“This is nice,” she said. “We should have done this ages ago.”

He smiled at her and pulled her closer until they were pressed against each other. She rested her head on his shoulder and put her hand on his back. Her eyes drifted closed.

Better, she thought, inhaling the scent of him and liking how secure she felt. Secure and maybe a little tingly. Her breasts were pressed against his chest and his leg brushed against hers every few steps.

The man had powerful thighs and she knew he was strong. She’d seen him working out, all sweaty with the muscles. And his hands were big.

Aware that she’d had wine after her cocktail, she thought maybe she was flirting with being a little drunk and should probably watch herself. Only...

“I’d rather watch you.”

Keith shifted so he could look at her. “What did you say?”

She tried not to panic. Had she spoken that out loud?

“What? Me? Nothing.”

She put her head back on his shoulder, only this time she didn’t close her eyes. How could she when his neck was right there, just above the collar of his shirt?

She wondered what he would taste like. Salty maybe. Had she ever tasted a man’s skin before? Did it taste different than a woman’s skin? The question made her giggle because she had no idea what a woman’s skin tasted like. She didn’t go around licking people.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Just thinking stuff.”

He felt really good, she thought as they continued to dance. The room heated, or maybe it was just her. Every time their legs brushed she had the oddest idea that she should rub herself against his hard thigh. That would feel really good. She could rub and rub and rub.

Need began slowly, trickling down to her center. Without thinking, she let her hand drift from the center of his back to his waist. At the same time, she moved her head those few inches so that she could press her mouth against his neck and—

He swore quietly and jumped back. “What are you doing?”

The question shocked her into awareness. They were on the edge of the dance floor. No one seemed to be paying attention to them, but that didn’t stop the wave of humiliation from crashing through her.

What had she been doing? She couldn’t go around touching and kissing people. She and Keith weren’t together. She had no right, and based on the way he’d reacted, he also had no interest.

Horrified at her behavior and embarrassed beyond words, she bolted for their table, grabbed her small evening clutch, then hurried out of the restaurant. Once she was on the sidewalk, she frantically tried to figure out where the hotel was so she could hide in her room until the mortification killed her.

She’d barely taken a step when a strong hand clamped down on her arm, holding her in place.

“Ellen, what’s going on?”