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He catches me looking and his gaze settles on me for too long for his interest to be casual. And while the candles in the room don’t flare, something sparks inside me.
I know he’s been searching for me. My heartbeat quickens, and for a moment, all I see is him—the way the lights catch on the metal of his armor and the cute little horns he has stuck on his forehead.
I shake my head and look away first, but not before Cat noticed.
“Were you checking out the built warrior?”
“Noooo. He’s not my type.” My type was kind and smart, and we would both work in an office and live in a nice house in suburbia. I wanted stability. I hadn’t had that as the kid of a single mother who was always at the whim of the landlord and the employers who changed her shifts every other week.
Cat moves so she can assess him better. “You don’t need a type to have fun. Maybe he’s exactly what you need because he’s not what you normally want.”
“He’ll do more than break the dry spell.” He’ll break me.
And for one hot second, I want that. I want his rough hands on me, pushing me into position and taking what he wants. I press my thighs together and suppress the shudder, but I can’t get rid of the thought. I down the rest of my punch in one swallow. “I need another drink.”
“After you grab a drink, we’ll go over to him together. You can tell him how much you like his big ax.”
“Ax?” I glance over my shoulder at him. He’s still looking at me and I know his eyes are blue, even from here with the lights flashing.
“Yeah, it’s strapped to his back. I saw him when he entered.”
“You saw him first and clearly like him, so you go for it.”
Cat shakes her head. “I have my eye on that guy dressed up as a werewolf.” She tilts her head and I follow her gaze.
“Nice.” He didn’t actually look like he would turn into a werewolf. The barbarian, yeah, I wouldn’t be shocked if he lived in the mountains and caught his own dinner. How he ended up here, in the middle of the city, I don’t know.
But I could ask. That could be my opening line.
I scoop more punch into my cup and take a sip as I try to gather my courage.
“Come on.” Cat is almost pulling me over to the barbarian.
I’m half-protesting and half-delighted that she’s going to make me talk to him when a thin guy with grey skin appears in front of me and Cat, blocking our path. He’s wearing a cape and his fangs hang over his lower lip. There’s about a dozen vampires here, all in capes. Some have fake blood dripping from the corner of their lips and some of them look cute. This guy makes my skin crawl.
“Hey.” He runs his hand up my arm. “Want to dance with me?”
“I don’t think—”
“She’d love to,” Cat says, pushing me into his arms. “You need to get out there, not stand by the wall drinking all night. Loosen up.”
She’s right, but I don’t want to dance with this guy.
I turn to see her heading toward the werewolf.
Bitch.
Now I’m stuck with the handsy blood sucker. My smile freezes on my lips. I try to put some distance between us, but he keeps pulling me close. His hands slide from my waist to my hips and then my ass. He kisses my neck a little too dramatically. “You smell lovely.”
“Thanks.” I push away, putting a few inches between my breasts and his chest, but our hips are still pressed together.
His gaze is dark and intense, and for a moment, I can feel my resistance sliding and my blood heating. Someone bumps me and a drink spills down the back of my leg. This is why I hate parties. I don’t like getting shoved, or covered in spilled drinks, or overly friendly guys who don’t understand no.
“I need to find my other friend.” Where the hell is Hannah? But every time I make a bit of space, he’s there pulling me closer.
“I’ll help you. Then we can go somewhere quieter.” He leans in to kiss me.
I turn my head away and put my hand over his mouth, cutting my palm on something. “Ow! What the fuck?”
