Chapter 30.

JASON.

I can’t take my eyes off her.

There’s something about her, the way she carries herself, the way she moves, even the way she breathes—it pulls me in like a magnet. I’ve met with dozens of women at events like this, but none have made me feel like this. Not since... Stacy.

I step forward, my hand outstretched, “Dance with me, please.”

Her eyes narrow behind the mask, but there’s a flicker of hesitation in them. She’s about to respond when Nicole’s voice cuts through the air, sharp and demanding.

“Jason, what the hell are you doing?”

I turn to see her storming toward us, her face contorted with anger. “You’re seriously asking another woman to dance? Right in front of me?”

I don’t flinch. “There is nothing wrong with dancing with Natalie.”

Nicole looks like she’s been slapped. “Jason!”

Natalie—no, whoever she is—stays silent, her body tensing as if she’s debating how to handle this. She’s caught between us, but I don’t care. I need this dance. I need to know why I feel thi