What was Fin thinking about this right now?
“Thank you,” I said, absently trying to keep from pushing him away.
“After this dance, why don’t I show you my private art collection?”
Oh, playboy Esteban was making his move. If I allowed him to touch me, would creepy magic Esteban come out?
“Don’t you dare, Zoey.” Fin said into my ear via the microphone speaker. “You aren’t invulnerable to magic. What if he can steal your mind?”
I cleared my throat to keep from saying some choice thoughts to Fin.
Then I stared into Esteban’s eyes. “Thank you, but perhaps another time, if you’d invite me to come back to your beautiful home.”
He stopped dancing and tugged me fully against his body, hands on my hips. “What is the harm? Your date is probably long gone, and no one here will miss either of us.”
“No one is going to miss the host? I highly doubt that.” I let some of my annoyance tinge my words, but they didn’t faze him.
Instead of waiting for me to say yes, the bastard dragged me off the floor toward the edge of the ballroom. I stumbled behind him and searched for Fin in a panic. He’d been watching the entire time, and strangely I felt comforted at the thought.
Esteban stopped near a door leading off the ballroom and reached for the knob.
I held him back. “Please. I love parties I’m not ready to leave yet.”
He gently cupped my cheek and pulled me closer by my waist. “You are exceptionally beautiful, mi reina. I can’t wait to make you mine.”
Funny. Me too. Except, I couldn’t wait to rip him to shreds.
“One more drink,” I said, instead.
His eyes hardened, and his fingers tightened around me, digging into my skin. Fin edged closer to us and I waved at him from behind my back not to come closer. I would not ruin an hour spent entertaining this fool because Fin felt the need to protect my virtue.
Esteban leaned in, slow enough to allow me to escape, if only his hands weren’t locked around me so tight. The thought of kissing him made bile rise in the back of my throat. At the last second, I turned my face away and his warm lips met my cheek.
My mistake became obvious when his mouth trailed over my jaw onto my neck.
Oh, no. Psychos don’t get to be near my erogenous zones.
“Esteban, please. We’re in public. Someone will see.”
He hummed against my neck and continued a trail to my bare left shoulder. Oh man, I so needed a shower now. “Please, we can continue this when we are alone.”
As if he didn’t hear a word I said, he continued his exploration over the top of my shoulder and then back around to my neck. His touch was slimy and wrong and somehow still pleasurable. Esteban had to be the 9Volt battery of men. It hurt so good.
I pressed away from his chest, hoping he would finally get the hint and let me go, but the move only seemed to excite him more. Fin stood a couple of feet away, watching us intently, no doubt witnessing the disgust on my face.
Esteban pressed his teeth into the soft part where my neck and shoulder met and I’d had enough.
I roughly shoved him back. “I said stop.”
His smile a little darker and crueler now. It seemed to fit him much better than the magnanimous lady’s man.
Ah, there you are, you bastard.
He reached out to trail his fingers down my cheek, but I shoved them away. Nope, we had both shown our cards now.
He held up that hand in front of my face and snapped his fingers.
The music stopped. Didn’t fade, or peter out; it disappeared. The crowd and the noise were gone.