Andrew looked over at me as he messed with his cuff links. His brows inched up. “I don’t even know why you’re coming to this, man.”
His sister made an impatient noise in her throat. “I have to agree, but can we move this conversation inside?” She waved a slender hand at the school. “I have people I need to make jealous.”
I smiled. “Do tell?”
“My dress.” She twirled around, and I swore it was see-through for a second. I squinted. Yep. It was definitely see-through in certain areas.
I couldn’t help it. My smile spread, especially when Andrew looked away, his face paler than it was a few seconds before.
“My dress could feed a small village for a year, which means these…people haven’t ever seen the likes of such beauty and perfection,” Ash continued.
Shaking my head, I laughed. Ash…well, she was an acquired taste.
As the three of us headed in, I knew they’d never believe me if I told them why I really was here.
It had to do with one sweaty, gawky human teenager pawing all over one human in particular. The conversation I had with Kat a week ago, when we had been by her car, had replayed over and over in my head. Granted, the whole healing-her-hand thing had veered me off track, and even though we hadn’t talked about her homecoming date since then, I hadn’t forgotten about it. Definitely not after learning that Kat might’ve agreed to go to the damn party in the field afterward.
There was no way I could stay home. Instinct was screaming that she was going to need me. Or it was a really messed-up territorial need to…to do what?
Go in there, beat the crap out of Simon, and claim my girl?
Uh, no, because beating the crap out of humans would probably end in death, and she wasn’t my girl. No way in holy hell was Kat my girl.
Ash disappeared into a flock of several girls who were already squawking and squealing about her dress. Forcing myself to breathe and not zoom around the room, popping all the balloons that probably took an entire day to blow up, I found the nearest empty table and sat. Following suit, Andrew did the same. He started talking about some football game I could give two craps about, and I zoned him out.
And waited.
And waited some more.
And then I saw Simon’s jock–douchebag friends head toward the door, and I knew that meant Kat was here. Leaning back in my chair, I casually looked over my shoulder. Something unexpected happened to my chest. It felt like someone had walked right up to me and socked me in it. I might have stopped breathing. Right there, surrounded by humans, in front of Andrew, who was still running his mouth about some game.
“Oh Mary, mother of baby Jesus,” I muttered, eyes narrowing.
Kat stood by the door, her hands clasped around a tiny clutch as her gaze bounced around the gymnasium nervously. The dress…aw man, that dress should be illegal. Tight around the breasts and waist, then flowing over her hips like a river of crimson silk. Her hair was up, revealing a long, graceful neck I’d never really noticed before. That was weird, because her hair was always up it seemed, but then again, that amount of cleavage was never showing before. Except when she wore that bikini. Speaking of red…
Red.
Red was my favorite color.
Dee had been so right about the damn dress.
Kat wasn’t cute. She wasn’t even sexy. She was beautiful—absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Not that I hadn’t noticed that before, but now? Now was something entirely different.
I watched her bolt as soon as she spotted Lesa, and an approving smile spread over my lips. That’s right, Kitten, I thought, stay away from Simon. He so doesn’t deserve to be in the same time zone as you.
I had no idea how long I watched her, but I eventually lost sight of her in the crowd. Part of me wanted to get up, punch Andrew in his mouth to shut him up, and go find her. But that would raise eyebrows, so I remained there, gripping the back of my chair so hard it groaned under the pressure.
Then she reappeared with my sister, skirting the dance floor. She stopped, twisting gracefully until her gaze landed on my table as if she’d been looking for me. Something inside me roared a male approval.
Our eyes locked, and there was that sucker-punch feeling again, except it moved lower, into my stomach. I was mesmerized, enthralled. Her lips parted and—
And Simon pushed through the crowd, blocking her from me. Every muscle in my body locked up as a primal urge rushed through me. I started to stand, but at the last moment, forced myself to sit back down.
A few seconds later, Ash arrived at the table. She was saying something, but I didn’t really hear her. Then Andrew leaned over, snapping his fingers in my face. “Man,” he said. “What’s your deal?”
“Shut up.”
“Nice.” Andrew got up. “I’m getting something to drink.”
“Peace out,” I murmured, keeping an eye on Simon…and Simon’s hands. I did not like them.
“Do you want to dance?” Ash asked, surprising me. I’d thought she’d left. “Or do you want to sit here and glower?” When I didn’t answer, she huffed as she stood. “Whatever. You’re boring.”
I barely acknowledged that she’d actually left that time and that I was sitting at a table alone, like a dork. My gaze was trained on the couple. Couple? God. It was insulting to Kat to even refer to her and Simon as a couple.
But I could deal. What Kat was doing really wasn’t any of my business. In reality, she could do whatever she wanted. If that meant dancing—
Simon’s hand glided down the front of her dress, causing Kat to jerk back. Her angry expression was lost in a sea of faces and…well, that was it. I was on my feet before I even realized it, moving between dancers, my hands curling into fists.
I stalked up to them, stopping behind Kat. “Mind if I cut in?”
Simon’s eyes shot wide, and he must’ve seen his impending doom in my face, because he dropped his arms and took a step back. “Perfect timing. I needed to get a drink anyway.”
I arched a brow and then turned to Kat, dismissing the idiot. “Dance?”
She stared back a moment, then carefully placed her hands on my shoulders. “This is a surprise.”
Damn if it wasn’t. We really hadn’t talked since the day at her car. Like I’d said then, the trace was so faint it hadn’t been recognizable. Didn’t mean I hadn’t kept an eye on her when she went into town, with and without Dee. She just didn’t know that I was there.
I wrapped an arm around her waist and took one of her hands in mine. And damn if she didn’t feel right in my arms, perfect actually.
Stupid and oddly wishful thinking.
Her incredibly long lashes swept up, and eyes warm but wary searched mine. A pretty flush spread across her cheeks and down her throat. I’d do something terrible to know what she was thinking. I pulled her closer.
Confusion and a…richer emotion marked her features. “Are you having a good time with…Ash?”
“Are you having a good time with Happy Hands?”
She sucked in her lower lip, and I bit back a groan. “Such a constant smart-ass.”
I laughed, and she shivered in my arms. “The three of us came together—Ash, Andrew, and me.” Why was I telling her this? My hand slipped to her hip and I cleared my throat, looking over the top of her head. “You…you look beautiful, by the way. Really too good to be with that idiot.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you high?”
“Unfortunately, no I’m not. Though I am curious why you would ask.”
“You never say anything nice to me.”
“Good point.” Damn, I was a dick sometimes. Well, most of the times. I lowered my chin, and she jumped when my jaw grazed her cheek. “I’m not going to bite you. Or grope you. You can relax.”
She was silent, so I took that as a good thing. Acting on instinct, I guided her head to my chest and then placed my hand on her lower back. Dancing like that was normal. Nothing for anyone to freak over, including me.
Breathing in that peachy scent of hers, I closed my eyes and let the music guide us. There was something strangely intimate about slow dancing. Not the bumping and grinding kind that left little to the imagination, but this—two bodies melded together, drifting to the same beat, touching in all the right places. Intimate.