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She spins in his arms and rubs her hips against him, effectively putting him in a trance and I laugh as I walk off the dance floor. Slipping onto the same barstool I was in before, I look out at Izzy as she puts the moves on her mystery man. Even from here, I can see the lust in his eyes and I know she’ll be having a good time tonight.
“You ready for that drink?” Dalton asks and I turn to him, nodding.
“Yes, please.”
He taps his knuckles on the bar and nods. “Coming right up.”
Despacito comes on and I tap the toe of my heel against the barstool as I scan the dance floor for Izzy. She’s managed to move the two of them into a quiet corner and she spins in his arms before dropping down as she swings her hips from side to side. When she sees me watching her, she winks and I grin as she spins back to face her dance partner.
“One vodka cranberry,” Dalton says, setting my drink in front of me and I smile at him.
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem, gorgeous,” he says, wiping down the bar in front of him. “Why aren’t you out there dancing with her?”
I chuckle and glance out at the dance floor as Izzy starts kissing her mystery man. “Oh, she found someone to occupy her.”
As I turn to face the bar again, I catch sight of someone watching me from one of the tables pushed up against the wall. He’s in the back corner so most of his face is hidden in shadow and maybe that’s why his attention sends a shiver up my spine. When he catches me watching him, he grins and my pulse spikes. Just as I start to turn away, he leans forward and I recognize him instantly.
Damian.
A violent reaction I don’t quite understand rocks through my body, telling me to run. But why? He’s annoying and seeing him definitely makes me want to bitch out my mother but he doesn’t seem all that dangerous. Sucking in a breath, I turn back to the bar and as I grab my drink, my hand shakes.
“You okay?” Dalton asks, his brow furrowed in concern and I force a smile to my face. I’m overreacting.
“Yeah, I’m fine, Dalton.”
He lays his hand on mine and arches a brow when he realizes I’m trembling. “You sure about that, sweetheart?”
“Yes,” I whisper, my words weaker and I swear I can feel Damian’s gaze boring into the side of my face.
“Carly, if someone bothered you, we will deal with it. I can go get the bouncer.”
“No, that’s not necessary. It’s just… there is a man staring at me from one of the tables.”
Dalton lifts his head and scans the crowd, his face hardening. “Yeah, I got him.”
“He’s still looking at me?”
“Yeah, he is. Let me get someone to throw him out, okay?”
Hearing the concern in his voice, I feel stupid. Nothing about Damian suggests he’s a danger to me and my mother would be horrified if I had someone she knew thrown out of a club.
“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m being ridiculous. Sorry.”
He studies me, not buying what I’m saying at all, but he finally sighs. “I’m staying right here so you just yell if you need anything.”
I nod. “Thank you, Dalton.”
As Dalton walks off to help someone further down the bar, I casually glance in Damian’s direction again and when our eyes meet, he stands. A predatory smile stretches across his face as he starts moving toward me, almost stalking across the sleek wood floors as my phone rings from my bag. My heart races for some unknown reason as I dig the phone out of my purse and when I see Chance’s name on the screen, butterflies dance in my stomach. Damian weaves through the crowd and I stand up, throwing a twenty down on the bar as I accept the call.
“Fucking finally, woman!” Chance yells down the line and just the sound of his voice is enough to soothe me. I start working my way toward the door and glance back to see Damian standing next to the barstool I just vacated, searching the crowd for me. “Carly, are you there?”
“Chance,” I say into the phone, my voice shaky since I’m on the verge of tears. I’m annoyed with how weak I’m being lately – how weak Chance is making me.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Hearing how concerned he is, I shake my head as the exit comes into view. Sweet freedom. Glancing behind me one more time, I sigh when I find Damian at the bar. He smiles and waves at me before I whip my head forward again just as I reach the door.
