by Opal Carew
So wrong.
And yet, as he began to move, so right.
Emily took a deep breath and tossed herself into the emotional storm, wondering how they’d all come out the other side.
Blake didn’t expect her to take him up on the offer.
He thought she’d give him a moment then slide away, begging illness or some other reason to break contact. Just long enough to stir the gossip pot before slamming the lid shut and moving on to chat up other guests, using the brief dance as proof she wasn’t trying to avoid him.
The look in her eyes, the hunger he’d seen radiating from her—he hadn’t expected her to be willing to act on it so soon. The dance interruption had been to let her know he was here if she needed him, open to listen to her worries and concerns as he’d been so long ago.
But now she was in his arms and he felt the trembling of her fingers in his, the shift in her body as they began to move. The rigid, proper form from when she had been with Dane was gone, and her body was pliant and supple against him. Her eyes met his and Blake was shocked by the heat simmering in her gaze, the raw emotion locking him in place.
He smiled and tightened his grip on her waist.
This wasn’t going to be just any dance.
Tonight, after five years of waiting, he was going to let her know exactly how much he loved her, how much he still loved her.
After that it was all up to her.
She hadn’t danced with Blake since their graduation night. It’d been here in this very ballroom, all of her classmates laughing and joking as she’d danced with Blake and then Dane and then others, filling the night with celebration until she’d pulled the two men away, unable to keep her request secret one more second.
Now she was in his arms again, and it was like no time had passed at all.
The music rose, sweeping away the murmurs coming from the audience.
Her pulse pounded in her ears as the pace picked up, the sexy salsa rhythm sending her swaying back and forth in his arms. It was hard not to smile and laugh, matching Blake’s wide grin as he spun her around the dance floor, keeping pace with the music. His eyes locked with hers and she knew he was undressing her with his eyes, stripping her bare.
And she didn’t care. Her fingers gripped his with an urgency she’d forgotten she could have, climbing the peak as the twisting and twirling sent his leg between her thighs, nudging and teasing her legs apart.
It was a sexy, sensual dance on its own, but Blake was cranking it up to the point that she wondered for a crazy, frantic second if he was going to have her right there on the floor in front of everyone.
A flash of heat through her body signaled she was open to the possibility, sending her mind spinning.
Around them other couples surrendered to their passage, clearing the dance floor until there was only the two of them. They were the center of attention as they went from one side of the ballroom to the other in an erotic chase and capture of each other.
She’d missed this. She’d missed the freedom to let go, to fling her arms out as she whirled at the edge of his fingertips, sending the edges of her gown flying higher and higher. It wasn’t enough to be called indecent, but it was more than enough to feed the tabloids.
Emily didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything other than how she felt in Blake’s arms, the twirls and dips fueling a desire she had forgotten about, her need to touch and be touched by him.
She flashed back to the last time he’d touched her, lying in the grass, his hand caressing her breast as he dipped his lips down to pull the delicate skin at the side of her neck into his mouth. Five years and she still shivered at the memory.
It flared up in her mind’s eye, bright and fresh. “Mine.” He’d murmured as he nipped her, leaving a love bite that wouldn’t fade for weeks.
Among others.
Now his hand sat at the base of her spine against bare skin, his heated touch triggering a reaction in her, igniting her desire as he spun her out and back again to rest against his hips, tight against his groin.
And, judging from his reaction, he felt the same.
Emily let out another laugh, this one of giddy desire. She gave a slight shove of her hips against his erection, barely enough for anyone to notice other than her and Blake.
He growled in her ear, causing her to shiver with desire. His teeth caught her earlobe and tugged at it, almost pushing her over the edge there and then. She quivered in his grip, unable to do anything but ride the wave and hope she’d survive the inevitable crash.
Dane came into sight as they continued their circuit across the dance floor and her heart sank, even as Blake’s touch made her body soar.
Chapter Four
Enough.
Dane stomped onto the dance floor. The world was a red tunnel in front of him, with Blake Wittsworth in the center of it.
He heard the gasps from the crowd as he grabbed Blake’s arm and twisted him away from Emily.
“You’re done,” Dane snarled, forcing himself to keep his voice below a yell.
Blake stood there, his palms upraised. “What?” The businessman looked at the gathering crowd as if seeking the answer there. “What?”
“Dane.” Emily’s face was flushed, either with rage or lust. She lifted her hands to block Dane’s access to Blake, protecting him.
It inflamed him even more, seeing her instinctive action to keep Blake from harm.
The music faltered and stopped as the musicians got caught up in the drama happening on the dance floor.
“I said, you’re done,” Dane repeated. “I don’t have to stand here and watch him doing that to you.”
“Doing what?” she challenged him.
Dane paused, taken aback. “The way you were moving with him.” He couldn’t help repeating himself, the images still fresh in his mind. “The way you were moving with him.”
Emily braced her fists on her hips and glared at him. “Damn it, it was a dance. Nothing but a silly dance.”
