Jason leaned against the bar. “No? Then what exactly would you call this?” He gestured to the bar and crowd, imitating her.

Right then, somebody bumped into Taylor, pushing her into Jason. He steadied her, putting one hand on her hip to protect her from the crowd. Pressed against him, Taylor glanced up and found his eyes staring straight into hers.

There were hundreds of people in the club that night.

But suddenly it felt like it was just the two of them.

AS THEY STOOD together amidst the low, seductive candlelight that illuminated the bar, Jason’s mind raced in a million directions.

He watched as Taylor took a step back, putting some distance between them. She seemed a little flustered. Good, Jason thought. It was about time.

“What do you mean?” she asked, trying to continue on with a normal conversation. “What would I call what, exactly?”

He pointed between them. “I think you once described this as me ‘pestering’ you.”

Taylor smiled. “Me? That doesn’t sound like something I would say.”

Jason could’ve sworn he heard a flirtatious tone there. “No, I distinctly remember the conversation,” he said. “We were at the Bellagio, on the terrace . . .”

Taylor’s cheeks flushed tellingly, and Jason knew then that she remembered not only the conversation but also what had happened, or almost happened, immediately afterward.

Just at that moment, the crowd surged again. To avoid crashing into Taylor, he braced himself against the bar, one arm on either side of her. Trapping her in.

He grinned down at Taylor, referring to their position. “Yes, I think this is exactly where we were last time.”

She gazed up at him. “We should get back to our friends.”

“We’ve already spent a lot of time with them tonight.”

She cocked her head. “I thought you liked talking with Val and Kate.”

“Because they’re your friends.” Jason paused. “It’s all for you, you know.”

He saw a flash in her eyes, but it wasn’t anger this time. “Jason . . .” she said in a husky voice.

Man, that did it every time. Forgetting where they were, and everything around them, Jason leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Say it again, Taylor. I love the way you say my name.”

He heard the quick intake of her breath at the intimacy of his words. He moved his head, so that their lips were just inches apart. Her eyes were dark and sultry. She turned her face up toward his and slowly began to lean in as if she, too, was being drawn in and couldn’t help it—

“Jason.”

But this time, the person saying his name wasn’t Taylor.

It was Jeremy.

Jason glanced over and saw his friend standing next to him. His look said it all—You have got to be f**king kidding me.

Jeremy wore a sheepish expression. “Sorry, buddy—but we’ve got to get you in back. In case you hadn’t noticed, these people are going crazy.” He pointed to the crowd behind him. “I don’t think the club’s bouncers can keep everyone away from you for much longer.”

Jason peered over Jeremy’s head and saw that he was right. A throng of people, both women and men, surged forward, trying to slip past the three bouncers who had formed a perimeter to protect him.

Jason nodded in agreement. Normally, he was very cautious in public places, but he had completely forgotten himself in the past few moments with Taylor.

“Lead the way,” he told Jeremy while eying the frenzied crowd. He glanced down at Taylor and put his arm around her waist. “Stay between me and Jeremy,” he told her.

Right then, a woman in her midtwenties broke past one of the bouncers. She lunged for Jason, shoving both Jeremy and Taylor out of the way.

“Oh my god! Jason—I love you!” she screamed frantically.

One of the bouncers grabbed hold of the woman right before she got to Jason and pulled her away.

Jason reached for Taylor. “Are you okay?”

But she seemed not to hear him. Her gaze was fixed on the woman, who was making a scene, clawing frantically at the bouncer who pulled her away from Jason. “Wait—please!” the woman cried out desperately. “I only want to talk to him for a minute! I just want to talk to him!”

Taylor was mesmerized.

Jason took her by the arm. “Taylor, we have to move away from here.”

Hearing his words, she snapped out of it and nodded. “Sorry. Of course.”

Then she quietly followed Jason and Jeremy to a private room in back.

JASON BARELY GOT a chance to talk to Taylor again.

She spent the rest of the time with her friends, and he didn’t want to intrude. He suspected she’d been unnerved by the incident with the woman and wanted to give her some space. People around him unfortunately had no choice but to get used to that kind of thing. Even if it was more than a little weird.

The group stayed until the club closed. As they were leaving, the bar manager told Jason that a mob of paparazzi had formed out front and suggested they exit out back. As the five of them headed toward the limo that waited in the alley, Jason could hear the girls chatting excitedly about their evening.

He watched as Taylor broke apart from her friends and headed over. Jeremy subtly walked ahead as she fell into stride alongside him.

After walking a moment or two, she stopped and reached out to him. “Jason—hold on.”

She paused awkwardly, then looked up to meet his gaze. “Thank you. For tonight.”