Josie reappeared, disheartened. “We’ll have to wait until the next round,” she said, tugging Grayson’s arm. “Let’s get in a better position. The food seems to be coming out that door.”
“We’ll be back,” Grayson called out as he let Josie pull him and Harrison away.
And then it was just us.
“So…you and Josie, eh?”
Adam hung his head back with a groan. “It was a work Christmas party. If I’d had any idea she was hooking up with Gray, the short-winded encounter never would’ve happened.”
“At least you’re loyal to your brother.”
“I’m loyal to everyone I love.” He took a sip of his whiskey. “It’s just a very short list.”
Our eyes met, but we said nothing. There was a ball of energy growing between us that desperately needed dispersing.
The tapping on a microphone drew our attention to Scott walking into the middle of the dancefloor. “Where’s my beautiful wife?” he asked, panning his gaze around the crowd.
Melanie appeared, jogging barefoot to be by his side. “Sorry, I had to pee—again.”
I laughed with the majority, while Adam shifted closer. “What’s so funny about that?”
“It’s a pregnancy thing.”
“Oh.”
“I think,” I muttered before taking a sip of my drink.
Adam’s shoulder pressed up against mine, and I barely took in a word of the speeches. His jacket was off, so the heat radiating through his rolled-up shirt sleeve was warming my body.
The cool breeze off the ocean tickled my neck as I watched Scott and Melanie’s first dance as husband and wife. As the music morphed into a more upbeat number, couples merged onto the dance floor to join the happy couple.
Adam placed his empty glass on a nearby table and returned to my side, leaning over the handrail to face the ocean, seemingly disinterested in the action.
“For someone so confident with their endurance…on the dance floor, I mean…I thought you’d be the first one out there.”
“Not without you,” he said, watching the water disappear into the night. “And you haven’t finished your drink yet.”
I gazed down at my last mouthful. “Oh.”
“Then, you’re in trouble.”
Exhilaration tore through my body. Adam’s words rarely matched the energy surging through him, but when they did, they knocked me off kilter. My heart rate accelerated as I lifted the glass to my mouth and swallowed my last-ditch effort at resistance. Adam had me, if only for the night.
I lowered my glass to find Adam’s smile waiting. He took it and placed it beside his. “You ready?” He held out his hand.
Pushing past my reluctance, I drew a shaky breath and placed my hand in his.
Without hesitating, Adam pulled me through the crowd. My sister and his brother were smitten with their current dance partners, so our presence went easily undetected.
True to his word, we danced all night. With twinkling lights overhead, we twirled and dipped and laughed until we lost our breath. Our bodies were intoxicated with the perfect mix of alcohol, elation, and attraction, and I didn’t even flinch when Adam drew me close when the music slowed.
“I haven’t had this much fun in years,” he said as his chest rose up and down.
I smiled. “Me too.” I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, absorbing his mood. “Your soul feels so much lighter.”
His blue eyes sparkled. “I’m starting to feel a little violated.”
“Tell me about it.” My chuckle evaporated. “No matter what I do, I can’t seem to block you out.”