& Then They Loved (Ampersand Love #3)

14. Velocity

14

Velocity

Vihaan

S he was here.

Vihaan couldn’t believe his fucking luck. It was like he’d invited some sick karma by declaring to himself that he’d avoid Vera because life had quite literally brought them both to the same nightclub.

He’d landed at Velocity, a fairly well-known club, with his closest friends. Their semi-private booth on the upper balcony had been the perfect spot to relax until he’d seen Vera’s unmistakable form walk by. He’d rushed up to the railing and searched the darkened edges of the room, confused when he’d not spotted her again.

That single glimpse had been enough to put him on edge all evening. Was she on a date with Jay, dressed like that?

Maybe I’ll try him out tonight and let you know.

Her crude promise rang in his ears, draining all his enjoyment. His irritation worsened when Rian and his houseguest, Aditi, ended up having an argument out of the blue. Really, it was Rian acting like a brainless ogre, Vihaan decided, before setting off to find Aditi. What awaited at the end of his search however, put him right back on guard.

His gaze swung between Aditi and Vera as he approached them. What these two strangers could be talking about, he didn’t know, but his hackles rose when Vera caught sight of him, her smile freezing instantly.

“What the hell are you doing here, Vera?” he asked, coming to stand beside Aditi.

Vera glanced between him and his new friend, every semblance of gentleness draining away as the seconds ticked by.

“If it’s because of him,” she announced, speaking to Aditi, “it’s definitely not worth it.” She stalked off without glancing his way, leaving him behind with a curious Aditi.

Despite the crushing crowds, his eyes followed her. Strobe lights flashed to the beat of the music, transforming the energy of the dance floor. Purple, green and white beams landed on strips of smooth skin, revealing long toned legs ending in a pair of slim heels that looked like sin on her slender feet. Her shapely arms were raised above her shoulders, elbows bent, eyes closed while she threw her head back and let the music wash over her. She swayed her hips like a pendulum, her long tresses skimming the top of her ass in a sensual movement that had his cock stirring in eagerness. Every dip and thrust was hypnotic, and he knew that he wasn’t the only one in her audience who felt this way.

The only difference between her admirers and him was that he still hated her.

He hated her. He hated the way her hair fell like a swath of silk down her back, giving him teasing glimpses of unblemished, golden skin. He hated that he remembered exactly how soft she was to touch, how kissing the bumps of her spine made her shudder under him. He hated that when she moved, he couldn’t help but watch, mesmerised by the sinuous grace in her movements. He hated that others looked at her like she was available, probably thinking any number of inappropriate thoughts about that delectable body encased in a dress that clung to every seductive curve. The red satin pulled taut around her rounded ass as she swung left to right with the beat, taunting him for not being able to touch her. Grab her. Claim her.

He hated that she still affected him like no other woman ever had. But most of all, he hated that she had moved on, and he hadn’t.

What would it take for him to finally get over her? What could he do to purge her from his system?

She twisted in a move that tightened her dress across her chest, the silky material folding and creasing before curving up to outline the mouthwatering fullness of her breasts. Rhinestone chains formed the straps that held her dress up, drawing his attention to her naked shoulder. He raked a gaze slowly over her collarbone, down to the neckline that teased him with a hint of cleavage.

Was she even wearing a bra?

She chose that moment to turn and gather her hair, raising it up in a high ponytail while she continued to dance. His eyes popped out; his heart ready to collapse. Where the fuck was the back of her dress? She was wearing a fucking napkin that barely covered her ass! No man with a working dick within a fifty-foot radius was going to ignore her when she was offering herself like a trussed-up fox ready to be hunted by blood-hounds. His eyes swept the area around her, immediately counting at least seven men leering at her.

His vision went crimson. Good thing he knew how to fight.

“Here you go.”

He startled, glancing beside him to find Aditi holding out a drink.

“Thanks.”

“Are you going to go talk to her? You’ll be burning a hole through the back of her skull the way you’ve been glaring at her. ”

Shit. He didn’t think he was that easy to read. Then again, it might just be Aditi. She seemed to have an instinct to look into a person beyond the facade they showed to the world.

“Are you going to go talk to Rian?” he diverted, one eye still on the woman in red.

Aditi sighed and shook her head.

“I think I’ll be heading home. I’m calling it a night.”

“Want me to drop you off?”

