Now. Oh, she wanted much more than a few moments with him, and yet she could only nod, the heat in his eyes and the warmth of his touch fogging her mind. The music slowed to a soft samba, and his hips took on a life of their own.
"You're getting nasty," she said when he shifted his hips against her.
"I'm dancing, can't you tell?"
He was being his old seductive self, she thought. She never knew a man who aroused her the way Nash did. He only had to look at her, and her body called out to his. When he touched her, it screamed for him, and worse than fighting her desire for him was remembering what an incredible lover he was.
The music slowed and he brought her deeper into his arms. She was glad he was a good dancer and a great lead, because she'd have fallen all over her feet if he kept staring at her like that. His eyes seemed darker, hotter, and they dragged over her as if they had the power of touch. Her breath quickened. Oh, how she wished they were alone right now.
"Everyone's asking about you," he said.
"And what did you say?"
"That you're Dr. Hayley Albright and you're with me."
Somehow she knew he'd said a little more than that, and her heart did a quick dive and hop. "Nash." Her hand slid to the nape of his neck, toying with his hair. He made a soft groaning sound she remembered well, and as he ducked his head, his gaze flicking between her eyes and her mouth, anticipation engulfed her. "This is rather public." Yet she rose up on tiptoe.
"Do it anyway."
Her lips met his and he kissed her softly, holding back the passion that drove through him whenever he was near her, whenever he touched her. She trembled against him, her lips worrying his and he felt her restraint. He reveled in it.
She pulled back, breathless, her eyes glazed. "People are staring."
"We could always take this home." Nash arched a brow, the invitation unmistakable.
Uncertainly swept over her and she knew what he was asking, knew what she wanted. It was a step she wasn't sure she should take. Being so intimate with him last night left her feeling more lost, grasping for that elusive spot that connected her to him again. Making love with him would forge the bond, and she didn't know if she could handle it. Because it would be intense and wild, burning his imprint into her soul. Again.
He danced her into the center of the room, and the music became more seductive, a sultry Latin beat. The feel of his body rocking against hers was electrifying. Their gazes locked and even as he spun her out, then back into his arms, he never broke eye contact. It sent a sensation of unclaimed passion through her, heating her blood, and she responded, their dance growing more seductive, more like foreplay, and the world around them faded.
"What are you thinking?" she asked.
"That I know what's beneath that dress."
She smiled, catlike. "How'd you know they'd fit?"
She was referring mostly to the bra and he grinned. "I just used my hands."
Her brows knitted for a second.
"I figured if those beautiful breasts filled my hands—" she gasped at the image "—then the bra would fit."
"You're shameless sometimes."
He jerked her hard against him, his knee insinuating between her thighs as he sambaed her around the room. "Just being near you makes me feel wild, darlin'."
She cocked her head. "We did do some outrageous things."
"Things? That's dang polite." He bent to whisper in her ear. "It was hot jungle sex, on my kitchen floor, in the tub, and how about the time we were on those dirt bikes?" A little moan worked in her throat and she closed her eyes briefly. "You looked as good naked and straddling that bike as you did straddling me."
She squeezed him, then after a second, tipped her head to look at him. He saw something in her expression.
"What?" Nash's heart slammed to his stomach. She looked sad all of a sudden.
"That was the last time you touched me. The last time I ever saw you."
Nash stopped and swept her hair off her cheek, then cupped her jaw. "I know. I'm sorry. Baby, you have to know how much I—"
Someone tapped him on the shoulder and they turned to find a waiter standing close. He motioned to the door, and Hayley saw Grace and the girls standing there. "You didn't tell me they'd be stopping by."
"I didn't know," Nash said, and she heard the tinge of irritation in his voice.
Hayley gave him a "be patient" look, then grabbed his hand, pulling him behind her, but after a few steps, she let him go and walked as fast as dignity would allow to the children. She squatted and opened her arms.
"Hi there!" They hugged her tightly. "This is a nice surprise!" With their arms still around her neck, she glanced up at Grace. "Everything okay?"