Santiago bared his teeth.“How many of my waitresses have you hooked up with, Ricky?I know about three, maybe four.Including that one just now—Alita.You hit that, what?Twice?”
Tension sharper than barbed wire hung over the table.
Lourdes drained her glass and slammed it down.“Excuse me.I need the restroom.”She half rose, prompting Enrique to stand, and brushed past him to stomp away.Her pulse hammered in her ears, urging her on.Where she was heading, she had no idea.
“Lourdes, wait.”Enrique caught up with her at the balcony railing and gripped her arm.“Forget him.Santiago is an ass.”
“And you’re not?”she snapped, anger clenching her chest.
He cursed and rubbed his neck.“I didn’t want to come here.The second Carlota suggested it, I knew something would blow up.”
“It’s not the club, Enrique.It’s us.Our relationship.Everything is moving too fast.I don’t know who you really are.What your days look like.What your nights used to look like.I’m in the picture now.Are you still going to hunt for women at clubs?”
“Of course not.Alita was a fling.Meaningless.”He stepped closer and tipped up her chin.“I want you.No one else.I’ve risked war to make you mine.What more do you need?”
“I don’t know.All these questions and concerns are spinning through my head.I’m on edge.”
“I can tell.”He settled his touch on her waist.“Dance with me?”
She hesitated, then nodded.They descended into the heart of La Paradoja, hand in hand.
Liquor and desire perfumed the air in an intoxicating combination.The ceiling pulsed with color.Strobe lights shifted in time with the rhythm and cast ever-changing shadows on the sea of dancers.The Latin-infused house remix resounded off the walls with pounding percussion and a bass-heavy rhythm that vibrated the floor beneath her heels.
Enrique pulled her into his arms.“Follow my lead, princess.”
The world around her blurred into a mess of light and motion.The beat commanded her body.Enrique’s hands guided her hips and drew her in.Their bodies met in a sensual sway and grind sure to overload her senses.Her every move swept her hair across her bare shoulders and back in teasing caresses.His silky shirt bunched under her roaming hands.Adrenaline surged.His lips grazed her neck, threatening to devour her.
Devour me.Taste me.
The naughty thoughts clenched her core.She spun in his embrace, pressed her back to his chest, and rolled against him.The evidence of his desire pressed tight against her buttocks.He grabbed her hips with a fierceness that set her blood aflame.Then he slid his strong hands down her sides and raised the hem of her dress just enough to skirt the edge of scandal.She leaned her head back against his shoulder and moaned as his stubble brushed her cheek.The scent of tequila flavored his breath and curled heat in her veins.
Pop!
The sharp, shrill noise split the music.
Screams.
Another blast, louder.
Lourdes stumbled to a stop.Her breath caught.Shock and fear seized her heart.Enrique shoved her down and shielded her body with his as the crowd shrieked.
“Gun!”someone yelled.
Panic exploded like shrapnel.People shoved and screamed.Bodies trampled one another for cover.To flee.Glass shattered.The ceiling lights rained down in tiny shards.
Enrique dragged her through the mindless swarm like she was a rag doll.A man bumped into her and sent her careening into another man.An elbow struck her ribs.Pain lanced her chest in red-hot heat.A spray of warm blood suddenly burned her arm like acid.Lourdes screeched and slapped at the offending drops.
“Shit.Are you hit?”Enrique forced her to duck behind an overturned table.Hunching down, he ran his hands over her arms and chest to check for injuries.
“No, no.S-someone else.N-not my blood,” she stuttered, shivering all over.Screaming and gunfire pierced her eardrums.
And then, the music stopped.The blasts petered out.
“Stay down.”Enrique sprang up and yanked his pistol from beneath his jacket.
“No, wait!”Panic rising, she grabbed his leg.“Don’t leave me!”
“Carajo.”He drew her up alongside him and kissed her forehead.“It was Zayas.He had a fucking machine gun.”As he holstered his weapon, he stared up at the VIP balcony.
