18. Lavinia
EIGHTEEN
LAVINIA
The door closes behind us and Jules looks at me, shaking her head as a slow smile lights up her face. I laugh nervously. I feel almost…giddy. Like I’m sixteen again and talking to the cute boy I have a crush on. Only, that cute boy is now a hot as hell man I have a crush on.
“Can you tell I have no idea what I am doing?”
“No, it looked like you two were seconds away from ripping off each other’s clothes,” Jules says. We walk down the little hallway to the stairs that lead back down to the club. It’s louder out here and we have to shout to be heard over the music.
It’s already way past my bedtime.
“We weren’t even talking about anything that involved ripping clothes.” I have to grip the railing as we walk down because these stairs are treacherous. I grab Jules’s hand because I don’t want her falling.
“The looks said it all,” Jules shouts in my ear.
We step onto the dance floor and then there’s nothing to say because talking would be impossible. I swear the music gets louder the longer we’re on the dance floor, our bodies writhing against each other. I twirl Jules and we laugh, the sounds drowned by the bass.
Even though no one comes near us, I can’t help feeling like I’m being watched. I don’t want to search for the eyes because with my luck, it’s going to be some guy at the bar rather than the one I want to be watching me. Sweat drips down my back and chest.
The lights are going up and down with the bass, bodies pressing against us and I’m not sure who is who. Jules and I keep a tight grip on each other. I close my eyes so I don’t have to look at all the people pressing in around me.
“This is the most fun I’ve had in years,” I tell Jules. Green light flashes across her face as she smiles, and I see a hint of emotion in her eyes before the light changes again.
“I’m so happy to have you back,” she shouts. “Maybe you don’t notice it, but I see how distant you were with Josh. This,” she waves her hand over my body, “is the Vin I know. A total badass bitch who isn’t afraid to flirt with the bad boy.”
I wish I could articulate everything that was going on in my head over the last two years while I was with Josh.
I’m not sure even I knew what was going on with me and while I recovered from my injury, somehow it felt easier to turn myself off.
To not be the constantly positive ray of sunshine everyone knew.
I hug Jules because hugging her is easier than explaining myself.
“I have to pee.”
We dance our way off the dance floor and get in line for the restroom, which is ten girls deep.
“Oh god, my ears are ringing,” Jules laughs.
“Are we too old for this?”
“Speak for yourself, I can do this all night.” Leaning against me, she removes one pump and massages the ball of her foot, wincing lightly. “These heels are made from metal.” She slides the pump on as the line moves again and we’re finally inside the restroom.
We make quick work of our business and as we’re washing our hands, Jules makes friends with a group of girls who are out celebrating their college graduation from this past summer.
“Can you imagine that we were once that young and hopeful?” Jules hooks her arm through mine as she waves goodbye to the group.
“Now we’re old, jaded women,” I say.
We stop to order two bottles of water at the bar, and someone presses in against my side, trying to get attention from one of the bartenders.
“I’m so sorry.” I turn at the sound of the deep voice. The man who squeezed in next to me is looking directly at me, his face contrite. “I’d have better luck trying to get attention from a father who abandoned me than these bartenders.”
I can’t help being amused. “Is this a new way to flirt with women? Telling them all about your trauma?”
His smile is slow and sexy, and I wait for that flutter in my belly which tells me I’m either interested or creeped out. My body decides to stay silent on this topic, which I take to mean that he’s harmless—for now—but we’re definitely not interested.
“I’m a lawyer, I prefer to lay out all the fine print beforehand.”
“Sounds like it must be frustrating for you.”
He laughs, and it’s a nice sound. “Listen, do you two want to join my friends and me?” He looks over his shoulders towards where a group of guys are hanging out. They all have that trust fund look about them, which is rich coming from me, a trust fund nepo baby.
I turn to Jules. “What do you think?” Back when we used to hang out in clubs, we had a rule. Sometimes people—men—don’t accept no easily. Our rule was that if we ever got invited to hang out with a group of men, the other one would always come up with an excuse to get us out of it.
Jules is looking towards the dance floor, sipping on her water. She lowers her bottle, and her eyes shift to me and back to the dance floor. “I think you have about two seconds to get rid of him.”
“What—?”
