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I wasn’t ready to head back to Lucas’s apartment yet. I’d had one strong, dirty martini and was feeling relaxed for the first time today. The restaurant was on the eighteenth floor of the hotel with a rooftop club above it called Soirée.
When I approached the bank of elevators to go back down to the lobby, I heard and felt the vibrating beats of music coming from the club. The place was jamming out for nine o’clock on a Wednesday night. The kinetic energy spoke to all the frustrations whirling inside me, so I decided to go upstairs and dance my cares away. Another drink wouldn’t hurt either.
The club was a short, one-story elevator ride up to the top. The entrance was roped off and guarded by a huge guy. He resembled one of those Smackdown WWE wrestlers stuffed in a suit. I stood and waited behind a line of people. The beefy guy scanned the line for the next person who would go upstairs. I wished I’d worn something sexier.
When I finally caught the bouncer’s eye, he nodded, giving his head a sideswipe toward the elevator, silently saying I was in.
When the elevator door opened, my eyes adjusted to the flashing colored lights in the dark club. People moved and danced like the place had a pulse. I spotted a bar in the back and weaved through groups of people to get to it. A few men leered at me as I passed them by, so I kept my eyes straight ahead, aiming for the target.
The crowd circling the bar was two deep. The chances of ordering a drink at my height were nearly impossible, unless I set my hair on fire or flashed someone. I tried to maneuver between two people who already had drinks in their hands. Couldn’t they find a better place to talk? Apparently not, since I was met with a brick wall and a curled lip. No one dared to give me an inch.
I huffed and placed my hands on my hips. The impossible wait for a simple vodka and soda didn’t help me escape my already stressful day. I decided to head back home and face the blond, blue-eyed beast. My chest tightened at the thought of seeing him again at the apartment. I resolved to be brave for Esmé’s sake, but I wasn’t sure how long I could stay as her nanny with all the tension in the air. It wasn’t good for anybody, especially an infant.
When I turned around to leave, I stumbled into a solid mass of a man. I knew he was tall because my face was level with his chest. Clumsy me, I didn’t realize someone was so close behind me. He grabbed ahold of my arms to keep me upright as I tottered on my heels. I glanced up to see who I needed to thank for keeping me upright and gasped, my hand flying to my throat.
The same beast I dreaded seeing tonight stood in front of me, but his usual icy blue eyes were dark, almost navy. His blond hair was tousled in its usual sexy disarray. He was so breathtakingly beautiful, I forgot how angry I was with him and stared at him with goofy heart eyes. The man was dangerously delicious.
“Um, what are you doing here?” I stammered.
“Stalking you thanks to the new app, and keeping you from falling flat on your ass,” Lucas said with a wicked smile.
He leaned down, his lips grazing the skin behind my ears like he had this morning. I felt his touch to my toes.
“Just like the day we met, but this time, I’m not letting you go.”
“Please don’t say that unless you mean it.” I pushed the words out, past a lump in my throat. He had the power to break me if I let him. “I can’t play your games anymore.”
“No more games. I want you. I always have.” Lucas reached for my hand and laced his fingers with mine. I glanced down at our joined hands. I wanted to believe he’d let go of whatever had been holding him back. “Come with me. I have a private VIP room reserved where we can talk.”
I hesitated as he started to walk away. He stopped when I didn’t move with him, his brows raised. It’s strange how life works out. This time, I was the one who wasn’t sure about us. I didn’t want to give him my heart until I believed the sexy bastard was worthy of it.
“I want to talk to you in private.” He stood by my side again, trying to get me to follow him, but my feet didn’t want to move until I heard more. “If you don’t like what I have to say, you can leave at any time. I’m an asshole, not a predator.”
