"I think I speak for everyone here when I say that was doooope!" he yelled.
The crowd cheered again, and he motioned for me to stay next to him because he could see that I was starting to set down the mic and walk off. He announced the top three based on the initial rounds of applause, and low and behold, I was one of the three finalists.
I really didn't care if I won at that point; I was just glad to be in the top three. The audience was forced to applaud us again one by one and even though it was close, I came out the winner. I was sure it was because it was a cool novelty to see a girl up here, but the win felt good either way.
The DJ handed me a little plastic trophy. It was a gold microphone about 4 inches tall, and I held it up triumphantly for the crowd to inspect as I waved and blew kisses. Then the DJ turned the music back up, and the club went back to the way it was before the contest started.
I made my way through the crowd in the direction of Addie. I was still shaken from the excitement and figured the booth would be a good place to relax for a second.
"O-M-F-G!" Sean said, grabbing my arm when I was on my way to the booth. "I can't believe you just did that. Did you make that up?"
"Yeah," I said. I didn't add that I'd made it up years ago, but it was loud, and I didn't feel like explaining.
"I was so proud of you up there," he said.
I could tell he meant it. He was grinning from ear to ear and looked like he was about to ask me for my autograph or something.
"Come dance with me," he said. He was almost pleading and I hated to let him down.
I glanced up at the booth. Addie was standing at the edge of it, looking at me. She'd been standing there waiting for me since I left the stage. I motioned to Sean and tried to tell her with my hands that I'd be up there in just a minute. She smiled and gave me a thumbs up before turning away, so I assumed she understood.
Sean pulled me to the bar where he announced that, "She was the winner of the contest and should at least get a free drink."
The bartender must not have thought it was a bad idea because he asked me what I wanted and when I told him I wanted a Vodka cranberry, he poured top shelf vodka and made it strong. He was really cute and gave me a smile when he handed it to me.
Just then, a cocktail waitress came up behind me to talk to the bartender. She seemed like she was in a hurry, so I leaned to the side, letting her get next to the bar.
"Captain Tom said to see that she gets whatever she wants to drink and just put it on his tab."
She gestured to me and I smiled as I took a sip of the drink through the tiny little straws.
"Well, this one was on the house since she was our winner, but he can buy her the next one."
"He just told me to make sure she doesn't pay for anything," she said.
The bartender nodded like he understood, and the waitress went back in the direction from which she'd come. I downed the rest of my drink, and Sean and I went to the dance floor. He was obviously proud of my victory because he tried to step it up a notch with his dancing, doing some of his best moves.
I closed my eyes, letting the pulsing rhythm of the music wash over me. The dance floor was packed, and our bodies moved against everyone else out there.
I felt someone come up behind me.
It wasn't abnormal to bump into someone, but the person behind me was definitely doing more than bumping into me. A big arm wrapped around my waist, and I opened my eyes to find that Sean was still dancing in front of me. I started to turn around but the person's grip tightened, holding me in place.
"Yer sassy and full of yerself, and ye need to be taken down a peg er two." I knew the Irishman was standing behind me, and even though I knew I should, I did not have an aversion to his voice. In fact, it sounded pretty delightful in my ear, and to my own horror, I caught myself relaxing into him instead of resisting him.
He laughed and I could both feel and hear the low rumble. "Ye like it when I tell ye I'm gonna take ye down a peg, do ye?"
I shook my head.
"Ne? Well why are ye pressing up against me?"
I turned and looked up, trying to speak into his ear. "Because I like your accent. I think it's sexy. It's too bad we heet eech other," I said, trying my best Irish accent.
"What I hate is that I've tried to kiss ye twice tonight, and it still hasn't happened."
Sean noticed for the first time that I was preoccupied with someone else, and he focused intently on me as if to ask if I was okay with the big oaf who had his arm around my waist.
I gave him a reassuring smile, letting him know I was okay with Rory standing there.
"I'm gonna go hook up with Viv," he said, yelling in my direction. "I'll talk to you in a minute. I'm so proud of you! You did amazing."
I could see Sean smile up at Rory before he walked off, but I didn't turn to see if Rory returned it. I couldn't believe I'd just let Sean leave me so I could dance with Rory. One minute I didn't like him at all, and the next I found it impossible to tell him to leave me alone.
Chapter 4
The slight buzz of alcohol combined with the thrill of victory had me feeling alive and hyperaware of my surroundings.
Rory was standing behind me, holding me next to his huge, rock hard body. I'd never been up against a guy who felt like him to the touch, and the combination of physical sensations I felt in his arms was too overwhelming for me to leave him.
I knew by the way his body moved to the rhythm that he was a good dancer, but I couldn't actually see him since he was behind me. I turned my head and closed my eyes as I relaxed into his chest, and he held me tightly in place with a strong arm around my waist.
"Yer a wild one, aren't ye?"
I didn't answer him. I danced seductively in front of him, rubbing all over his lap in time to the beat and enjoying the feeling of our bodies molding into each other's as we danced. His hard body pressed against mine with unrelenting pressure, and I leaned into it, unashamed.