A hand comes to rest on the middle of my back, below where the back of my dress starts, a thumb brushing over my skin. I take a breath and even in this crowded place with a mixture of sweat, cologne, and perfume, I can smell Roman.
“Everything okay?”
“This lawyer was asking us to hang out with him and his friends,” Jules explains. “I think he likes Lavinia. What do you think?”
She gives me a sweet as pie look as I glare at her for throwing me under the bus.
“I was promised a dance,” Roman says. His eyes never stray from mine, as if no one else exists.
“My feet hurt, so I’m going to head back up,” Jules says. Pulling me closer, she whispers in my ear. “If you don’t put this man out of his misery, I won’t speak to you for a whole day.”
“You’re going to let a man get between us?”
“Girl, go play pretend with someone who hasn’t watched you fawn over photos of the two of you kissing.
” She smacks my butt lightly, making me jump, and then disappears into the crowd.
I follow her blonde head until she reaches the stairs leading up to the VIP rooms and luckily, Reese and Holden are coming down the stairs so they meet her halfway.
“Boyfriend?” Lawyer Guy asks, an eyebrow raised, head tilted towards Roman.
“A fan.” I glance up at Roman and even in the dark, I can see the amusement flickering in his eyes. “I did promise him a dance.”
Roman’s hand flexes on my back, fingers pressing into my skin.
And there’s the flutter in my lower belly, the pulse between my legs.
My hand in his, he tugs me onto the dance floor, and we’re swallowed by people.
Roman’s hands settle low on my hips, our bodies pressed so tightly together we might as well be naked.
“A fan?” He questions, leaning down to be heard over the music. “Please consider my reputation and sensitive ego. At least stalker made me feel like I was doing something with my life.”
“Being a stalker is a lot of work and commitment. Are you sure that’s something you want?” It’s what I want.
Not for Roman to stalk me because I prefer my stalkers to be fictional. I want commitment and safety. And by his own admission, that’s not something Roman’s interested in.
“Blossom, you make work and commitment sound like a burden, like I already don’t spend half the time thinking about you and the other half watching your every move.”
Is it hot in here or is it me? I’m suddenly so thirsty and I don’t think water is going to be enough to quench this thirst.
“You should be careful. You’re heading into obsession territory.
” My voice is low because I’m not sure I can speak any louder than this, though I’m sure Roman hears me.
The world grows hazy beyond him, the lights and sounds of the club distant distractions.
The only thing that matters is that our bodies fit together, our hips moving with the beat of the music.
Roman laughs lightly, the sound lacking humor. “I appreciate the warning, Blossom. But it’s already too late. My whole life is nothing but an obsession.”
He pushes me away, twirling me around until my back is pressed to his front, my ass meeting his groin. It fills me with a strange sense of satisfaction that I’m not the only one who’s breathless and aroused.
There are people pressing in around us, but we might as well be in our own bubble. Resting my hands on top of Roman’s, I writhe my hips against him.
Tilting my head back, I rest it on his shoulder, turning my head so my lips brush his ear. “That sounds stressful and dangerous.”
“What’s a little danger when the reward is getting to be near you?
” Roman places a kiss below my ear and sucks lightly.
Shivers chase down my spine and I let out a little moan.
“You should be worried, though. Because there will come a day when I’ll break.
I’ll stop playing this game and you’ll know exactly what it feels like when you push a desperate man too far. ”
I…I… what is happening? I need to sit down.
I need air. I want to kiss this man and forget all the things that everyone thinks I should want.
I want to push him too far and let his control break.
My pulse is pounding between my legs and in desperate need, I let a hand trail down, gently skimming it along my thigh.
“You’re such a bad girl, Blossom,” Roman’s whisper is harsh in my ear. He grips my hand, his knuckles brushing against my inner thigh, and even that small touch is enough to set me off.
“Roman,” I whimper, scratching his jaw with my teeth. He shudders behind me, his jaw clenching.
Taking my hand, he pulls me off the dance floor and I’m not entirely sure where we are going until we end up in the back of the club where the restrooms are.
Roman pulls us into a dark alcove that’s closed off from the club, where no one will be able to see anything, and pushes me against the wall. He rests one hand on the wall beside my hand as he leans down, his lips hovering over mine.