“I want to stay,” I nodded, offering him a small smile of reassurance when his brow raised in question. “I have been to parties before. Not like this one, but I can handle it...I think.”
He huffed a laugh as his gaze went back to the warehouse doors ahead. The afternoon sun, slowly dipping behind the buildings, reflected in his eyes, turning them a lighter shade of blue. “Alright. But the offer still stands.”
“I know,” I smiled faintly.
Going to a party like this probably wasn’t the best choice for a distraction, but I was here now. And Seb was waiting somewhere inside, which prompted me to walk toward the warehouse with a little more confidence. Except, the closer we got to the noise, the crowds, and the blindingly bright flashing lights within, my steps slowed a little.
Dean’s hand was in mine again, squeezing it gently but not allowing my steps to stop. “Don’t let go.”
I nodded quickly, adjusting my hand in his so our fingers were locked together. With one look at the wall of bodies, writhing to the bass notes of the music just beyond the warehouse threshold, it was easy to see getting lost in there would be panic-inducing. Which was why my hold on Dean’s hand was just a little bit tighter as we walked inside.
We edged around the outskirts of the crowd along the left interior wall. Dean moved through the people with ease, using his height to his advantage as he peered over the heads and shoulders of anyone in front of him. Meanwhile, I was tucked in so closely behind him, my cheek kept brushing against his arm and all I could smell was him. A rich but comforting smell of sandalwood and leather lingered on his clothes and completely overran my senses.
It felt rude to be so close. I was invading his personal space. But in a place like this, where the music was so loud it thrummed through every cell in my body, personal space was an afterthought. Some of the revelers thought so too as they bumped and ground into strangers. One woman did so to Dean. Her hands trailed up his chest but he kept moving forward, paying her no mind. When he noticed another man in the crowd divert his attention to me, he steered me around to his other side. Acting as a human shield until the compactness of the crowd eased and we stepped out in front of a makeshift bar.
Seb was leaning against one of the kegs with a drink in hand, craning his neck to see into the crowd before he finally recognized us. His face widened into a grin and he breezed over, pulling me into an unexpected but welcome bear hug.
“Lily! You made it too!”
Talking over the music was pointless, I knew my voice wouldn’t carry, so I smiled instead and gave him a little wave once he released me. He greeted Dean with the same enthusiasm and motioned for us to go get a drink.
Dean gestured in a cutting motion across his throat before mouthing he was driving.
Seb rolled his eyes. “Sleep in your car!”
The deadpan expression that came to Dean’s face made me laugh a little before I gently nudged his arm. I opened my mouth to speak but the music cut me off. He ducked his head, leaning in closer to listen.
“We can stay." My voice sounded like it was underwater. “I don’t mind—”
I was cut off again when someone behind me shouted and Dean pulled an arm around my middle, dragging me aside while my heart skyrocketed from the sudden closeness of his body against mine. But his attention wasn’t on me as somebody careened past where I had been standing.
The man crashed into a table of red cups and beer bottles, sending everything spilling across the floor while the plastic table broke under his weight. He didn’t stay down long though. Stumbling to his feet, and trying to figure out his bearings, he focused his attention back on the crowd and charged back into it like an angry bull.
Seb found the whole thing hilarious.
A fight had broken out, with a small circle forming around it nearby. We just happened to be standing right outside of it.
Dean’s arm uncurled from around my waist as he looked at Seb, making some unspoken agreement to not get involved. Which was kind of ironic considering this was something they specialized in.
We squeezed through the packed bodies again, every one of them more riled up as word of the fight spread, creating a rowdier crowd than the one from earlier as they pushed to see what was going on. Walking against the movement was near impossible as I was bumped and jolted from side to side, ducking away from the odd elbow that swung blindly near my head or wincing when someone trod on my foot.
I could barely keep my eyes on Seb walking ahead of me before someone tripped into my path, throwing the contents of their red cup all down the front of my dress, soaking me from shoulder to hip. The smell of beer quickly filled my nostrils. The stranger didn't care though and disappeared out of view just as quickly as they appeared.
“Dammit,” I muttered, pinching my sundress away from my chest and stomach.
“I’ve got spare clothes in my car.” Dean had spoken the words right over my shoulder, his breath on the shell of my ear while his hand came to my lower back. A completely casual gesture to make sure I heard him in the crowd, yet it triggered a content shudder to run down the length of my spine.
I reminded myself to nod, and then we were moving again, this time passing Seb to let him know where we were going. He responded with a thumbs-up and gestured to a concrete beam to let us know where he would be when we returned.
Dean took my hand, leading the way through the crowd. It wasn’t until we cleared the warehouse doors, breaking free of the mass of bodies, that he let go and slowed his pace so I could keep up with his long strides as we headed back to his car.
Where I was to change.
Into his clothes.
My heart skipped.
A clean pair of black shorts and a matching T-shirt were in a backpack in the trunk of the Cadillac. When Dean handed them over, it was easy to see they were going to swim on me, but they were the better option if I didn’t want to smell like beer for the rest of the night.
