Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Isla
We ended up at a club where Julius knew everyone and didn’t have any problem getting us in despite Kraven and me being underage.
Not only was it not an issue, but he also got us a VIP table right in front of the DJ booth.
I had no idea how Julius was able to pull this one off, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to find out where he established these connections.
I felt uneasy being surrounded by such a large crowd. It was so loud I couldn’t hear my own thoughts. Everyone was dressed up, including Kraven and Julius. They were both wearing collared shirts and slacks. Julius had on a vest, and Kraven wore a fedora. They looked handsome.
Unsure how to dress, I wore a tight black dress with black ankle pumps, went heavy on the eye makeup, and left my hair down. By the expression on their faces when I stepped into the kitchen, I’d done a good job.
That didn’t stop the anxiousness I felt the second we walked in, though. This was my first time at a club. I didn’t break the law, at least not on purpose. Grabbing the glass from the table in front of me, I poured some champagne.
For the next hour, I drank until I started to feel the nervousness subside and the endorphins and adrenaline kick in. Watching everyone loosen up around me as the hours flew by helped. I wanted to be like them.
I danced.
We laughed.
We drank.
“Come on, dance with me!” I shouted to Julius. He sat on the edge of the table, and I stood between his legs.
He grabbed my arm, tugging me to his face. “Not when you’re dancing for me.”
I smiled, beaming.
With a sway of my hips, I slowly rocked my body in a circle, and he took a swig of his beer.
His eyes drank me in.
Making my heart flutter.
There was so much I craved to say.
So much I desired him to hear.
“Do you mind? Or are you just going to stand there?” I taunted, rolling my hips to the beat.
He smiled widely. Leaning into my ear, he growled, “By all means, Isla. I don’t mind one bit.”
“You have no shame, Julius Knightly.”
He grabbed my hand. “It’s going to take a lot more booze to get me to dance. Now you…” He twirled me around in a circle, showing me one of the only dance moves he knew. “Can dance for me all night long.” His arms wrapped around my waist.
I deliberately worked my hips against him. “Then all you have to do is stand there and look like the badass you are.”
He chuckled. “Tell that to my dick. It likes you a lot right now.”
My mouth dropped open with a surprised smile creeping on my face. “Look at you. Is that booze talking or are you just happy to see me?” I mocked, knowing damn well it wasn’t the booze. “I didn’t know I needed his permission. I thought he always liked me.”
He chuckled again. “Oh, sweetheart, he’s liked you since day one.”
“I see…” I continued to tease him. “So how do I get him to love me?”
He pressed his forehead against mine. “You earn it.”
I got close to his mouth, speaking with conviction, “And how do I do that?”
Julius
The crazy part about Isla was that she truly had no idea how much she commanded a room. All eyes were on her, including mine. There was this energy radiating from her. This confidence and sex appeal weren’t something you learned. You were born with it. She didn’t have to try. It was just there.
It came so naturally to her. Luring you in with a look…
A smile.
A slight movement in her body.
She was captivating and exuded sexuality. A magnetic pull that forced you in without even realizing it. At that moment, as much as I tried to ignore the thoughts hovering, I couldn’t.
I watched how she danced.
How her ass shook.
How her hands worked their way up her body.
Until my mouth brushed her ear. “How about you start by asking me to get on my knees?”
“I like this version of you,” she confidently purred, eyes steady on me.
“And what version is that?”
“Free.” Staring deep into my eyes, she asked out of nowhere, “What future do you see?”
“You mean other than you and me?”
She smirked through a glossy gaze.
“Is this you or the champagne asking?”
“Both.”
“We’re back to this game again?”
“I don’t like that you can’t see a future for yourself, Julius. Especially when you deserve the best and brightest one.”
Her serious question didn’t stop me from taking in the glow of her smooth, creamy skin, or the way her hair kept falling around her face, along the rosy flush of her cheeks from the alcohol.
Something in the way she was looking at me…
The unease.
The sorrow.
The comprehension in her eyes.
That made me confess, “You’re the first and last place that’s ever felt like home to me.” Without thinking, my hands immediately traveled up the back of her thighs.
They were as soft as they were inviting.
And I knew I was done for.
“Nothing compares to you,” I vowed. Gently, my hands roamed up her bare legs, never taking my eyes off her beautiful face. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Her legs trembled.
Her body shuddered.
Her hips swayed without even realizing she was doing so.
“You’re gorgeous, Isla. You’ve really come into your own this last year and a half since we met.”
“It’s not a year and a half until next month.”
I chuckled. “Look who’s keeping track.”
“Why wouldn’t I keep track of the best and worst days of my life?” she blurted, the alcohol stripping away her filter.
“What—”
She changed the subject, flirting, “Charming as ever, I see.”
I winced, fully aware she didn’t mean to share that with me.
“Is that what you think I’m doing?” I played along. “Charming you?”
It was her bright green eyes that truly captivated me.
Sometimes it was easier to give people what they wanted than to try to make sense of anything.
The world chewed you up and spit you out if you let it.
To go through the ups and downs of sharing your life with someone was a ride I never expected to be on.
But that was just the beginning of our complicated relationship of firsts.
Her perfume.
Her heat.
Her touch.
She was hypnotizing.
“Julius, the day I met you,” she said, finally giving me what I wanted. “I—”
“Hey, Julius!” Marco interrupted, abruptly turning my attention to him. “How about you introduce me to your arm candy?”
Reluctantly, I let her go.
Setting her beside me, I introduced them. “Marco, this is Isla. Isla, Marco.”
He extended his hand for her to shake. “Nice to meet you, darlin’.”
She shook it. “Likewise.”
When he pulled away, he exclaimed, “I hope you’re enjoying yourself. Please, feel free to order whatever you’d like. It’s on me.”
Isla replied, “Thank you.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I hope you know how lucky you are to have this guy right here.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he continued, “Julius, let’s catch up in my office. Shall we?”
With a nod, I leaned toward her and murmured in her ear, “I’ll be back. Don’t go far. I owe you a dance.”
I could sense her watching me leave, feeling the weight of something I couldn’t place.
Not in the least.