“Are you sure?” He shook his head. “From what it looked like to me, it was a hell of a lot more.”
She was pure rage now but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to hear her excuses.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” She gestured at Blake. “You said it was my choice, you said it was up to me, and I decided to dance with him. Now you come busting in here to break us up? When the hell did you become the only man I was allowed to dance with?”
“Me?” Dane pointed at himself. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting strange ever since we arrived. And then he shows up and you’re all social butterfly, you don’t mind letting him grope you, put his hands all over you.”
“Look, if you want to cut in all you have to do is ask.” Blake said, interrupting the conversation. “We’re all friends here, right?” He looked at Emily, a smile touching his lips. “Right?”
Dane couldn’t help remembering that smile in another time, another place. His vision narrowed and tinged with red as he glared at the man who was once his friend. He gave Blake a hard shove. “Get the hell away from her.”
The rough push caught Blake by surprise, sending him off-balance. He staggered backward and fell down on the polished hardwood floor, landing on his ass with a loud grunt. He rocked back and settled there, eyes wide in shock as he took in what had happened.
A gasp rose from the spectators.
“Dane! What the hell?” Emily roared, her face flushed.
“He . . .” Dane fought to find the right words, his anger now replaced with embarrassment and a touch of satisfaction, seeing Blake’s reaction. “He was . . .”
“He was dancing with me.” Emily snarled through clenched teeth. “Nothing else.” A few strands of her long hair stuck to her face, damp and limp. “Nothing else,” she repeated, using it as a mantra. “Nothing else.”
Her tone told him otherwise, and it broke his heart.
“I saw . . .” Dane dropped his voice down to a hoarse whisper, using the last of h
is self-control. He bunched his hands into fists, grabbing at air. “I saw the way you were reacting to him. How you were acting.” He shook his head. “It should have been me. You should only be doing that with me.”
Emily frowned, trying to make sense of it all. “We were dancing, that’s all.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, her fingers trembling as she heard herself lie.
What’s happening to me? To us?
She looked up and saw the crowd watching them intently, waiting for what would happen next.
Professor Hattenberg was there as well, both eyebrows raised as he took in the scene.
She felt ill. The safe cocoon she and Dane had was suddenly ripped open for all to see.
“Outside. Now.” Emily took hold of his arm and pulled Dane through the crowd, leaving Blake behind sitting on the floor, shaking his head as he gathered his own thoughts.
Dane didn’t resist and didn’t fight back, letting her lead.
She never loosened her grip, tearing into the expensive fabric with her nails as she dragged him through a side door and out onto the lawn. The cool night air buffeted her bare skin, chasing away the last traces of her erotic dance with Blake.
The neatly-trimmed hedges brushed against her as she headed for a patch of darkness away from the bright lampposts illuminating the nearby stone path.
“Okay.” Emily came to a stop. She forced herself to draw a deep, cleansing breath as she released him. “What the hell was that all about? Other than making a spectacle?” It was hard to keep from yelling. She glanced back at the gala, thankful no one had followed them out.
Yet. They only had a few minutes before someone let their curiosity get the best of them and decide to chase them down to offer advice or comfort—or wave their cell phone at the couple in an attempt to grab an exclusive photo for instant sharing with the world. There were probably already pictures of Blake sitting on the floor being uploaded this minute.
“That dance.” Dane gasped. “You were damned well screwing him on the dance floor. Did you think I wouldn’t see it? Did you think no one was going to see it?” He swept his hand around. “Everyone saw it. I wasn’t the only one. Everyone saw what the two of you were doing.”
“There was nothing to it.” She heard herself lie and hated it. “It was only a dance. If people read something more into it that’s their problem, not ours.”
Dane shook his head. “Don’t. I know you. I know you. Don’t lie because you’re worried about hurting my feelings, or worried I can’t handle the truth. My God, Emily—after all the time we’ve been together, you owe me that much.”
Emily rubbed her bare arms. She wasn’t cold, far from it. But she was in the middle of something she didn’t quite understand and wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Whatever was going on right now, right here was far from anything she’d ever experienced before.
And it scared the hell out of her.
“It’s not you.” She managed to wrangle her thoughts into some sense of coherence. “It wasn’t you.”
“I’ve seen you dance with other men.” Dane stood up now, straight and tall. “And you’ve never acted like that. You’ve never . . .” He broke off the sentence and shook his head. “Is this it? Are we over?”
His voice broke on the last word, taking her heart with it.
She went to him and cupped his face in her hands. “No. God, no.” She closed her eyes, trying to sort through the emotions crashing over her. “I love you. I’ve always loved you, all the way back to when we were here. When we started all this.” Emily turned and swept an arm around, encompassing the campus. “We were here, learning and loving and ready to change the world. And we did.” She kissed him hard. “We became powerful people and we’ve given back as much, if not more, than what we’ve taken. The foundation, the other charities we help . . .”
“Blake,” he rasped. Dane put his hands atop hers, stilling her trembling. “It’s about Blake. He’s always with us, even when he’s not physically here.” He shook his head. “We can’t run from this forever.”
