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She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
“I’m okay. Promise. The night just didn’t go how I expected it to, and it got to me a little.”
Nodding, she stood and stretched. “Well, you know we have your back if you need us.”
“I do know that.” I shot her a grateful smile.
Adina touched my shoulder on the way past. “Sarah didn’t come in, so one of the veils is empty.”
“Thank you.”
I grabbed the sparkly back catsuit I kept here in case of nights like this. It clung to me like a second skin and made me feel powerful and in control. Like I could command anyone’s attention. Exactly what I needed.
Pulling my hair back into a high ponytail, I tossed my heels and purse into the locker and clocked in. A couple hours of dancing and I could go home and forget that no one ever seemed to choose me.
It wasn’t true. I had amazing friends, and they loved me. But seeing them so in love and bonded with their packs made me feel like I was on the outside of it. I wanted it desperately, and it wasn’t going to happen.
The traitorous voice in my mind whispered,it could have.
I shoved open the door to the club, drowning my thoughts with pounding bass and sinuous melodies. Even early in the evening, the club was already packed, and I wove my way through dancing bodies, everything in me feeling lighter.
Whenever I came here the chaotic atmosphere and mix of scents that made it past the cancellers had me loosening up and moving to the rhythm before I ever made it to my assigned station.
A flicker of warmth in the air had me turning and looking. Sweetness. It was so familiar. My heart pounded in my ears. The breath of scent was gone before I’d really registered it, but I’d know it anywhere.
Don’t be ridiculous, Sloane.More than one person can have a scent. He’s not the only person who smells like that.
My mind wasn’t convinced, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Standing entirely still on the dance floor, I looked. Everywhere the lights shone they played tricks on me, showing me flashes of dark hair and steely blue eyes I’d tried and failed to forget.
Get the hell out of here, I ordered myself, pushing through the rest of the dancers and up to the higher level of Pavilion’s space.
On the second floor, Adina was right. One of the veils was empty. A platform surrounded by layers of sheer fabric that partially hid you from view. The lights and the movement gave way to shapes on the outside. Sexy outlines of the dance.
I leaned down, flipping the hidden button which turned on the machine that controlled the fabric and was connected to the music. If you wanted to dance with them yourself, you could leave it off.
Tonight I craved the flashes and glimpses that made people look without really seeing. The music changed to something slower, angelic vocals floating over a bass rhythm that spoke about darker spaces and breathless gasps.
All around the club, the air changed and charged with that energy. Hips tilted into hips, and more than one kiss was shared in the writhing crowd.
This.
This was what I needed.
Closing my eyes, I raised my hands over my head and let myself dance.
I danced until I couldn’t remember anything else. Just me and the music. The music was the only thing always there.
It always would be.
CHAPTER TWO
________
SLOANE
My phone’s alarm screeched through my consciousness like a bear had decided to maul my brain. Even with the terrible noise, I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to move. But eventually the torture device that was my phone needed to be silenced.
There was a reason I chose that sound as the alarm. Because it was terrible enough to always wake me up and get me out of the delicious cocoon of my bed. Unfortunately, today was a day I actuallyneededto get up. I’d been dreading it and looking forward to it in equal measure.
