He tugged her into his arms as the music shifted to a more sensual number. His hands slid down her back to tug her flush against him as he began shifting his feet, one foot sliding between her legs, giving her no choice but to arch into him.
“I don’t know this dance,” she muttered huskily.
“Just follow my lead,” he said as he began circling her around the dance floor.
“Mmm, I think I like this dance, too,” she whispered as he moved his head down and inhaled her sweet scent. He hadn’t taken her in such a long time. He knew it was wrong to seduce a drunk woman, but wasn’t alcohol only a social lubricant? Didn’t a few glasses of courage only allow a person to do what they truly wanted to do in the first place? It wasn’t like they hadn’t already had sex a few times.
“I’m taking you home and stripping that dress from your body.”
“I like this dress. I was mortified to wear it at first, but Amber insisted, and when she gets her mind stuck on something, there’s no talking her out of it. I think she secretly works for the government as a master torturer.”
“Amber? Is that one of the women who came to see you in the hospital?” The pieces of the puzzle were still hazy.
“Yes. I came with Amber, Shelly and Miley. They insist on making me as slutty as possible because they’re determined to get me laid. They said I’m too repressed and I need to let loose. Since sex was so incredibly hot with you, I figure, why not.”
Rafe didn’t know whether to thank his lucky stars her friends liked to meddle, or put a leash on Ari. He now knew who’d sent the pictures. They must have gotten into her phone and seen his messages and decided to stroke some flames. He flashed back through his mind of what he’d texted her. He felt confident it was nothing too bad. Hell, at that moment, he really didn’t care all that much.
“So, what you’re telling me is that you want to go out and have sex with strangers, but you won’t sign on as my mistress.”
He knew it was the alcohol talking, but still, there had to be some truth to her words. Had he read her wrong all along? Did she really not desire him? It was unlike him to feel doubt, but he didn’t know what to think right then.
“I didn’t know I liked sex until I had it with you, but it was good, really good, and I’ve decided I want to do that again and again. I can’t do it with you though, cause you’re a control freak who wants to rule my life.”
“No, Ari, I want you to submit to me.”
She looked at him with a furrowed brow for a minute as her drunken mind tried to comprehend his words. He took the opportunity to caress her neck with his mouth and he felt her low grown all the way to his toes. His groin jumped painfully as she ground her h*ps against him.
“Isn’t that the same thing?” she panted.
“Not at all. Let’s go home and I’ll show you the difference.”
She looked at him with confusion as if she were trying to solve a difficult math problem. His body throbbed as he waited for her response. If she said no, then he’d stay at the club until her friends took her home – but he really hoped she’d just say yes.
“Okay. I better tell my friends, though.”
It took almost a full minute for her words to sink through to his brain. When it registered, he wasted no time in pulling her from the dance floor.
“Where are they?”
“Over there,” she pointed. He spotted the women from the hospital room and made a beeline for their table. The three of them were looking at him like he was their next meal. He had to admit they frightened him just a tad. He’d have to check for hex bags beneath his bed.
“The mysterious Rafe arrives. I vaguely remember seeing you at the hospital,” one of the women said.
“Yes, somehow I received a message from Ari’s phone with a picture and her location. I’m taking her home now.”
“Is that okay with you, Ari?” one of the women asked.
“Oh, yes. Rafe is going to show me the difference between control and submission.”
Rafe nearly groaned as he watched the three women’s eyes go wide at Ari’s words. He and Ari were going to have to have another talk about privacy. Her friends suddenly seemed unsure if they should allow Ari to leave with him.
He didn’t care. They could try and stop him, but it wouldn’t do them any good.
“Goodbye,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and grabbed her purse. Before the women could even think about standing, he was hauling Ari through the club. He got her into his car and floored the gas.
Just as he reached home, he looked over at her, anticipation burning hot. A groan escaped when he saw she was completely passed out. He may like a submissive woman, but he certainly didn’t want a corpse.
He wondered if a man could die from sexual frustration. He was beginning to think so. As he carried Ari into his home and laid her on his bed, he decided it was time for a stiff drink and an ice bath.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ari turned over and felt a small ache in her temple, nothing too unbearable, but just enough to make her realize she’d had one too many drinks the night before.
Blackness surrounded her, letting her know it was sometime in the middle of the night still. Her lips opened and she realized how dry her mouth was. She needed a glass of water. She went to move the covers and her arm landed against something solid.
Tentatively, she wiggled her fingers and realized there was a man next to her. She stopped all movement as she tried to assess her situation.
The first thing she needed to figure out was who she’d gone home with. Very carefully, she reached inside the covers, then let out a relieved breath when she found she had some clothes on. That was a good sign.
Now, she just needed to figure out who she’d decided to have a one-night-stand with. Horror filled her at the thought. She may talk big, or even think she was capable of having casual affairs, but the reality of it was mortifying. She’d never respect herself if she treated sex like nothing more than a game. She felt bad enough about falling apart each time Rafe so much as looked at her.
At the thought of Rafe’s name, Ari’s memories came flooding back. She remembered dancing until her feet were screaming. There were so many men, and it had all been nothing more than innocent flirting, and a whole lot of hip action.
One minute she’d been dancing with a stranger, then the next she’d been in Rafe’s arms – right where she’d pictured being all night. He’d swept her across the dance floor, turning her excited body on in ways none of the other men could come close to being able to do.