Secret Moves (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 3) (3 page)

"No, that's fine," was what she said out loud.

"No, we don't mind," Sam seconded, glancing slyly at her.

"I'll give you girls a tour of the place before we head off to the restaurant," Ari said. "You don't mind if I show them around, do you, honey?" she asked Dylan.

"Of course not," Dylan answered. "And you don't have to ask me. You live here now, too."

"I haven't officially moved in yet," Ari replied with a goofy grin on her face.

"That's just semantics," Dylan replied, squeezing Ari against him playfully. "Besides, you're moving in next week."

"Next week?"

"Yes. I've already booked a removalist for this coming Saturday. You don't mind, do you? You said it will only take you a couple of days to pack. I thought the sooner we do it, the better."

"When I said a couple of days, I didn't mean two days, Dyl," Ari replied with worry in her voice. "I meant a
few
days, and I'm not exactly sure how many. I may not be ready by Saturday."

"Oh. I'll help you pack then, or we'll get the removalist to pack for you," Dylan said, unconcerned.

Ari arched her eyebrows at him. "You're busy this week and I don't want strangers packing my stuff."

"We'll help!" Kris volunteered.

"Yes, we're more than happy to," Sam quipped.

"Would you, girls? That would be great! Thank you," Dylan said with a big grin, then turned to Ari. "Any other problems, baby?"

Ari rolled her eyes. "No, as long as the girls don't mind. They're here for a relaxing break, you know."

Sam laughed. "Don't be silly, Ari. It would be fun to help you pack your stuff."

"Okay, then. Thanks, girls. Now let me give you that tour."

*

Kris started to feel inordinately nervous when it was time to go to dinner.

"Let me call Trey to let him know we're on our way. Adam's with him," Dylan said.

"Is Adam's girlfriend coming too?" Ari asked.

"No. They're having a bit of an issue."

"Oh. That's a shame."

"I don't think so," Dylan said.

"Dyl!" Ari rebuked.

"Well, I happen to think Adam will be better off without her. But don't mention anything to him. He's a bit sensitive about the subject," Dylan replied as he put his phone against his ear. "Hey, Trey. We're leaving my place now…Okay, see you there."

"Are the guys at the restaurant already?" Kris asked as Dylan hung up.

"No. They're just leaving Trey's place. He only lives a couple of blocks from here, but we'll get to the restaurant before they do. We're literally just a few doors away."

Kris wasn't surprised that Trey and Dylan lived close together. The two of them, together with their other best friend Adam Craig, owned a software development firm. Ari had previously mentioned they were commissioned by big companies to create mobile apps for their businesses. They also developed games apps for mobile devices.

She wondered what Trey's apartment was like. Dylan had a view of Sydney Harbour and its famous bridge from his balcony. It was one of her favourite vistas in the whole world.

Maybe Trey would invite her to his place one day…or night. She'd like that, just so she could check out what view he had from his place. And no, she wasn't thinking of what his bed looked like. Okay, maybe she was a bit curious, but seriously, how different could one bed be from another, right?

*******

Kris felt a zing of excitement rip through her as she spotted Trey and Adam being led by a wait staff to their table.

Gosh. Trey looked positively yummy in a button-down navy sport shirt and dark blue jeans—she just wanted to eat him.

She flushed at the unintended visual from her words, grateful for the restaurant's muted lighting.
I bet it was a Freudian slip, Kristen.

She took a deep breath to cool down and put on a bright smile as the two guys approached.
 

Trey greeted her first.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, his fingers gently squeezing her arm.

"Hi," she managed to croak, as her heart thudded hard in her chest.
Good Lord, Kris. Take a hold of yourself.

She smiled at Adam as he kissed her hello, finding the space to breathe. Funny that. There was not one iota of reaction to Adam who was just as good-looking as his friends.

The last two empty chairs were on either end of the rectangular table and Trey sat himself adjacent to her. His knee bumped hers a couple of times as he made himself comfortable. She gazed at him, convinced that he did that on purpose, but he only smiled innocently.

