Page 74 of Lead Me On
“I do. But I can see about thirty feet before things start getting a little strange.”
“So they’re mostly part of your disguise.”
She tossed him an irritated look and reached for the door. “Come on.”
The place was packed, warm and humid inside from the press of bodies. Voices rose to a roar over the music. After so many hours spent in the quiet of Jane’s home, Chase felt vaguely disoriented.
Jane shook her head. “Even if he’s here, we might not find him.”
“We may as well look. And no, we are not splitting up. Let’s go.”
They headed to the bar first to ask Arlo if he’d seen Jessie, but there were two strangers pulling drinks. Chase kept his hand on Jane’s elbow as they began to edge through the crowd, searching for her brother. Chase spied Jessie’s two friends at the same time he felt Jane stiffen.
She leaned up and shouted in his ear. “I’m going to talk to them!”
“I’ll do it,” he answered, but Jane shook her head and raised her hand to signal him to stay. He didn’t like it, but what the hell. He wasn’t her father. Still, he wasn’t a dog either. Chase hung back a few feet before moving in her direction.
Apparently Jane didn’t think flirting would work without the skimpy clothing. She offered a nervous smile and began talking right away. But she was wrong. Jane looked adorable and sexy in her soft sweater and ponytail. Sexier than she had been in her miniskirt, even.
She gestured with her phone, talking faster, but the guys both shook their heads. The shorter one turned away to nibble on the ear of the girl cuddled up to him. She didn’t look twenty-one, and Chase found himself watching her, thinking of Jane.
He still couldn’t believe the change in her. Amazing.
Chase jumped a little at the feel of a hand sliding along his waist. Glancing down, he found a redhead latching onto his side. “Uh, hello.”
She pressed closer, offering a smile and a startling view of her cleavage. The closer she pressed, the more the view expanded, like dough rising in an oven.
“Er…” Chase tried to shift away, to no avail.
“I’ve never seenyouhere before.” Her smile, bright white and wide, drew his attention away from her breasts for a minute. She was kind of pretty, but her eyes were a bit too unfocused for Chase to feel flattered.
“Yeah, I’m not really into the bar scene.” He squirmed again, trying to find a way to break her hold without physically picking her up and moving her.
“Well, you’re super cute,” she said without loosening one finger from its hold on his waist. Her long hair slid along his arm.
“Um. Thanks. But I’m here with someone.”
“Yeah? Well, if she were smart she wouldn’t leave a big old piece of man candy like you unguarded.” She chuckled, and her cleavage jiggled enticingly. “Her loss.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think—”
“Excuse me,” an ominously soft female voice interrupted.
Chase’s head jerked up so fast the room spun. Smack in the middle of that spinning was a tight bundle of angry Jane.
Her lips flattened into a thin line as she narrowed her eyes at the woman. “Would you please remove your hands from him?”
“I don’t think so, darlin’,” the woman drawled, tightening her hold on Chase. He raised his free arm to show his helplessness.
Red spots appeared high on Jane’s cheeks. “I don’t want to be rude, but… Get. Off. Him.” The words were surprisingly clear considering her teeth hadn’t unclenched the whole time.
Chase was starting to feel nervous. “Jane, it’s fine. Just… Lady, you’d better go on.”
The woman tossed her hair over her shoulder, whacking Jane in the face with it. “I’ll go on when I’m ready to go on. She ain’t the kind of woman who can satisfy a man like you, baby.” Her breasts slid over his arm when she wiggled against him.
Jane drew in a deep breath, her nostrils flared and he saw the flash of rage in her eyes as she went to the dark side.“Get your tits off him, you heifer!”
“Jane!” Chase coughed, a shocked laugh choking off his voice. But the woman finally let him go.