A silhouette appeared in the light escaping through the open door.
Emily didn’t recognize the figure, but she knew their private time was up.
Dane glanced at the shadow, picking up on her concerns. “Let’s go for a walk. I don’t want to end up on the front page of some damned tabloid.” He took her hand. “Come on. It’s a lovely night for a stroll. Let’s get away from all this.”
She said nothing as he led her along a footpath well etched in the grass, the sweet smell of flowers washing away the stiff perfume from the gala.
Blake got to his feet and brushed off his front, pointedly ignoring the curious looks. He forced a smile on his face and stuck his hands in his pockets before chuckling and shuffling his feet.
This was not how he’d envisioned spending the evening.
The crowd parted before him as he left the dance floor, glancing at the open door where Dane and Emily had gone.
He turned toward another exit, not wanting to interrupt what he was sure was going to be a heated conversation between the pair. He owed them some privacy to figure out what was going on in their relationship.
Their relationship. The words tasted sour in his mouth.
No one spoke to him as he headed outside. No one dared follow.
Blake looked up into the night, marveling at the sight of the stars twinkling overhead. A few steps took him away from the hall and into the shadows, the noise diminishing to a low hum.
He took a long, deep breath. It’d been a while since he’d taken the time to look up and do nothing.
Do nothing but think of Emily.
He fought the urge to reach down and squeeze away the arousal that had dominated his dance moves. Every time her hips pressed against his, her delicious tight ass against his groin, all he could think about was the single night they’d shared and her decision to take Dane over him.
He couldn’t fault her. He’d respected her choice for five years even though every time they came together here it was all he could think about. All he could do was wonder what he could have done, if anything, to change her decision.
But from what he’d seen on the dance floor, she wasn’t happy with it. Contented, perhaps. But not happy. Their dance together had shown her he was still interested, still madly in love with her. Her reaction had been electric, telling him Emily was still in love with him.
And Dane.
Putting them right back where they’d been five years ago.
Blake looked over his shoulder at the building. He was in no mood to return and deal with the curious looks from the guests, the coy questions forcing him to phrase awkward answers while people whispered under their breath.
Maybe tonight his fate led elsewhere.
Blake looked up into the stars one more time before starting off along the path, letting his mind and feet wander.
“So what happened to you? To me? To us?” Dane kicked a stone off the path into the tall grass. He still held her hand, her tight grip giving him faith they could work through this.
“Nothing happened. We just got older.”
He snorted. “No. No more lies.” Dane gave an angry shake of his head. “We can’t do that anymore.” He studied her face. “It’s being here, isn’t it? Back on campus. Brings up old memories. Old decisions.” Dane hesitated a second, readying himself. “That night. It all goes back to that one night. Do you regret choosing me?”
“No.” The reply was fast and honest. “You’re one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.” She shook her head, the last bits of her carefully crafted hairdo falling to pieces. “I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t want to think about a life without you in it.”
The truth in her words helped alleviate his fear.
But it didn’t cure the ache in his heart. He continued the stroll, knowing he had to press on. This wasn’t going to be fixed with a nice dinner at their favorite restaurant.
The short-
cut grass gave way to taller, wilder areas as they moved on away from the main campus.
He couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
Dane pulled her to a stop facing him. “You figured it out, didn’t you? The reason why every year it gets harder and harder to come here.”
“I have not.”
Dane arched an eyebrow and saw her shoulders drop, giving up the lie.
“Okay,” she admitted. “It’s tough to come here every year, but this time it was just . . . “ Emily closed her eyes and sighed. “What do you want me to tell you?”
“The truth.” He tipped her chin up to face him. “Look at me.”
She opened her deep blue eyes.
“You know we don’t lie to each other.” He paused, seeing her knowing smile. “Okay, maybe a few little white lies here and there,” he corrected himself. “But we have to be truthful about this, more than anything else in our lives. So talk to me. Please.”
She stared at him. Her shoulders slumped and he knew she was ready.
Emily chewed her bottom lip for a second before speaking. “Okay. I enjoyed my dance with Blake.” Her cheeks darkened in the pale moonlight. “A lot more than I should have.”
He pushed past the lump in his throat. “Why?”
“Because I miss him.” The words tumbled out. “I love you, but I miss Blake. I miss his friendship and his love. What we had, what the three of us had together.” She dropped her head, entwining her fingers as she stared at the ground. “I love you. I need you to know this.”
Dane nodded. “But it’s not enough.” It was hard to get the words out. “Do you want to leave me and go to him? Break up? Because if you do . . .”
“No.” The strength behind the single word almost pushed him back a step. “I don’t want to ever leave you.” Emily looked into his eyes. “You’re my bedrock, the safe place to fall that I need every day of my life. I can’t imagine being without you. I can’t imagine wanting to be without you. You helped me become the strong woman I am today, and I’ll always be grateful to you for that. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to walk away.”