“Tell me about it.” He gestured with his glass, where gold dust swirled in violet liquid. “Worth it for this, though. Starling Kiss. You should try one.”
The bartender finally looked my way.
“I’m usually a Lumen Whisper kind of girl,” I said to the man, then turned to the barman. “But make it two of those, please. Starling Kisses.”
“A woman of bold choices,” the man said, grinning. “I’m Jamie, by the way.”
I picked up the glowing drink. Then I looked at him.
Don’t numb yourself.To hell with that.
“Selene,” I said.
“Well, Selene,” Jamie said, nodding towards the sunken floor where the bass was currently rattling the floorboards. “My friends abandoned me for the smoke. Care to help me reclaim my dignity on the dance floor?”
I looked at his extended hand. Then I looked at the spot where Dane had vanished.
“Why not?” I took his hand. His skin was warm. “Lead the way. I need the music louder than my thoughts.”
Jamie steeredme into the crushing heart of the dance floor. He moved with an easy grace, unburdened. We lost ourselves in the music, bodies swaying together, a temporary oblivion where the jagged edges of the day receded.
The heat of his hand on my lower back pushed away the memories, the prickle of danger. When a slower track began, he guided me towards the less crowded edges, breath warm against my ear.
“Fancy another drink?” he asked, voice a low rumble.
“You read my mind.”
We found ourselves back at the bar, the vibrant energy of the crowd still pressing in. Jamie ordered two more Starling Kisses. The metallic taste of magic on my tongue, usually a jolt, now just felt like part of the celebration.
“You’ve got a good smile,” he said, turning to face me fully, eyes searching mine. “Should use it more often.”
Heat crept up my neck. “It’s been a long week.”
He laughed, a genuine, joyful sound. “I can imagine. Looks like you carry the weight of the world on your back.”
His gaze dropped to my left shoulder, where the mark burnedbeneath my clothes. A flicker of unease. He didn’t see it, of course—just a fleeting impression of tension.
“Just trying to keep it from collapsing,” I quipped, diverting him.
He studied me for a moment longer, a softness in his gaze that made my gut clench. Then he grinned again. “Come on. One more dance before I lose you to the night.”
Back on the dance floor, the music was a living thing. Jamie drew me closer, our bodies brushing in a sway that felt age-old and new all at once. His hand found my waist, tugging me tighter until there was barely a hair’s breadth between us.
His head lowered, and I tilted my chin to meet him. His lips brushed mine, soft at first, then harder.
My mind emptied, the world narrowing to the press of his mouth, the insistent warmth of his body. My hands found his hair, tangling in the soft strands as the kiss deepened. A hunger flared, sudden and unexpected.
It had been months since I’d let anyone this close. The alcohol had taken the edge off the fear, but I needed something stronger to bury it completely. I didn’t want to think. I just wanted to feel.
He pulled back slightly, eyes dark with invitation. “My place isn’t far.”
“Good,” I murmured, leaning back in. “Because I’m not ready to call it a night.”
The taxi ridewas a smear of neon. The moment his door swung open, he kicked it shut and backed me against the cool plaster of the hallway. His mouth devoured mine, hungry and demanding. My trousers were unfastened and shoved down before I could catch my breath.
Good thing I never missed a pill—the one sensible habit I’d managed to keep. No reason to let worry shove its way into this. Not tonight.
There was no finesse, just raw instinct. I wrapped my legs around him, drawing him flush against my heat. He didn’t wait. He slid into me with one smooth, powerful thrust that tore a guttural sound from my throat. The friction was a blunt force—rough fabric, desperate hands, the primal urgency of it playing out against the wall until I came apart, a wild, breathless spasm that dragged him over the edge with me.
