Read Online Save Me From Me by Erika Ashby - Free Book Online

The lighting is dim and the music is cranked. I’m wanting to dance all the way to the bar, which I can’t even see from where we’re standing. “Wanna beer?” he asks, bending down behind me with his hands lightly gripping my hips. I resist the urge to fall into him as I just nod my head. He walks in front of me, grabs my hand as he passes me, and lets it hang between us as we make our way to the bar. Once we reach our destination, he lifts my hand and quickly spins me, pulling me snuggly against his chest. We do a few two-steps while he sings some Blake Shelton to me. This right here is something that I’ve missed, the comfortable closeness with a guy who knows all the right moves.
    “You can’t be lookin’ at me like that. It does bad things to me,” he admits before letting go of me to place our order. I don’t say anything. What could I say to that? I’m speechless. In all honesty, this closeness to him does all sorts of bad things to me, too.
    Two beers and three shots later, I’m heading to the dance floor alone. Gage took off to the bathroom, and he knows me well enough to know where to find me. The song that draws me in is “Crazy Bitch” by Buckcherry. This is just one of those songs that you can never get tired of hearing. It’s sexy even though it seems dirty like it’s an insult. I’m crazy, but I fuck so good? Hell, yeah, I’ll take that, and I do as I make my way around the dance floor listening to the music while singing along. I’ve never been one of those girls that needed all her gal pals to dance with her. You know. The little foursomes that litter the area until some lonely guy looking for some nookie comes up behind one of them and causes their uniform circle to become a triangle. Every dance floor has them.
    Songs change and I don’t skip a beat. The release I find in just letting my body take control is long overdue. Why have I been keeping myself holed up for so long? I start to wonder, but the thought quickly, like lightning speed fast, leaves my mind as soon as I feel someone positioning himself behind me. Just as my body starts to stiffen up from not knowing who it is, I feel his breath across my neck.
    “It’s just me, Danielle.” I let my head fall back against his chest as he pulls me in closer. His hands fuse to my hips, and I link my hands into his as we just move together to the music. “I’ve missed this,” he whispers in my ear, letting his lips linger there.
    “Me, too,” I say as I turn around to face him. A slow country song starts playing and it seems more than fitting. I can’t take my eyes of Gage. It’s hot and humid in here, but I know I’d still feel this heat, no matter what, being this close to him. Maybe it’s the alcohol, but it’s as if my body is drawn to him.
    Stupid hormones .
    My mind still isn’t sure what to think, and my heart is still riding the fence about what it should be feeling. All I know is that no matter what, I don’t want to hurt him again. I refuse to do that.
    “I don’t want to lead you on, Gage,” I admit, never breaking eye contact with him. “I’m not the same girl I was ten years ago. I don’t want to hurt you. Again.” I look away on that last part. I don’t want to face the pain I caused him.
    “Look at me,” he says. “I can’t be led on if there aren’t any expectations. More than anything, I just want you in my life. To what degree, that is up to you. If you need a friend, I’ll be the best damn friend ever. If you want more, I’ll be the happiest damn man ever.” He winks. “But no matter what, I’ll always love you, no matter what level we take it. That never has, and never will change.”
    And with all the cards out on the table, he bends down and kisses me. And I don’t resist.

 
     
     
    I wake up bright and early with a throbbing sensation buried deep in my skull. Clearly a sign that I drank way too much last night, but the fact that I remember kissing Gage tells me I didn’t drink