Anna stared after her friend, stunned to be abandoned within seconds of entering the party.
“Don’t pay her no mind,” Ivy consoled. “You know men are her weakness. What we’re going to do is have ourselves a good time. Charlie Masters is not the only shark in the sea—and the fastest way to get over one man is to get under another one.”
Anna frowned. “Come again?”
“Girl, that’s what my momma told me and she has never steered me wrong.”
“Your mother has been married like eight or nine times,” Anna reminded her.
“She practices what she preaches—and trust me, every husband is better than the last.” Ivy laughed.
“All right. What the hell?” Anna conceded the fight. It was clear that none of her girls were going to let her escape this place so that she could go back to her dorm and cry her eyes out.
“Really?” Ivy checked.
Anna bobbed her head. “Yeah. But I think I need a drink first.”
“Then a drink it is! “ She snatched Anna by the hand and proceeded to tug her through the throng of people—yet again. In the crowded kitchen, the girl bypassed the beer keg for the harder stuff on the counter. Before Anna knew it, she was tossing back tequila shots like she was on spring break in Cancun. Next thing she knew, the alcohol snuck up on her and started numbing her heartbreak.
Soon all thoughts of Charlie melted away and all that existed was the jamming beats bumping throughout the house. She closed her eyes and started rocking her hips. She was feeling good—damn good.
“Oooh. So you do know how to loosen up,” an amused baritone said from behind.
Anna turned to see Taariq once again hovering above her. “Of course I do. Don’t look so surprised.” She lazily ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly fascinated by how soft it was. Yep. She was drunk, but not so much that she didn’t catch the way Taariq’s gaze tracked her fingers and how a glint of lust had returned to his eyes. Suddenly, Anna’s playful smile became flirtatious while her own gaze dragged down Taariq’s body. God. Help. Her.
“Tell me something, Taariq. Do you have a girl?”
Next to her, Ivy choked and then sprayed out her drink. Undoubtedly, she was just as surprised as Anna at her boldness.
“No.” Taariq moved closer so that his firm chest could brush against her breasts. “I don’t have a steady girl.” Their eyes were open invitations, ones that they were both eager to accept.
Anna held one last shot in her hand and she tossed that sucker back for a sweet burn before handing the shot glass over to Ivy. “I’ll catch up with you later,” she whispered with a wink.
Ivy’s brows arched while amusement hugged her lips. “Well, all right then, giiirrl. Work it out.”
Taariq wrapped an arm around Anna’s shoulder and led her back toward the main living room just when TLC’s song “Creep” blasted over the crowd.
“Oh. I loooove this song,” Anna moaned, shaking her hips and snapping her fingers.
Without missing a beat, Taariq pulled up to her bumper and got in where he fit in. They moved together as if they had been doing so all their lives. But the heat was turned up when Taariq’s hands started roaming all over her body. It started low on her legs and then glided up her firm thighs before finally rounding her hips. Everywhere they went, he left a trail of fire that at that moment she was willing to let consume her.
Then everything started to blur. They were laughing and the room was spinning. Not to mention, she was hot as hell and could feel beads of perspiration start to roll down the sides of her face and even drench her neck. Anna did notice that Taariq’s chest wasn’t the only thing firm on him. He had biceps to die for and huge shoulders that beckoned her to rest her head.
The music changed up and En Vogue’s “Something He Can Feel” had everyone grooving a little more sensually. However, in their case, Taariq was the one soliciting all kinds of feelings. For once in her life, she was just going to roll with it. She wasn’t going to bog herself down by overthinking every little thing like she usually did. This felt wonderful and she wanted to take things up a notch.
Taariq’s hand roamed from around her waist to take a bold position on her apple-shaped booty. When there was no objection, he squeezed—and she moaned. That was a signal for him to move in closer. He inhaled her flowery scent while she nearly overdosed on his seductive cologne. Heaven opened up in her mind and before she knew it, she was floating on thick, fluffy clouds without a care in the world.
“You sure do know how to move,” Taariq whispered up against her ear. “Is that a skill you just have on the dance floor or do you know how to move in other places?”
Anna opened her eyes and stared into Taariq’s dark lustful gaze. “I’ve never had any complaints.” Of course her list of partners could be added up on two fingers so it wasn’t like that qualified her to have a comment box.
“Is that right?” He pulled his full, bottom lip in between his teeth and dropped his gaze to her hypnotic cleavage again. “So what are my chances of finding out?”
Anna turned just when Charlie and Roxanne descended the stairs, giggling and clinging to each other. Their clothes were crumpled and Roxanne’s hair looked a hot mess. If it wasn’t for the alcohol, Anna’s jealousy would’ve reared up and she would’ve flew across the room to snatch all that whack-yaki weave out of her head. But for now, she was still floating and enjoying the low simmering fire Taariq’s body and hands started across her body.
“I’d say that your chances of seeing all my moves have just increased to a hundred percent,” she said sexily.
Surprise lifted his brows, but he wasn’t about to wait around on the dance floor on the off chance that she might change her mind. His arm transformed into a hook and he proceeded to direct her toward the stairs—and Charlie and Roxanne.
Anna dug in her heels and then tried to back away.
Given how fast his erection was stretching toward his knees, Taariq feared a sweet opportunity was about to pass him by when Anna started backing away. “What? What’s up?” However, when he glanced down at her, she was still smiling.
“Tell you what. I think I have a better idea,” she cooed.
“Oh?” He liked the sound of that. “What do you have in mind?”
She nodded as she moved closer and pressed against him. “How about you take me back to my place?”
Taariq whipped out his car keys and winked. “You ain’t said nothing but a word.”
Chapter 3
Anna’s head was spinning when she climbed into Taariq’s black SUV. There was a small voice shouting in the back of her head, asking whether she knew what she was doing. But she drowned out the annoying question by humming Whitney Houston’s “Shoop, Shoop.” No thinking. No over-analyzing. This was going to be a world better than just crying into her pillow about a secret crush gone south. Much better.
Taariq opened the driver’s door and smiled at her as he climbed in next to her. It was amazing how his frame and his presence just filled up the space. It almost took her breath away. She cocked her head and stared at him. How come she had never really noticed him before? The question fumbled in her mind while he put the keys in the ignition. Maybe it was because she’d always seen him just in passing—and then only a couple of times.
“Are you ready?”
Good God. His black gaze was absolutely mesmerizing.
She eased across