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Several floors down, I found the adult entertainment district of the intergalactic cruise ship. Clubs, bars, and illicit shops lined the winding corridors and flashing lights pulsed through the darkness.
Two massive, furred aliens acted as guards at the doors of each establishment. They looked like humanoid versions of bigfoot from Earth if he wore a black suit. I bit down a grin at the thought when the bouncer at the nightclub permitted my entry.
It took several brief seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness as low, thumping music beat against my eardrums. The sensual beat carried me forward into the throng of moving bodies, writhing and swaying under dim, blue circular lights hanging overhead. Fluorescent purple lights in the corners reflected on the black surfaces, from the glossy tiles to the lounges and tables.
Instead of windows, the walls were massive screens with flashing, moving images and clips with neon blues and greens like an odd art exhibit. The entrancing vaporwave style art and music made me feel like I was walking through a fever dream.
A server with green hued skin, large black eyes and wavy blue hair passed by me. She offered a tray sporting dozens of colorful shots when our eyes met. I snatched two of them and tossed them back, feeling the smooth burn at the back of my throat.
As the alcohol quickly flooded into my blood and my brain, I proceeded to the dance floor. I relented my control and my consciousness over to the arousing pulse of the music. My body swayed in time with the other dancers and various partners who came and went song after song.
Faces blurred together under the flaring lights, and I grabbed more shots when they passed. It didn’t matter who I danced with or how long. I simply matched the flow and allowed myself the freedom to float with the melodic haze of grinding bodies.
A gravelly, strained voice infiltrated my ears, and froze my bones. “What do you think you’re doing, starlight?”
My eyes shot open, and I peeled myself away from the lanky Sirlacan alien I was dancing with. He narrowed his eyes before registering the imposing, wide frame of the seething Dragaken over my shoulder. In the next beat of the song, he’d turned and vanished into the surging crowd, leaving me utterly alone with the dark presence against my back.
Swallowing down the knot of nerves in my throat, I spun with the high tempo, swaying my hips as if Alek wasn’t staring down at me with daggers in his eyes. I didn’t think a senator’s son would come to a nightclub like this and hadn’t expected to find him here—or for him to find me.
Had Alekkon come looking for me?
I tried to ignore the wanton thrill in my belly that the thought provoked. But with his body heat sweeping over my skin and his intoxicating scent filling my nose, I couldn’t ignore the fire growing in my blood.
“Just dancing. You should try it sometime,” I replied, peering up at him from beneath low lashes.
“I dance plenty,” he ground out, fists clenched at his sides. I noted the swirling shades of covetous green and hungry red warring for dominance in his eyes. His tail flicked like the end of a whip.
Intentionally, slowly, I curved one hand over Alek’s waist. I swayed forward, encouraged by drinks and erotic music. My lips parted and his eyes greedily consumed the sight of my tongue darting out over my bottom lip.
“Then you should dance with me,” I purred.
Alekkon’s features twisted, and his gaze darted over the horde of dancers. His lips curled back, showing off the dangerous points of his long canine teeth.
“I can’t.” His voice was so low and thin I almost didn’t hear him over the blasting music. But I did, and I felt his rejection slide between my ribs and twist into my heart.
I huffed from the punch of his dismissal. Maybe it was the multi-colored shots clouding my judgment, or maybe it was something else, but I snatched my hand away from his side and stumbled back. “Sorry, I forgot you only like me when I’m sleeping,” I snapped.
Chapter 12
Without looking at Alek’s face again, I angled around on the dancefloor and grabbed the first man within arm’s reach for the next song. My new partner gladly placed his hands on my hips and sealed his body with mine. I didn’t need my alien stepbrother for a night of fun when there were plenty of eligible bachelors aboard the ship.
I shared a sultry smile with my new dance partner, not able to fully focus on his features in the darkness and the brief flashes of light. But it didn’t matter what he looked like as long as he wasn’t the Dragaken my traitorous body craved. Anyone but him.
Clawed hands hooked around my arm and bodily yanked me out of the man’s grasp. A soft yelp vented from me as he spun me around, causing my head to spin and my stomach to churn. I smacked into a hard, unmoving chest, but my core reacted instantly, pulsing with need.
Alek’s hands locked on my upper arms, holding me in place with a nearly painful, possessive grip. A growl vibrated through his chest into mine, heating my bones. “Have you forgotten about me already?”
I tipped my head back, meeting his wild, manic stare. “Wasn’t that the deal, Alek? We were asleep, and it was just a dream.”
“A dream,” he groaned with anguish. Then his blood-red eyes cast to the man he’d just pulled me from, turning vicious. “If I smell another man on you, I’ll track him down and sever his hands from his body.”
A gasp burst free from my lips, and my heart stuttered. “You’d get in trouble for that,” I admonished, as if his beastly jealousy didn’t excite a forbidden part of me.
A bewitching, feral grin split his silver lips. “I have diplomatic immunity out here, starlight. Even more so when it involves something of mine.”
Ten times more sober than I was a moment ago, I shakily exhaled, “I don’t belong to you.”
Alek’s head dipped, and he pulled in a deep breath against my neck. “Your scent says otherwise.” Then he wrapped his arms around me, melding the curves of my body with every hard plane of his. His face remained nuzzled against my neck, and he splayed a hand against my lower back, easing me into the next dance.
