Embrace, Entice, Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington Read Free Book Online Page B

won’t kill you.” When we reached the barrier of people surrounding the dance
    floor, I noticed again the stranger at the bar, sitting dead still, examining me. The base of my neck tingled.
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    The dance floor was crowded, but we made it through the crush
    of bodies to the center. The music had a good beat and it was fun to let go. I slipped an arm around Lincoln’s waist. When I looked up, he was watching me. He kept a hand on my bare back, splayed and careful, the pads of his fingers pressing cautiously into my skin.
    His touch burned and my heart pounded.
    I started to move my other arm around Lincoln’s waist to bring
    our hips together. He pulled away abruptly, signaling he needed a drink and disappearing to the bar. Perfect. I bit down on my lip, humiliation flooding through me. Was that my answer?
    Looking for an escape, I spun around and slammed straight into
    someone. I felt a weird buzz run through my body as I put my arm on his to balance myself. I must’ve had more to drink than I realized.
    The stranger leaned his head close to my ear. “I was watching
    you from across the room. You radiate.”
    Only then did I realize it was the guy from the bar. His voice, low and dark, sent shivers down my body. He was strangely familiar and I wasn’t freaked out by him the way I normally would be by
    a guy I didn’t know. Plus, it was nice to know at least someone was attracted to me— though “radiate” wouldn’t have been my first choice for a pick up line.
    I knew it was childish of me to flirt with someone just to get
    back at Lincoln, but I did it anyway. “Thanks,” I said, looking up at him from under lowered lashes.
    Despite my cringe- worthy rejection status, the music started
    to drown out my thoughts, and dancing with a stranger—albeit
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    one who appeared to be wearing a very floral scent for a guy—was not…awful. I was distantly aware that he was starting to move
    his hands up from my hips, and when he slid them over my bare
    back, I couldn’t stop the gasp. Everywhere his hands went, they left sparks, like mini electric shocks, that lingered on my skin after his hands had moved on. I knew on some level I should move away,
    but for some reason I didn’t. Before I could work out why, Lincoln was there, ripping the guy off me.
    He swore and his green eyes flashed with fury. The guy only
    seemed amused and took a step toward him. For a second I thought Lincoln was going to hit him, but then he just put his arm around my waist and forced me back behind him.
    “Get away from her. She’s not interested,” he growled, his tone more threatening than I had ever heard him use before. He was
    right too; I wasn’t interested. At least, I didn’t think so. I had only being dancing with the guy to make Lincoln jealous, hadn’t I? But Lincoln was acting like he was actually dangerous.
    The guy just stood there smiling, an odd light reflecting off
    his dark hair. “It didn’t look like that to me,” he said, completely at ease.
    Looking into Lincoln’s thunderous face, I was suddenly sobered.
    What is going on?
    “I have to go.” I turned and walked toward our table. Lincoln
    was right behind me.
    “Where’s Steph? I just want to go,” I said, unable to look him in the eye. I could sense all my good- time feelings flattening around 50
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    me like a badly constructed house of cards. Lincoln put his jacket on and shoved his hands in his pockets. Body language 101.
    “She left while you were…dancing. Said she’d call you tomorrow.
    Did you know that guy?”
    I could feel the anger radiating from him. “No,” I mumbled.
    “You shouldn’t have let him near you! You need to be more
    careful. Did he do anything? Say…anything?”
    I grabbed my bag and swung around. Lincoln was right behind me.
    “I…he…” I couldn’t