Page 32 of Taking the Pitch
If this iswhat it feels like to be completely entranced by someone… I get it now. I get the obsession, the want, theneedto be near that person. Watching her dance with that douchebag from across the club earlier drove me insane. I almost said ‘fuck it’ and started drinking just to keep myself from storming over there and punching his smug face in for dancing with what I want as mine.
And now that I have her in my arms, her looking up at me with her crystal-blue eyes full of the same desire I’m sure is reflected in mine, I’m not sure I can let her go. I move closer, breathing her in. I can almost taste the whiskey on her lips when she suddenly jolts forward.
“Shit!” I yell as cold liquid splashes down my back, causing my shirt to immediately stick to my back and the ice that was in her glass clatters to the floor.
Not thinking about where I’m at, I reach behind me and pull my shirt over my head, needing to get the sticky feeling of wet fabric off me.
I look up at Amelia and see her staring at me, lips parted and eyes dilated. She’s jostled from behind again, and I catch her in my arms as she stumbles forward. Her soft delicate hands landing on my chest. She stares at her hands for a second, then looks up at me through her lashes. Licking her lips, she glides her soft hands up the rest of my chest and over my collarbone, tracing the prominent lines with her fingertips.
Fuck, that feels good. I want to kiss her badly, but not here and especially not on the dance floor. Truth be told, I’m glad we were interrupted, because the first time I feel her lips on mine, I want it to just be us.
I feel droplets of what’s left of Amelia’s drink slide down my back. Making a decision, I take Amelia’s hands in mine and guide her off the dance floor, not even knowing or caring where Hazel and Charlie are at the moment. We weave through the crowd until we finally reach the bar. “Hey Seth!” I call to the bartender. He looks up from the other side of the bar, where he’s handing someone a beer, and cocks an eyebrow at me. Making sure no one needs anything else, he comes to where we’re standing.
“What happened to you?” he says, nodding to my bare chest.
“Dance floor mishap. Do you mind if I use your employee bathroom? There’s a line for the other ones.” I take the empty glass Amelia’s still holding and place it on the bar. “And another drink for her when we come back out?”
Seth walks around to the side and unlocks the little half door they have that leads to the back. He nods his head for me to come on through. “No funny business with the girl in the back, Davis,” he says through a grin as we pass by him.
I feel Amelia pull back for a second and I gently tug her forward. “Just getting cleaned up man, I have her drink all down my back and can’t reach it myself.”
Seth reaches under the bar and grabs a towel and rifles through another pile before finding what he was looking for and tossing both things at me. “Bathrooms to the right and there’s an employee shirt for you to change into.”
I give Seth a fist bump. “Appreciate it man.”
Hand still in mine, I lead Amelia down the short hall and to the door on the right marked bathroom. I open the door and guide her in first before closing and locking it behind us.
I turn back to see Amelia standing there worrying her lip.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, tossing the towel and shirt onto the small counter and moving until I’m in front of her.
“I’m so sorry, Judd,” she says quietly, staring down at the floor.
I tip her chin, making her look up at me. “It’s not your fault, Sugar Pie, that dance floor is beyond crowded. It was bound to happen.” She nods, but stays quiet. “Besides, I’m glad it happened.”
Shock crosses her face. “You are? Why?”
I step closer, taking her in my arms. “Because, when I kiss you, and it will happen, I want it to just be you and me,” I tell her.
She sucks in a breath and searches my eyes. “Why?” she whispers.
“Because Amelia, I am so goddamn attracted to you, I don’t want anyone else to witness me getting to taste your lips for the first time. That moment will be for us, and us only.”
We stayed at the club for another hour before the girls decided to call it quits. Hazel claiming she strained something in herbooty from all the moving and shaking that was going on. After revealing to Amelia how I felt in the bathroom, she’s been a little on the quiet side. I hope I didn’t push too hard too fast, but fuck, I needed her to know how I was feeling.
Everyone’s quiet as I pull into my parking spot and turn off the engine. I look over at Amelia to see she’s fallen asleep, one of my Silverbacks hoodies practically swallowing her body. She was cold when we got the car from the valet and because I always have a hoodie handy; I gave it to her to wear. I look over my shoulder to see Hazel also passed out in the back. Glancing in the rearview to see if Charlie is in the same state, I’m met with emerald-green eyes staring at me through the dark.
“You good Char?”
She nods and gives me a soft smile. “You like her,” she whispers, eyes glancing at Amelia, then back at me.
“I do,” I tell her, deciding there’s no reason to hide it.
She nods and holds my gaze. “Just…be careful with her, Judd. She’s my best friend and if your intentions are just to fuck around, please find someone else. She’s been through enough.”
“It’s not,” I tell her immediately. “I like her. I don’t want to hurt her.”
Charlie nods again and releases her seatbelt just as Hazel snorts. “One pumpkin latte!” she yells, startling herself out of her sleep. “What happened?” Hazel asks, rubbing one of her eyes and smearing makeup, making it look like she got in a fight with all the colors around her eye.
