“You know you can cut in, if you want,” Sawyer said in a low voice as he leaned over. “It’s perfectly legal and not against the law.”

Kaegan shook his head. Leave it to Sawyer to look at everything as a matter of law and order. “I’m fine, Sawyer.”

“Okay. It was just a suggestion.”

He didn’t say anything. Instead he sat there and continued to stare at Bryce and the man dancing. Bryce didn’t look his way and maybe it was a good thing she didn’t. He knew he had no right to feel jealous or territorial. Hadn’t she said they weren’t even friends?

More than once, he tried looking away and couldn’t do so. Instead his gaze was fixated on her. She was wearing a long red gown with the top and bottom covered in silver-covered sequins. And he thought now, as he’d always thought, that she was beautiful. Tonight, she had to be the sexiest woman he’d seen not just in a long time, but ever.

When the song came to an end, she smiled at her dance partner and turned to walk off the floor. The man caught hold of her wrist to bring her back to him as the live band began playing another song. This one slow. Kaegan felt his hand grip the wineglass he was holding, and then suddenly, he set it on the table with a thump.

When everyone looked over at him, he stood and said, “I think I’ll go dance.” He didn’t say with whom and figured they all knew. If they didn’t, they were about to find out.

Ray then said, “I wondered how long it was going to take you to come to your senses.”

Kaegan frowned. Come to his senses? Had Ray been out on his boat too damn long today? He had come to his senses. It was Bryce who’d accepted his apology with conditions. Mainly, they could not be friends. He was still trying to figure out just how that was supposed to work when they had the same circle of close acquaintances. Maybe it was time he asked her.

When he reached Bryce, he tapped the man on the shoulder. The look he gave the man all but told him to haul ass. The man evidently got the message, because he nodded and walked off. Kaegan then drew Bryce into his arms.

She didn’t say anything to him. Didn’t even look at him. He was fine with that for now. If she was stewing because of the change in dance partners, he would let her stew. She was in his arms now and for him that was what mattered. It was his arms wrapped around her. But he wanted to get closer to her. A decent close, but close nonetheless.

“I don’t think Herbert liked you cutting in,” she finally said.

He was about to tell her that he didn’t give a royal damn what the man named Herbert liked. Instead he asked, “What about you, Bryce? Do you have a problem with me cutting in?”