Free Under My Skin (Shady Falls Series Book 2) by Shelly Davis

others in the gym about the food. Had I known we were going to a place like this, I would’ve insisted on going somewhere different. I didn’t want to see Jake with some woman all over him.
                  “Come on, we’re going to eat and dance the night away,” he said with a smile. Did he seriously not know anything about me at all? Didn’t he realize this was my version of purgatory? The only reason I went to places like Viva Lounge with Jen was to keep her company until she found her latest conquest. Once she had the man she was going to spend time with for the night, I usually left. She would text several times so I knew she was okay, but I never stuck around and I was usually miserable the entire time. I’d told him this many times before. Didn’t he listen? Didn’t he believe me?
                  Taking my hand, he pulled me across the throngs of people, following a waitress to a table. I searched the faces for one who was familiar. I hoped Jake wouldn’t be there. I started to relax, not one face stuck out in the large crowd.
                  Grant led me to a booth along the wall furthest from the door. A dark corner in the already dark bar. I would’ve preferred to be less secluded from the room, but Grant didn’t give me a choice. He gestured for me to sit and slid in next to me.
                  The waitress stood by and waited so she could take our order. She was pretty and dressed in the bar’s skimpy attire. I noticed Grant basically undressing her with his eyes while he ordered for the both of us. Yet another thing I hated about him.
                  Silence stretched between us. One of those uncomfortable silences when you racked your brain trying to find something to talk about, but of course, nothing came to mind. This was a normal feeling around Grant. We had little in common and he had a tendency of making me feel like I was worthless. Any moron can be a teacher, right? Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
                  “I’m glad you came around, Mia. You ignoring me was starting to piss me off.” His eyes drifted from my face and down to my chest, blatantly staring at the sliver of flesh exposed above the top button of my shirt. He reached under the table and put his hand on my thigh. Soft, smooth fingers, softer than my own, slid up my thigh, stopping just below my skirt. He squeezed tightly, possessively; the bite of his fingers hurt my flesh.
                  I jerked my leg away from him and stared in disbelief. He smiled, a devilish glint to his eyes. Instead of trying to touch my thigh again, he took my hand. He thought I wanted to be there with him, but I was only there because I was sick of dodging his calls.
                  Focusing on his hand once more, I was hung up on the fact that no other man I’d ever met had such soft hands.
                  Grant must never have performed a single day’s labor in his life. What did that say about him? Didn’t he cut grass or do any form of landscaping? How about paint a room, a repair in his home or on his car? Did he expect others to do everything for him? I knew he didn’t lift weights or do any such physical activity. Hell, he spent most of his time on the phone when I convinced him to go to the gym with me. So not my type!
                  “Come on,” he said, standing. He yanked on my arm, pulling me from the booth. “Let’s go dance.”
                  A protest bubbled in my throat as he hauled me toward the dance floor. Even though it wasn’t a slow song, Grant wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me hard into his chest. Something inside of his suit jacket dug into my side as he swayed us, much too slowly, around the dance floor.
                  “I got you back,” he whispered into my ear, the smell of alcohol covered the side of my face, making me gag. I hadn’t