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“Actually,” Nelle drawls, draping an arm around my shoulder. The touch pulls me out of my trance, a sea of swaying bodies coming back into focus and the thumping beat vibrating my bones. Sweat and alcohol permeate my senses, leaving the air thick and heavy, suffocating almost, compared to our intimate moment.
“We have a booth, just over there. You can tell us a little bit about yourself …” The last syllable lingers, her tone hitching up in question.
“Adrian. And I would love to.” He smirks, eyes slowly roving back to me as he finishes Nelle’s sentence.
“Perfect. Well, I’m Penelope, and my friend here, that you were just eye-fucking, is Olivia,” she says pointedly. Her mouth moves into a smile, teeth bared a little too much to be interpreted as friendly.
“A pleasure to meet you both.” He smiles slyly, meeting Nelle’s eyes, his hand extending to shake hers. His eyes land on me, switching his attention as he bends. Taking my hand, he places a soft kiss on the top, lingering as he gazes up at me from beneath his dark lashes.
“This way!” Nelle inserts curtly, taking my hand and swiftly moving towards our booth. A sense of determination in her heavy steps.
Adrian huffs a laugh behind us, my hand jerking from his as Nelle pulls me behind her. He quickly catches up, fingers interlacing with mine as we weave our way through the increasingly sloppy dancing around us.
I nod to the bouncer on our way up the stairs. He moves aside, pulling the curtains open for us. Nelle quickly jumps into her seat, eager to pour the drinks, and Adrian drops into the booth next to me. His arm drapes over my shoulders as he slides closer to me. Heat radiates off of him and his leg brushes against mine. I glance up at him through my lashes, lust burning through my body as he gazes down at me.
“So, tell me about yourself, Adrian,” Nelle says abruptly, sliding drinks in front of me and Adrian. I take a deep sip of the vodka cranberry, allowing the cool liquid to slide over my tongue and warm my insides as the alcohol settles over me.
I give her a grateful smile before turning my attention back to Adrian’s pensive face. Glad someone was thinking with her upstairs brain. The attraction is so intense between us, I can barely stop my mind from wandering back to the feeling of his hands on me, his breath brushing past my sensitive ear.
“Well, I’m a recruiter,” Adrian starts, looking at both of us as he picks up his glass, and grimacing at the contents before taking a large gulp.
My nose scrunches at his admission, immediately regretting our interaction as the word recruiter rolls around in my head. Glancing at me, he smiles, eyes relaxing as he continues, “I’m a recruiter for a university.”
I huff out a breath and relax into his embrace. He chuckles.
“Good, I was two seconds away from calling security if you were about to convince us to join your cult.” I giggle, taking another sip of my drink as he runs his thumb over my shoulder. Nelle’s eyes flash toward the movement, giving me a disapproving look. I roll my eyes. So what if things were moving fast? There is no better adrenaline rush than making out with someone you will never see again. I deserve some fun, especially on my birthday.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you two lovely ladies tonight?”
“It’s my birthday,” I beam up at him. “I just turned twenty.”
He freezes suddenly, his hand clamping on my shoulder for a moment before relaxing once more. His thumb resumes the lazy circles as though nothing had happened. My gaze moves to Nelle questioningly. Her face remains relaxed, maybe she hasn’t noticed the sudden change in his demeanor.
“Well then, Happy Birthday.” He smiles down at me, his eyes catching mine with so much sincerity, I believe I must have been mistaken by his earlier discomfort.
“Tell me a bit about yourselves now. Are you in school?” His eyebrow quirks, and he glances over to Nelle before his gaze lands back on me.
“Well, Nelle is.” Heat creeps to my cheeks. “I’ve been exploring, seeing the world, and trying to figure out my path.” I use the line I’ve said a thousand times, not knowing how else to voice the aimlessness I’ve experienced the last few years while trying to find my place in the world.
“Don’t be modest!” Nelle interrupts, scolding me. “Liv is living the dream.”
I look down at my nails. “I’m just trying to figure out what I want to do, where I belong,” I concede, looking back to Nelle and scowling disapprovingly.
His brow creases as he looks down at me, his eyes softening. “It’s okay not to know where you fit in the world. People don’t have it figured out as perfectly as it all may seem.”
I smile back at him, my hand sliding over to his thigh instinctively. My slender fingers glide up and down his tight swim trunks, the corded muscle bunching beneath them. I bite my lip, heat rushing to my core at the intimate gesture.
As realization hits, I shift to lift my hand. A gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach starts as I regret the too-intimate reaction to the kind words. Adrian’s hand moves from the drink to rest on mine, holding it there. His thumb brushes against the back of my hand in a reassuring gesture.
“Well, now that I’ve completed my best friend duty of ensuring you aren’t a creep—” she shoots the last of her drink, throwing her head back before excitedly jumping to her feet “—let’s find a hottie for me,” she declares, skipping excitedly back down the stairs to the dance floor.
“Is she always that … energetic?” He glances towards the dance floor, where Nelle has already found a place, glaring at us as she exaggeratedly waves us over.
I grab Adrian’s hand, my lips lifting in a devilish smirk. I cock one eyebrow as I pull him to his feet. “That was nothing. The real question is, do you think you can handle this?”
His eyes take on a challenging gleam, his lips lifting, mimicking mine in a teasing smirk. Our fingers twine, pulling me into him. His hard-muscled chest brushes against mine, and his other hand grips my waist, holding me against him. The contact shoots tingles across my body, and desire lights me up. My eyes slowly trail back up to his. I pull in deep, long breaths, causing my breasts to brush against him. His gaze turns hungry as he sweeps my long brown waves from my face.
“I was born ready.” His words hit me, and I pull away, quickly towing him behind me as we make our way over to Nelle. The seriousness of those words is unnerving for some reason. I push the feeling down, trying to ignore the note of truth I felt when he whispered that response to me.
