For a moment she seems to soften. But only for a moment.
“You’re acting like I was in there gyrating for ten-dollar bills in my panties. It’s a hotel charity event for MADD, Braden, not a strip club.”
“That dress—”
“Isn’t even mine. It’s my friend’s.”
“It can’t look anywhere near as good on her as it does on you.” My voice cracks a little. Damn it.
She swallows. “I need to go back in.”
“Why? Dancing? You want to go dancing? I’ll take you dancing. Be sure to wear that amazing dress.”
“I told you, it’s not—”
“Your dress,” I finish for her. “It should be. It was made for you.”
As if in response to my voice, her nipples tighten and protrude out against the black fabric. In response, something of mine protrudes as well.
“What are you doing here anyway?” I ask.
“Addie gave me the tickets.”
“Of course,” I say. “Addie. I should have seen her fingerprints all over this.”
“So what? I got the tickets, and I wanted to go out with my friend.”
“Like I said, I’ll take you dancing.”
“I don’t want to go dancing,” she says.
“What do you want, then?”
Please say you want to go back to my place. Please.
“I want to go back inside. My friend will be worried.”
“If I take you back inside, the men will be all over you.”
“Braden, one guy was paying attention to me. One. And you scared him off.”
“He’s not good enough for you.” She doesn’t even know the half of it.
“You don’t even know him.”
She’s wrong there. “Neither do you.”
“Of course I do. He’s an architect.”
“You’re wrong, Skye. I do know him. That’s Peter Reardon, and his father is Beau Reardon of Reardon Brothers Architecture. His friend is Garrett Ramirez, also an architect with the company. Beau is trying to get the contract on my new building.”
She wrenches her arm out of my grasp. “What are you saying? That the two of them are paying attention to us because of you?”
“I’m not saying that at all.”
“Sounds like it from where I’m standing.”
“Not at all. They didn’t know you were with me before—but now they do. They’re playboys. I guarantee you they both have two things on their minds tonight. That contract—which probably means a huge bonus from Daddy—and getting laid. I’ll let you guess which one is foremost in their minds on a Saturday night.”