*

Kris found herself immensely enjoying the company of the guys as dinner progressed. Even after the feast at Kane and Jasmine's wedding reception the night before, they'd ordered enough of the delectable Asian dishes to feed an army.

"Goodness, I'll need to spend hours in the gym to burn off all these calories," Ari moaned as she helped herself to more food.

"Don't worry, babe. Eat all you want. I'll help you burn them," Dylan said with a cheeky smile.

Ari elbowed him.

"I think I'll need to hit the dance floor tonight after all this," Kris said. "Anyone want to join me?"

"I'm in!" Sam said.

Ari gave Dylan a hopeful, pleading look.

"Okay, count us in," Dylan said with a chuckle.

"Should be fun. I'll go with you guys," Adam quipped.

"Yeah, I'll join you, too," Trey said nonchalantly.

"
On
the dance floor?" Adam asked with a snicker.

"I'm not about to go home while you guys continue to have fun," Trey answered.

"You'll join us
on
the dance floor?" Adam repeated. "For the second night in a row?"

"No. I'm going to enjoy the atmosphere and the company. But I'll just sit and watch you guys dance, thank you."

"You don't like dancing, Trey?" Sam asked.

Dylan chortled. "The last time I've seen Trey dance—apart from last night, that is—was when we were seventeen. That would be fifteen years ago, now."

"Really?" Sam asked, looking at Trey. "I'm assuming Kris dragged you to the dance floor last night, then? She's got a reputation for managing to coax even the most reluctant person to shake their booty."

"Does she now?" Trey asked wryly, glancing at Kris. "I'm not surprised."

"Hey, Kris can teach you a step or two. She was great at teaching us that bridal dance," Dylan said.

Trey took a deep breath. "No. Not tonight."
 

"We'll make sure you have fun anyway, Trey," Kris said to him with a sweet smile.

Trey narrowed his eyes at her, but she could tell he was trying to stifle a smile. He bumped his knee against hers again, lingering for a few seconds. Her insides clenched deliciously.

Damn her overactive libido. She resolved to find herself that fling partner pronto, otherwise she'd be in big trouble. Her reaction to Trey was getting out of hand.

With beer in hand, Trey made himself comfortable on the black lounge which was perfectly positioned to have a clear view of the dance floor. He didn't mind sitting by himself. He'd done it many times before. Women on the prowl usually took the opportunity to chat him up, and he'd met a few hot ones with this very strategy.

But tonight he felt…weird. He couldn't put a finger on it, except that he really hoped no one would try to engage him in conversation. He wasn't there to pick up or to get picked up.

It could be because they had the three girls with them tonight, he reasoned to himself. It would be rude to leave their little group for some stranger when he'd agreed to enjoy the company of his friends.

He smiled as he watched Kris dance some steps while Ari, Sam, and even Dylan copied her almost effortlessly. He laughed out loud as Adam tried to follow, missing a beat here and there. But after about a minute, Adam was in perfect rhythm with the others.

Ever since he had been laughed at by his cheerleader crush when he was seventeen, he'd refused to dance in front of anyone. When he was younger, it had been a big ego thing. He didn't want to look uncool. Sure, there was still a little bit of that now, but frankly, he attracted more girls sitting down than being up on his feet, moving about ungracefully. He'd never found any motivation strong enough to make him want to dance.

He inhaled sharply, feeling curiously jealous that his friends were having such a great time with Kris. He realised he wanted to take his dance lessons with her seriously, if only to enjoy the warmth of her exuberant personality up close.

"Trey!"

He turned his head to see a pretty redhead whose long, shapely legs were showcased by her short, tight dress and sparkling stilettos. He hid a sigh. Why was it that when you so wanted something
not
to happen, it seemed like it almost always did?

"Amber. Hi," he said in greeting, as he stood up to kiss the woman with whom he'd had three nights of casual sex the previous month. He aimed for her cheek, but Amber cupped his face and smooched him on the lips. When he was free to move his head, he found himself checking the dance floor and exhaling a sigh of relief that his friends were enjoying themselves too much to have witnessed what just happened.

"So, how've you been, Trey?" Amber purred as she sat on the lounge. She tugged at his hand so he would sit down beside her.

