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Kayla grinned at the long-suffering look on Parker's face as he walked onto the dance floor. This was the ultimate payback for him not trusting her. She would've found that sphere if it was anywhere in the canyon. Served him right, the cranky tiger shifter. Maybe he wouldn't be so fast to doubt her next time.
There were equal parts cheering and booing from the crowd as the song came on. She smiled again. You either loved this throw-back, or you hated it. Personally, Kayla loved it. It was the perfect amount of sexy and sweet. She kept Parker in her peripheral vision as she resumed dancing with the two guys who had zeroed in on her when she first came in. Their hands were possessive and commanding, and they turned her on to an extent, but it was still Parker she wanted. She wondered if it would always be Parker she wanted.
It wasn't fair. Here she was, flanked by two cute guys, and all she could think about was stupid Parker.
And then, Parker's body started moving to the beat. His hips swayed, his shoulders moved. Kayla felt her jaw drop. He was—he was good. His body flowed like liquid, his muscles bunching and flexing with the steady rhythm of the song. How was this possible? He had said he didn't dance. He couldn't lie to her; he wasn't like Matt, who could lie to shifters.
Then it hit her.
Didn't dance, he'd said. Not couldn't dance.
She might've been disgruntled by this whole surprise, but he was too amazing. She couldn't take her eyes away from him as he moved on the floor. It was like watching one of the Magic Mike movies. The crowd gave him room as they danced and watched. Kayla continued dancing with her two partners. While their hands roved her shoulders and hips, she could tell their attention was on Parker, too.
Parker—wow. It was like he'd been born to dance. Who would've thought the stodgy tiger had any moves? Kayla had always thought herself a decent dancer. She wasn't anything special, but she didn't embarrass herself, either. Parker, though, put everyone around him to shame. He moved with grace and rhythm and he surpassed the sugary sweetness of the pop song.
This was not what she'd had in mind for the evening. She tore her gaze away from him and decided to focus on her own partners. One of the guys had a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of his head, so she mentally nicknamed him Shades. The other guy had a smudge of lipstick on his collar, like he'd already gotten it on with someone else in this club tonight. "The Meat Market" was perhaps an apt club name. She called him Lipstick in her head.
Sensing her renewed interest in them, Shades and Lipstick danced closer, their hands hot on her hips, their breath warm on her neck. They were good at this, she had to admit, although they were nowhere near as good as Parker.
She risked a glance over her shoulder and found him dancing with another woman. A hot spike of jealousy went through her gut before she shoved it out. He didn't belong to Kayla and he never would. So what if her bet had backfired? She'd get him with something else some other time.
Before she could look away again, his gaze clashed with hers. Those amber eyes pierced her. Now she couldn't look away, even if she tried. Her inner wolf yipped and jumped within her, excited and ready to play. Down, girl, she told herself.
Shades muttered something in Kayla's ear, and she turned to face him.
Did she imagine the low growl coming from Parker's direction? She must have, because nobody else reacted.
Shades was smiling at her, a smirk playing on his handsome, yet bland, face. He smelled like popcorn, of all things, and she wondered if he'd just been eating it, or if he smelled like that all the time.
"What did you say?" Kayla shouted over the music.
Lipstick edged in closer behind her. "He asked if you want to get out of here. With us."
It would certainly be fun, and they were certainly attractive, minus the lipstick stain on the collar which told her that Lipstick, at least, was a bit of a player. And she was tired of being lonely.
But who was she kidding? She didn't want anyone except Parker. She hadn't wanted anyone else since January.
How could her inner wolf be so wrong about her fated mate? It was the only thing that could explain it—her wolf had decided on that tiger shifter, and nobody else would do. But he was so wholly uninterested in her.
A flare of indignation ran through her. She opened her mouth to answer Shades and Lipstick, but she wasn't sure what she was going to say. She didn't want to hook up with them, but she also didn't want to sit around like some pathetic little girl, waiting for Parker to pull his head out of that fine, fine ass.
"Can I cut in?"
Kayla would recognize his voice anywhere—Parker.
He continued, "If I'm not interrupting anything."
The way he said the words was lighthearted, almost uncaring, but Kayla could hear the thread of tension within.
