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With Isaiah as a mate, it would have been easier. She didn’t want to admit she had been hoping it was him, too afraid of the answer. Like her, he didn’t want a mate, so there was a chance they would meet and reach a mutual understanding. Maybe have a little fun in between.
But Nassau…everything she had learned about him, every scrap of information she had salvaged …he would never let hergo. And she had no clue what he looked like, so she couldn’t avoid him.
“Again. I need another song.” She heard the breathlessness in her voice, but she didn’t care. “Stay with me.”
She didn’t look at him, but she could feel his confusion. “I’ll dance with you all night, gorgeous. You tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.”
She pulled back, smiling at him flirtatiously. “I want to have fun.” She wanted to forget, to hope for an escape, but really, she needed a distraction.
Song after song, he whirled her around the dance floor, rolling and grinding against her, passed to one shifter, and then another. Eventually, she joined in with the large groups of men and women sweatily dancing in the middle, and she felt torn in every direction.
Between her wolf searching for her mate and the constant demand for her attention, she needed a break. The later it got, the raunchier it became, and her wolf was not appreciating all the roving hands, bodies, and dicks pressed against her. Not with her mate so close.Stepping away discreetly, she made her way to the bar, slamming one drink, and then another, and another, until she found a nice buzz again.But when two guys tried striking up a conversation, she grabbed one more drink and looked for an escape.
“Gio, where you at?”
“Busy.”Then he blocked her mindlink. Damned horny bastard.
Looking around the ballroom, she fanned herself aggressively. Too many bodies in here. She needed some air and a minute to think. Instead, she saw Isaiah head her way again, and the men at the bar still weren’t catching the hint.
She just wanted out.Slipping her phone from her small clutch, she shot off a text to Keoni. She hated asking him forhelp, but he was the only other person who would understand her need to leave.
“I need you. I can’t do this.”
She waited for a beat, continuing her polite conversation with the two at the bar, then glanced around desperately. She saw Travis at the far end chatting up one of the Rathlin witches and dismissed him. He was zero help.But the pull from the far corner of the room thrummed through her body, and she pushed away the need to find him, to go to him. So, when a new wave of anxiety gripped her, she knew she had to get out. Now.
Without saying a word to the guys talking to her, she moved behind a pillar, thinking she could slip out unnoticed from there, but there was someone around every corner.Hearing her name called from behind, she moved with a purpose, cutting through the backside of the bar. She had almost made it through the door when Isaiah himself appeared out of thin air.
“Hey, you want to get out of here with me? I—”
“She’s about to hit the dance floor with me. She promised me a dance, right, Bai?”
Someone else slipped behind her drunkenly and pulled her tight in a little mini-dance right there. Irritation flooded her. She had zero desire to deal with anyone else tonight. Ava was gone, so she could just go to bed.
“I think I’m done for the night. The only thing I’m doing is sliding between my sheets. You two can have each other. And take this guy too.”
She tried to push through, but they both stopped her, Isaiah turning on the charm as he tried to pull her close.“Bailey, baby. There is no celebration without you. I’ll get you home though. Get you between those sheets and make sure you’re taken care of.”
“Not happening. Not tonight. Not ever. Don’t get put on your ass again, Isaiah. My feet are killing me, so I might take my heels off and stab you with them if you keep pushing.”
“Let me walk you home. You shouldn’t be walking alone—”
“No. No doesn’t mean keep trying.” She clenched her fists, looking around desperately for Keoni, for an exit, but she could barely think past the howling of her wolf. She needed to get out of here.
“Just give me—”
“Isaiah. You heard her.”
The voice was commanding, deep and rich, serious and in control. Immediately, shivers ran down her spine, and she barely contained a gasp at his proximity. Even Isaiah stopped in his tracks, frowning at the man behind her.
“Hey, Nas. You met Bailey?”
Chapter 7
Saturday, November 13
12:20 a.m.
She didn’t turn, didn’t look at him. She pushed past the sudden weakness in her body and shoved through Isaiah and the other shifters. Practically running, she slipped through the crowded ballroom, out into the open air of the porch. Still crowded with people, the grassy common area had couples and groups laying on blankets listening to the folksy music.But none of that mattered. She needed to get away from everyone and everything. She needed to be alone.