"I've been well, thanks," he answered. "And you?"

"Not bad. Although I've been quite disappointed—I haven't seen you here in weeks. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," he replied vaguely. He'd learned long ago not to encourage personal conversations with women who might read something into nothing.

Amber smiled, but a frown appeared with it. "What's the usual? I hope you still consider this your favourite club. I'd sure miss you if you stopped coming."

"I have several favourites, as you know. But I've just been busy with work. That's why I haven't turned up here lately," he responded politely. How could he make her leave without appearing rude?

"That's good to know. You know how much I absolutely love it when you
come
," Amber said in a seductive tone.
 

"Yeah, it's good to be here again. This place always has a good atmosphere," he replied, ignoring her sexual innuendo.

A bartender stopped in front of them and handed Amber a cocktail drink, then handed him another bottle of beer. Damn. Amber had bought him a drink.

"Thank you, Bert," they both said to the familiar man who went out of his way to serve regulars like them.

"Thanks for this," he said to Amber. "You didn't have to. I haven't finished my other drink yet." He gestured to his still half-full bottle.

"Well, stop drinking that one and drink my one instead," she said flirtatiously.

"Trey?" another female voice said from the other side of him. He stared at the face that looked familiar, but the woman's name escaped him. He remembered, though, that she was someone Dylan had a one-night stand with before he met Ari. If his memory served him right, she was the desperate one who rang Dylan every night for days after their one-night stand.

"Hi," he said with a warm smile, welcoming the intrusion in spite of who the girl was.

"I thought it was you," the lady said.

Amber put a possessive hand on his thigh and greeted the other woman with a saccharine-sweet "hello."

He exhaled audibly and tried to gently remove Amber's hand from his leg, but Amber took that opportunity to grab his hand tightly and place it on her exposed thigh.

Oh, great,
he thought sarcastically.

"I didn't mean to intrude, guys," the other woman said, giving Amber an understanding smile. "I just thought I'd stop by to say hi and to see if Dylan's here with you."

"Oh, right." Trey scanned the dance floor for Dylan. He spotted him dancing intimately with Ari in a darkened corner of the room. "There he is, with his girlfriend," he said, pointing to the sweet couple.

"That's his girlfriend?" The disappointment on the face of Dylan's admirer was obvious.

"Yes, that's his girlfriend."

"Are they, um, serious?"

"Yes, they're pretty serious. In fact, they're moving in together," he said, hammering the point.

"Oh." The poor woman's face fell and she hastily said her goodbyes.

"Bye," he called out after her.

"Wow, Dylan has a girlfriend?" Amber asked.

"Yes," he answered, finally extracting his hand from Amber's grip.

"They're serious?"

"Yes."

"I thought Dylan wasn't into relationships?"

He shrugged. "He's a changed man."

Amber leaned closer to him, her breast brushing his arm. "What about you, Trey?"

He laughed out loud. "I'm a dyed-in-the-wool bachelor."

"That's a real shame, Trey," she whispered in his ear as she ran a finger along his jaw.

He shifted to put some space between them. Amber was giving him no choice but to deploy his ultimate weapon to discourage her unwanted attention: Tell her bluntly that he was no longer interested in anything with her. There had been more than a few incidents in the past where he'd been too polite and gentlemanly, only for women to end up sobbing their eyes out because he didn't put a stop to their fantasies—or misapprehension—early enough.

 
"Amber, I want to be clear. We had a great time together but I have no interest whatsoever in sleeping with you again."

Amber's jaw dropped in surprise. "Why not?" she asked with a hint of incredulity.

"I just told you. I'm not into anything but casual."

"But I'm still happy to continue seeing you on
that
basis." Amber's hand moved back to his thigh, higher this time. "And right now, I feel like dancing," she said seductively.

"Hi, Amber," someone said.

Trey looked up to see that Adam was back with Sam and Kris. He froze, feeling like a kid who'd just been caught doing something wrong.

"Hi, Adam," Amber said cheerfully, leaning against Trey possessively.

Trey snapped out of his shock—or trance—or whatever that strange reaction was—and stood up to escape Amber's covetous paws.