"Sorry, boys," Kayla said to Shades and Lipstick. "Not tonight. And hey, you've got a little lipstick on your collar, there."
Lipstick tugged down his shirt were Kayla was pointing. He frowned and smacked his friend. "Dude, why didn't you tell me? No wonder I keep getting shot down."
They walked off, shoving each other and laughing good-naturedly. She was sure that, even with the lipstick stain, Lipstick would find somebody else to hook up with tonight.
"Toxic" ended, and a modern, slinky and sexy dance song came on in its place.
"Sorry for scaring off your toys," Parker said, but the growl in his voice didn't make him sound sorry at all. His amber gaze was narrowed on her. He looked like a sexy teacher who was disappointed in his student, and Kayla wondered what kind of extra credit she'd have to do to get back in his good graces.
Down, girl, she thought at her wolf.
"I can always find them later," Kayla said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Not if I have anything to say about it." He brought one hand around her back, right above her ass, and pulled her close so their bodies were flush.
Kayla let out a small gasp of surprise. She hadn't seen that coming. "What are you doing?"
"Dancing."
She shook her head. "You danced your one dance. Why don't you go sit over in the corner and sulk some more?"
"Dancing is more fun."
"You're such an asshole." Just the same, she allowed her hips to sway in time with his.
Her breasts were pressed hard against his torso. With every movement, she felt her dress climbing up a little bit more. If she wasn't careful, she was gonna flash her lacy thong at everybody in this club.
"You know," she said, breathless, whether from all of the dancing or from Parker's proximity, "if you hadn't come along, I could’ve been having a lot of fun with those two guys."
It was a fib. She maybe would have considered it, and in fact she had considered it, before shutting the idea down. But Parker didn't need to know that.
He gave her a stern look. "I don't believe you."
"What, is it that hard to believe that somebody else could want me?" She tried to pull out of his grasp, but he only held her tighter.
"Not at all," he said. "I saw the way they looked at you. But you're too much of a good girl to do anything about it."
The music had taken over her body. That was the only explanation for why she was still moving against Parker, allowing him to cradle her like this. She had a strong right hook; she could get out of here any time she wanted to.
"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked. "Good girl? The fuck?"
He stopped moving and they stood frozen in the middle of the dance floor. Voice laden with skepticism, he said, "You're telling me that you just would've gone with them? To wherever?"
She held back a growl. "Yeah."
His amber eyes flashed darker. "Prove it."
The loud music should've made it hard for her to hear those two little words, but she felt them through her whole body. This was the ultimate rejection. Not only did he not want her, but he wanted to watch her get with someone else?
"Fine," she said, trying to swallow the hurt in her voice. She pushed at his chest. Shades and Lipstick probably hadn't gone far. "Fine. Wait here."
She had only gotten a step away before his hand encircled her wrist and he whirled her back over to him. "You misunderstand me. I want you to prove it—with me."
And then his mouth was on hers, and his hands trailing up and down her sides, gathering the fabric of her dress, sliding it across her skin. He tasted like fresh spring water and his mouth was soft as velvet, yet firm. He pressed his lips to hers once, twice, before sliding his tongue against her lips.
It took all of her power to pull away. "But I don't even like you," she said.
She sounded a lot less certain than she had intended to.
His grin was a wicked challenge. "Fine. Have it your way. Go find those two douches."
She had a sudden urge to stomp on his foot. Was he really doing what she thought he was doing? Was he baiting her into hooking up with him here at the club?
Fuck it, she would call his bluff. Best case, she'd get to make out with Parker. Worst case, she'd end up with a broken heart—but that was nothing new in Kayla Land.
"Okay." She looked up into his hard, handsome face. "Fine, let's go."
If his eyes got any darker, they would be black. Without another word, he dragged her through the club, past the bar where Nina was drinking a Shirley Temple and Ian was throwing back a shot.
Nina looked like she was about to ask a question, but Parker said, "We'll be right back. We just have something to prove."
Nina gave Kayla a questioning look, and Kayla widened her eyes and shrugged. She didn't know exactly what that meant, either. But from the way she felt with Parker's hand possessively wrapped around her wrist, she couldn't wait to find out.
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