Hips against hips. Gyrating movements. Heated skin. The temperature spiked, and Reyna slid Gabe’s leather jacket off her shoulders. She tied it low around her waist while Jodie threw his long-sleeve shirt around Reyna’s shoulders and used it to drag her in closer.
“This is the best,” Jodie cried.
And it was. Now that her limbs had awakened and her brain had quieted to the techno beat, she remembered what it was like to be young and carefree.
One of the guys Jodie had been dancing with disappeared for a minute and returned with a tray of shots. He tried to pass one to Reyna, but she shook her head. No way was she going to drink during all of this madness.
“Oh, come on, Rey,” Jodie grumbled, shoving the shot into her hand. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“We already know the answer to that.” Reyna placed her shot back on the tray.
Jodie tipped her own shot back and shook out her curls. “Phew, that’s the stuff.” Then she grabbed Reyna’s shot and hit that one back, too.
The guys around her cheered. She flashed them her teeth as she took in their hungry expressions. Maybe one drink wouldn’t kill her. Reyna reached for the tray of shots, but then Jodie tilted wildly into Reyna. She dropped the shot, and it splashed on her feet, but Reyna was beyond caring.
“Hey. Hey,” Reyna said, reaching out for her. “Are you okay?”
“I feel fucking amazing.”
But when Reyna looked into her friend’s eyes, her pupils were dilated and she sure didn’t look fine. “What was that shot?” Reyna asked the nearest guy.
“It’s a new shot. Like a Hot Damn, but we call it an Oh Shit,” the guy said.
“What the hell was in it?”
“Whiskey, rum, vodka, and orange juice,” the guy said.
“And a dropper of that new vamp drug,” another guy said with a laugh.
Reyna’s stomach dropped out. “What vamp drug?”
“Don’t worry, baby. It’s not dangerous. It comes from their bite or something. It loosens you right up.”
Venom. Fucking fantastic.
Venom was addictive in most people. The more a person had, the worse it got. Reyna may not have succumbed to it completely, but Jodie, it seemed, definitely had.
“We need to get you home,” Reyna said.
Just a touch of venom made you feel like you were on cloud nine. Like the whole world was at your feet. It lowered inhibitions and boosted the endorphins in the body. It was supposed to kick the fight-or-flight signals in your body into gear, telling you to get the fuck out of there. Right now, it was clear all Jodie wanted to do was live up the night.
Fuck.
Reyna reached for Jodie, frantic. Where the hell was Gabe? This was bad. The guys were still leering at them. They’d known what they were doing when they gave them those shots.
“Come on, baby,” one of the guys said.
Reyna shot him a threatening glare. “No.”
Adrenaline flooded her system for all new reasons as she held her ground. She latched onto Jodie’s arm and all but dragged her back toward the bar.
Luckily, the guys didn’t follow. Maybe they were really just out here to have a good time; theyhadsaid that drink was on the regular menu. She had reacted on instinct—save Jodie, get the hell out of there.
She shoved Jodie onto the first available bar stool and flagged down Sonya. She sauntered down to them. “What’ll ya have?” she asked in a thick northern accent.
“She needs a water. Have you heard from Gabe?”
“Here you go, honey.” Sonya filled a glass with ice water and then slid it over to Jodie. “He’s still upstairs. You can go on up with your friend if she can walk.”
