Chapter 24 #2
Koen narrows his eyes. “She can’t sit on the back of a bike in that dress.”
Honestly, I’d take flashing all of Vegas over stepping into a car again tonight. One panic attack is more than enough, thank you very much.
So, I hand my purse to Koen, then take my time, hiking said dress up and gathering the fabric in my hands until it’s wrapped snugly around my waist, giving everyone a prime view of my legs, ass, and black G-string.
“Is that how a lady acts?” Levi teases.
I shrug. “Wouldn’t know.”
Before anyone can protest further, I turn to Sylus, who holds out a hand, steadying me as I swing a leg over and mount his bike.
He chuckles as I clamber onto the seat. Then he reaches for his helmet and places it on my head, buckling the strap with a level of care that almost feels like he’s tucking me in. “Ready?”
I nod, and he gets into position in front of me and starts the engine with a rumble. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I glance over in time to see Koen and Levi get into the Bronco while Ezra mounts his bike, a red version of Sylus’s matte black Yamaha.
Sylus hasn’t got a helmet on, so I’m thankful when he takes the drive slowly, leaving the others to trail behind us. After several relatively quiet minutes on the road, Ezra rides up beside us and his voice cuts in through the helmet’s comms.
“I’m sorry.” I look over at him, but his gaze remains forward.
In other circumstances, I’d find it almost charming that they have their helmets synced.
“They’re my family.” He continues, “And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.
It’s nothing personal. I wouldn’t have hurt you under any other circumstances.
As Koen said… this is serious. And if protecting them means I have to cross a line?
” His voice trails off as we reach an all-way stop, then he finally looks in my direction. “I’ll cross it. Every time.”
His words settle heavily on me, and I think of Rosalee and Ace, my family. I’d have done anything for them, sacrificed anything to keep them safe too.
I know what that loyalty costs.
“I get it,” I murmur as we continue down the road. “I still owe you one punch to the face, though.”
He doesn’t answer, but I hear a soft exhale through the line, almost a laugh, and then he revs his engine and takes the lead the rest of the way.
When the neon lights of Celeste come into view, they seem to cut through the night, and glow across the line of people queued up outside. As we pull up, Sylus smoothly guides the bike past the line and to the back, where he parks.
Sliding off the bike, I pull off the helmet, smoothing my hair and letting the dress fall back into place as Koen steps out of his car nearby. I turn to him and ask, “Why’d we park back here?”
He offers me my purse, and I take it. Before he can answer my question, Levi grabs my hand, guiding me toward the back entrance with a grin. “You only go in through the front if you want to be seen.”
At the door, the bouncer nods in recognition as he steps aside to let us in.
We slip through and enter a dim hallway.
The throb of music grows louder with each step until it finally explodes around us as we enter the main part of the club.
My eyes go wide, taking in the luxe setup, the flashing lights, the crowd swaying to the beat.
I look up at Levi, who’s still holding my hand and pulling me through the throngs of people. “You go into the crowd like this?”
“Chill.” He chuckles, glancing down at me. “It’s only until we’re up in the VIP booth.”
The crowd presses in, the scent of perfume, cologne, and liquor filling the air.
Ezra is at our back, with Koen and Sylus trailing behind him.
As we push deeper, people begin to recognize Levi, murmurs and glances following us.
I watch a woman turn, reaching out toward him with that starstruck glint in her eye.
Before she can make contact, I intercept her hand with mine, pushing her away.
“Look, don’t touch!” I snap, standing in front of Levi, then pulling him forward.
He laughs, clearly amused, and I glance back, making sure everyone’s still with us.
Ezra’s gaze meets mine, his brow raised in a silent question.
“What?” I yell over the music, but he simply shakes his head with a hint of a smile.
Finally, we reach another bouncer who opens a private stairway leading to the second floor. As we head up, the pulse of music vibrates beneath my feet, sending a hum of excitement through me. The space is open, overlooking the dance floor below, but secluded enough to offer some privacy.
This is fucking amazing.
Levi takes my hand and twirls me, and that’s all it takes to break the ice, Sylus joining in to dance off the stress of the evening.
The waiters drift in and out of our booth, balancing trays of champagne glasses and bottles nestled in ice trays.
Levi and I fill glass after glass, toasting to nothing and everything as the night presses on, and I spend much of it dancing between Levi and Sylus, lost in the rhythm of it all as time slips away into the steady pulse of the bass.
At some point, a remix of “Alors on Dance” by Stromae starts up, and Sylus grins down at me, his fingers grazing my hip as he pulls me in.
By now, everything is warm and loose but also electric like the night itself is alive, and I find myself forgetting the tension from earlier, abandoning myself to the moment.
This is what I needed.
I catch sight of Koen where he lounges on the couch, watching us with a small smile, his gaze tracking my every move. Ezra is standing behind Levi, close enough to step in if need be but far enough to give us our space.
As I laugh at Sylus wiggling his eyebrows at me, my purse vibrates. Pulling out my phone, tipsy as hell, I try to focus on the screen. Captain Bossy. The name makes me grin, and I open the message.
Captain Bossy
You okay?
Sylus looms over my shoulder as he asks curiously, “Who’s texting you?”
I roll my eyes with a laugh. “Captain Bossy.”
He squints in confusion. “Captain who?”