I could easily see myself letting a moment like this lead to something erotic with this guy—perhaps even the best sex of my life, but I knew I couldn't let it go there. The thought made me snap out of whatever sexual trance had just overtaken me.
"I should probably go put this up," I said holding up the little trophy I'd been carrying since it was handed to me. It was right in the middle of a song, and Rory looked down at me like I was crazy. It was dark and I couldn't tell what color his eyes were, but they were light, and I figured they were either blue or green.
"Why are ye leaving?"
"I thought you and I decided we were, uh, not gonna let anything happen with us tonight."
"That was before Gina came and I needed you to act like yer mine."
"Yeah, I'm not really into that," I said.
We were standing on the dance floor, yelling over the music.
"Not into what—being mine? Or that it's only for pretend?"
I laughed at his audacity. "It would never happen for real."
He put a hand on my backside and gave it a squeeze as he spoke close to my ear. "If ye were mine I'd never let you go prancin' up on that stage, lettin' everyone look up yer skirt."
I gasped, offended.
We stood still on the dance floor while everyone else danced around us.
"I looked good up there," I said, scowling.
"I'm not saying ye didn't. In fact I'm saying the opposite of that. Ye looked too good. Ye shouldn't let everyone see yer body. It should be a privilege reserved for one man."
"Oh, don't act like you're so pure."
He cupped a hand on my jaw and forced me to look at him. He stared at me with a serious expression. I gazed up at him as the multi-colored lights moved over us and the music continued to pound.
"I never said I was pure. I just said that if ye were mine, ye would have never, ever gotten up on the stage like that."
He looked angry, and I pulled my head back so he'd lose his grip.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not, because
that was fun. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna just go put up my trophy so I can be more comfortable out here dancing—with someone else."
"Fuck that."
"Excuse me!"
"Fuck that," he said, more slowly.
I let out a loud, frustrated huff, and turned to leave, but he grabbed me and pulled me into his arms. I could feel him shaking, and knew he was laughing before I even looked up at him.
"I'm sorry," he said. He sounded halfway sincere, and turned to give him a measuring glare. "I'm sorry, but it's true. I'd never let you wear that dress in front of all these assholes if ye were mine."
"Just do it," I said. "If you need to do it for that girl Gina or whatever, then just do it and get it over with. But after that, we're done."
"What are ye talking about? Ye sound like a crazy person."
"If you just need to kiss me one time for that girl's sake, then just do it and get it over with. Then you can leave me alone and not have to worry about what I choose to wear on stage."
Rory didn't ask any questions, or take the time to clarify anything about the rules and boundaries of the offered kiss. He wrapped a big hand around the back of my head and pressed a hot kiss on my mouth. His tongue instantly delved into my mouth, and I opened to him because my body would let me make no other choice.
Not only did I open my mouth to him, but I also used my free hand to grip the back of his head. He dipped into my mouth with his tongue a few more times before breaking the kiss.
He pulled back and looked down at me.
He was breathing hard, and I could tell by the look in his eye that he wanted more. He took the trophy out of my hand and yelled up to the DJ, asking him to hold it for us. He was about ten feet away and up on the platform, but Rory made a perfect toss and he caught it easily.
"Where did ye say ye were goin'?"
"Nowhere, I guess," I said. I stared up at him.
"Yer the sexiest girl here," he said.
"You're just saying that because I won that contest."
"Screw that contest. I already told ye I hate that contest. Now take yer hair down out of those pins and dance with me."
"Did you just ask me to take my hair down?"
He nodded.
"It's too hot for that."
"I want to see what yer hair looks like."
He regarded me with an impassive stare, waiting for me to get to work taking the pins out.
I laughed. "I'll dance with you, but I'm not taking my hair down. It's too hot."
I started moving to the music, and he smiled as he followed. He grabbed me and turned me where my back was to his chest in the same position we'd been in before. I leaned against his hard body, rubbing against him in time to the music. He wrapped a hand around my waist and moved it further down, to my thigh before pulling me into him as he thrust his hips forward. I felt the hard length of his erection underneath his pants, and I leaned against it, wanting to feel more pressure.
His mouth was close to my ear. I could feel his hot breath when he said, "Take yer hair down, Megan."
The way he said it at the exact moment that he pressed himself against me, made me unable to resist. I reached up and began taking pins out of my hair as I continued to lean against him. I didn't stop until they were all out, and then I massaged my scalp with my fingertips before running my fingers through the length of my hair—all this while still dancing.
Rory put his mouth right by my ear again. "I had ye put yer hair down, because I don't want anyone to see when I'm kissin' yer neck. I'm going to put my mouth on yer neck, and I want ye to go right on dancing like nothing's the matter, okay?"
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I'm going to leave a mark, and I want ye to let me suck long enough for that to happen."
My head whipped around so I could look him in the eye. I smiled. "Are you talking about giving me a hickey?"
"If I don't get a mark on ye somehow, I might just die," he said.
I must not have heard him right. "What did you just say?"
