Chapter1
Eva
There were worse things than a crazy ex. Bitten by a fire ant probably sucked, for example. Bungee-jumping off a bridge only to realise at the last second the rope hadn’t been tied securely. Going back to your date’s place to find less than three inches in the downstairs department was a pretty crap situation too, but maybe not as bad as a crazy ex. More disappointing than anything.
Lucas, the ex who currently distracted her was in the audience, watching her with those hungry eyes that she used to love, but now nothing but disgust tightened her stomach. Eva missed a move, her dance partner Caleb glaring a warning before he pulled her against his bare chest, compensating for her mistake.
Shit!she scolded herself.Get yourself together!
Concentrating, she let the beat settle into her bones, losing herself in the music. The dance was pure passion, about sex and the intimacy between two people who were not meant for one another. They told a story of love and hate, the emotions exaggerated in fluid movements across the stage.
She didn’t need to look onto the floor to know there were people watching, their gaze a heightened sensation against her own, exposed skin as she rolled her body alongside Caleb’s. It was sensual and expressive, and one of the many reasons she loved to dance.
Eva danced for The Dollhouse five times a week, both with partners and solo. It was advertised as an upmarket dance and burlesque bar, and while there were poles for some of the dancers to shimmy along, they classed themselves as just another theatre in the West End. There were no personal performances, and definitely no extras offered like other establishments.
The patrons couldn’t touch the dancers unless they were invited onto the stage, which sometimes they were, but only if consent was exchanged. The manager was a stickler for rules, and anyone abusing said rules were immediately ejected from the premises and banned for life. It was a safe place for her to express herself and dance, and the money wasn’t too bad either. It wasn’t caviar and gold watches, but it wasn’t stressing over the next meal either.
The room erupted into applause, her breathing heavy as she folded her body into a low bow, long hair brushing the stage. She didn’t linger, not wanting to see whether Lucas still sat at the end of bar, dark eyes watching her every move. She couldn’t believe she wasted six months with him, even after everyone had warned her. The red flags were obvious now, but they weren’t as clear back then through rose-tinted glasses. He had greeted her with shoes shinier than her entire life, and then left her with some nasty bites and a bruised ego.
“What the fuck, Eva,” Caleb grunted with a frown, the glitter on his face melted from sweat. “What was that about? You never miss a move.”
Eva plastered on a fake smile. “Sorry, my ankle twisted,” she lied. “It’s been a long night.” Their duo was her last dance of her shift, and wanting to change before she confronted the man who had wanted to share her as if she were a toy, she turned toward the dressing rooms. Crystal, Tasha and Pearl were pouting into three of the five available mirrors, the racks of costumes splitting the backroom into sections.
“Hey babe, you staying for a few drinks?” one of the girls asked. Eva wasn’t sure who, her back turned as she shimmied out of her skirt.
“It’s Saturday,” Tasha moaned, the slight whine in her voice giving her away. “You have to stay for at least one!”
Eva pulled up her jeans before quickly yanking on her t-shirt, not caring that glitter and makeup smeared across the fabric. “Can’t tonight, rain check?”
She wanted a long hot bubble bath, but because her shitty flat didn’t have a bath she would settle for a scalding shower instead.
Scrubbing her face clean with a baby wipe, she grabbed her bag. She was sure her skin would hate her, but right then she just needed to get it over with. She hadn’t seen Lucas since she had told him to leave and never look back… after he had hurt her for the second time. The first time had been an accident apparently, but once it had happened again within the same week she kicked him to the curb.
“Where are you?” she muttered as she parted the crowd. None of the patrons approached her, not only because of the rules but because she looked entirely different without the costume and makeup. Her brown hair had been released from its constraint, the heavy waves hitting her mid-back while her lips were no longer painted a scarlet red. Bar the glitter, which was a fucker to get out of anything anyway, she looked plain, unexciting compared to the sparkly men and women who danced on stage.
She spotted Lucas at the bar, exactly where he was earlier. His smirk deepened when his eyes met hers, his fangs peeking through his lips.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped, wanting him to leave quickly and without a scene. “I told you to leave me alone, no stalking and definitely no turning up at my work unannounced.”
“Baby, is that how you really talk to someone you love?” When she didn’t respond he stood, pressing into her space. “I want another chance, I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“That’s a joke, right?” Anger darkened her tone. “It’s literally the definition of insanity.”
“Excuse me?” His eyes narrowed at her in hostility.
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. You hurt me, twice, and then marked me as a snack for all your Vamp buddies.” The latter something she had found outaftershe had already left him, but it still hurt to know she had been nothing to him but a vein.Fucking arsehole.
“You’re being dramatic,” he said, rubbing the top of his gold ring, his own initials carved into the flat surface. “I wasn’t really going to share you.”
“Share me? I’m not a possession you arsehole!”
Lucas rolled his eyes, and Eva had to take a steady breath to stop from exploding.
“Look, I got carried away with a feeding, I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s not my fault you excite me,” he added with a shrug. “This is as much your fault as it is mine.”
Eva kept her voice low, not wanting to be overheard. “And I told you exactly where to go last time you asked for another chance. Fuck off Lucas, I’m not interested in being your little chew toy.”
“You stupid bitch.” The words shot out like bullets, his hand snapping out to grip her upper arm tight enough to bruise. “Are you fucking that other dancer?”
