Page 31 of Real Forever
“Well, now what?” Jake asked, checking his watch. He wore a simple but handsome silver watch and it showed off the defined muscles in his hands and upper arm. Madison prickled at the idea of those hands holding her wrists down above her head.
She swallowed hard. “Another drink?”
They headed back into the banquet room to find the party dialed up to ten. Tiffany hadn’t been kidding earlier. High school prom night on steroids. Jake again placed his hand on Madison’s back to guide her through the crowd. This time, he placed his hand higher, high enough for his thumb to graze the bare skin of her back, and she found herself acutely aware of each square inch of his skin on hers. She imagined his hand tracing up her spine and shivered from the backs of her thighs up to her neck.
He leaned down, his mouth hovering over her ear. “Are you still cold from the lobby?”
Damn it. He just saw my entire body shivering over his freakin’ thumb grazing my back.
As they approached the bar, a thin hand reached out from the crowd and grabbed her wrist.
“Oh my god, there you guys are. Come do shots with us.”
Madison stared back helplessly at Jake as Tiffany dragged her to the far side of the bar where the bartender was lining up shot glasses.
“You guys,” Tiffany shouted over the group chattering at the bar. “You guys, listen. Everybody grab a shot.” She raised her shot glass above her head. “To NorAsana. To old friends, new friends, and especially boss-babe friends. To hustling, grinding, and making our dreams come true. ” She tossed back her shot and everyone in the circle whooped and knocked theirs back as well. Jake’s face scrunched up at the sickly sweetness of the shot and Madison cracked up. It was the kind of shot she would have expected Tiffany to order.
One shot turned into four and was about to become five when Tiffany opened her phone to take a video for Instagram. Madison took advantage of the momentary diversion, grabbed Jake’s arm, and slipped away through the crowd.
“Christ. Thank you. You may have just saved my life,” Jake shouted over the music.
Madison laughed. “You’re welcome. Let’s go get a proper drink.”
Up the other side of the huge u-shaped bar, Madison wriggled her way through the throngs of conference attendees, caught a bartender’s eye, and held up two fingers on her right hand. He nodded back and grabbed two beer bottles from the enormous chest in front of him. She handed him a ten-dollar bill and then grabbed both beers with the same hand, holding them above her head as she made her way back to Jake.
“It’s so crowded over here.”
“Follow me,” Jake took her hand and led her away from the bar area to the east side of the banquet room, which was far less crowded but also louder because of its proximity to the stage. “Is this better?”
“What?” Madison shouted back, tilting her head so her ear pointed toward Jake. He leaned in too, his mouth skimming her ear.
“Is this better?”
His breath was hot and moist as it rolled across Madison’s earlobe and down her neck. She turned her head back to face him, his mouth nearly touching hers, and they locked eyes. Madison felt the intensity of Jake’s stare all over her body. Normally, Madison would turn away from this kind of intimacy. Laugh it off. But not this time. She froze in place. She couldn’t peel her eyes away, not a chance. Even as Jake’s eyes slowly and deliberately ran down her body. As his gaze traveled across her lips, her collarbone, breasts, waist, hips, and legs, Madison felt a trail of heat on her skin in its wake. When Jake brought his eyes up to meet hers again, she felt the electricity between their mouths, just a breath apart from meeting.
Jake bit his bottom lip and inhaled sharply, as if he’d suddenly woken up, and straightened his posture. He scanned the room and took a long swig from his beer, finishing the bottle.
“I’ll grab more beers,” he shouted, and left Madison standing there, trembling.
What the hell was that?It felt a lot like Jake Murphy had been about to kiss her. But the scary part was, she wanted him to. Desperately wanted him to. She clenched her hands into fists and then stretched them out, wiggled her fingers, cracked her knuckles.
Don’t do this, Mads. It’s such a bad idea. You could fuck things up for Lauren. And you could get your heart broken. Scratch that—you will get your heart broken. This guy isn’t going to hang around forever for a fucking waitress from Snowbrook. Especially when she’s a complete head case and lives in her sister’s basement.She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts from her brain, willing herself to find some self-control. But then she looked up to see him walking back toward her from across the room.Fuck.
Two beers became three, then four, then… Madison wasn’t sure anymore. A lot. Too many. It had to be midnight, or close, or was it even later, maybe? She and Jake were bouncing on the dance floor with all the other NorAsana boss-babes and, as wise old Tiffany had predicted, they were all dancing together like one big, sweaty mass of best friends. The DJ was spinning one classic dance hit after another and he had the crowd in the palm of his hand.
Madison loved nights like this. When everything else faded out, she could close her eyes and become enveloped by the music. The next song kicked in with a deep, pounding bass, and Madison threw her head back. She outstretched her arms as wide as she could and rolled her hips to the rhythm. She spun, and jumped, and swayed, and bobbed. Alone in the music.
When the song ended, Madison opened her eyes to see Jake staring at her.
“What?” Madison asked, laughing. She pushed her hair back off her sweaty forehead and adjusted her dress. “What is it?”
Jake touched his hand to his lips. “It’s nothing.”
Madison cocked her head.
He looked away, as if searching for the right words on the banquet room wall. He returned his gaze to Madison. “What does it feel like to be so free?”
Madison didn’t know what she was expecting Jake to say, but it wasn’t that. Free? “My dancing, you mean?”
