Strip Tease by Karen Erickson

dancer’s.
    She wanted to be closer to him. She almost
wished she was the one writhing above him in a sensual dance.
    Almost.
    His hand slid across hers, fingers curling
and he yanked her upper body closer to his. His head dipped so that
it hovered above hers and he murmured, “Let’s get out of here.”
    “What about your dance?” She sounded
breathless, her voice shaky and she realized her entire body was
trembling. With anticipation and a bit of fear mixed in.
    “Forget the dance.” He nudged at the
dancer’s waist with the tips of his fingers. “Sorry sweetheart, we
need to go.”
    “You two have a nice night.” She
disentangled herself from Nate’s grasp, shaking her head with a
tiny smile on her face. “I’m sure I don’t need to bother telling
you that.”
    “Thanks,” Janelle said weakly, watching the
dancer go.
    “Let’s go.” With one quick yank, he had
Janelle on her feet and they were weaving through the maze of
tables and people, headed for the door.
    “What about Ginger? Are you sure you don’t
want to try one last time to see if she’s here?” she asked.
Stalling, of course. She needed to catch her breath, her thoughts.
He was moving so fast…
    “We already tried.” He glanced over his
shoulder, his gaze heated. “We’ll worry about Ginger tomorrow.”
    Janelle stumbled over her feet trying to
keep up with his long legged stride, turning his comment over and
over again in her head. Panic welled up inside her, words of doubt
whispering through her mind and she tried to ignore them.
    She needed to go with her gut, not let her
negative past keep her down. Only moments ago, she’d felt free and
desirable, ready to seduce him.
    Now she was wary and nervous. Unsure of his
motives, though deep down she felt they were true. They had nothing
to do with his wanting to get closer to Ginger. He wasn’t using
her.
    Was he?
    Janelle shook her head once. No . He
couldn’t be. How would sleeping with her get him closer to her
sister?
    The gigantic entry doors loomed ahead of
them and Nate’s grip tightened on her hand. He was so strong and so
warm, and his hand felt good, wrapped around hers. Their earlier
kiss had been dizzying, delicious. She needed to concentrate on
that, needed to focus on the way he made her feel.
    He pushed through the door, nodding toward
the giant man who still stood guard at the front. The cool night
air fanned across her face, chilling her heated cheeks and she
shivered from the sudden breeze.
    “Cold?” Nate pulled her closer, his arm
wrapping around her shoulders, his large hand cupping her
shoulder.
    He made her feel small and protected. She
absorbed his warmth, loving the feel of him walking with her in
tandem, both of them anxious to get to his car.
    “Thank you,” she murmured, suddenly a little
shy. Silly considering everything they had just experienced
together. At a sex club, for God’s sake.
    They found his car in record time, the both
of them climbing into it eagerly after he hit the keyless lock.
Rubbing her hands together in the hope to warm them up, she turned
to watch him as he started the engine. He glanced up, his mouth
drawn into a tight line, as if he was about to tell her some grim
news.
    Nerves gnawed at her gut. No way was he
going to change his mind. Would he?
    “You’re coming home with me.”
    Her mouth dropped open, shocked by his
commanding tone. Relief flooded through her. That was not what she
expected him to say. “Okay.”
    “I’m not going to let you change your
mind.”
    “I don’t plan on changing my mind.”
    “That’s a good thing.”
    With lightning quick movements, he was on
her, his arms wrapped around her waist, his mouth connecting with
hers. The kiss was intense, his lips nudging hers open, his tongue
silky and smooth as it moved against hers.
    She felt overpowered, overwhelmed and oh,
God, she liked it. She slowly slid her hands around his neck,
moving up into his silky black hair. She stroked the back of