Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
She grinned. “Pretty sure I still won, but it’s nice of you to play.”
I nodded to the dance floor, where Mr. Dumbass was working the oldest trick in the book. He pretended not to watch me and Juniper. The blonde pretended not to notice Mr. Dumbass watching us. “Want to make him miserable?”
“What?” Lord, there was that adorably confused look again.
I jerked my head toward the dance floor. “I can make this as tame or as wild as you want. Either way, you’ll get your fill of revenge.”
She considered it for less than a second, that contagious megawatt smile parting those red, red lips. “Hell, yes.”
I helped her gently to her feet, then stood. We stepped onto the dance floor, and I prepared myself for the fireworks.
I fitted my hand to the small of her back and pulled her close. I wasn’t the best dancer and this wasn’t exactly the bar for dancing, but I couldn’t really think of anything I wouldn’t do to keep the smile on this woman’s face. It struck me then that this woman was made to be noticed. There wasn’t anything unappealing about her.
We moved slowly, no matter the driving beat of the music. Some people on the floor bounced around or bopped to the hyper rhythm, but a few basically just swayed, the dancing more foreplay than anything else. Me and Juniper were in the latter category. I made sure to turn and move us so we stayed in direct view of her ex. Every time she laughed, I saw his jaw clench. I also saw the moment the blonde realized she didn’t have his attention.
Juniper tilted her head up at me and said, “You’re doing this on purpose.”
“Only a little,” I said with a wink. “You mind?”
She shook her head, and her silky hair brushed my hand at her back. “Do you think he does?”
“Yeah. He does look like he’s been suckin’ on a lemon, don’t he?”
She buried her face in my chest and chuckled. With what sounded to me like a happy sigh, she snuggled against me and let me hold her like she belonged to me.
We danced through two songs, maybe three. I lost count because who really gave a fuck? I had a beautiful woman in my arms for however long she let me. I wasn’t going to waste my time making her decide how long to stay like this. The song ended, and I felt the shift before I saw it. “Mr. Dumbass” was moving toward us, blonde trailing, her hand on his bicep as she tried to hold him back.
He started his approach with a smile so wide he looked like nothing short of a shark. “Junie,” he said. “Didn’t know you could dance. Or was that all for me?”
She stiffened, and I rubbed the bare skin of her back with my thumb, urging her to stay silent and let me handle the situation.
He didn’t look at me at first, his focus squarely on Juniper. “You’re full of surprises, you know that?” he said, looking at her with disgust I didn’t like at all. “The dress, the boots. Didn’t think you had it in you. Must be the company, huh?” He smirked at me, pulling the blonde against his side.
I nodded at him. “Evening.”
He made a noise meant to be a laugh. “Hey, man. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Just, Junie and I--”
“Don’t think there’s any ‘Junie and I’ anymore.” I nodded to the woman with him. “Ma’am, if you need a ride home, I got several brothers here I’ll vouch for.” The woman stiffened and looked away but didn’t say anything.
He ignored my comment and plowed on. “Just saying, Junie has a lot of feelings, sometimes more than she knows what to do with.” He grinned at me like we were in on the joke. “She’s a handful. Hope you can handle that. Last guy couldn’t.”
“Oh, I think I can manage,” I said. He didn’t like the way I looked at him, and the woman on his arm didn’t like it either. She adjusted her hold and took a step away, eyes on the ground.
The ex made a move like he wanted to keep talking, but I put my hand on the back of Juniper’s head, shielding her from the man in front of me. I glanced over at Sully and Darby who both met my gaze and started making their way to me. Sully would be my backup. Darby could protect Junie if necessary.
He smiled, all phony warmth. “Junie, you all right? I know you get… overwhelmed.” The pure condescension in his voice made me want to punch the motherfucker in the face. “Listen, if you need a ride home, I can call a car. You don’t need to make a scene to try to get my attention.”