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We were notorious for butting heads, but that was only because she was just so … bright. When I wanted quiet, she was there with her enthusiasm and extreme happiness.
It wasn’t necessarily a fault of hers, but something I had a hard time adjusting to.
She seemed to be a fan favorite in town, and sure there was a reason for it, but there was just something about her that got me going.
Recently, I had felt a shift in what that meant.
I thought back to that kiss awakened something in me. An interest. Unrelenting curiosity.
As the night went on, the drink in my system became a good company, and my resistance ebbed away. Looking out into the crowd of dancers, I found her easily each time.
Sara danced so elegantly yet with enough allure to draw me in. Whether she knew it or not, her movements held me captive. She looked incredible, and it pained me to even admit that.
Just watching her, I could feel the warmth of her body beneath my palm. The phantom touch of her lips against mine.
I was itching to recreate it, even if we weren’t on good terms.
I stood and the drinks helped me feel brave enough to move across the room. Before I knew it, I was inches away from her.
Her glossy eyes met mine, and I could sense how drunk she already was. While most people would be sloppy and loud, she looked pleasantly docile.
“Neighbor,” she murmured, pulling a friendly smile.
The light sheen on her skin made something shift in me, along with the tiny specks of glitter that sparkled whenever the lights reflected off it. Her lips were a sultry pink, and a light dusting of eyeshadow made her eyes impossible to look away from.
She swayed her hips deliciously to the music, and as if the drinks in our systems were kindred spirits, I felt drawn to her.
Sara was almost a spectacle to watch—captivating yet modest in her movements.
I thought about how her body had complied with my touch the other night, and I wondered if I’d get the chance to hold her again.
“About the other night,” I began, leaning in to make sure she heard me. Willow’s reminder to be kinder to Sara rang in my mind. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”
Sara’s brows lifted, and a tantalizing smile grew on her lips. “Is that an apology from Griffin West?”
“Something like that.”
She laughed quietly at the thought and allowed my proximity to her. “It was a pretty good cover-up. He called me since asking for another chance, but he’s being more careful now.”
The thought of him pestering her at all made a dormant irritation spike within my chest. “Good. He shouldn’t have cornered you like that.”
“If only he thought the same thing,” she returned, dancing as if we weren’t discussing an event that altered our strained connection differently. Casually, she rested her arm on my shoulder—a silent cue for me to join her.
Despite the surge of attraction that moved through me and felt almost dangerous to mess with, I gave in and put a hand on her hip. We moved together, blending in with everyone else and having fun in the crowd.
“What was his deal, anyway?” I asked, still unclear about the situation.
Sara sighed and swayed with me. “He broke up with me when the shifters lost their wolves. I tried to help him through it, but he just couldn’t take it. I hadn’t heard from him in months, and he decided to show up out of nowhere, asking for another chance.”
“Sounds convenient to me,” I mumbled, savoring the feeling of my palm brushing against the portion of skin that showed from beneath her cropped top as it clung to her body.
“That’s what I thought too.”
It struck me at once that we were having a genuine conversation. There was no bickering, no getting under each other’s skin. Just talking.
I didn’t fully believe her overly nice persona, but from her happy-go-lucky state, I understood what Willow was talking about. I thought her sunshiny attitude had been performative, like forced kindness to try and impress the people around her.
And yet, it seemed she wasn’t pretending at all.
