He was more than happy to step in to get Claire away from a guy who was too drunk or handsy, and it had come in handy for him over the years, too. Sometimes he knew within minutes he wasn’t compatible with someone but didn’t know how to politely end the conversation and step away.
Enter the chin dip, and enter Claire.
Tonight, it seemed he was up to bat.
Mentally stretching his muscles because it had been a while since he’d needed to do this, he tightened his jaw and hardened his gaze. With a smile that was anything but warm, he directed a cold glare at the guy as he approached and put himself between them. His arm went around Claire’s waist in a possessive gesture, his hand resting low on her hip.
“Thanks for keeping my girlfriend company, but I’ve got it from here.”
The guy paled and blinked, then took a big step back. “Sorry, man,” he muttered, and disappeared.
“Your hand is on my ass,” Claire muttered, though her voice held a trace of humor.
“Shut up and dance with me, sweetheart.”
The track changed, and Imagine Dragons’ “Dancing in the Dark” flowed through the speakers. A strangely sensual song somewhere between slow and rhythmic, it was an odd choice for a place like this, but Graham went with it. He rotated so he and Claire were face-to-face, and put both hands around her waist, sliding them a few inches higher now that his performance was over.
She gave him a look. “‘Sweetheart’？”
“Seems like a standard endearment for couples.”
“Sounded strange coming out of your mouth.”
“Felt weird, too.”
She laughed and relaxed against him, curling her fingers around his neck. “I don’t know how to dance to this song. Is it fast? Slow?”
Graham pulled her a touch closer and rocked into her with the fluid, electronic beat. Her hips moved with him willingly. “This is probably best to make sure your suitor gets the point. What went wrong?”
“He smelled a little like cigarettes so I asked if he was a smoker.”
Graham tipped his head back and laughed. “You just put it all out there, don’t you?”
“That’s a deal breaker for me,” she said, unapologetic. She shrugged and smiled a little, and his eyes dropped to her lips.
Huge mistake.
His brain immediately reminded him how soft they’d felt moving against his, and the perfect way she’d used her tongue—firm and teasing without being overpowering. Her full bottom lip disappeared beneath her teeth and his gaze darted to her eyes.
She’d caught him staring.
He prepared himself for a set-down or snarky comment, to which he’d reply in equal measure. Instead, she lifted one hand and brushed her index finger across his brow with a frown.
“What happened here?”
It took him a second to catch up. “Just a scratch from biking today.” Reagan and Claire had gone to dinner before they met him here, and the first time she’d seen him after his ride this afternoon was in this dark room.
Claire lifted to her tip-toes, angling her face to get a better look. “It looks pretty deep. Did it bleed a lot?”
He shrugged. “Some.”
Irritation flashed across her face and Graham held back a grin. This woman was so easy to rile up.
“It could probably use a couple of stitches.”
“Too late now, right?”
Her body stopped moving. “Not necessarily. Don’t you have a suture kit with your camping stuff? For survival emergencies or whatever?”
He did, but he put light pressure against her waist to resume dancing. “We’re not leaving so you can come at me with a needle.”
Her lips pressed in a determined line. “I could probably do it while you’re playing one of your video games and you’d barely notice. You don’t have feelings, anyway, so I don’t see what the problem is.”
He refused to allow the barb to burrow any further than skin-deep and raised his brows. “Whoa, coming at me like that after I swooped in to rescue you?”
“If we’re counting, I’ve intervened on your behalf way more than the other way around. Unlike you, I don’t have a problem speaking my mind and telling a man I’m not interested.”
“Why’d you call me over tonight, then?”
She hesitated, though he couldn’t tell if she didn’t know how to respond or if she simply didn’t want to. “I’m…not sure, actually.”
“Hmm.” He had an inkling.
She stopped again. “Stop trying to distract me. I need to get a better look at that wound and it’s too dark in here. Let’s go.”