“Daniel, I just want to enjoy myself and take a night to be whoever. Do whatever. I’m not into exchanging life stories. Sorry.”

“Understood.”

She looked him over closer. A small scar marred the skin beside his right eye, and she touched it without thinking. “You were lucky.”

“I deserved it.”

Her involuntary reaction to his words was to stiffen in defence. Some triggers remained that were beyond her control. She forced herself to relax, because he didn’t mean anything by it. He wasn’t talking about her and scars, he was talking about himself.

They were crowded on either side as people forced their way past to reach their seats. His arm draped along the back of her chair brushed her shoulders every now and then. It felt way better than she’d hoped—the riotous fear she had expected remained wonderfully absent. She forced herself to rest her hand on his thigh, trying to make it appear casual, trying not to show how much effort it took to not flinch away. He rocked, making his leg shift. Firm muscles pressed against the jean material, and she sucked in a quick breath, wondering what he was about to do. Heat radiated upward, and her core tightened. The twins took off, dragging her sister back to the dance floor.

She leaned closer under the pretence of wanting to be heard without shouting. Her nose itched as it struck the short hairs behind his ear. The scent of his skin, so different from her husband’s, gave her courage. That wonderful mixture of man and aftershave, slightly rough, slightly wild. Her nipples tightened, and between her legs her body ached.

Okay, those were good signs. The whole libido thing wasn’t broken beyond repair.

“Dar’s going to have a hard time picking which one she likes better, you know.”

His shoulder pressed against her body as he leaned back, twisting his head to the side to reach her ear. He sighed, the warm air tickling her skin. “Will you go ballistic if I tell you they’re going to try their best to get her to pick them both?”

She choked before pulling back to look him in the eye. “Hello?”

Daniel grimaced. “They won’t force anything, but they enjoy having one girl between the two of them. I know it’s not your usual situation, and I’m not saying it’s the norm in my family or anything. But they’ve always been like that and so far I haven’t heard any complaints.”

She sat shocked for a moment, turning to watch the slow dance taking place on the floor. There were more than enough bodies to explain why the three of them had to be dancing so close, but sure enough, the younger Colemans had trapped Darleen on two sides. Beth debated for a moment, her heart pounding. What if…

No, she couldn’t start imaging what if her sister suddenly had to deal with two overly aggressive men. Not all males were like Samuel. If Dar wanted to cut loose tonight, hell if her big sister was going to stop her. Life was short, and she should take what fun she could.

“More power to them.” She said it quietly, but she knew he’d heard. He relaxed, his arm brushing her again. On to other important issues. It was now or never because she was one second away from fleeing. “What about you, Daniel?”

She pressed her hand against his thigh, letting the weight of it linger. If she had the courage, she would have been even more forward, but that was impossible. This was as deliberate as she could get.

She held her breath, waiting for his reaction. Would he ridicule her? Brush her aside?

He stared for a full minute and heat crept up her neck. It was one thing to act the hussy and another to pull it off. Fine. The whole plan had been rotten from the word go. She dropped her eyes and retreated. She was withdrawing her hand when he grasped her wrist, locking it in place with a steely grip. She bit her lip to hide the whimper of fear that wanted to escape, but his grasp, while it held her immobile, remained gentle.

He leaned in. “I’m not usually the type for this kind of thing, but if you’re asking for something on the wild side, hell yeah, I can oblige you. I don’t know why someone like you isn’t getting well taken care of already. For tonight, if you want me to make you happy, I’ll do my damnedest.”

She swallowed hard. It was a trap. No escape. Controlling. Her heart fluttered with fear, and she closed her eyes to concentrate. Okay, this was why she was making the attempt in public. It was safe. All she had to do was say stop and everything would be over.

His grip loosened, and he stroked his fingers over hers, a fleeting touch with the back of his hand caressing her skin. The coarse hair on his arm tickled her as he moved past her wrist, his body tight to hers, his lips hovering over her ear. The loud beat of music pounded the room. The table. Her body. It had to be the music—it wasn’t her pulse making her shake so hard.

The warmth of his breath brushed her neck, sending a shiver trickling over her skin. “You sure—completely sure—about this?” He drew back and cupped her chin in his hand, supporting her without locking her in place. “I’ve been around a lot of animals in my lifetime, and I know when one’s skittish. You may have the most come-hither attitude and sexy stare I’ve ever seen, but your body is telling a different story.”

Beth wiggled but refused to drop her gaze. She had to bluff her way through this. She was a grown woman taking back control of her life. It was the first step and she could handle it. Couldn’t she?

His gaze descended her body, an intimate caress without physical contact. “What’s it going to be? Do I grab my brothers and we pop you and your sister in a cab so you get safely home? Or do you really want a little company tonight? Shoot straight, I won’t accept a lie.”

Beth licked her lips, and his eyes darkened, his stare fixed on her mouth. She stuttered for a second, then swallowed and took a deep breath. Part of the truth burst out.

“I need this. I need to know…” She couldn’t maintain eye contact anymore and buried her face against his shoulder. Shoot. It had been a stupid idea to begin with, and there was no getting around it. Now she sounded desperate, which she was, but acknowledging it was brutally difficult.