“No. Rian’s waiting. I may as well—” Aditi trailed off, sighing yet again. When she turned to leave, Vihaan couldn’t help but hold her back.

“Give him some space,” he advised gently. “He’s not usually volatile. Something must have happened.”

“Thanks, V.” Aditi tried smiling, waving at him before she proceeded towards the exit.

By the time Vihaan turned around, Vera wasn’t where he’d last seen her. Like a sailor who’d heard the call of a siren and was powerless to avoid being shipwrecked, he slid deeper into the crowd, scanning the floor for the woman who dominated his every waking thought, whether or not he liked it.

A flash of bright red caught his eye amidst the dim lights. The image ahead of him made him bite down the inside of his cheek so hard, he tasted copper.

There was Vera, her arms looped around a muscular man who looked like he subsisted solely on protein bars. Their bodies were far too close for it to be decent, their hips grinding against each other. His meaty hands were on her waist, roving above her ass, getting lower by the second. Vihaan barely registered how many people he shoved out of his way in his haste to get to them, fully intending to indulge in violence. No time like the present to put his boxing lessons to use.

His hand landed with a thump right on the man’s shoulder, startling them both. Perhaps some part of his brain was working after all because instead of ripping this guy’s arm right off the socket, he squeezed the muscle under his hold. Protein bar winced.

“You need to leave. Now.”

Vihaan didn’t recognize his own voice; it had deepened into a growl that sounded like it was better suited to a bear than a man.

“What do you think you are doing?” Vera demanded, which he ignored entirely.

“Find someone else,” Vihaan ordered. The confused man glanced between Vera and him. Maybe he saw the death threat lurking behind Vihaan’s eyes because he shook his head, clearly choosing his own safety first.

Asshat, Vihaan decided when protein-muncher stalked off, grumbling under his breath.

“Go away, you’re ruining my evening!” Vera hissed, shoving her shoulder against his arm as she tried to pass him. Vihaan caught her by the waist, yanking her into him till her back was flush with his chest.

“I did you a favour. He didn’t even care to ask if you felt safe with me. He just left you.”

“Because of you! Now let go!”

“You keep avoiding me.” His hands gripped her hips. “Why? Too scared you’ll find me irresistible?”

The music around them swelled and ebbed as Vera placed her own hands over his, reacting to his words as if he’d dared her into staying. She ground her hip into his, gyrating in time with the music, forcing him to clench his teeth at the feel of her ass brushing against his front. There was no hiding his reaction from her.

“You’ve far too high an opinion of yourself,” she said, softly enough that only he heard her.

“Yeah? That’s why you were spewing shit about me to my friend?”

“Friend?” He felt her laugh. “Is that why she was crying?”

“It is none of your business why she was crying. ”

“Of course it isn’t,” she blithely agreed. “It’s also none of your business what I told her.”

“That I wasn’t worth it?”

“It was the truth.”

She gasped when he spun her in a fast turn, one arm encircling her tiny waist. He pushed his knee between her legs, forcing her to straddle his thigh, when he bent low to whisper in her ear.

“Is that why you let me fuck you? Why you came apart on my cock like you couldn’t get enough?”

He could feel her chest heave when he placed his hand on the curve of her back, putting just enough pressure to stay her.

“I’m over it,” she gulped.

“You’re lying.”

“And you’re beginning to sound desperate. Go after one of the hundred other girls the gossip rags photograph you with. Unlike them, I’m not interested.”

Defiant eyes met his when he stepped even closer, his thigh firmly wedged between hers, the slit on the side of her dress spreading open to reveal the top of her leg. Her nails dug into his upper arm in retaliation, yet he couldn’t find it in him to care.

“Do you reserve all your venom for me?” Vihaan growled.

“Yes. So stay away before I poison you.”

“That’s the damnedest thing,” he said, his voice laced with something that sounded a lot like self-loathing. “I can’t.”

“Sounds like a you problem. I’m here to blow off steam and you’re in my way.”

She pointedly glanced where he held her, expecting him to let her go. The space around them was loud, flashy, mixed with the smell of alcohol, cologne and sweaty dancers grinding against each other in a haze of lust and inebriation. Through this, his nose picked up the faint whiff of sandalwood. His lungs seemed to fill themselves with her scent, driving his need deeper and deeper until it became as essential as his next breath .

Vihaan swore quietly, unable to believe what he was about to say. For the sake of his sanity, he had to try.

“Do it with me.”