“Alaric, I think.” That’s his name, right? “He’s probably worried he hasn’t heard back from me.”
Sylus rolls his eyes. “He’s a little scaredy-cat.”
I type out a quick reply, filing Sylus’s comment about the good captain for when I can think about it more clearly.
I’m fine. But I have to kick your ass soon.
Would be deserved.
I grin, biting my lip as I type again.
Would be easier if you were here.
I don’t know if I should make my ass-kicking easier for you.
Sylus called you a little pussy. You should definitely come to whoop his ass.
I won’t be baited by a guy who wears T-shirts meant for five-year-olds.
A laugh bursts from me, a deep, full sound that draws Sylus’s attention. He grins as he plucks my phone from my hands and reads the thread.
“Okay, you laughed way too hard at this.” He presses the screen, holding the phone up as he records a voice message.
“Ric, my man, fuck off.” He grins and ends the message, tossing my phone back into my purse.
“Let’s put that thing away,” he says, pulling me back into his orbit, his hands guiding my hips as we move to the beat.
Warmth radiates from his possessive grip, his palms traveling over the curve of my waist, his fingers tracing a line up my spine as he pulls me in closer. The playful gleam in his eye shifts to something deeper, something smoldering as our gazes lock and we move effortlessly together.
He ducks down so his lips hover below my ear, his words slipping past the music and wrapping around me. “I can’t wait for later… when it’s just us, and you’re all soft and quiet for me.”
Sylus’s fingers slide up the slit of my dress, his touch grazing my thigh, while his lips find the spot where my neck meets my shoulder. My head tilts back, letting the rhythm and his touch consume me.
Then, Levi swoops in, grabbing my hand and pulling me away. “Birthday boy perks,” he yells, tossing Sylus a teasing grin. I laugh at Sylus’s unamused expression as Levi hands me another glass of champagne, and I take it for what it is—an opportunity to catch my breath.
Levi and I toast, clinking our glasses, the bubbles tickling my nose as I take a long sip.
His eyes shine as he watches me, but after a few seconds, his gaze drifts to Ezra, as I’ve noticed it has all night.
The lights shift, lighting up the secluded section we’re in long enough for me to see Ezra is watching Levi too.
I thought it was his protectiveness, but there’s definitely something else lingering in his gaze.
Ohhh…
My grin grows wider as I start to sway again, silently wondering if Levi has any clue about Ezra’s little crush on him.
With my glass raised above my head, I spin, and then Sylus steps up behind me, finding my waist again.
We pick back up where we left off, him pressing close, but Levi waves him off with the flick of a hand. “Shoo. It’s still birthday boy’s turn.”
Right, birthday boy.
There are two of them.
I drain the rest of my champagne and glance over at Koen, who’s still seated on the plush couch, watching the scene unfold with his usual calm intensity. Grinning, I sway over, stopping in front of him. “Is this seat taken?”
Koen’s smirk deepens as he gestures with an open hand next to him. “Not at all.”
Without hesitation, I slide onto his lap, my legs straddling him as I settle in. His gaze locks onto mine, and for a split second, a flicker of surprise crosses his eyes, and then it vanishes, replaced by that smug, unreadable expression.
Let’s see if we can crack that exterior tonight.
He doesn’t stop me, contrary to the last time I tried this, so I start to move, rolling my hips slowly against him, letting myself sink into the beat.
My fingers trace light patterns along his shoulders as I lean in close.
The dress has ridden up, leaving my thin G-string and his suit pants as the only barriers between us.
Koen’s gaze doesn’t wander. It doesn’t drop to my body like every other guy’s does when I do this. He’s not looking at my legs, hips, or chest. His eyes stay locked on mine as if he’s stripping me bare without even touching me.
Under normal circumstances, that would have been a giant red flag.
But it’s Koen, and his control flusters me the longer he maintains it, bringing a warmth creeping into my cheeks.
My breath catches, and my vulnerability rises to the surface under his unrelenting gaze.
I consider looking away to see if that would break the connection, but Koen catches my chin with his fingers before the thought is fully formed, his thumb tracing a line along my jaw. “Eyes on me.”
I obey but stop my dance, my chest rising and falling with shallow breaths as his fingers push lightly into my skin while his thumb strokes a slow, lazy path along my chin.
My whole body responds to him, heat pooling low in my stomach, and I start to move again, but this time, it’s not a dance. It’s a squirm.
Koen’s self-assured grin only deepens. His hand is steady as he keeps my chin tilted toward him and he leans in, the warmth of his breath brushing my lips as he says, “Good girl.”
Shivers run all over me, my body responding helplessly, my breaths coming faster under his gaze, wanting nothing more than to close the small space between us.
Koen’s expression says he knows exactly the effect he’s having on me, and that only makes it worse. The need to break free overtakes me. I push off his lap, standing abruptly, feeling the rush of cool air as I put distance between us. “Champagne!” I abruptly yell, cutting through the music.
I grab another glass without looking to see anyone’s reaction to my outburst, and as I take another swig of the cool liquid, I catch Levi’s amused grin from across the booth, his focus flicking from me to Koen, whose gaze I can still feel lingering on me.
I turn away and let the coolness of the champagne glass ground me as I take another long sip, hoping it’s enough to calm the wildfire Koen has set inside me.