Alex had come stag, of course. He wasn’t exactly the boyfriend or prom date type. Truth be told, Holly had been surprised to see him here at all, and in a tux no less.
Of course he didn’t look like any of the other boys, despite being dressed exactly the same. He had none of the stiff, awkward formality that made them look like kids playing dress up. In fact, he looked oddly debonair, with his bleached blond hair looking natural for once instead of spiked up, and wearing his tux easily, comfortably, as if he’d been born in it.
“I know you want to dance,” he said now, his eyes challenging her to deny it. “I’ve been watching you move your hips to the music while stick-in-the-mud Brian lectures about life.”
His eyes were bright as he stepped close to her. “Just one dance, Holly,” he said seductively, his mouth near enough that she got a whiff of his breath.
“You’re drunk,” she said accusingly, taking a step back.
He grinned at her wickedly. “Maybe a little,” he admitted.
She glared at him suspiciously. “You didn’t spike the punch, did you? Because if you did—”
“You’ll tell on me? Don’t worry, Holly, you don’t need to get your panties in a twist. I didn’t spike the punch.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. “See? Just for me. You and your boring friends don’t have to worry.”
“My friends are not boring.”
Alex slipped the flask back in his pocket. “Well, maybe not as boring as your date. Where is the college boy, by the way?”
“He’s getting our coats,” she said stiffly. “We’re going home.”
“Right.” Alex pulled back a little. “Heading out to do the nasty, I suppose,” he said, his voice unconcerned.
“Of course not,” Holly snapped. “God, Alex, why do you always have to be so crude?”
He stared at her. “You’re leaving your prom early and it’s not to have sex?”
“That’s right,” Holly said coldly. “Brian respects me.”
“He respects you,” Alex repeated. He shook his head slowly. “What I’m thinking right now can’t be true. It’s too pathetic even for Brian. But is it possible he’s been dating you for two years and never in all that time made a move?”
Holly glared at him. “Of course he’s made a move. Brian’s a fantastic kisser.” Actually that wasn’t the case, but she’d be damned if she’d let Alex know it.
“A fantastic kisser. Right. I’m not talking about kissing, Holly. Have. You. Had. Sex.”
“Of course not!” Holly said, outraged that he’d asked her that and outraged that she was even standing here having this conversation. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”
Alex took two quick steps and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking at her with unexpected intensity in his blue eyes.
“A girl who deserves to be with a guy who appreciates what he’s got. If you were mine, Holly, I’d seduce you every night of your life. I’d throw you on the back of my bike and take you somewhere private, somewhere I could find out what’s underneath all this.”
His eyes roved downward, and in spite of her high collar and puffy sleeves Holly felt exposed under his gaze, vulnerable. His hands moved to her waist, and she had been so slender back then that his thumbs and fingers had almost met as they circled her. She had never realized how big and powerful his hands were, and yet his touch was unexpectedly gentle.
She had never felt so fragile and feminine. Brian’s hands were much smaller.
His eyes met hers again. They were so blue, so penetrating, and they seemed to see things other people didn’t. Things that no one should see. When he spoke his voice was low, and rough with some quality she couldn’t name.
“Brian doesn’t seem very curious about what’s inside this package, but I am. Why are you with him, Holly? Why do you hide behind all this?” Somehow she guessed he wasn’t just talking about her prom dress.
His hands were still on her waist, but now they moved up her torso, slowly, until his thumbs just brushed the underside of her breasts.
She’d never felt like this before. There was a strange, hollow feeling in all of her bones. She closed her eyes, unable to move, and when Alex spoke again his voice was right by her ear.
“You don’t belong with him,” he whispered.
She was standing on the edge of an abyss. One step and she’d go over.
Her eyes flew open. “I hate you,” she spat at him, finally finding her voice. She shoved him away from her and looked desperately around for Brian, furious at herself for the melting heat she’d felt at his words, for the goose bumps he’d raised with his touch and most of all for how long it had taken her to push him away.