Chapter 22
Harmony
Tonight, you’re mine.
I almost trip over my own feet as his deep, gravelly voice fills me up until I’m about to burst. Sure, I agreed he could be my fake boyfriend for the night. But what does that even mean?
And why do I like it?
Elias winds our fingers together and tugs me through the crowd and into the nightclub.
Bright and colorful strobe lights are our only source of light.
We pass by Abigail, and I grab her arm, tugging her along for this roller coaster of a ride.
A group of scantily-clad women vacate the bar, leaving enough room for us to squeeze into.
“What do you drink?”
I suppress a smile. Elias knows everything about me except things from the last few years. There’s still stuff for us to learn about each other. “Cranberry vodka.”
Abigail wiggles in between Elias and me, tearing apart our interlaced fingers. I flex my fingers, which suddenly feel bereft of his warmth.
Abigail’s back is to me, but I recognize her flirty voice. “How about you make that two of them?”
“You can buy your own drinks,” Elias replies.
“Aw, but why are you buying Harmony a drink then? I call favoritism.”
“Because she’s my girlfriend,” Elias replies, his voice louder, but with how thunderous the music is, I doubt anyone other than the three of us hear.
But that doesn’t stop my stomach from swooping.
Abigail jumps away from my so-called boyfriend. “You two are back together? OMG, I need every single detail.”
I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. I can’t believe she still says OMG, but I also love the fact that she’s so loyal that even being within five feet of Elias makes her look like she’ll be ill.
Now is the time to tell her, or else I might lose any trust I recently earned back.
“Don’t worry. We’re just pretending for tonight,” I whisper directly into her ear so no one will overhear me.
Her eyebrows scrunch together. “Why?”
Telling her is probably smart. If I want to gain her trust again, it’s best to not keep her in the dark, so I quickly fill her in.
“Your what?” Her screech is so loud I slap my hand across her mouth.
“Shhhh. I’ll explain everything later. For now, Elias is my boyfriend.” She still looks shell-shocked, so I ask, “Do you understand?”
She nods. “How about we make my cranberry vodka a double.” She turns to Elias and finishes, “And you’re paying for my first drink.”
Someone scoots in beside Abigail and says, “I’ll pay.”
She turns to him. He’s at least six feet with dark hair, but that’s all I can tell with how crazy the lights flash. Elias also faces him, but I can’t hear any of their conversation.
While they talk, I order drinks for Abigail and me.
“Anything for the men?” the brunette bartender asks.
I shrug, and she laughs. She doesn’t waste any time starting on our drinks. Elias turns back to me and there’s enough heat in his eyes that it warms me to my core.
I motion toward the guy who’s hitting on Abigail. “Do you know him?”
The bartender places two plastic cups on the counter, and Elias pays. When he turns back to me, he says, “I’m not sure, but I’ll keep an eye on them the best I can.”
Something flutters in my stomach that I’m not ready to identify. I take a much needed sip of my drink and enjoy the slight burn that trails down my throat. “You’re still the same sweet guy from before no matter how hard you try to convince me that you’re some grumpy man.”
“I don’t need to convince you when it’s who I am.”
“We’ll see about that.” Gulping down another big sip, my shoulders relax. No need to worry about random cars, texts, or my family being in danger. If I’m not with Serenity, she and Summer should be safe. And I trust Elias to keep me safe.
He nods at my drink. “So, cranberry vodka, huh?”
“This is my go-to. It’s hard to mess it up.” I trail my free hand up his arm. If I’m allowed to touch him tonight, why not take advantage of it? “Why aren’t you drinking?”
His eyes don’t leave where our skin connects. “I’m on the clock.”
I lean in close. “Oh, so you’ve turned into a workaholic while I’ve been gone.”
He finally looks up, our faces only inches apart, and he gives me a look like he doesn’t find me amusing. “I have motivation right now.”
The music continues to pound around us. A plethora of colors flash across Elias’s face.
People move to and from the bar, but I keep my eyes only on Elias.
His button-down shirt hugs his lean muscles just right—enough to give me a taste but not enough to satisfy my craving.
The dark color of his shirt gives off a mysterious vibe, and I want to unravel the parts of him I don’t know.
I tug on my tight, short dress as if it will magically get longer. His gaze bounces around our surroundings, and his grip tightens on my hand when I try to pull away.
Sipping my drink, I blame my cheeks heating on the alcohol. Maybe it will give me the courage to ask if he knows anything about what Sully was saying to Vicki. Heart pounding, I take another huge gulp. When that doesn’t help, I swallow three more sips.
As his eyes land back on me, he asks, “Are you in a rush?”
I shake my head. “Can I ask you something?”
He eyes my now empty glass. “And this requires you to down the rest of your drink? You do remember it was a double, right?”
I flash him a flirty smile. Or at least that’s how I hope I look. “Do you know anything about Sully and why he would pay for my protection himself?”
Elias scratches the side of his head as if in thought.
“Or what he has to tell me now that my mom, um,” I pause and swallow. The alcohol isn’t working as much as I want. His eyes are gentle as he waits for me to continue, the bit of support I need. “Well, now that my mom has passed.”
The bartender finishes making a drink, and I signal to her. She sashays down to me and flashes me a fake but kind smile. “Another?”
I lean forward and yell, “Yes, please. Another cranberry vodka.”
She gets to work making my drink. I go to turn back to Elias, but my head spins for a moment.
Crap. I should’ve eaten before I came.
A strong hand grabs me, and it takes everything in me not to lean into him. Yes, we’re pretending to be a couple, but it’s all for show. Us holding hands is enough to convince others. We don’t have to actually hug or kiss. Hopefully.
“Are you okay?”
I meet Elias’s intense gaze. “Yes. It kind of hit me all at once. I promise I’m okay.” I cringe as I slur the last sentence.
Abigail leans over Elias. “I’m going to dance with Patrick. I’ll be back.”
Before I can respond, my “boyfriend” says, “You know what to do if he does something you don’t like.”
She nods and leads Patrick away.
“What is she supposed to do?”
He looks at his hand that’s still on my shoulder and drops it. “I gave her pepper spray.”
My jaw drops open. “You did?”
“You’re my priority.” He shakes his head. “I feel like a parrot at this point. But yes, in case I’m busy with you, I gave her something to defend herself with.”
The friendly bartender places my drink on the counter.
Elias slaps a twenty down on the bar. This time, I pick my drink up, loop my arm through Elias’s, and lead him to the dance floor.
It might be the liquor flowing through my veins making me bolder, but even if I was sober, I’d still crave this with him.
I can’t give up this opportunity. Even if it’s just for a night.