Jane's Surrender (Hard World Tour #2) (10 page)

“
Yes,” was his only reply, and then our drinks finally came. When he raised his shot in salute, I decided to do the same and we drank them fast. The liquor was strong and burned my throat, but in a good way. I quickly grabbed a lime slice and sucked on it. The sour taste felt like heaven in my mouth.

“
So what brings you here? Came to dance?”

Since Alex’s eyes were on me, I decided to speak up. “He did. I have no clue how to do it.” I figured it was important to point out that small detail, because maybe he was some kind of king of the dance floor, and I didn't want to look like an idiot on it.

I wasn't the best dancer to begin with; my movements were stiff and awkward. You know that one person in the group, who moves like a piece of wood, and because of that, gets attention from everybody? Yeah, that was me, but I didn't care as long as I had some fun with my girls.

Showing my lack of skills on the dance floor with the hot guy with whom, a few hours ago, I had lost my virginity didn't sound like fun to me.

“
Oh, I can dance with Drake if you want,” Gabby said, and even her voice was sexy. The guys winced at her words, and if it wasn't obvious that she had a thing for him before, it was quite evident now.

What the hell was I supposed to say? Maybe Drake shouldn't have brought me here to begin with, if he knew this chick had a thing for him. The nut in my hands cracked, because I squeezed it so hard.

Alex raised his brow at me, sending me an amused glance. I was glad he found this situation funny. I mean, his girlfriend had a thing for my man and it felt like fun to him?

Okay, then.

Hold it.

My man?

Where the hell did that come from?

Drake wasn't my anything, and to make it clear to myself and to everyone at the table, I nodded. “Sure. Be my guest.”

Drake’s eyes darkened again and something flashed in his face, but it was quickly gone as he sent one of his best smiles to Gabby—the one, in my opinion, that made him irresistible—grabbed her hand, and took her to the dance floor. The music started playing and they began to dance, and shit, they looked so good.

Fuck it.

No way was I watching him touching her everywhere, and her getting off on it. I grabbed another shot and swallowed it quickly, which was followed by another chuckle from Alex.

“
You smile a lot, don’t you?” My voice was annoyed and biting.

He raised his brow and leaned forward; he was occupying Drake’s seat now, so he was right in front of me. “Actually, no, but you, I find hilarious.”

I saluted him with another shot. “Then by all means, enjoy, dude.”

“
This could have been avoided.”

“
What?”

“
Him dancing the cha-cha with my step-sister.”

So she was his sister; that certainly explained why he didn't give a shit about her little crush. I shrugged and sucked on the lime. “It’s not like we are a couple; plus, he came here, right? Means he wanted to dance. I don’t know how to do that.” Without looking there, I pointed a finger to the dance floor. “So he can enjoy, and your sister too. She eyed him like a dog who had seen a bone for the first time.” I covered my mouth with my hand, mortified at the words that left it. Seriously, it was his sister. It wasn’t cool, and besides, I sounded so jealous.

I was.

I was stupid; that’s what I was. I couldn’t believe the situation I ended up in.

“
She’s wanted him for a long time. Still has hope, I think.”

Something was in his tone that was hard for me to catch. Was it resentment? “They used to date then?”

He shook his head and took a shot as well. “No, Drake never wanted her like that.” Somehow, this brought little comfort to the jealous monster inside me. “So what brings you to Vegas?”

“
Just some time to unwind with friends.”

“
You and Drake are friends?”

“
No, we met here.”

“
Interesting.” His mouth lifted in a half smile.

“
What about you?” Since he was asking me questions, it would be polite to act interested. The conversation would keep my mind away from what was happening on the dance floor as well.

“
We were born and raised here. Our parents owned the place, but they retired and now travel the world.” His eyes had something cynical in them when he spoke about his folks, as though them traveling together was one big joke.

“
That’s nice then. I mean keeping the business in the family.”

He shrugged. “We liked to dance.”

“
Did you do it professionally?” No way anyone could dance that good and not have some professional background; at least, that was what I thought.

“
Gabby did. She had a partner and shit. I just always danced for fun. My career is in finance.” He smiled. “Gabby has a school of ballet as well, so all is good.”

“
That must be nice.”

“
It’s a passion. Do you have that in your life?” His eyes were all knowing, and then it hit me.

“
You know,” I whispered, and he nodded.

“
I’m a fan actually, attended your concert in Austin last time.”

“
Does Gabby know?”

He laughed. “My sister can't really stand rock music. No offense.”

“
None taken.” It just proved once more how different I was from her.

“
I won’t tell Drake either,” he assured.

“
Okay.” It didn’t matter anyway. He screamed money, but we wouldn't see each other again.

We were silent for a few moments; he was watching them dance, and something in his face didn't add up. It was as if he was jealous of Gabby or something, which was freaky, considering they were related. His hand had a death grip on his glass and his eyes were narrowed, while his other hand scratched his chin.

Weird shit sometimes happened, though.

Taking another shot, more warmth spread inside me and I giggled for some reason. This club now seemed like the shit to me.

“
Well then, Jane, do you want to dance?” he suddenly asked, and I pointed with my finger to my biker boots.

“
These aren’t shoes for the dance floor.” Shoes weren’t the only thing that stopped me, but the man must’ve been deaf, since he didn't hear me earlier when I said I couldn't dance for shit.

“
What’s your size?”

