“You and your goddamn statistics.”
“Where did you disappear?” inquires Eleanor.
“Had to take a call,” he replies. “I came back to tell I’m leaving.”
“Already?” Noor frowns.
“I promised you one hour.”
“Pat yourself on the back that you made him stay for that long,” jokes Kabir.
Jared shoots him a glare.
His best friend laughs.
Ignoring him, he gives Noor a hug and leaves as quickly as he came. But not before murmuring just for my ears, “The supply closet isn’t as secluded as you might think.”
Motherfucker!
“What’s wrong?” whispers Arya.
I relax my jaw. “Nothing’s wrong, angel. Come on, let’s get you a drink.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Nathan
One drink turns into two, three, and four more shots. Before I know it, everybody is on different level of drunk while I’m the only one left sober as fuck.
The crowd has thickened on both floors in the last hour. The hallway outside our booth is no longer empty. A line of women and gay men has formed outside our section, courtesy of Caleb, who I found out is a Hollywood actor. Everybody wants a picture with him or wants his autograph.
I also don’t miss the pang of longing and jealousy on Noor’s face whenever a scantily clad woman touches him a little too long or blatantly flirts with him. She gulps another shot whenever he flirts back.
Meanwhile, Kabir is too busy to pay attention to his little sister harboring a crush on his best friend. It has disaster written all over it.
“Angel, drink some water,” I order her gently, nudging the bottle against her lips.
She pushes it away. “I’m not thirsty.”
“Drink anyway,” I command, adding a more authoritative bite to my tone. I press the bottle against her mouth. “Open.”
Her lips part as she takes a sip. As the water hits her tongue, she moans and greedily swallows more. She turns her head when she’s had enough and rests it against my chest, purring in satisfaction.
I curl my arm around her delicate shoulder, caressing the top of her arm. It’s just us. Kabir and Eleanor are on the dance floor downstairs, while Noor has gone to the restroom. I have no idea where Caleb went.
Tipping Arya’s chin up, I ask, “You ready to go back to the hotel?”
“I am,” she slurs, her finger toying with the round neckline of my shirt. I shed the leather jacket a while ago when it became too hot. “You’ll have to carry me. I don’t want to walk. Just like the first night we met.”
The memory brings a smile to my face. “As you wish, angel.”
Her mouth tips up as she whispers, “My knight in shining armor.”
“We’ll leave as soon as Noor returns.”
“Kiss me until then.”
Despite the risk of being caught, I lower my mouth to hers and kiss her softly. I can’t deny her anything. Her sweet moan vibrates down my throat and spreads around my chest. I break the kiss before my need escalates and I ravage her right here.
