His hand lands on her wrist.
My vision tunnels.
“Yo.” Jord's voice sharpens. “I said, are you good?”
I swallow the rest of my drink. “Fine.”
“Bullshit.” He follows my line of sight, then exhales through his nose. “Look, man, I get it. But you don't need to worry about her.”
I tear my gaze away long enough to glare at him. “That supposed to comfort me?”
“Anyone who touches her wrong?” Jord shrugs, taking a sip of his beer. “Usually loses a finger. Or ten.”
It should reassure me. It doesn't. Because right now, that guy's hands are still on Ivy, and she's letting him. Her hips sway against his, her head tipping back, and I watch as his mouth dips toward her ear.
I'm up before I register moving.
“Asher—” Atlas starts, but I'm already past him.
Camille materializes at my side like a fucking ghost. “Where are you—”
“Stay with Atlas.”
Her head jerks back. “Excuse me?”
I stop, turning on her. “I said stay. The fuck. With Atlas.”
Her mouth opens, closes. For once, she's silent. She and I have a bunch of shit neither of us want spilling out in public, so I know she'll listen.
Everyone parts as I cut through, bodies shifting out of my way like they sense what's coming. The guy's hand moves lower, fingers splaying across Ivy's hip. I reach them in less than five seconds, shoving him back. Hard.
He stumbles, crashing into a couple behind him. Someone shouts. Phones rise like a goddamn swarm, screens glowing as they capture every second.
“What the fuck—” the guy starts, recovering enough to square up.
I step between him and Ivy, her chest brushing my back.
“Who the hell do you think—”
His eyes widen, flicking between me and Ivy. “Shit, man, sorry! I didn't know—”Before I can call bullshit, he's gone, disappearing into the crowd.
I turn to Ivy.
Her cheeks are flushed, her long brown hair flowing down her back. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” I ask, weighing up the pros and cons of making this night even worse by throwing her ass over my shoulder and hauling her out of here. You know. Since she's definitely gonna kill me anyway.
Her arms cross. “It looks like you're acting like a jealous psycho.”
“Good.” I grin down at her, stepping closer. “Then it's accurate.”
Luce appears, grabbing Ivy's arm. “Ivy, maybe we should—”
“No.” Ivy yanks her arm free, swaying slightly. “No, I want to hear this. What gives you the right, Asher?”
“You really want to do this here?” I tease, unable to wipe the smug grin from my face. “I mean, I'm keen if you are, baby, but I'm gonna go ahead and say you have a lot more to lose than I do.”
“You!” she jabs a finger into my chest. “Think you're so funny! Making sure everyone in this club knows you have a problem with me dancing? Ha… ha. You should have been a comedian.”
