Darker the Release (24 page)

Authors: Claire Kent

Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary, #New Adult & College, #Romantic Suspense, #Mystery & Suspense, #Suspense

He wasn’t meeting her eyes. He moved around the stage, focusing his attention on various different women, although he didn’t come out into the audience or let anyone touch him. He never looked in her direction at all, and Elizabeth started to feel ignored—a little rejected. They’d talked earlier. He’d seemed interested in her, at least enough to issue the challenge.

The least he could do was acknowledge her existence.

The music got louder and more intense, but it was just as slow and seductive as before, adding to the ambience of the dim lights and Matt’s sensual moves.

His body was gorgeous—long limbs, perfectly toned muscle development, and artistic tattoos that ran from his arms up over his shoulders—neither overblown nor overly polished. She was holding her breath when he took hold of his trousers. They weren’t tear-aways, like all the other guys’, but he didn’t pull them down his legs quickly. He let them fall so leisurely that Elizabeth found herself leaning forward, straining to see what was beneath.

He wore black boxer briefs, and her eyes lowered uncontrollably to the impressive bulge she could see there.

Impressive, yes, but that looked real too.

He finally reached the angle on the stage that was directly facing her table. He was moving against the chair now, like it was a woman’s body.

And she wanted it to be
her
body.

He met her eyes then, at last, and she held the hot gaze for a long time. She could swear that he knew exactly what she was thinking. She tried to school her face—act nonchalant and relaxed about the whole thing so he wouldn’t think he’d scored a victory.

But he had.

Because, no matter how stupid and vulgar she’d found most of the evening’s performances, she didn’t feel the same about this one. About Matt.

She found it sexy. She found
him
sexy.

Which meant she might not be as immune to his challenge as she’d initially believed.