Hooked #3 (The Hooked Romance Series - Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

were fake
and bright, and their skin was perfectly botoxed and
tight. I shuddered, looking at the deep wealth that flitted around me.
    As we entered the convention center, I heard the
whir of string instruments and the lilting of a piano. I clutched Drew’s hand
with the passion of it. He laughed. “I knew you’d like the music. Chicago Orchestra.” He nodded toward them, all hundred of them, in their position off to the side of the large
dance floor.
    My heart began to race. We stepped toward the bar,
eyeing the beautiful people as they spun, as they clutched each other’s hands
and danced to the electrifying music that emanated through the beautiful hall.
“Have you ever seen anything more extraordinary,” I whispered to Drew like a
child. He handed me a glass of champagne, and the bubbles wafted over the top.
    We clinked our glasses
together, and I steadied myself from my excitement.
    “To being friends,” Drew murmured, eyeing me deeply.
I could tell from his eyes, that he longed to be much more than friends. Much more than friends, indeed.
    But I agreed with him, reminding myself that the man
before me had nearly ruined my life, taken the only good thing about my life. I
scratched the side of my face casually, feeling the cakes of make-up I had
applied. I blinked. “I don’t suppose you want to dance, do you?” I asked him. I
felt assured he wouldn’t agree to it. Certainly, he had a strong, supple
body—and I knew he knew how to use it, at least in the bedroom. But, in my
experience, men like him didn’t dance. They didn’t make it their mission to
dance. He was a corporate man with corporate money. Music and dancing and the
liveliness of it all weren’t exactly in his repertoire.
    But he surprised me.
    “You know. I’d love to dance.” His eyes didn’t
disconnect with mine. We held a tight connection as we tipped our heads back,
absorbing the comfortable drunk of the bubbles.
    When we finished our drinks, he held out his hand and
I accepted it, feeling the tiny vibrations between us. He whirred me out onto the dance floor and tucked his hand behind my back, low, against my
ass. I felt his fingers tighten for a short moment against my skin, and my
heart raced.
    The strings began once more—a rather fast piece. He
began spinning me around, dancing with tight, specific steps. I looked down at
his feet as I followed his lead, shocked. “Wow. You know what you’re doing!” I
laughed. My eyes were bright, happy.
    He nodded, laughing along with me. He spun me in a
circle, forcing everyone to look our way. On the dance floor I realized, we
were the only dancers who knew what we were doing. It had been so long since I
had been watched as I danced, as I used my body to formulate a sort of song
alongside the music. I grinned. During a great crescendo, Drew picked me up in
the air, and I allowed my body to lengthen, to stride out into a beautiful,
romantic pose above everyone’s heads. I felt Drew’s fingers beneath me, holding
me steady. The entire crowd burst into a sea of applause.
    After a few moments, Drew spun me back down and I
looked at him—nearly flustered. “What the hell?” I asked him, so curious.
    “My mother had me take dance lessons, actually. You
thought you were the only dancer here, didn’t you?” Drew smirked at me once
more. A small tuft of his hair had come undone from all the dancing, all the
energy. I didn’t want to fix it. I wanted proof that it had happened.
    “Well. You’re quite good,” I replied. The song had
descended into a slow, romantic song. We began to weave back and forth, holding
each other’s eyes. “Have you considered picking it back up again?”
    He shook his head. “Men in my line of work don’t
tend to take dance too seriously. Of course, I do. I grew up with Mel, as you
know.”
    “Your aunt,” I teased him. “Who is younger than you. ”
    He threw his head back. “We have a crazy family,
it’s true,” he murmured. He allowed me to spin out