Page 25 of Broken Rules
Aaron smiles, clearly pleased that I took the initiative instead of merely answering his questions. “I sold everything I owned back in Los Angeles. My parents moved to Australia two years ago. I have no siblings, so nothing’s waiting for me there. Besides, I like it here. You’ve got seasons. All we get is summer all year long.”
“Sinner!” Allie squeals, pointing her finger at him. “You’ve no idea what I’d give to have the sun out all the time.” She grabs Adam’s hand. “Just think about it, babe! It’s January, and we’re sunbathing by the pool.”
Adam’s not thrilled by the idea, but he pulls her in for a sweet kiss. Jealousy gnaws at my mind like a woodworm. I never realized how good kissing is, but now that I know what it feels like, I crave Dante’s lips more than his attention.
I’m halfway through my first glass of wine, but the guys are already done with their third drink. At this pace, I don’t have to worry about the evening lasting too long.
“How about we hit a nightclub after dessert?” Adam suggests, pushing his empty plate aside.
My eyebrows hit my hairline. A similar sentence never left his mouth during the six years I’ve known him. Even Allie looks surprised, but Aaron’s all game.
“Yeah, sure. I hear Delta’s the best club in the city. We could go there.”
Adrenaline rush courses through my bloodstream at the thought of seeing Dante.
And then I grit my teeth when frustration takes over. The bouncers won’t let Adam into Delta, and Adam himself would never try and set a foot inside anyway.
“Everywhere but there,” I say, pressing the cool rim of my glass to my lips.
“Why?” Aaron asks. “Something wrong with that place?”
“We won’t get in,” Allie says. “Well, no one but Layla.”
Aaron waits for an explanation, eyes fixed on me. I glance at Adam for help, unsure how much I can divulge, and catch him nod once in a way that indicates no filters are necessary. Either he trusts Aaron, or Frank wants to find out how I feel about Dante now.
The latter, probably.
I rest my elbows on the table, crossing my legs. “Do you know who my father is?”
“Yeah. Everyone knows who your father is, Layla.”
“Then you should also know who owns Delta.”
Aaron draws his eyebrows together. “Dante Carrow...”
“Exactly. My father’s men aren’t allowed there because my father and Dante aren’t too fond of each other.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’ll get in.”
There’s no concealing the smile that curls my lips. “Let’s just say Dante has a soft spot for me. Although I doubt the security would let me in tonight. Not after how I treated their boss a while back.”
Adam twitches in his seat, the vein on his neck throbbing. “You’ve not heard from him since the dance studio?”
“No. I’m a smart girl who fulfills her Daddy’s wishes, right? I told Dante to leave, and he did.”
“Hey! What about Copacabana?” Allie changes the subject, uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere. “They’ve got likethe bestDJ playing on Fridays.”
Adam excuses himself from the table, disappearing outside with a phone to his ear.
Snitch.
Dancing the night away with Aaron might positively affect my mood, so I agree with Allie and ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. By the look of him, he’s very much into me, and after another hour at the restaurant, his eyes no longer remind me of another green-eyed man.
Aaron twirls me around his hand on the dance floor in Copacabana as if I’m a rag doll.
Salsa, samba, rumba, cha-cha, and from the top again.
Thirty minutes later, we head back to the table on aching feet. A mist of sweat covers my neck, but a full-blown smile stretches my lips too. Aaron’s an excellent dancer. I have no trouble reading into the subtle clues he sends, letting me know what’s coming next. We formed a bond while dancing, and the mutual understanding is why I’ll agree to a second date if he offers. There’s also the bonus of not thinking about Dante when Aaron’s around... using him to erase the boss of South Chicago from my system might be cruel, but as it’s working well, I push my scruples aside.