He’d turned out to be exactly the kind of person she needed for a one-night stand, compassionate and caring. Something inside her cringed with disgust at herself. Using him as an experiment felt dirtier than when she’d first come up with the idea.

He stood and helped her to her feet.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought we could dance.” He wove through the masses, leading away from the crowded floor toward the bathrooms. There was a small landing kitty-corner to the ladies’ room door, and he guided her there before pulling her into his arms and wrapping her close. She hid her face again, fear and rising desire fighting in her body. They were only steps away from the crowd. A constant stream of women passed by. If he frightened her, she’d have help in an instant.

She relaxed a tiny bit and let her arms snake around his torso.

“Hmm, that’s better. You’re not going to bolt on me, are you?”

Beth shook her head. “Feels nice.”

He swayed with her, every inch in contact. Her cheek rested on his collar, and his fragrance filled her head. Why was it that the smell of this man turned her on so much?

His heartbeat—it vibrated against her chest. He adjusted them, somehow bringing her closer until they were lined up, his erection nudging her belly. “I need to hear what you want, Beth. If it’s a dance, I’m happy. If more, you need to say the word.”

Oh God, he shifted his hands on her back, caressing, teasing. She sucked in air as if it were courage. “I want something. I don’t know what to tell you.”

He lifted her face to his, their bodies still swaying, hips touching intimately. Slowly, with lots of time for her to retreat, he lowered his head and brushed their lips together. A single touch. Chaste. When he retreated, she followed him without intending to.

A bright light shone in his dark eyes as he examined her face. “That was something. Was it enough?”

She took it as a positive sign that she definitely wanted more. “No.”

“So tell me.”

It was the hardest thing, to say the word. “Please.”

He had a wicked smile. She’d noticed his good looks, but the smile turned his whole face into sin incarnate.

“You’re having trouble articulating, darling. How about I offer you multiple choices. You look like the type who enjoys options.”

He kissed her again. Light. Fleeting. Behind them, the bathroom door opened and closed but Beth barely noticed. There could have been an audience circling them, and she wouldn’t have cared.

“You want a kiss?” He brushed a thumb over her lips and brought it back to his mouth, licking the moisture from the pad. “Hmm, you taste good. You want me to kiss you for real? Like a man kisses his woman? Or are you happy with more of the kind of pecks you give a neighbour at a church picnic?”

She swore she spoke aloud. She was sure her lips moved, but the deafening buzz in her ears outweighed the sound of her own voice. Daniel gave her another sexier-than-sin grin and came back for a third pass. She closed her eyes and hoped like hell she’d said door number one.

He gripped her tighter and lifted her, heavy brace and all, and she gasped in surprise. Then he tore the rest of the air from her lungs as he consumed her. Crushing their lips together, he thrust his tongue into her mouth and took control. She waited for panic to descend, but all that hit was a heavy pulse between her legs and the urgent desire to drop to the floor and rip off his clothes. She opened to him, accepted his demands. Clung to his neck and writhed shamelessly against him. He held her, cupping her by the ass and pushing forward until the cold wall met her shoulders. He leaned into her, supporting her with his torso and hands, pulsing his hips with small movements so the ridge of his erection ground against the apex of her mound where blood beat with an insane tempo.

He tasted fantastic. Clean and fresh, the hint of hops on his tongue from the beer, but beyond that, nothing but heat and passion. Tingles spread across her belly from the constant pressure on her clit. When he lowered her to the floor, she whimpered, suddenly fearful he’d leave her at this point, frustrated and all alone again with nothing but her own hand to bring her over the edge.

He caged her against the wall, his lips brushing her ear. He snuck his hand between their bodies until he cupped her breast. “Time for two more options. You want me to touch you over your clothes or put my fingers on your bare flesh?”

He licked her earlobe and tugged her blouse, pulling it loose from the waist of her skirt.

This was insane. She’d gone insane. This was no longer an exercise to discover if she could again bear physical contact with a man. It was a torture method to see how much her body could take before she exploded from the mere thought of a caress.

“Skin.” It was the only possible choice.

Whisper light, seductively slow. Inch by inch his hand crept up her waist, strumming the curve of her ribs gently like piano keys, lifting the bottom edge of her bra and forcing it out of his way. He cupped her, his palm calloused and rough but so tender and careful she shivered. He distracted her with strokes of his tongue against hers as his fingers plucked her nipple to a hard peak.

“God, you’re driving me mad.” He rolled the sensitive tip between thumb and forefinger and a piercing flash shot straight between her legs.

“More.” Beth ached. It wasn’t enough to have confirmation she could be touched. She wanted to come, and she wanted Daniel to be the one who brought her over the peak. It had been too long, and something in this man made her think he’d understand if she told him what she truly needed. Why.

“Get a room!”

Laughter burst behind them. Daniel twisted, covering her with his body, protecting her from the giggling girls exiting the bathroom and traipsing back onto the dance floor.

A cold flush descended. What was she thinking? Groping in a hallway with a stranger. All the passion she’d felt, the sense of being truly alive, drained away like air from a balloon. She struggled upright and fumbled to put herself back in order—her bra, her blouse. He helped, his hands remaining careful and slow, redoing the buttons that had slipped open, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Beth. Don’t. Don’t start thinking this was a mistake.”