“I know that. She’s just stubborn. We care about her and want to make sure she’s safe. If that doesn’t involve us, then so be it. We want her to be happy,” he said.
Claire nodded, understanding his point completely.
“Okay, so tell me what you did to make her get mad.” She’d noticed the other woman looking over at the four brothers. She might not want to be with the men, or she might be mad at them, but the interest still existed.
“I told her to go and put some extra clothes on,” Gary admitted after some time. Confused, Claire frowned at him. “She went swimming at the local lake in a bikini. When I swung by, I was too heavy-handed. I told her, no, ordered her, to put more clothes on.”
“Ouch. You shouldn’t have ordered her around.”
“I know.”
Shane came back with a round of drinks, and the night carried on. Claire had to leave the group to go to the bathroom. She weaved her way through the crowd, thankful when she saw the toilets empty.
She washed her hands and patted some cold water onto her neck. The heat was getting to her. The bar was getting rowdier, but she was having fun.
The sounds of crying made her stop touching up the small amount of makeup she wore.
“Hello?” she said to the room.
Opening each of the toilet stalls, she found the redhead from the dance floor on a toilet seat, crying her eyes out.
“I’m sorry,” Claire said.
“Are you going to run out and tell them all I made a stupid mistake?” the redhead asked.
She shook her head.
“I saw you sitting on Gary’s lap even though you came with Shane and Liam. You know those men are taken, don’t you? Liam and Shane only have the hots for one girl, Claire Martin.”
Seeing the issue, Claire started laughing.
“You’ll be sorry,” the redhead warned.
“I think we’ve got our wires crossed. I’m Claire Martin, and I’ve only heard you referred to as the redhead.” She offered her hand to the woman.
“Cassidy Jocks.” They shook hands. “I’m sorry. I’m a mess.”
“Gary told me what happened. I understand why you’ve pretty much given them the finger all night,” Claire said.
“I’ve been an idiot. Michael is an amazing man and a brilliant sheriff. I don’t know what to do. He’s been wonderful to me, but seeing Gary and the others with you hurts.”
If someone had said she would be standing in the girls’ bathroom with a redhead called Cassidy Jocks talking about a bunch of guys, Claire would have laughed.
Grabbing some tissue, she offered it to the other woman.
“If it’s any consolation, Gary feels bad about it. Talking down to you. Maybe you should stop worrying about the men and think about what you want. I don’t think the brothers are going anywhere. Be certain before you make any rash decisions,” Claire advised. She went to the sinks and finished powdering her nose.