I really liked Conner’s energy. He was approachable, kind and encouraging. If my parents hadn’t died, if I hadn’t moved to Russia, this was exactly the kind of guy I probably would have ended up dating. I couldn’t help but compare him to Axel. Where Axel was complicated, impossible to read and completely in charge of every situation, Conner seemed young, unsure and too sweet for his own good.
My friends thought I was a free woman, tangled in a situationship and in need of some guidance. It made sense they’d push me toward someone as nice as Conner, but I knew tonight could never go past casual flirting. It seemed dishonest not to disclose that.
“I’m kind of seeing someone, so I don’t want to do anything I regret.”
His expression was respectful and resigned but tinged with disappointment. “Do you think that they’d mind if I asked you to dance?”
I thought of Axel watching me dance with Conner. He probably wouldn’t care. He might not even notice. Besides, I wanted to let myself experience it all. Even if it was only for one night. “I think he’d be fine with dancing.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “Don’t let go.”
I ignored Anton and Oleg, who stood up straight and looked slightly panicked when I tripped past them, holding on to Conner. It was necessary. As soon as we got down to the crush of people on the main floor, I would have lost him if he hadn’t had a tight grip on my wrist.
The dance floor was a crazy vibe of energy, a place where bodies, flashing lights and music blended into one throbbing mass. I spun in front of Conner and looked up at the secondfloor. I could see Anton on his headset, frantically looking over the edge of the railing, searching for me.
I waved, but in the sea of gyrating bodies, my movement was lost on him. He looked worried, but I knew I was safe. I was surrounded by people, and Conner was staying within inches of me as we danced. The alcohol flowed hot inside of me, and all I wanted to do was move.
Tonight was my night.
I let myself move to the music and forget about everyone else. I felt so alive, young and energized as each song bled into the next one.
At one point, Tanya appeared beside me with some more shots, and then Selena joined us, and we all danced some more.
I was definitely drunk.My body felt as light as air, like I was barely touching the floor while the music thrummed through me. I kept my eyes shut while I moved.
A strong hand grabbed me and pulled me against an extremely muscular body.
I stiffened, and yelled over my shoulder, “I’m married.”
A familiar voice growled in my ear. “Glad you remembered.”
I spun in his arms and stared up in shock at Axel’s face. He looked different in the strobe of lights. His energy was darker, more dangerous. Intoxicatingly so.
“What are you doing here?” I said over the music.
“You didn’t answer your phone.”
I could immediately tell that he was pissed. “Who was calling me?”
“You deliberately let your security lose you.”
I decided that arguing back was the smart choice. “I could see them the entire time. What’s the big deal?”
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me off the dance floor.
I dug in my heels. “Where are we going?”
He turned on me, nearly yelling over the music. “I told you that you needed to respect your security.”
“I did. It’s not my fault they lost me.”
“We’re leaving.”
“I’m not leaving my friend’s party,” I shouted over the music. “You can’t make me!”
He stepped closer. “Do you know that I had to leave an important meeting for this?”
I didn’t step back. “All your meetings are important. I don’t see why you had to bother me when I’m perfectly safe and finally having fun. So I’m not leaving.”