“
Six and a half.”

“
Okay then.” And with those words, he walked away, leaving me sitting there clueless. What the hell?

Whatever.

Maybe he wanted to have some fun as well. I took another shot, but almost choked on it, because suddenly Alex was back, kneeling in front of me with a shoebox in his hands. He had begun to take off my boots, when I was finally able to speak. “What are you doing?”

“
Changing your shoes for you.” He removed my boots and put some beautiful black dancer’s shoes on my feet. I hoped I wouldn't break my legs in them. I knew how to walk in high heels; Ariel had taught me, but I didn't feel confident wearing them.

“
I think it’s a bad idea. I still have no clue how to dance.” My red-painted toes peeked out of the beautiful shoes. The straps were buckled securely around my ankles, and the shoes seemed comfortable. But I knew they could be deceiving.

“
I’m the best dancer in the room, babe. Trust me to lead?” He stood up and extended his hand, waiting for me to take it. I looked up, and a challenge was in his eyes. I was still about to refuse, when behind his back, I saw Gabby hugging Drake close and running her fingers across his back.

Well, then.

Fuck it once again.

I grabbed his hand and steadied myself in the shoes. I tried a few short steps; they weren't too bad, and the shoes actually looked good with my jeans.

“
Nice legs, Jane,” Alex teased, and then he motioned to the DJ. “Let’s dance the salsa. Give your body to me,” he whispered in my ear.

With a shaky breath, I nodded. Piece of cake, given the fact I had no clue about it.

The music started to play, and I recognize it as Diego Boneta’s “
Siempre Tu
.” Alex grabbed my hand, kissed it, and started moving his legs and hips slowly, so I followed his movements. When his legs moved back, I moved forward, remembering some salsa movements from various TV shows. He then pulled me to his chest and swirled us, and, God, the feeling was amazing. He spun me around, his chest to my back, and ran his finger over my arm, his hand wrapping around my waist while he spun me again.

His hand picked up mine while my other was put firmly on his shoulder, and he kept moving us to the beat of the music. Then he repeated the previous movements, and after a while, I began to relax and let the music take me. I moved my body without his help, but knew he was around me. We danced close together; my hair was all over the place, and our chests brushed each other. He put his hands on my hips, his leg between my thighs, and suddenly, he pushed me back and I yelped. Just in time, he grabbed my back and stopped us in that position, where we looked at each other for a second, and then he sent me a wicked grin that made me laugh.

This wasn't about passion or anything; it was freaking fun. He raised us back up. One of my legs was over his hip when the music solo, heavy with the salsa part, picked up, and he raised me up and swirled us around then pulled me back to my feet. Then we were back to the basic movements and he pushed me down again, but this time, my hands were on his shoulders when we stopped moving just slightly above the floor as the music finished.

He slowly brought me up, as people yelled for more, and I realized how crowded the bar had become. His face was close to mine, his eyes slightly glazed, his lips in close proximity to mine, and he looked like he was about to kiss me. As much fun as it was to dance with him, a kiss didn't really sit well with me, so I moved my head back.

Before any of us could say anything, Drake’s low voice snapped us from our little moment.

“
Let go of her, Alex,” he growled.

Alex smirked, and then leaned down. I felt his hot breath on my ear. “Didn’t take him long.” He then kissed me on the cheek, winked at me, and bowed. “Thank you,
hermosa
, for this dance.”

Drake almost pushed him away and was right back in my face.

“
What the fuck are you doing?” His words were harsh and he looked pissed off, which automatically put me in a defensive mood. I folded my arms and glared at him.

“
Dancing.”

“
Dancing,” he repeated, his words clipped, almost as if it was an effort for him to speak.

“
Yeah.”

“
He was all over you; he almost kissed you, and you call that dancing?”

The nerve this dude had! “Alex was teaching me some moves, and he, at least, asked me to dance with him.”

“
You would dance with him, but not me?” Now his tone changed from angry to accusatory, and that didn't sit well with me.

“
You never asked. You were too busy dancing and running your hands all over Gabby.” Well, shit. Those weren't exactly the words I wanted to say, because they made me sound jealous, and even if it was the case, it was the last thing I felt like sharing.

Something flashed in his eyes, and then he closed them for a second with his thumb and index finger over his closed lids. When he snapped his eyes open, they were void of any emotion.

He kneeled down, tossed me over his shoulder, and I ended up with my face looking at his ass as he walked toward the exit door. The people were pointing at us and smirking. There were even catcalls and whistles.

Unbelievable.

“
Drake, put me down!” I screamed. But to him, it probably sounded like a small hiss because of the loud music.

“
No,” he replied and stopped for a second in front of an amused Alex, who now had some girl on his lap. She was drawing some kind of figure with her hands on his chest, while, with a bored expression, Gabby sat on a bar stool, drinking what looked like a margarita. Her hand was under her chin, her ponytail over her shoulder, her back straight.

She just raised her brow at us, and then gave us a slight nod.

“
We’re leaving,” Drake said. “It was nice seeing you guys.” Then he focused his whole attention on Alex. “Do not dance with her or touch her again.” With those parting words, he went outside where the fresh March air on my face was cooling.

“
Will you put me down?” It was one thing for him to carry me in the club, but on the street, I drew the line.

“
In a minute.” He signaled for a cab to stop then put me inside. He closed the door and gave the name of the hotel to the cabbie.