“Are you alright?”
Whoa, that voice. What is it with sexy alphas and voices?
“I-I’m fine. Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.” I did my best to play it cool, actively telling myself not to ogle with my mouth open at the tall, blond alpha in front of me. I swallowed hard, trying to shake off the remnants of fear that clung to me. His bright blue eyes gleamed, though, even in the dim light. And without thinking about it, without meaning to or knowing why, I took a step toward him, as if magnetically pulled to do so.
“Good. That guy was a creep. Sorry you had to deal with that.” I could listen to this man read the damn phone book.And then I realized he was still staring down at me, his eyes flicking from what I had to believe was my mouth and then back up to my eyes. His scent swelled—all sweet spice, like gingerbread—and something warm set up shop in my lower belly, and even lower still.
“Do you… Do you want to dance?”
I paused for a moment. Had he just asked me to dance? I didn't know what to do, whether I should go with him or run away and find Summer.
“You don’t have to. I know you were hanging by yourself. I can?—”
“No!” I cleared my throat, biting down on the sudden need and excitement inside me. “Sorry, I was just… never mind. Yes, I would love to dance. Also, I'm totally not on my own; my best friend just went to the bathroom.”
The guy smiled, and holy freaking hell, my knees almost buckled. Alphas were attractive. That was just a fact of evolution, but this one? It was like he was engineered in a lab. I was pretty certain it wasillegalto look that good. And here I was, about to dance with him.
Pinch me.
“It’s Chase, by the way.” That smirk only got cuter as he walked up to me, getting closer and testing the waters by holding my hand.
“Flora. My name is Flora.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Flora.”
You’re damn right it is.
Chase’s hand wound around my waist, pulling me closer. When the other alpha had touched me earlier, I had wanted to recoil in revulsion, but this one… he wasenthralling. Those blue eyes drew me in, his deep, spiced scent making me shiver with delight.
Our bodies shifted and swayed, led by the rhythm of the music. We were so close, pressed right into each other, and before long, I lost myself to the feeling of being up against the wall of muscle that was Chase. With his arm still firmly wrapped around my waist, we let ourselves be carried away by the music. His fingers shifted downward, brushing the hem of my dress.
Fire coursed through my veins, and I couldn’t stop the breathy sound that escaped me as Chase nuzzled into my neck. This was wild. This was thrilling. But it also feltterrifying. What was I doing? The rational part of me fought hard to resurface, whispering warnings about the risks of being vulnerable around someone new. I didn’t dothat. I wasn’t a one-night stand kind of person. I wasn’t a go-out-and-fool-around-with-a-guy-I-just-met type of person. And somehow, there I was, doing just that.
Only I couldn’t deny the way being around Chase made me feel. It was so exhilarating and potent, way more intoxicating than any drink. I hadn’t felt so drawn to a person since that alpha who had walked me home. But there was no way of knowing if I’d ever see that guy again.
Actually, I didn’t know if I’d seethis guyagain, and something about that didn’t sit right with me. I couldn’t put it into words, but it was as if I needed to at least have this one moment with Chase. If all I could get was one time, I was sure as hell going to take it.
“Do you want to get out of here?” I asked, leaning in close.
I turned to look at Summer, who was standing at the bar, nodding enthusiastically at me.
I was throwing caution to the wind, but I couldn’t stop myself. It felt surreal, like I was watching a stranger operate my body. This wasn’t me; I was the cautious one, weighing everydecision carefully. But tonight was different. Tonight was full of firsts. First, the dress, and now, Chase.
“I was about to ask the same thing.” He smiled at me again, andfuck. I was a total goner.
It didn’t take long to get to the shitty part of town, where my apartment was. We navigated through the traffic easily in Chase’s car, and the entire drive was filled with playful words that could only be taken one way.
We knewexactlywhat we were about to do.
Maybe I was going crazy, getting in a stranger’s car, but I was so desperate to get home. A small part of me was also excited at the idea that I was sticking it to Spencer. That nut job thought he could claim me? Nope. I refused.
At my door, I unlocked it and pushed the thing inward, sweeping my arm out in a large gesture.
“Well, come on in, Chase. We can get… comfortable.”
Chapter 12
Chase
