We were going to lose our minds just from looking at each other.
“So you’re serious about this?” he whispered, his voice rough. I knew that tone; it was the same one he used when he whispered obscenities into my ear in bed.
“Looks like it,” I said challengingly. I wanted to brush past him and get in the car. I wanted to appear confident, but instead I just stood there. Motionless, helpless, and intimidated. If he had tried to kiss me then, my legs would have given out from the sheer intensity of the moment.
This was the Neil Miller effect.
“Let’s go.” Mercifully, he pulled away and passed a hand over his face. I went back to breathing again.
I was surprised at his sudden surrender, and I was positive there was something strange going on that stopped him from going on the attack.
I didn’t say anything, though, and simply got into the car with everyone else.
The brothers sat in the front with us girls in the back. I was visibly uncomfortable, and I hadn’t said a single word while Alyssa continued to chat with Logan. I envied how attuned they seemed to each other. Logan was so attentive and kind. Neil, on the other hand…
I glanced at him. He drove in silence with a characteristic thoughtful frown on his face; his self-assurance was showing in the way he gripped the steering wheel one-handed. He didn’t say anything more because, like usual, he wasn’t feeling chatty. There were times when Neil displayed an inclination to talk but other times—like right now—-he clammed up, needing to be alone as he navigated his chaotic inner world.
After a few minutes in the car, it occurred to me that I didn’t even know where we were going. Logan and Alyssa told me the party was being thrown at a private club by someone named Bryder Janson, but I had no idea who that was.
After about ten minutes, we arrived at our destination.
The sight of all the people queueing up at the entrance of the enormous club took me back to Halloween—an evening much like this one that had ended in disaster. Logan, Alyssa, and I got out of the car and waited for Neil to park it and meet us.
A feeling of anguish stopped me in my tracks, and I stared at the club like I was looking into the void.
“Selene…” Alyssa called, trying to get my attention.
“Are you okay?” Logan asked, staring at me. I’d gone pale, and, what’s more, when I touched my cheek with one hand, it felt frozen.
“Yeah, of course.” I smiled.
“Let’s go.” Neil appeared behind me, and I stiffened. I had to quit being so tense.
Logan linked hands with Alyssa, and together they walked to the entrance. Neil, on the other hand, lit another cigarette and paid me no mind. He looked irritated and bored.
Without exchanging words or touches, we followed Logan and Alyssa toward a white LED sign reading NEW LION, the name of the club. I’d never heard of it, but Alyssa told me it was a haven for New York’s richest people. They threw all sorts of parties there.
The place was so exclusive that the bright red door only opened if security approved someone to enter. We watched as several people without the proper invitations were turned away and left grumbling indistinctly under their breaths.
I knew Logan had gotten a special invite, and I sincerely hoped that the exclusivity meant that it would be a nice place, but even more than that, that it would be low-key.
“They say that beyond the cocktail area, there’s some kind of playroom and suites where you can spend the night,” a young man ahead of us commented as he stood in line with his group of friends while we all waited our turn for the door.
“Yeah, and they have table dancers after midnight,” said another man.
Oh great, just what the place was missing—hot dancers with perfect bodies shaking their asses in everyone’s faces.
What kind of place had Logan taken us to?
I snorted and rocked back on my heels, feeling the discomfort in my back and calves. I wished I could take off my shoes and walk barefoot. I sighed, turning to see Neil.
He stood behind me with his phone in one hand and his eyes locked on the display. He was messaging someone; I could tell by the rapid movement of his thumbs. I wondered who it was—maybe Jennifer? Maybe someone else? I’d never looked through his phone, but I knew what I would find if I did: lewd photos, sexts, come-ons, and offers to hook up.
“Why are you staring at me?” Neil grumbled. Somehow, he’d noticed my gaze even though he’d never even lifted his eyes from that damn screen. He was incredibly sharp.
“I’m not staring at you; I’m just trying to ignore the stabbing pain in my feet,” I answered with a wince of pain.
Never again.
