Chapter Nineteen
It was so strange to be walking through downtown at night on the arm of a guy who, not three weeks ago, Elle would have crossed the street to avoid. And, yeah, she hadn’t been too thrilled with the way he pushed her with both the art stuff and her ex-boyfriend, but the night was still going far better than she’d expected.
“Do you like to dance?”
A thrill of foreboding snaked through her. “That depends on a number of things.” The first being how much she’d had to drink. Even now, with a single glass of wine under her belt, a delicious warmth spread through her body.
“I bet.” Gabe’s fingers dipped beneath the edge of the back of her dress. It was a relatively innocent touch, but it set her skin on fire. “We’re almost there.”
Even this early on Friday night, there were quite a few people out and about, all taking advantage of the nice weather. Most were dressed in casual clothes, which would have made her feel out of place if she had the space in her head for such thoughts. As it was, Elle’s entire being focused on the tiny circles Gabe traced over her skin.
She wanted him naked and back in her bed. Heck, she’d been completely preoccupied with reliving the memories of their lovemaking for the last couple of days. Especially after he’d gotten her so close on the beach, right there where anyone could have seen what he was doing to her. The very thought made her blush, even as she wanted it again. If Gabe hadn’t been so into making this night perfect for her, she would have dragged him home so he could have her for dessert.
When he withdrew, she had to actually bite back a sound of protest. They’d stopped in front of a nondescript door on a tall brick building with no windows. There was a vertical sign reading Ascension, but otherwise it was completely without decoration.
“I’d like you to see my business.” Gabe took her hand and they walked through the door, nodding at the hulking man standing just inside. Holy crap, that guy was huge. Elle didn’t get much more than a glimpse of a bald head and forbidding expression before she was swept along into a large room.
Whatever she expected, it wasn’t this. It was like she’d stepped into another Milford’s, only this one had a huge bar stretching from one wall to the other down the right side of the room. The rest of the space was occupied with three pool tables and a scattering of round tables and chairs. People in business attire gathered in small groups, talking softly while some song she’d never heard before played over the speakers. “Oh, wow.”
“Not what you expected?”
“You know it isn’t.”
Gabe grinned. “Don’t act too relieved. There’s more.”
More? She followed him back the way they’d come to where a staircase and elevator had been hidden in a small corridor. “I don’t understand.”
“Have you ever been to the club Dublin?” When she shook her head, he continued. “Well, they have clubs in other cities with the same concept. Five floors, each with a different theme. This is the entrance level—kind of chill right now, but after ten we switch the music as the younger crowd starts showing up. Then, if you want quiet, you go to the top.”
She had to admit, it was a fascinating idea. Elle wasn’t much of a clubgoer, but she could see the appeal of having several flavors of music and crowds to choose from without having to switch buildings or pay an extra cover charge.
“What’s your poison? Techno, hip-hop, or country?”
Though there was the temptation to see them all, she went with the one least likely to traumatize her. “Country.”
Gabe stepped into the elevator and pressed four. “Can you swing dance?”
Yes, but she was surprised he’d think to ask. “I haven’t tried since high school. Can you?”
“I had a friend who was into that sort of thing. Can’t do the lifts, but I can spin you around the floor a time or two.” He grinned. “You up for it?”
That expression did funny things to her stomach. Despite her best effort, Elle ended up grinning right back at him. “Sure.”
The country floor was both what she expected and completely different. There were the typical trappings found in this type of bar everywhere, but everything was of a really high quality. Though the bar itself looked like several barn doors attached together. When she leaned against it, she found it’d been sanded down to an almost silky smoothness. The majority of the room was occupied by a huge dance floor and stage, which seemed to indicate they had live music from time to time. That left the other half of the room, with the square bar immediately next to the elevator and a handful of tables and chairs on the other side.
Already, the music was going and the place was half-full. Almost everyone was under thirty, but there was a group of older men and women swinging around the dance floor.
“Those are our regulars.” Elle jolted when Gabe spoke in her ear. “They come out after dinner, dance for a while, and then go home before the heavy crowds hit.”
A man flipped his partner around, pulling off a move Elle hadn’t seen outside of competitions. Dang. “Sounds like fun.”
“Would you like a drink?”
She didn’t want to get wasted, but maybe one drink would be okay? Elle didn’t know. It was hard to think with the length of his body pressed against hers. “A lemon drop if they can make it.”
“Babe, this is my club. Of course they can make it.” He caught her earlobe with his teeth, pressing just hard enough to send a shiver racking her body. Then Gabe was gone, strolling to the bar as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
In an effort to keep from watching him like some love-struck teenager, Elle made her way to one of the tables. Here, she had a great view of the dance floor. The more she watched, the harder it was to ignore the desire to move. Sure, she couldn’t match them for skill, but memories came over her in waves, all of them highlighting the fun she’d had with friends back in high school.
By the time Gabe slid into the chair next to her, she was determined to try. Then his thigh pressed against hers and his hand dropped to her knee, right where the hem of her dress rested, and she forgot everything but him. Elle took her drink with fumbling fingers and sipped it. Lemon tartness exploded on her tongue, lending to the warmth already circulating through her body. He leaned in, close enough to give that kiss she was so preoccupied with. Elle watched his lips move, already feeling them on her body. “Want to dance?”
Dancing was good. Dancing meant she wasn’t going to throw herself at him in the middle of this club. Elle nodded. They moved onto the floor, Gabe expertly leading her through the other dancers. He spun her out and then into his arms, surprisingly light on his feet, and the moves came back as if she’d never forgotten them.
The world narrowed down to the feel of Gabe’s hands on her body, the beat of the music, the sweat on her skin. One song blended into another and they kept right on dancing, even as the crowd around them faded into a younger set. Finally, breathless, she shook her head. “Break. I need a break.”
Gabe led the way back to their table. When Elle collapsed in her seat, she gave her drink a suspicious look. “I think I’m good.”
“Babe, no one touched your drink.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Actually I do.” He nodded at the bartender. “She watched them.”
“She’s all the way across the room. How the heck would she know?”
“You are so damn cute when you’re being paranoid.” He hooked the back of her neck and pulled her in, crushing his lips against hers.
Elle opened her mouth without having any intention of doing so. She ran her fingers through his hair as his tongue traced hers. God, he tasted amazing. Elle stroked her hands down his chest and back up again to cup his face.
Gabe shifted back and she almost yelped when he lifted her into his lap. But then his tongue tangled with hers, washing her away on a tide of desire. It beat beneath her skin, demanding things she very much wanted to follow through on after experiencing them firsthand the other day. Gabe’s fingers slipped beneath her dress, barely an inch above her knee, but it was as if he’d stroked directly over her core. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she shivered.
When he nipped her bottom lip, she moaned. There was no way he could have heard the sound—not with the music as loud as it was—but Gabe pulled away, his eyes gone dark with passion. “Come with me.”
“Okay.” No hesitation. No questions. Right now, with her body still shaking from his touch, she’d go anywhere he asked.
He moved through the crowd, so fast it was almost a struggle to keep up. If it weren’t for his hand nearly crushing hers, she would have lost him in an instant. She thought they were headed for the elevator, but Gabe swerved around a couple making out and stopped in front of the bar. He flipped up a section of it and closed it behind them. Before she could ask what the heck they were doing, he dragged her through a door.
There was a short hallway with two more doors. One was obviously a freezer and the other, which was apparently their destination, was a storage room.