“Oh, really?” I flick a glance up at him and he smirks.
“We’ve already established that I pay attention.”
And I hate that he’s so good at it. “Then you should know you’re the first and only person to ask me to dance, so…”
“Not for lack of interest, I’ll tell you that much.”
I frown. “Excuse me?”
He gives a soft laugh and shakes his head. “You’ve had the attention of a lot of guys here tonight.”
I half snort, half scoff. “Oh, please.”
“I’m serious,” he asserts, jutting his chin and sweeping his gaze across the crowd. “At least three of these guys tried to approach you, but for some reason, they’d get within a foot or two and chicken out.”
“You’re so full of shit.” And frankly, this is embarrassing.
“I’m not kidding, Alana.” His brows lift as he stares down at me. “Do you honestly not know?”
“Know what?”
“How fucking gorgeous you are.” The words roll so easily and confidently off of his tongue that it takes a second for them to fully register. And then I blush. “You don’t, do you?”
“Holden, if you’re trying to get into my pants, you should know—”
“That you’re the Ice Princess, right?” He gives a husky laugh as if he’s figured it all out. “I thought you were being dramatic, but that’s it, isn’t it? You’ve shut them all down so many times that they’re afraid to try again.”
“Who’s being dramatic now?” I roll my eyes and try to look anywhere but at him. Also, if Tucker could just sing the song a little faster, that’d be great, too.
Holden chuckles again and I feel the low reverberation radiate from his chest to mine. “Damn, girl. I guess I’m the luckiest guy in here tonight then, huh?”
Before I can tell him I can also make him the unluckiest, he twists my hand and pushes me away from him, twirling me out into the crowd and then promptly pulling me back. Our bodies collide and all the air from my lungs swooshes out across his face, because he’s. Right. There.
“I’m onto you, darlin’,” he rasps, his breath mingling with mine as his gaze lowers to my parted lips. “They’re all watching us now. If you walk away and leave me standing here like a fool, you’ll only confirm your reputation and I don’t think that’s what you want, is it?”
He has no idea what he’s talking about. They don’t ask me out because I’m Cory’s ex and Aiden’s little sister. No one wants to piss off the town celebrity or the chief deputy sheriff.
Holden smiles almost sympathetically before he lowers his head and brings his mouth so close to my ear that his lips brush my skin. “Maybe I can help you,” he whispers and something about the featherlike caress of his mouth and just him in general has goose bumps rising everywhere.
“H-help me?” I stammer, my eyes fluttering shut as my hand balls in the fabric of his T-shirt at the small of his back.
“Uh huh.” He nuzzles close and the second the stubble on his jaw abrades my neck, I’m a goner. “Let’s make ‘em think you’re into me. Show them the ice is melting.”
Ice? What ice? All I feel is heat. So. Damn. Much. Heat.
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