Chapter 31
ALEX
Alcohol is already lapping through my veins as I step into the nightclub.
God bless my sister—she’d left two unopened bottles of wine in a brown paper bag on the passenger side of her SUV.
At some point during her errands, she must’ve stopped at a liquor store.
Probably on her way back from dropping Emilee off at Ana’s house earlier tonight.
And lucky for me, she forgot to take them inside.
The fact that they were twist-tops? Well…
that was just an added bonus to my mission of getting drunk—fast.
By the time I pulled up at Gravity, I’d polished off an entire bottle of warm white wine. Not my proudest moment. Definitely not smart. And no, I wouldn’t recommend drinking and driving. But the second I heard Gabriel answer Elijah’s fucking phone, all rationale flew out the window.
I aim directly for the bar, my usual point of contact at this place.
I plaster on my moneymaking smile, dimple and all, as I slide onto a stool and toss a wink at the young bartender.
He flashes one back, a flicker of interest lighting up his cute face.
Perfect. Friends with alcohol are exactly what I need tonight.
But what I want…
He’s in here somewhere.
And I have every intention of finding him.
Tequila scorches through my veins as I throw back two shots. The cute bartender slides over a third—a light pink one this time.
“On the house,” he drawls, eye fucking the hell out of me.
I smile over the rim as I tip it back into my alcohol-starved mouth, not having a clue what I’m drinking, nor giving a fuck.
I glide my tongue slowly across my lips and flash him a flirty wink, leaving him wondering what my intentions are. But I have no intention of returning… my only interest is in finding my pretty dancer.
I set out toward the dance floor, unsteady on my feet.
A few curious glances follow me as I saunter past the bar, trailing my fingers along its edge.
I’m fully aware that I don’t match the scene—ripped jeans, damp shirt, raw edges.
Definitely not the proper attire for this crowd.
But no one says a word. And if they did, they’d be dancing with my fists.
I’m not leaving until I get what I came for.
My eyes scan the crowd, flicking from face to face, body to body, seeking out my prey. And just as I’m about to turn away… I find him.
Noah.
His athletic, toned body moves like water, like fucking sin, winding around another man in perfect rhythm to a song I don’t recognize. Every twist of his hips pulls me in deeper, traps me in place. I can’t peel my eyes away.
He’s fucking incredible.
The music shifts—slow, sultry. Noah’s arms drape around his dance partner’s shoulders, loose and lazy, as the man pulls him closer. Their bodies blend together, a perfect, maddening fit.
I’ve seen enough.
I push off the bar and let my feet drag me through the crowd, straight toward Noah. When I reach him, I grab his elbow and yank, pulling him free from the other man’s grip. His face flashes with shock before quickly shifting into something else—curiosity? Recognition? I don’t care.
I’m staking my claim.
I haul him across the dance floor, not bothering with apologies as I shove my way through. At the back of the club, a metal door waits under a glaring fluorescent sign: DO NOT ENTER.
Yeah? Watch me!
Still gripping his hand, I kick open the door and pull him out into the warm, breezy night.
We stumble into a narrow alley, butting up against a tall crumbling brick wall.
A trash bin sits off to the left, and to the right, a short, narrow walkway littered with discarded boxes and beer bottles.
I spin him around and push him up against the hard, unforgiving surface of the brick, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
He startles, clear blue eyes locking with mine, wide and uncertain. A storm of questions running behind them.
He’s confused.
I’m furious.
I take him apart with my eyes, running them over his pretty face and kissable lips—glossy, with flecks of gold glitter twinkling like stars beneath the moonlit sky.
“Fuuuuck!”
I slam my mouth into his, savagely devouring his pouty lips, his tongue, getting off on the feel of the smooth metal from his tongue stud as it wrestles across my mouth and wreaks havoc on my sexual appetite.
He rips his mouth away from mine and separates my face from his. “You’re drunk,” he accuses, winded, struggling to catch his breath.
“And you’re fucking beautiful.” I spread my drunken words across his glossy, star-studded lips.
His sturdy hands come to rest on my shoulders as he seeks connection with my unfocused eyes. “So does this mean you’ve figured it out?” he asks with agonizing hope, his tongue sweeping across that shiny lower lip.
My eyes follow his tongue. “Mmm, I’ve always known I love strawberries.”
“You know that’s not what I mean, Alex.”
Alex.
As drunk as I am, it doesn’t go unnoticed that he remembers my name.
“Noah.” I breathe his name out across those flavored lips, slipping my tongue back in between them.
This time, he kisses me back with an urgency so wild I almost forget how to breathe.
He wraps a leg around my waist, and I punch my hips forward, my cock bumping up against his.
I catch his moan in my mouth, low and throaty, the vibration shooting straight down to my balls.
“I think you should stop,” he mumbles against my mouth.
But I don’t want to stop.
Not now.
Not ever.
“God, Noah.” I slide my tongue along the side of his neck, licking the sweat from his skin as I make my way back to that sweet moaning mouth. The cool metal bar from his piercing strokes the inside of my cheeks, pulling a moan out to match his.
He hums in delight. My lips buzz in response. The vibration has me wanting more, more, and fucking more.
“Damn you for being so pretty.” I moan, licking his lips, savoring their sweetness.
“Fucking strawberries,” I murmur against his marvelous mouth. He puckers his lips, and I suck them right between my own. Hard. Inhaling every whimper, moan, and gasp. His breath slips down my trachea and into my lungs, and I flat-out refuse to release it.
I’m taking everything.
Every.
Fucking.
Thing.
Especially my time.
“Touch me, Noah. Please,” I beg, needy and bold, desiring the feel of his soft hands on my body.
“Let me get you some water.” He pants, freeing his lips from mine. Confusion settles across my crazed eyes. “You need water,” he urges.
“I need sex.” I scowl, shamelessly dragging my dick across his.
“Alex, stop!”
Stumbling back, I grab my wallet out of my back pocket. My blurry eyes settle on his pretty ocean-blue ones.
I’m so fucking ready to go swimming.
“Take this, Noah,” I demand, removing a wad of cash from my billfold and flinging it into the air. The ruffling wind picks it up and drags the cash across the dirty cemented ground.
“What are you doing? Are you soliciting me?”
I slip my credit cards free from their snug compartments and shove them against his chest. “I’m paying for my swimming lessons,” I slur as Noah slips out of my shadow and makes a dash for the cash being tossed around by the whipping wind.
“Alex, please stop,” he desperately pleads.
My pretty dancer.
And then… everything goes black. The heavy metal door slams open, my name is shrieked at an absurdly high pitch, my legs give out—and I feel nothing. Absolutely nothing, as my face kisses the pavement.