"I said I'm going to kiss yer neck." He leaned in and put his mouth on the side of my neck. I wanted so badly to pull away—could have easily done so, but it felt so freaking good. His mouth, hot and wet on my neck, felt like it was sucking the very life out of me—like we were becoming one. I felt a desperate ache in my core that had warmth spreading in unspeakable places.
He stood behind me with his mouth on my neck as we swayed to the music. The dance floor was so packed that no one was paying attention to us. It felt so good that I put a hand on the back of his head to hold him in place.
He sucked harder, and I let out an uncontrollable moan that he probably didn't hear over the music. I'd never had anyone suck on my neck before, and it was way hotter than I thought it would be. I held my grip on the back of his head, desperate for him to continue sucking on me. Electric pulses began happening in the pit of my stomach, and I felt like I might just have an orgasm right there on the dance floor with him standing behind me.
He took his mouth off of my neck.
I couldn't help but be disappointed. I continued swaying to the beat, but turned to look up at him.
"Yer going ta have a mark from that, and it's only the beginning of what I want to do to ye," he said.
I was like putty in his hands, and I absentmindedly thought I might just let him take advantage of me if he asked me at just the right moment.
"I'm not that kind of girl," I said, hoping that kind of statement would help me talk myself out of doing something I'd regret.
"Oh, but I think ye are."
"No I'm not, and don’t want to get mixed up with someone like you."
"What do ye mean by that?"
"I mean I'm not trying to get mixed up with you Kelly boys."
"It's a good thing I'm not a Kelly."
I regarded him with a look of confusion.
"My name's Rory McDonald. I'm not a Kelly."
"I thought you were Tom's son."
"I am, but I didn't know him till I was fifteen. I'm a McDonald not a Kelly, no matter who my father is. That looks good on ye." He looked down at my neck. He used a finger to move a piece of my hair out of the way so he could see the spot more clearly and smiled at the sight.
"I like markin' ye up like that."
I shook my head at him. "You're an arrogant asshole."
"Oh come on, ye know ye like me tattooing ye. It looks good on ye."
I put a hand to my neck right at the spot where he was looking. "Is there really something there, or are you messing with me?"
"I'm not messing with ye," he said, laughing. "Ye should go take a look at it. I think yer gonna love it."
"I need to hit the ladies room anyway," I said.
"Meet me back at the booth."
"Okay, if I don't show up, you'll know it's because I thought better of it. In which case, you should just let me be and we'll call it a night."
"Don't do that."
"It's my choice."
"Call it whatever ye want, but if ye choose not to be with me tonight, it's the wrong one."
"Well I'm definitely not sleeping with you. I can tell you that right now."
"Ye think too much. Just go look at yer little red mark and then come sit on my lap for a little while in the booth."
I should have reared back and slapped him across the face. Or at the very least, should have told him right then and there that there'd be no lap sitting tonight or any night. Instead, I just glared at him.
"There better not be a huge red thing on my neck."
He looked down at it with a beautiful confident smile that rendered me unable to be angry with him. "I'm sorry to inform you, but there is."
I groaned at him and rolled my eyes as I turned and took off toward the bathroom. It took me a minute to get over there, and by the time I did, Addie caught up with me and tapped me on the shoulder. She followed me into the bathroom, so we could talk without having to yell.
"I saw you kissi
ng Rory on the dance floor just now," was the first thing she said. I wasn't expecting her to beat around the bush, but it still surprised me when she said it.
"He kissed me," I said. It was a stupid response, but I didn't have anything else.
"Do you like him?" she asked.
We made our way into the bathroom, but stayed in the little dressing room instead of going through to the room with the sinks and stalls.
I tried to get a look at my neck without being obvious, but I was too nervous to pull my hair back in front of Addie, and ended up just looking at her instead.
"He's definitely hot, I mean, you already know I think that, but he's really sort of an asshole if you want to know the truth.
Addie cocked her head at me like she was trying to figure out if he'd said something to hurt me. "Did you enjoy kissing him, or did he do that without asking?"
I could tell by the way she asked that she was concerned he forced himself on me.
"No," I said. "I should probably be ashamed to admit it, but I was into it." I gave her a conspiratorial smile. "I think he might have given me a hickey, which is something I've never experienced before."
"What do you mean, you think?"
"I mean, he told me there was one there, but I haven’t seen it." Addie's eyes instantly jumped to my neck and I saw her scan the areas of my neck and chest that were in plain sight.
It didn't seem like she could see anything, which didn't surprise me since I knew my hair was over the spot. I pulled my hair back, being careful not to draw attention to myself since there were girls walking in behind us. Addie gasped when she caught sight of it, and that made me assume the worst, so when I actually saw it for the first time, my initial feeling was that of relief.
I found the small mark and turned to the side so I could inspect it. It was the shape of his partially opened mouth, and was made up of red dots, some darker than others.
"It's not that bad," I said, staring into the mirror.
She just watched me with a smile. "Well, as long as you like it," she said, shrugging. She gasped again. "I didn't want to interrupt you while you were dancing, but—" she held up a hand for a high five. "I can't believe you won!"
Steal My Girl Page 3
