Jett found the young woman’s surprise amusing. He couldn’t tell if she had reacted that way because she had recognized him or if he had simply startled her, but whatever the case, he thought it was entertaining how quickly her cheeks lit up a warm pink when she had turned around to face him. Now up close, he also got a better look at her in the low light. Before he’d approached her, he had caught a glimpse of her face from a distance, but it had been brief, and he hadn’t been able to take in very much. Honestly, the main reason why he’d picked her to dance with in the first place had had more to do with the convenience of where she’d been standing than anything else. He had just wanted to socialize, and there had been a clear path through the crowd from his spot to hers.

But now, with nothing standing between them besides the small distance of their own personal spaces, he could see that she was quite a looker. His eyes swept over her face as he studied her. Bright, blue-gray eyes, clear skin, and full lips were some of the traits that drew his attention right away. He let his gaze wander a little lower. She was shapely too. If he didn’t know better, he might have mistaken her for an actress that had been invited to take part in the show with the other celebrities. She definitely had the makings of one. [i]I bet production just went through all the auditionees and picked the most attractive ones that submitted a tape.[/i] He wouldn’t have been surprised, especially since it seemed like the crew was hoping to coax the cast members into some summer romances.

Jett’s eyes flickered back up to her face, and he quirked a brow in surprise at her answer. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him like [i]that[/i]. This woman was either really ballsy or had no idea who he was. Either way, he liked her attitude. He felt her take him by the hand and give it a tug as she took the initiative to lead him to the dance floor. [i]She’s bold too.[/i] He grinned eagerly and quickly downed the rest of his drink, setting the glass on a nearby table—he guessed that, like most bars he had been to, the bartender would come around to pick up the empties between making drinks—before he followed her over to a small open space between the other pairs of dancers.

Already two drinks deep and feeling a little feisty, himself, Jett decided to take her earlier words on as a challenge. As soon as they reached a point where they had enough room to move somewhat freely in the crowd, he let go of her hand and slipped his arm around her waist, moving smoothly as he picked up the beat of the music. Performing in front of audiences for a living, he considered himself to be a skilled dancer. After all, it would be sort of pathetic if he didn’t know how to do that much after seven years of training with a multitude of dance coaches and other professionals. Freestyling at a casual party like this was child’s play to him by now.

“I think I can ‘hang with you’ just fine, yeah?” he said with a wry edge to his voice as he led her effortlessly through the undulating sea of people. While they danced, his eyes occasionally roamed over the others in the crowd. He saw other pairs of men and women dancing together along with one group of three girls who all bobbed and swayed to the music with drinks in their hands, clearly intent on getting drunk. Off to the side, more people stood around talking or watching the people in the middle of the room as if waiting for their turn to dance. Overall, it was a wild and energetic scene—the kind in which Jett thrived.

“So,” he said, turning back to the woman in front of him with a glint of interest in his eye. “I noticed you were working on an Old Fashioned earlier. I’ve gotta know the name of a fellow whiskey lover.”