Damon was near her, and he reached out for her hips, guiding her against him. She let the dance take them away with her body pressed to his chest and their hips moving in time. She raised her hands above her head and laughed with pure joy at the freedom in the dance.
He didn’t just stand there either. She was right. He definitely knew what he was doing. He grabbed her hand and twirled her until she was facing him. Then, their hips rocked seductively back and forth. Her breathing was quick, her chest rising and falling in time with the music.
“God, you can move,” he breathed into the small space between them.
Her head snapped up to look at him. They were so close, so achingly close together. His hands were like fire, one against the small of her back and the other gripping her hip. For some reason, she couldn’t stop looking at his lips. He had these lips. Oh God, those lips. They were perfect lips—full and sexy and utterly kissable…and something she most definitely should not be looking at.
She forced her gaze back up to his eyes, and it was as if he knew every thought in her head. He knew she had been staring at his lips. He knew exactly where her treacherous mind had been going.
And she froze.
Paralysis hit her like nothing ever had before.
Her hips stopped, and she dropped her hands from around his neck.
It was no big deal. It was just dancing. But her thoughts were another thing—a very bad thing.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered.
“For what?”
“Leaving.” She turned and started walking away. Her heart was beating so fast, and she just needed to find Bryna.
Bryna would calm Trihn down and know what to do. Bryna took control of situations, and Trihn needed her to take control of this one because having thoughts about kissing some other guy was absolutely not okay.
She nearly made it across the room before Maya caught up to her. “Hey. What the hell happened back there?”
“Nothing.”
But something had happened.
She felt ridiculous. Damon and she had been having a good time. It was just dancing, nothing out of the ordinary. Then, she had thought about kissing him, and she couldn’t believe herself. She wasn’t upset with Damon but with herself. That was not the person she was. It wasn’t the person she ever wanted to be. She would never put anyone in the position she had been in herself.
“That sure as hell didn’t look like nothing.”
“Well, it’s nothing. I just want to go,” she said softly. She wasn’t even sure if Maya had heard her.
When she looked back up, she saw Damon running after her.
“Hey,” he called.
“Oh God…”
Maya looked between them and then shook her head. “You’re right. We should just go.” She put her hand on Damon’s chest before he could get any closer and gave him the best don’t-fuck-with-the-bartender look. “Back off, buddy!”
He looked at her quizzically. “I didn’t mean to upset your friend. I don’t even know why she left.”
“She’s not interested, so just back off,” Maya spat.
“Maya!” Trihn was freaking out, but Maya didn’t need to lie. Trihn was interested. That was the problem.
“Sorry. I just…” He pulled his hat off and started self-consciously flipping it between his fingers. “I don’t even know your name.”
Trihn pushed past Maya and smiled hesitantly. “I’m Trihn, but I have a boyfriend so…” She trailed off. What more do I need to say?
“Oh.” He nodded his head and took a step back. Already, his eyes were searching elsewhere. All of that confidence that had been in his dancing fled him at the first sign of her rejection. “I’ll see you around then,” he said. He took one last look at her and then left the floor.
She hated the way her stomach plummeted in his absence and the way doing something right felt so wrong.
“What the hell?” Maya demanded, swiveling to face Trihn. “He was totally into you!”
“Yeah, that’s the problem,” Trihn said. She chewed on her lip and averted her gaze from where Damon had just disappeared. “Thanks for having my back though.”
“I only did it because you had given me that terrified look. I immediately went into bartender mode, but maybe I shouldn’t have.” Maya placed her hands on her hips. She leveled Trihn with a knowing look. “I think you were into him, too.”
Trihn shrugged. “He’s cute.”
“He’s cute? That’s all you have?”
“Really cute?”
“Hot. Smoking hot. And he can move.”
“And I still have a boyfriend,” Trihn said.
It really didn’t matter how hot Damon was or how he could move because she was taken. If she had learned anything from the bullshit with Preston, it was that dating two people at once was never a viable option.
“I’m not Bryna or Stacia. I’m not going to tell you to break up with Neal or that he’s an asshole. I know the things they say about him.”
“Thanks.”
“But,” Maya said, “I want you to know, we’re all just looking out for you. We want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” Trihn said. “I just want to go home to my boyfriend. That’s all.”
“Okay.” Maya held her hands up, but she looked sad. “Are you sure you want to leave already? We haven’t been out that long, and I don’t get many nights off.”