Free Perfectly Flawed by Emily Jane Trent Page A

direction and then away, focused on the girlfriend across the table from her, waving her arms expressively as she talked.
    “Better watch it, buddy,” Tomas said. “You’re in deep water there.”
    “Too late,” Sean said. I’m in over my head and sinking fast .

 
    Chapter 9
    Nic and Tomas gulped their drinks while Sean fidgeted. With Adrianna so close he couldn’t settle down. It didn’t seem right to just watch her with some other guy, especially that guy. The longer Sean sat, and the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got. A feeling of foreboding came over him, like Adrianna was in a bad situation, but he couldn’t put his finger on why exactly.
    At the bottom of his disgruntlement was that he wanted her for himself, and he knew it. But there was no way he was going to allow her to ruin her life either. If he knew one thing, he knew Adrianna was different, in a good way. A life with a boring, conservative jerk was unthinkable. It would never happen—he hoped.
    His friends joked and talked, noticing girls and catching their breath, preparing for another stint on the dance floor. But Sean was tuned out, lost in his dilemma. Everything came into focus when he saw Adrianna making her way toward the strobes—with Kevin following—from the second she started walking toward the crowd, her body moved in time to the music.
    Sean was mesmerized by the poetry of her form, starting from the high heels, going up her long, trim legs and over the soft curve of her hip; he watched her undulate to the music. Adrianna swirled her arms overhead, letting her long blond hair sweep over her shoulders. The fitted bodice of her dress cupped her bosom, reminding Sean once again of how much he wanted to feel her firm breasts underneath.
    His body tensed as he witnessed Adrianna dance, lost to the vibration of “Sing” from the Danger Days album. Every movement of her body caused a reaction in Sean’s, and the lust he felt for her stirred. If she danced with a partner Adrianna seemed unaware of it, nor was Sean. All he could see was the woman he wanted moving sensually, enticing him. Yet she seemed oblivious to the effect she had, totally involved with her love of dance and of the music.
    Finally, he’d had enough. A guy could only take so much, and Sean’s fuse tended to be short. He stood, hesitating just a moment.
    “Where are you going?” Tomas said, leaning back in his chair.
    “I’m going to dance,” Sean said, and walked purposefully toward the floor.
    Standing next to Adrianna, he took in her beauty. Swaying to the beat with her eyes closed, she looked altogether too tempting. Her lovely skin radiated under the spotlights and her blond hair shimmered. Ignoring her date, Sean stared.
    Adrianna opened her eyes and spotted Sean, who turned to Kevin, and disregarding the challenging look, said, “May I cut in?” Without waiting for a reply, Sean stepped between Adrianna and her partner then began dancing.
    Never missing a step, Adrianna kept moving, but the look on her face changed. Sean couldn’t read the emotion he saw there. Was she glad he was with her? Startled? He just couldn’t tell.
    “Hey, buddy. I’m with her.” Kevin’s voice was loud, partly to be heard over the loud music.
    “Not anymore,” Sean said without turning around.
    “You can’t just cut in.” He turned up his voice volume a little more.
    “I just did.” That guy was starting to become annoying, and he wouldn’t like it when Sean got really riled.
    But Preppy Boy didn’t press the issue. That wasn’t his style. Instead, he did the smartest thing—he left.
    “He’s my date, you know,” Adrianna said in a half shout, but didn’t reveal much in her expression—no annoyance, disappointment, or upset of any kind. Like always, it was difficult to tell what she thought.
    Sean just smiled and kept dancing. Now this was more like it. He enjoyed seeing Adrianna in a setting where she was relaxed, and the club was it. Dancing