Aya ducked into the bar.
The space was dark and seductive, the various sitting areas decorated with dark leather chairs and deep maroon accents. The music from the band in the corner pulsed through the space, loud and slow enough that she could feel it in her bones. There was a carnal energy here.
Aya signaled the barkeep at the dark wooden bar. The whisky burned her throat, but she downed the drink as she scanned the space, her eyes landing on a dark-haired man with tawny skin standing away from where couples were writhing against each other on the dance floor. He dragged his eyes across her tan top, the neckline plunging between her breasts as the fabric twisted and tied around her back. Her midriff was bare, and white linen pants hugged her hips. His lips twisted in an appreciative grin as he prowled toward her.
‘Another?’ he offered as he nodded at her empty glass. Aya tilted her head back, taking in the sharp angles of his face.
‘Please.’
Aya lost track of how many she’d had by the time the man coaxed her onto the dance floor. All she knew was that her head was blissfully empty as she moved against him, her hips grinding in time to the music. She was lost in the feeling of his hands on her, content to distract herself in any way she could.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ he murmured against her ear, his breath hot on her neck.
That would certainly be a welcome distraction. She went to nod, but a voice cut in, deep and firm. ‘She’ll be leaving with me.’
Aya drew back to see Will standing behind the stranger, his hands in the pockets of his black pants. The sleeves ofhis white dress shirt were rolled to his elbows, the buttons carelessly undone to below his collarbone.
The man turned, his brows rising as he took him in. His gaze darted between him and Aya. ‘She’s with you?’
‘Leave, Ryker.’ There was enough menace in his voice that the man backed away.
Irritation surged in her as Aya, her hair sweeping over her shoulder, watched the stranger go. ‘Thanks for that,’ she muttered darkly as she turned to Will. ‘You just ruined a perfectly good evening. How do you know him, anyway?’
He sighed as he approached her. ‘An old acquaintance.’ He peered down at her, his gray eyes wary. ‘I went to the Maraciana today to meet you after your training. Natali refused to see me. What happened?’
The music throbbed in time to her unsteady heartbeat. ‘Nothing.’
‘Nothing,’ Will repeated as he stepped closer. ‘So you’re just here. At a bar. Alone. For nothing.’
‘I’m here to dance.’
A muscle worked in his jaw, and Aya could swear his eyes darkened as they skimmed over her. ‘Let’s go, Aya.’
She couldn’t. She couldn’t face this truth.
She swallowed, the heat of the room pressing in on her as she fixed Will with a glare.
‘I told you, I’m here to dance.’ He read the stubborn tilt of her chin, his lips tightening as he realized she wasn’t moving. A server passed them, and Will grabbed a drink off the tray he held aloft, downing it in a single gulp.
‘Fine,’ he growled as he plopped the glass back on the tray. He closed the distance between them, his hand settling on her hip. ‘So dance.’
Aya didn’t move. Will laughed, his breath brushing across her lips like a caress, his eyes glinting with a challenge, asif daring her to step away. ‘Unless you’ve changed your mind.’
Like hells she’d let him drive her out of here.
Aya slid a hand behind his head, her fingers curling around the base of his neck, fingers grazing the ends of his hair that curled in the Rinnia heat.
You have a likeness in you.
She shut out the thought as she moved her hips in a slow, sensual circle to the beat of the music. Will’s eyes flared, his body going tense as she moved against him. ‘Aya …’
‘Changingyourmind, William?’ she taunted as her hand dragged up his chest, her hips swiveling against his again. His hand slid up her arm, his grip tight, as if he were going to tug her hand from behind his neck. But he paused, his jaw shifting as she rolled her hips again, her breasts pressing against his chest as she breathed, ‘Did you take on more than you can handle?’
She expected him to step away. To back down and leave.
But he bent his head toward hers, his voice low. ‘I can handle every bit of you.’
And perhaps it was the liquor, but her skin burned as he slid that hand from her hip to her waist, his fingers trailing across her bare skin as he turned her roughly and tugged her against him. Will started to move, his body rocking against hers as the music continued its seductive rhythm.
