What’s the worst that could happen? I could die, but was that really the worst thing possible in my life at this moment?
With Manshu breathing down my back and Alto and Lark being used as collateral, death didn't seem like that bad of an outcome. At least the people I loved would be safe and Manshu would have to go back to being a shitty rich boy wannabe.
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening slightly against him.
“After this song…” I said, my voice quieter than I meant it to be.
His thumb stilled. My pulse jumped.
“…let's stop this.”
The words settled between us, heavier than they should’ve been.
His mouth tightened just slightly, like he hadn’t expected that answer. Something dark and satisfied curled in my chest at catching him off balance.
I rose onto my toes, leaning close enough to feel the shift in his body, the tension coiling tight beneath his skin.
“And find somewhere to finish the night. Together.”
There it was. The line was crossed, and there was no taking it back now.
Something in him snapped.
He surged forward, kissing me like he’d been holding back the entire time. The press of his lips said he’d been waiting for permission, and I’d just handed it to him.
His hands pulled me closer. My body was on fire as we caught our breath, but my brain was trying to catch up.
God, this was a mistake. I knew it, yet I still leaned in, clutching at his shirt like I was prepared to climb him.
“Fuck,” he breathed against my skin, his voice rough, unsteady in a way that sent a dangerous thrill through me. “You’re going to drive me insane. I just know it.”
The words pulled me deeper, and I began to frantically turn my head around, scanning the crowd until I found Lark. Her eyes went wide the second she saw me, jumping between me and the man I was wrapped around.
I pointed at him, mouthing that I was leaving with him.
Even as I did it, something twisted low in my stomach. This was where I was supposed to stop. This was where I shouldwalk away. Where I expected my best friend to be my person of reason.
Lark’s mouth dropped, and she did a double take before she mouthed,get it, girl, then pulled out her phone and wiggled it at me. Telling me to text her.
I nodded, and she gave me a thumbs up. With Lark's official stamp of approval given, the last thread holding me back snapped.
“Let’s go,” he said low against my skin, lips trailing down my shoulder.
Didn’t hesitate when I nodded against his chest, not wanting him to see the panicked lust in my eyes.
“Close your eyes,” he said softly, arms secure around my back.
I closed them, keeping them locked tight as the air shifted, rushing around me, fast and disorienting, until suddenly, everything stopped.
He put me on something soft, and I realized the sounds of the bar were far away.
I opened my eyes to sleek lines and polished surfaces. A winged emblem gleamed faintly in the low light. My hand ran down the seat, savoring the soft lush leather that met my fingertips.
The other door opened, and the words fell out before I could stop them.
“Don’t tell me this is an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera?”
He slid into the driver’s seat, that same easy, dangerous smile pulling at his mouth before he pushed the button and the engine purred to life.
