Teaser 1:
Simultaneously, Laylen’s and Alex’s eyes move to us. Aislin steps into the middle of the room and twirls around, showing off her short, pink and black plaid dress and her five inch stilettos. I hover by the doorway, pressing my hand to the frame for support. With my miraculous balancing skills, one step forward in the four inch boots that cover my legs and I’ll end up face planting it.
Laylen lets out a slow whistle, taking in Aislin’s legs. “Hot mama,” he says with a grin and a wink.
Alex stares at me with devouring eyes. I hold his gaze, wondering if I have the same look on my face. Every ounce of my self-doubt has washed away and is replaced by a hunger I never knew I had. Adrenaline soars passionately though my veins and dots my skin with goosebumps. I want Alex in ways I don’t fully understand. And I want him right here. Right now.
As I consider kicking Aislin and Laylen out of the room, Alex stands up and lets out a slow, shaking breath. “We should get going. The sooner we get this over with the better.”
***
In the backseat of Laylen’s GTO, I watch the pine trees stream by in dark colors. Aislin is giggling about something in the front seat and Laylen grins at her. He’s smiling a lot tonight, which is nice. It’s a good look for him—one he should wear more often.
“Partings” by Dance Movie flows from the speakers. Alex sits across from me, lost in his worries, just like always. The spout of adrenaline I felt earlier has subsided, and has left me feeling confused. I’ve always wanted to believe that eventually I’d turn into a normal girl, who could decipher her emotions and accept them. But the concept is looking bleak. I’m starting to wonder if emotions are just as confusing to other people in the world—one’s who haven’t spent most of their life unemotional. Maybe everyone struggles with the complexity of sadness, heartbreak, happiness, love. Maybe it’s just a part of life, like breathing.
“What are you thinking about?” Alex whispers in my ear, his breath hot on my skin.
I turn my head, meeting his eyes, trying to untangle through my web of feelings. “How I feel.”
His eyebrows knit at my honesty. “Is something wrong?”
I shake my head slowly, my eyes refusing to leave him, even though every part of me begs to look away. “No, everything’s right.” My voice shakes at the rawness in my words. “If fact, it’s better than right… I think I might be getting over some of my fears…” My skin heats—thank God it’s dark. “Between you and I.”
In the darkness of the backseat, his eyes are unreadable. I find myself wishing for a brief return of the electricity so I can get a better reading of what he’s feeling and if he understood me. Gradually, as if getting sucked into me, he leans in and conceals his lips with mine, kissing me deeply. My breath catches as he sucks on my bottom lip and his fingers slide up the front of my thighs and settle on my waist. My arms hook around his neck and I slip from my seat onto his lap, kissing him back with an equal amount of fierceness.
“Dude, you guys need to get a room.” Laylen’s voice chips at our moment, but not enough to calm us down.
Breaking apart with ravenous breaths, we settle in the back seat, still tangled together and stay that way until we reach the club.
Alex slips his hand into mine. “Let’s dance.”
I bust up laughing, so hard tears stream out of my eyes, but the serious expression on his face silence me. “Wait. Are you being serious?”
He nods, his eyes darkening. “Do I look like I’m joking?”
“No…” I trail off. He looks like he could eat me up. “But I’m not really the dancing type. And you don’t seem like it either.”
“I’m not,” he answers with a tease of his eyebrow. “Unless it’s to my advantage.” When my face twists with confusion, he inclines toward me and dips his lips beside my ear. “Your body pressed up against mine is the advantage.”
My heart does a flip in my chest. I playfully pinch his side, pretending to be relaxed even though his comment flooded my brain with mind-melting images. “I can barely walk in these shoes let alone dance. Besides, I’ve never danced before and I’m not sure I want to.”
“You’ve never danced before.” Aislin gasps, pressing her hand to her heart like it’s the most mind-blowing news she’s ever heard. “How is that possible?”
“Because I was dead inside for the past fourteen years.” I take a sip of my drink. “And from what I’ve heard, dancing makes you feel very alive, at least that’s the rumor on the street.”
They laugh softly, shaking their heads and I hope the subject is dropped. But still holding my hand, Alex stands up and pulls me to my feet. I wobble in the heels as he leads me to the dance floor, reeling me against him when we brink the center of the floor. Everyone around us is swaying to the music and the whole situation seems really ridiculous to me.
As he starts to move, my ankle rolls and I just about tumble to the ground. “I really don’t think this is a good idea. I’m going to hurt myself and probably you too.”
His hands grip my waist and he urges our bodies closer, so the heat of him smothers me. He hooks my arms around his neck and then returns his hand to my back. His other hand rests on the back of my thigh, searing hot even through the fabric of my dress. He holds my weight and begins to move us naturally, as if we fit together perfectly.
The more we sway, the more I relaxed I get. I tangle my fingers through his hair and rest my head on his chest, breathing him in as I have one of my rare perfect moments, the ones that leave me thinking: if I died now, I’d die happy.
He starts to suck on my neck, caressing my skin over and over again until my body tingles. “See, it’s not so bad,” he whispers against my neck with a smile hinting his voice.
Sealing my lips together, I nod my head and tighten my grip on him. “No, it’s not that bad.”
Suddenly, the music stops and everyone freezes. Alex and I push away from one another and turn toward the stage. A large man with tattoos entwining his bald head, steps up to the microphone.
“We’re closing,” he growls. “Now everyone get the hell out.”
Alex and I exchange a puzzled look and then get pulled away with the crowd. There are so many people I can’t see Alex, but I feel his hand in mine, refusing to let me go. Elbows whack me in the sides and feet stomp on my shoes. It’s suffocating and it stinks like smoke and sweat.
Finally, we burst out the exit door and I breathe in the fresh air as the crowd clears, parting to their cars. The cool night air dances across my skin and whispers through my hair.
“What was that about?” I tighten my free arm around myself.
His green eyes are glossed over with desire as he shakes his head. “I’m not sure. My guess though is that Draven’s about to show up and they’re trying to clear out the club for him.”
I stare at the entrance of the club as the bouncer slams the door shut and the lights click off. “So what do we do then? We need to go through with our plan, otherwise we’re screwed.”
“We’ll get to him. But first we need to do something.”
“Do what—”
He silences me with his lips, sneaks his hands down my legs and lifts me up, settling me against him. I lock my legs around him as he kisses me, our lips scorching, our skin humming, unable to get enough of each other. His hands wander along my body as he continues to kiss me thoroughly. I can’t get enough.
Wanting more, I tighten my arms around him and guide myself closer, getting lost—wanting to get lost.
Finally, he breaks the kiss, panting fervently with untamed eyes. “After we’re done with Draven, you and I are going to finish this.”
I press back a smile. “Sounds good to me.”